All of the hype, debate, questions and analysis all came to a head Thursday night, with the Lakers shining much brighter under the beaming lights of the 2010 NBA Finals. It was us, not Boston, who executed a superb defensive game plan with brutish physicality, holding the C’s to 89 points on 43.3% shooting with only 30 points in the paint.
Weren’t we supposedly still “not as tough” as the Celtics? Keep talking, it’s only going to make us stronger.
The proverbial tone was set very early, on the second possession of the game to be exact, when Ron Artest wrestled to the ground with Paul Pierce, both doing their reenactment of Evans vs. Jackson – Ron being Evans on this particular night of course.
Forget first-time jitters, Artest came to L.A. to win his first championship and he’s completely bought into the focused ferocity of Kobe Bryant. As he self-proclaimed in his post-game interview with Hannah Storm, it was really all about his effort to compete last night. The 15 points (3-5 from deep) was “icing on the cake”, as he said as well.
The defensive play of the game was definitely the block-and-snatch that Ron executed beautifully on Big Baby Davis in fourth quarter, which was a definitive indication of the difference between playing with Artest rather than against him.
Granted Paul Pierce had a strong outing with 24 points, but 12 of those came via the free throw line, which I’m sure will be addressed by Phil Jackson prior to Game 2. However, Artest limited Pierce to 6 of 13 from the field and provided the physical presence against the C’s captain that was lacking in 2008.
The rest of the Boston Celtics meanwhile, looked frustrated and confused, allowing early foul trouble to affect their usually steady play.
It was on the glass where they really lost Game 1 as the Lakers crushed them 42-31 in rebounds (12-8 offensive), also winning 16-0 in second chance points – yes, 16 to nada.
Boston also let the Lakers shoot 52% from the field in the first half and 48% for the game, giving up 48 total points in the paint as well.
We all know how much the C’s pride themselves on protecting the paint, but last night, they were leagues behind our bigs, Pau and Drew.
All of the Laker faithful could not help but look to the absence of Andrew Bynum the last time we squared off against Boston in the Finals without thinking, “if only…”, and he proved exactly why, with 10 points (4-6) and six rebounds.
More so than his statistical contributions though, Bynum’s presence on the floor alone gave the Lakers the luxury of controlling all things inside the paint, be it scoring or defense.
Most importantly, Drew gave us 28 minutes of gutty effort and focus, with his knee looking relatively strong as well – a sight that we all certainly welcome with open arms. It will be interesting to see how his game is affected by shortened rest as the series shifts to Boston next week.
Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown pitched in with 10 points combined off the bench and really sparked us in the second quarter, getting to the rim with ease on multiple possessions.
In a series where speed is a critical element of the game with firecrackers like Rajon Rondo on the floor, it was our two back-up guards who exposed the Celtics’ defense with quick dribble penetration.
They also both did an exceptional job guarding Rondo and Ray Allen, which must continue if the Lakers hope to win this series.
NEXT: Dynamic Duo Strike Down Big Three
I don’t care how much this gets repeated or beaten to death, but Kobe Bryant is playing the best and most comprehensive basketball of his accomplished 14-year career. It’s frightening to wonder how he would be playing if he was as healthy as even last season.
For someone who many bystanders deemed to have “lost a step” just six weeks ago, Kobe completely shredded the Celtics’ vaunted defense, getting to the basket on take after take, going 9 for 10 from the charity stripe as well. He did however, come up hobbling on a couple of occasions so there is no question that he is pushing his body far beyond his physical limits.
For the game, the Mamba racked up 30 points (10-22 FG), seven rebounds and six assists. He even stone-walled Chris Rock and his surely annoying banter, blasting the comedian back to a time when perhaps no one was laughing at his jokes.
Don’t feel too bad Chris, you really shouldn’t have been talking to him anyways. This is Kobe’s town, especially right now. You speak when you are spoken to.
Bryant also got Ray Allen in foul trouble from the get-go, with the former UConn star amassing five personal fouls for the game, eliminating any chance at building a rhythm. Tony Allen did not fair any better, getting whistled for three of his own in the first quarter.
Why it’s such a significant factor to force an early switch of the Allens in subsequent games of this series is because the Celtics’ offensive spacing suffers mightily as a result, which also limits Rondo’s options off dribble penetration.
As was evidenced during the game, when Ray Allen is off the floor, the Lakers are able to collapse the paint without worrying too much about outside shooting because Tony Allen is a driver, not a shooter, which Jeff Van Gundy harped on as well. Pau Gasol had three big blocks in the lane, including a huge one on a KG turnaround fadeaway that ignited his swagger to heights that we’ve not seen since his arrival in L.A.
Pau devoured his matchup against the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year, Garnett, scoring 23 points on 8 of 14 from the field and dominating the boards with 14 rebounds (eight offensive).
All of the criticism and questions regarding his toughness, which I myself am guilty of having engaged, undoubtedly lit a quiet inferno in the Spaniard’s belly.
KG in contrast, struggled to keep pace with a pedestrian 16 points on 7 of 16 shooting and the most glaring stat – four total rebounds, which fuels the claim that his best years are clearly behind him.
Garnett capped off his forgettable outing by failing miserably on one particular sequence where he fumbled the ball twice going up for a bunny on tired, withered legs. If you throw in Paul Pierce and Ray Allen’s lackluster performances, there is no question that our All-Star tandem outplayed Boston’s Big Three (+1 even in Rondo).
As difficult as this may be to digest, the Lakers have to play even better, stronger and harder on Sunday night if they want to head to TD Garden up 2-0.
NEXT: Keys to Game 2
It is imperative that the Lakers do not take anything for granted during the rest of the series. We may have won with a ground-and-pound effort in Game 1, but you can be sure that Boston will enter Sunday’s contest like a lion who had his lunch stolen from the grip of his jaw.
I suspect that the Celtics will institute their “smack down” attitude that Phil Jackson so eloquently pointed out prior to the series. The games to come will get chippy and the Lakers have to guard their composure in such situations as opposed to exposing themselves to mind games.
As much as this Finals is about physical toughness, winning most phases of game as we did last night, will revolve heavily around playing with poise.
While the Lakers did manage to score 102 points against the Celtics, a seldom achieved result by any opponent, as Kobe said in his post-game presser, “That’s not something we hang our hat on”. The focus must continue to be parlayed towards the defensive end of the floor and making all the hustle plays.
It was through good old fashioned hardy team defense that we held Rajon Rondo to 13 points on 6 of 14 from the field and a quiet eight assists. The two layups that he scored were not off dribble penetration, but rather, open cuts to the basket off overly aggressive help defense by Kobe, which was quickly corrected.
Our bigs did a phenomenal job in curtailing the C’s budding star by using their length to build a wall every time he got into the lane, an obstacle that was absent against Miami, Cleveland and Orlando.
We also can’t expect Ray Allen to come out in Game 2 and only take eight shots for 12 points. Adjustments win championships at this stage in the postseason and Doc Rivers will certainly devise alternate means of getting Allen the touches he needs to be effective.
Don’t mistake one bad game as being indicative of how Boston is going to play from here on out. All of the Celtics’ veterans, especially those that remain from the 2008 championship team, will play pissed off and determined basketball come Sunday.
We must be prepared to punch back with just as much force.