Friday, June 05, 2009
By Jim Feist
Think Kobe Bryant wants to win a title without Shaq? "I just want it so bad," he said quietly after Game 1. "I just want it really bad." Shaq used to say that Bryant was easily the most motivated player in the NBA, so it's no one wants a victory in this series more than he does. They got off to a perfect start with a 100-75 pasting of Orlando in Game 1. The young Magic looked like the deer in the headlights.
Most impressive was the Laker defense, which held a talented Orlando offense to 24, 19, 15 and 17 points in four quarters -- in that order. Orlando started slow and got worse. And it was ugly: Orlando shot 29.9%. The taller Lakers had a whopping edge on the glass, 55-41. It if you think that was all defensive rebounds because Orlando was throwing up bricks, note that LA had the edge in offensive rebounds, 15-10. It was men against boys, boys who haven't been to the big stage of the NBA Finals.
Kobe Bryant made 16-of-34 shots and added eight rebounds and eight assists. "We did everything we could to stop him," said Magic rookie Courtney Lee about Kobe. "But he would make a shot. And make a shot. And make a shot." Good luck, kid! And the series is not over yet -- you have to guard up 3 more games, at least.
That regular season 2-0 SU/ATS mark of Orlando against the Lakers is suddenly meaningless. Phil Jackson is 43-0 in playoff series when his team wins a Game 1; Kobe Bryant is 19-0 when his team wins Game 1. L.A. stifled Orlando's potent offense. Dwight Howard struggled to even get shots and make shots, finishing with just 12 points on only 1-of-6 attempts.
Orlando has used its great frontcourt to its advantage thus far in the playoffs. But they are playing the only team in NBA that is bigger up front than they are. And Game 1 was an eye opner: Veterans 7-foot Pau Gasol (16 points, eight boards) and 6-10 Lamar Odom (11 points, 14 rebounds) dominated, and even young 7-footer Andrew Bynum had nine points and nine rebounds. That is three big guys gobbling up a lot of rebounds and space in the paint.
Some good news for Orlando is that All-Star guard Jameer Nelson finished with six points and four assists in 23 minutes, his first action since early February. The bad news: He made only 3 of 9 shots, looking rusty. Orlando might be looking forward to coming home for Games 3, 4 and 5, but remember: Since acquiring Pau Gasol on Feb.1, 2008, the Lakers have yet to lose three consecutive games. The Lakers also have the NBA's best road record at 30-11.
By Jim Feist
Think Kobe Bryant wants to win a title without Shaq? "I just want it so bad," he said quietly after Game 1. "I just want it really bad." Shaq used to say that Bryant was easily the most motivated player in the NBA, so it's no one wants a victory in this series more than he does. They got off to a perfect start with a 100-75 pasting of Orlando in Game 1. The young Magic looked like the deer in the headlights.
Most impressive was the Laker defense, which held a talented Orlando offense to 24, 19, 15 and 17 points in four quarters -- in that order. Orlando started slow and got worse. And it was ugly: Orlando shot 29.9%. The taller Lakers had a whopping edge on the glass, 55-41. It if you think that was all defensive rebounds because Orlando was throwing up bricks, note that LA had the edge in offensive rebounds, 15-10. It was men against boys, boys who haven't been to the big stage of the NBA Finals.
Kobe Bryant made 16-of-34 shots and added eight rebounds and eight assists. "We did everything we could to stop him," said Magic rookie Courtney Lee about Kobe. "But he would make a shot. And make a shot. And make a shot." Good luck, kid! And the series is not over yet -- you have to guard up 3 more games, at least.
That regular season 2-0 SU/ATS mark of Orlando against the Lakers is suddenly meaningless. Phil Jackson is 43-0 in playoff series when his team wins a Game 1; Kobe Bryant is 19-0 when his team wins Game 1. L.A. stifled Orlando's potent offense. Dwight Howard struggled to even get shots and make shots, finishing with just 12 points on only 1-of-6 attempts.
Orlando has used its great frontcourt to its advantage thus far in the playoffs. But they are playing the only team in NBA that is bigger up front than they are. And Game 1 was an eye opner: Veterans 7-foot Pau Gasol (16 points, eight boards) and 6-10 Lamar Odom (11 points, 14 rebounds) dominated, and even young 7-footer Andrew Bynum had nine points and nine rebounds. That is three big guys gobbling up a lot of rebounds and space in the paint.
Some good news for Orlando is that All-Star guard Jameer Nelson finished with six points and four assists in 23 minutes, his first action since early February. The bad news: He made only 3 of 9 shots, looking rusty. Orlando might be looking forward to coming home for Games 3, 4 and 5, but remember: Since acquiring Pau Gasol on Feb.1, 2008, the Lakers have yet to lose three consecutive games. The Lakers also have the NBA's best road record at 30-11.
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