Merry Christmas, Los Angeles Clippers! As if a December 25th matchup with their struggling crosstown rivals wasn’t a good enough gift, Larry Nance, Jr. gave Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and company an even better one early in the first quarter of Friday night’s contest.
Just what was the Los Angeles Lakers rookie trying to do here? Obviously, he had an idea of securing a defensive rebound at its highest point – likely fearing that Griffin might hop on his back to take the ball away. But why not go up with two hands? Why not get low, find a body, and box out? And if all else fails, why not tip the ball backwards a la Tyson Chandler?
Those are questions Nance, and millions across the country who got their first look at the Lakers’ high-flier yesterday, will be asking for years. Fortunately, though, that reality means the late first-round pick will likely be playing in Los Angeles for a long time going forward.
Nance’s wholly unique gaffe is sure to be memorialized during future Christmas games over the next few years. He’ll be hearing about this one for awhile, basically. What’s the silver lining? That his surprising early-season play has made him a fixture of the Lakers’ plans – and that includes an annual holiday spotlight.
Catch-22.
