I didn’t get to watch the Lakers-Clippers game on Wednesday night, but from all the comments on Twitter and the talk and highlights I saw the next day, it sounded like these two teams have built a real rivalry.
The two Los Angeles squads have quickly built up a strong dislike for each other and it showed on the court with the technicals, the dirty looks, little fights for loose balls and angry words exchanged during and after the game.
Another thing I learned from Twitter was that Lakers forward Metta World Peace (or Ron Artest if you don’t buy into the insanity) committed somewhere between 50 and 300 fouls in that game that he didn’t get whistled for. He only scored 3 points in his 38 minutes but some are calling it his best game of the season because of his aggressiveness and his ability to “disturb the peace” (I can’t help myself).
World Peace’s coach Mike Brown had a lot of positive things to say about him after the game.
“I thought Metta World Peace had a lot to do with it,” said Brown. “His physical and mental toughness really impacted the game.”
World Peace has always had the ability to get inside other players’ heads, he also has the ability to get inside his own head and fly off the handle a little bit. It’s a gift and a curse, an asset and a liability. In the game against the Clippers on Wednesday, it came in handy and helped the Lakers win, but somewhere down the line he could just as easily cost the Lakers a game just as easily.
Metta World Peace is the Lakers’ wild card. He’s capable of surprising you on any given night. It’s kind of funny that his most effective way of playing may be the exact opposite of his newly self-given nickname.
