Byron Scott is heading into his first game as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night against the visiting Houston Rockets. Scott has been coaching in the NBA since 1998 with stops in Sacramento, New Jersey, New Orleans and Cleveland, but tomorrow’s debut in Los Angeles is special.
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Coach Scott talked about how he’s feeling with his coaching debut in Los Angeles less than 24 hours away, via Baxter Holmes of ESPN:
BS on his 1st game as Lakers’ HC: "It’s almost like my first game playing, when I played with this org. I’ve got those butterflies as well."
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) October 27, 2014
Along with Scott making his coaching debut for the purple and gold, there will be plenty of other storylines on Tuesday night at the Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant will be playing his first game in the regular season since December of last year after two consecutive season-ending injuries. The five-time NBA champion will also being facing Dwight Howard for the first time since the superstar center left the team in free agency back in the summer of 2013.
The Kobe-Dwight storyline will likely be the most talked about topic before tipoff on Tuesday, but Jeremy Lin also has something to play for in his debut for the Lakers. Lin was traded to Los Angeles this past summer after a short and disappointing stint in Houston.
With all the storylines heading into opening night, the start of the 2014-15 NBA season shouldn’t disappoint. The Lakers won’t have much time to digest a win or a loss to the Rockets with Kobe and company heading to Phoenix to face the Suns on November 1.
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