A lot of my friends have said that green will be the color of the NBA Finals.
I’ve been a Laker fan since I was a boy, and the way the LA Lakers took Game One with authority (103-89), it sure looks like the purple-and-gold squad of coach Phil Jackson have learned their Finals debacle well from 2008.
Kobe Bryant, as usual, was his old, devastating self–finishing Game One with a monster game of 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He reached his 30th point after punctuating the game with a top-of-the-key three-pointer over Paul Pierce that brought the Staples Center crowd up on their feet.
Here are some post-game scenes I just noticed after the final buzzer sounded in Game One–Kevin Garnett scratched his head on his way out of the court, perhaps, wondering what went wrong even though the Celtics had a monstrous playoff run in their Eastern Conference series against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic.
Celtics players went back straight to their locker room heads bowed after being taught a neat lesson in basketball by the defending NBA champions.
Ron Artest sat at the bench as he waits for his turn to be interviewed by some court-side reporters on his first-ever Finals appearance in his career. He finished with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and one shot block, while more importantly, shadowing Paul Pierce throughout the match.
Of course, the Staples Center crowd played a huge role in the Lakers’ 9-0 home playoff record this year.
Well, knowing the Celtics, I’m pretty sure they’d be coming back strong in Game Two. They’ve got the experience, they’ve got the heart and this series-opening defeat won’t be a damper to their title-reclaiming bid.
However, I just have a gut feel the Lakers are not gonna be surrendering their title, especially against their decades-long basketball nemesis.
The 2008 Finals Game 6 massacre doesn’t appear to bother the Lakers, but that may have been a motivating factor for them coming into the 2010 championship series.
The Celtics are probably “green” with envy as they watched the Lakers take Game One. Kobe and Co. now have a little momentum going for them as they go to Game Two.
Consistency on both the offensive and defensive end are keys for the Lakers in their title-retention bid. One down, three more and the NBA title is theirs.
Photo Source: http://psynergygames.com/