You know it’s not much of a game when Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are talking about Scrabble with 4:45 to play in the fourth quarter, and that’s exactly what happened on Thursday night.

If there were any lingering concerns about the Lakers’ toughness or focus, they were answered (at least for now) in Game 1. LA outrebounded Boston, 42-31, and looked every bit as determined as the Celtics an a decisive 102-89 win to open the series.

Kobe Bryant was brilliant (30-7-6, 10-of-22 from the field) and Pau Gasol (23-14, 8-of-14) was the second best player on the floor. When those two guys are really going, the Lakers are tough to beat. Ron Artest (15-4) and Andrew Bynum (10-6) were the other Lakers to finish in double figures.

Paul Pierce (24-9-4) finished with a good line, but did a lot of damage in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided. Ray Allen (12 points) was saddled with foul trouble the entire game — he has enough trouble guarding Kobe without the refs calling ticky-tack fouls like they did Thursday night — and he could never get into rhythm. Rajon Rondo (13-6-8) played pretty well, but he needs to control the game if the C’s are going to have a chance in the series.

Lastly, the lack of lift in Kevin Garnett’s knees was very noticeable tonight. There were a couple of plays in the third and fourth quarters when the Celtics were trying to make a run where he missed a couple of bunnies right at the rim. Boston wouldn’t have its defense set, so the Lakers would go down and score, essentially making it a four-point swing. Two or three of those and you’re talking 8-12 points, the difference in the game. KG has played well in these playoffs, but he’s going to need a spring in his step if he’s going to get over the length of the Lakers down low.

Game 2 will tell us whether or not the Celtics will make this a series. I mentioned in my Finals preview that the C’s needed to win one of the first two games to have a realistic shot at winning the series and they didn’t look very good on Thursday night after plenty of rest. They won’t play again until Sunday, so fatigue shouldn’t be a concern, but the two-day-plus-travel turnarounds between Game 2 and Game 3 and between Game 5 and Game 6 are going to take their toll on the Celtics’ old bones.


Photo from fOTOGLIF