Ryan Ward: Alex Caruso on headband: “My new stylist JaVale McGee has been helping me out. We just decided yesterday at practice after goofing around & just stuck w it today. Played good w it tonight, so I guess we’re going to stay w it for now. Not a 1-time thing. We’re going to stay w it.”
JaVale McGee Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: C
Born: 01/19/88
Height: 7-0 / 2.13
Weight:270 lbs. / 122.5 kg.
Salary: $4,000,000
Born: 01/19/88
Height: 7-0 / 2.13
Weight:270 lbs. / 122.5 kg.
Salary: $4,000,000
It became a laborious night for the Pistons as the Lakers blocked 25.6% of their shot attempts (20 of 78), making it the highest percentage of blocked shots in a game since blocks became an official statistic in 1973-74, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau. “Obviously it was a huge factor in the game,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “Our three big guys just played exceptional basketball. I think we as a group were not happy with giving up 68 points in the paint against the Pelicans. That was sort of the theme of our film session yesterday, and those guys took a lot of pride in protecting our rim tonight. Twenty blocks, that’s pretty special. Those guys did a great job.”
“We want to protect the paint as much as possible,” Davis said. “If teams are going to beat us, make sure they beat us from the outside.” The Lakers are the first team to block 20 shots since the Toronto Raptors did it Nov. 7, 2001. It was the second-best total in Lakers history; they had 21 blocks against Denver in April 1982.
Kamenetzky Brothers: JaVale, on telling Caruso to wear the headband: “I just had a vision. And when I saw that vision of what he could be, visually, I made it happen. I told him to get the haircut, also. Haircut. Headband. What happened? He went out there and flew. Like the eagle that he is.” AK
His Lakers (24-3) haven’t always needed that jolt. In a grinding 106-96 win over the Atlanta Hawks, they did. Even the West’s best team sometimes gets a case of the blahs — James helped lift them out of it. “It kept us honest. It just kept us happy,” JaVale McGee said. “We need some of the flashy things to happen, just to keep us in our vibe. That’s our vibe: We do flashy things, we win ball games, and we have fun.”
Harrison Faigen: here is your JaVale McGee out-of-context postgame quote of the night. “I’ve never been to Japan myself. I want to go though. Probably this summer. Shout out to Japan.”
Ryan Ward: JaVale McGee on how winning has impacted #Lakers’ chemistry: “Everything’s great when you’re winning. It’s hard to be mad when you’re winning. It doesn’t matter what your stats are, it’s a great feeling. Everything is great when you’re winning.”
