I used to worry when the Bruins fell behind early.
Now I’ve just come to expect it.
Last week, it was Texas building an early lead and hanging around long enough to end with it. On Saturday, it was Davidson jumping the Bruins like a shady figure in a dark alley, pouring it on in the first half and going up by as many as 18. The game had all the makings of a serious beat down.
But I think we all knew better.
In a way, it was like watching “Talladega Nights” ““ that French guy with the macchiato drives off to a huge lead but you know in the back of your head Ricky Bobby is going to come back.
On Saturday, the Bruins were Ricky Bobby.
For most of the first half, saying that the No. 7 team in the country looked disappointing would be an understatement. Their offense made Davidson’s defense look like the Great Wall of China and the Wildcat perimeter shooters were open more often than a 7-11.
The first 12 minutes of the game saw Davidson put up 30 points, as their big men were able to hit outside shots and stretch the Bruins’ defense.
Not only that, but the Bruins’ main offensive post presence, Kevin Love, took two early fouls and rode the bench for much of the first half.
Then the real Bruins showed up.
They flipped the switch almost as if they were asked to play a game of basketball with Prince, knowing that grapes and pancakes would follow. The Bruins started forcing turnovers on double-teams and were able to capitalize in transition, something they can’t do when opponents are hitting shots.
They tightened up on defense and held Davidson scoreless for almost six minutes as Luc Richard Mbah a Moute took over.
He had arguably his best stretch of the year at the end of the first half, pulling down rebounds, hitting jump shots and running a fast break or two to help bring the Bruins within four at the half.
He looked like the Mbah a Moute of old ““ cleaning up rebounds in the paint and getting high percentage shots instead of settling for long range jumpers. Even with the HDNet announcers butchering his name and calling him Luke Bam a Monte and Luke Boo a Marley, the Prince had a breakout game.
He showed how his game is supposed to be, and how it was his freshman year. With the Bruins having such a big lineup this season, Mbah a Moute has spent many minutes playing outside of his natural position around the rim. But on Saturday, he exhibited exactly why he is such a playmaker.
Given a chance to rake in offensive boards and use his athleticism in the paint, Mbah a Moute is one of the most dangerous players in the country. His 21 points led the team and his total of eight boards was only behind rebounding machine Love.
But it wasn’t only the Mbah a Moute Show at the Honda Center on Saturday. Guard Russell Westbrook reasserted himself as the Bruins’ premier defender as Darren Collison still does not look fully healthy.
With the task of guarding Davidson star Stephen Curry for much of the game, Westbrook held him to 15 points on 6-of-19 shooting, well below his average of 26 points per game.
Not only did he guard Curry better than the border patrol between the two Koreas, but he also sparked the Bruins on the offensive side of the ball. With Collison not driving into the paint on one braced knee, that duty fell to Westbrook, who was able to penetrate the lane and dish it to the Bruin big men.
Every Bruin starter scored in double figures, and that’s got just as much to do with Westbrook’s ability to spread the ball as anything else.
With Westbrook becoming the Bruins’ go-to guy and Mbah a Moute showing what he can do down low, there’s no reason to doubt this team.
But it’d fine with me if the Bruins didn’t wait 12 minutes into the game to start that shake and bake.
E-mail Feder at jfeder@media.ucla.edu if you think Mbah a Moute is Spanish for like a fighting chicken.