I'm such a huge fan of Lakers playoff basketball that I need a little bit of transition time to ease into the right mode, otherwise I just explode with hoops suspense and excitement. So this year, I decided to listen to the first half of Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets on the radio rather than watching it. Well, also the Pope was in New York City (my temporary home) giving a mass at Yankee Stadium and every broadcast station was covering the service, so I couldn't have watched the first half even if I wanted to.
Back to live action. The big story that developed out of this game was that of Pau Gasol. Undoubtedly the hero of the first half, Gasol was unstoppable inside. Whether it was post-play, mid-range jumpers, or one of several easy dunks; the bearded Spaniard was ballin’ outta control! With 36 points, 16 boards, and a handful of dimes, Pau outshined everyone during his Christening into playoff Lakerhood.
The Lakers played a better team-game than anything I’ve ever seen them attempt. In addition to scoring almost 130 points, the Lake Show also had 33 assists. Now that’s ball movement. I guess it’s easy to rack up assists when everyone on the floor is hittin’ shots. Even unlikely heroes, like the team-nominated ‘Most Disappointing’ player of the season, Luke Walton, made a gang of first-half baskets to compliment Gasol’s scoring spree. Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and Vladamir Radmanoviv all stepped up to the plate and drained the big shots that we’ve come to expect from them. It doesn’t feel like the Lakers are trying to lose any of that end-of-season momentum that helped them surge through the Wild Wild West and take the number one spot.
Lamar Odom, who recently got his own signature Nike shoe in a Lakers colorway, was another inside presence that the Nuggets had no answer for. Lamar had 14 rebounds and 17 points in the opening game of the series, but beyond just adding to the Lakers’ point pool, the nature of Lamar’s scoring was nothing less than demoralizing. He must’ve had half a dozen wide open dunks or layups. Now, Lamar isn’t know for his explosion or creativity in penetration, so when he’s consistently getting to the rim uncontested, Denver’s gotta know they’re doing something wrong. Nuggets - get a clue.
Now, I don’t know what type of person I’d be if I tried to provide in-depth analysis (not really) of a Lakers game without mentioning the best basketball player of the millennium: Our own Kobe Bryant. Well, you saw that same game I did, and you know Kobe struggled in the first half. He only had four points and he got himself into early foul trouble. Usually, with KB24 going ice cold, I might be a little worried about the Purple and Gold, but in the playoffs, it’s no secret that Kobe’s gonna get his. Okay, okay, I can admit that Kobe takes shots that not even the most faithful of fans can stand behind. Yeah, I revere him, and even I’M amazed at the variety of crazy shots he pulls out of his hat. At the same time though, this guy’s got a bag of tricks that transcends known rules of basketball, laws of physics, and boundaries of the imagination. With that said, Kobe can toss up any shot from anywhere, and still be free of criticism from your humble author.
Moving right along, it seems as if at halftime Kobe decided playtime was over, and it was time for him to do work. Scoring 28 in the second half, KB24 stretched the Lakers’ lead from 2 to 20, and reminded everyone that even though the tide may ebb out west, when you come to L.A., bank on Kobe going off on you.
I think it all comes down to the Nuggets’ lack of defense. They let the Lakers score at will and that was an offer the Lakers couldn’t refuse. It seemed like a well-executed Triangle Offense versus a watered-down version of Muhammad Ali’s ‘Rope-a-Dope’ defense. The only difference was that Ali had a knockout punch at the end. Unfortunately, there was no 15-point knockout shot for Denver.
In every facet of the game, the Lakers not only dominated Denver, but also sent a stern message to the rest of the association. The rest of the series should be interesting, but I’m feeling like the Nuggs are about to get swept. Never too late for a little spring cleaning in L.A.
Horus
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