Patrick Beverly and the Clippers spoil Lonzo Ball’s debut
The Staples Center was packed to capacity and bursting at the seam with noise from the second the rookie phenom Lonzo Ball took the floor for warmups. His approaching NBA debut and the controversy surrounding his outspoken father Lavar had been discussed at nauseam in basketball circles across the nation for months on end.
Promises of 50 wins, playoff berths, Rookie of the Year awards, Allstar appearances, and MVP votes were put forth far in advance of the young floor general’s first appearance in a regular season NBA game. Although players have acknowledged his mouthwatering talent and fair demeanor, others have taken exception to his premature praise and determined to send the rookie a message.
One such of these players was Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley. The NBA All-Defensive First Team selection from a year ago stuck to Ball like white on rice and made life in his introduction to the NBA hell.
The defensive stopper contained Lonzo Ball to three points and four assists on 1-6 shooting. In Ball’s 30 minute debut, Patrick Beverly made sure to bump, bruise and bully the rookie sensation into submission at each opportunity.
When the clock read zero, Lonzo and the Lakers had been thoroughly embarrassed and outplayed at every turn. They looked outmatched and even lost at times on easy reads and simple defensive rotations that the Clippers took full advantage off.
In red, white and blue, the Lakers hometown rivals the LA Clippers enjoyed a very different narrative. Despite facing the harsh reality of life without perennial Allstar Chris Paul, they rode on the back of former first overall pick Blake Griffin to easily dispatch the Lakers 108-92.
Blake Griffin has struggled mightily to stay healthy in recent seasons, but now operating at full strength and with Paul out of the picture, the days of playing sidekick are over and the time has come to prove whether he can assert himself as the MVP candidate the Clippers thought they were getting when they drafted him with the first pick back in 2009.
