NBA FINALS: LA Lakers win Game 1 over Boston Celtics
As Ron Artest and Paul Pierce forced each other out of their halves, the game became intense when one of them got the ball. Reluctant to give any space to move on each other’s base, they looked like Siamese-twins who were joined at the back while they fought over the ball. Eventually, they both fell over in the act and the referee came in to become the solicitor to end their fight and slapped double technical fouls on both of them.
All that happened in just the starting 30 seconds of a match that refreshed memories of the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. It was the first NBA final between the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers after a long time and both teams lived up to the expectations of history.
It was a blast from the past. The intensity seemed to have been building up over time, just like a dam which was about to break. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol made sure that whenever an opportunity such as this arrives, the Lakers get the upper hand.
Bryant starred with 30 points while Gasol produced 23 points with 14 rebounds leading the defending Champions to a hard-earned win in Game 1 over the Celtics with the final score at 102-89.
Artest helped the Lakers too by making 15 points in 12th encounters between the two teams in the NBA finals. In the last encounter in 2008, it is vividly remembered that the Celtics played hard-ball with the Lakers. But this time round, the defending Champions were ready for it as they brought the attack to them. The Celtics finished as the winner in six tough games against the Lakers.
After the match, Gasol told, “I knew it was going to be physical. That’s a given. After consecutive finals, we understand the nature of the game. We understand who our rival is, how they play. You’ve got to compete, and you’ve got to match that physicality, that aspect of the game to be successful".
Phil Jackson has triumphed in 47 straight playoff series after winning the first game. Pierce scored 24 points and Kevin Garnett made 16 good points as well.
Jackson, the 10-time champion said, “I wish I had put it in the bank, so to speak. We’ve got to play this out. ... Our defence stiffened at various points in the game, was very effective. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but it’s nice to know that (the 47-0 streak) is on our side”.
The hour mark in the end indicated that this was just the beginning of a memorable saga. The confrontations had just started. The American football fans might want to tune into this when the Game starts at Sunday night at the Staples Centre.
The Celtics’ team was particularly anguished at the fact that they had given up 100 points in the last 10 games. They are certainly having a beating in their defence department and in comparison to the Lakers, who have a superb defensive line up; they should improve it before Andrew Bynum starts splitting their players into two.
Doc Rivers commented on it by saying, “They were the more physical team by far. They were more aggressive. They attacked us the entire night. I didn’t think we handled it very well".
Ray Allen produced 12 points while having constant trouble with fouls. But that wasn’t the case with just him; he in fact was guarding Bryant - a problem that Pierce and Garnett later enrolled in with fouls.
Garnett faced trouble even making a simple open lay-up; majorly due to Gasol’s brilliance who clearly hadn’t forgotten their last encounter. Jackson complementing him when he said, “Pau played a big game tonight.” He then added, “I thought they did a good job on him in the post, but his movement and his activity were important".
The game had a staggering 54 fouls and that was partly the reason for the Celtics defeat as it gave the Lakers a 20 point lead in the end. Though they tried a brilliant t come back in the end but the chasm was just too big.
The Lakers over all aced, with Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown joining in the party, making astounding breaks and penetrations. Bryant himself setup his usual plays while Artest was amazing on defence. Kobe and Gasol together made 53 points in the end and compiled around 21 rebounds. The Celtics will have to do something about the dynamic duo if they want to win Game 2 of the NBA finals.
Tags: