With Steve Blake being traded to the Warriors yesterday, we take a moment to reflect and look back on perhaps his most memorable moment as a Laker.
It was this season, and the Lakers were matched up against the Houston Rockets in an early season contest in November.
The Lakers were fresh off a very disappointing loss to the Dallas Mavericks the night before, but there was added reason to get excited when they made the trip to Houston, as it would be the first time this team would face up against Dwight Howard since the free agency fiasco in the summer of 2013.
Without Kobe Bryant and a bunch of fresh new faces on the roster, this matchup was not expected to be intense. However, after Howard slighted the Lakers in free agency, this team felt that it was only right to show Dwight that he made a mistake in leaving the Lakers franchise.
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The Lakers came out on fire against the Rockets, leading by double-digits at the end of the first half. Towards the end of the second half, the Lakers saw their lead disappear, as the Rockets fought back and even went ahead by six points.
However, the Lakers were persistent on this night, and would ultimately give themselves a chance to win the game on the final possession after crawling.
Steve Blake’s game-winner is still the brightest moment in this injury-filled season. He played four seasons in Los Angeles, and had his most successful year in Mike D’Antoni’s system. He will definitely be missed and his contributions are appreciated by the fans.
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