Surprise Contributions!

What's better than getting an awesome gift when you never asked for it? Lots of things, probably, as I have no idea what that feels like (email me if you want to give money).

Anyway, we're not here to talk about gifts. We're here to talk about chill camouflage-wearing centers and guys you thought could only dunk well (but not during a dunk contest).

Brad Miller

The Line - 1-4 from the field, 0-1 from deep, 7-8 from the line (!!!), 2 offensive rebounds, 9 total rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls. 

That line doesn't look great, right (except for the trips to the line, because that's awesome for anyone, especially Brad Miller)? Well,  those rebounds represent a 18.6% TRR. That's way good, if you didn't know (for centers playing 20+ minutes in 40+ games last season, that would have put Brad in the top 5 in the league). As far as the 2 assists go, they don't do Brad justice. His ability to distribute was utilized at every opportunity along with the speed of the Rockets' Brooks-Martin-Budinger lineup. When things were getting ugly on offense (Kevin Martin's 1-2 assist to turnover ratio, the Lakers locking in on the Brooks-Scola pick and roll ), Miller's post passing was the most effective option the Rockets had. I might be hyperbolizing (not a real word), but come on. Just look at this guy's ankle tape -  http://blogs.thescore.com/tbj/2010/10/27/brad-millers-ankle-tape-is-the-best-ankle-tape/

Keep it up, Brad Miller, because the Rockets are counting on you. Also, try not letting your defensive assignment dunk so much. Seriously, Pau torched you. "Hello everyone" indeed.

Shannon Brown

I know. I'm just as shocked as you. 

The Line - 16 points on 6-9 shooting (4-5 from deep), 1 assist, 4 steals, 2 turnovers, all in 21 minutes. And some of those minutes were during clutch time, friends. Steve Blake might have hit the eventual game winner, but Shannon Brown's shooting set the tone of the Lakers comeback, getting the crowd back into the game (as much as a Staples Center crowd can get into a game).

Shannon Brown averaged 8 points on 32.8% 3-point shooting  and 1 steal per game all of last season. That was the best season of his career. So, that means that this whole game was probably just a wild outlier, but if Shannon can play with anything resembling this effectiveness for the season then the Lakers are going to be even better than we thought. And that's really good, considering everyone is picking the Lakers to go to the Finals, in case you hadn't heard.