Lakers draw first blood!

Watch out Celtics! Time to pack up already? Stats say that any Phil Jackson led team that has won the 1st game of a playoffs series has went on to win the series, an astounding 47-0 number of times. Putting aside this fact, the way the Lakers played today, it sure looks like this will be a short series.

LA not only made solid team-plays offensively, they even defended the way a championship team does, and did so to much greater effect than the Celtics. All season long, we have been monitoring and praising Celtics’ team D! Today, we saw LA rise to the occasion and hold the paint better than their storied rivals.

This just goes on to tell the depth of this Laker team. They played superior offense against an offensive team like Suns, and now they played superior defense against a tough defensive team. The scoring pack was led by none other than No.24 again, making 30 points on a 50% field goal percentage. Pau Gasol led the rebounding numbers (14) and had another strong double-double night. Some serious defense was seen around the perimeter with Artest and Pierce having a go at each other. Artest did a tremendous job containing Pierce for most of the game, and also contributed on the offensive end with some vital 3-pointers at crucial times.

The game was seen as foul-marred from the beginning,as sharpshooter Ray Allen was out of the game for most of the 1st half, same as D-Fisher. For what seemed like a tough time for Boston today at the Staples Center, they will be back for sure. I wouldn’t bet my money on them being sidelined for long. Remember what happened to Cavs? So lets not be very judgmental and hope for a nail-biting series and Game 2.