Lakers vs. Clippers: Is Their Victory a Turning Point for Kobe Bryant and Co.?

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers last night in a game that could turn out to be a real turning point for the team. It's not just that they won, it's how they won. 

It was a grueling game. It was a grind-it-out game. It was the kind of game the Lakers need to learn to win to get far in the postseason. 

They don't have a team that's athletic and fast. They have a team that's big and experienced. It's that kind of game that's going to help them in the playoffs. 

Whether it was the "return" of Metta World Peace going all MMA on Blake Griffin, or whether it was Pau Gasol rubbing Chris Paul's head at the end of the game, this was a team was fighting, that was winning in the trenches. 

There was trash talk and nastiness and fouls. 

Maybe more importantly, they played like it meant something. It was the Lakers playing like a team that wanted to win, not a player that wanted to win in Kobe Bryant and everyone else stewing in their own private emotions about it. 

The Lakers committed 15 fouls but drew 25. The won because they won nasty, and that's the way that the Lakers are going to win. 

With the players on this team like Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Josh McRoberts and Andrew Bynum, this is a team that can intimidate. It's what they did and how they won. 

In essence, basketball sometimes is just about finding your teams personality and making it work. That's what happened last night. It's why this was a real turning point for the Lakers.