Lakers Strike First. Jazz Sing the Blues

Round 2, Game 1: Lakers win ugly, but we'll take it.

Once again, our Lakers got it done on another Sunday afternoon at Staples Center. Led by a 38-point effort from Kobe, the Lake Show may have pulled off their sloppiest W of the season in a 109-98 victory over the Utah Jazz. A big story before tipoff was Los Angeles having 6 days of rest since their sweep of the Nuggets, and the Jazz only getting 38 hours to prepare after advancing past Houston. The assumtion was that the Lakers would be rusty but rested, while the Jazz were supposed to be on point but tired. Well, from my Lay-Z-Boy, it looked like the Lakers were fired out of a cannon, and as for the Jazz, it looked like they were slowly being pushed out of a birth canal. But when the smoke settled, both teams looked like caricatures of their usual selves.

Los Angeles ran circles around Utah for the entire first half, and built up a 19-point lead before ending the half up by 14. Pau Gasol picked up two early fouls and had to sit out, so the Lakers decided to roll with a smaller line up. Playing with this quick, fiesty crew, the Lakers created several turnovers and fastbreak opportunities. In addition to all the running, Sasha Vujacic and Vladamir Radmanovic were shooting the lights out from downtown, as is customary from our favorite Balkan duo. Led by a focused Kobe Bryant, the Lakers owned the the first half.

Okay, here's where the party stops. The second half was the least eventful stretch of Lakers b-ball I've witnessed in a long time. Los Angeles didn't play any defense, refused to grab rebounds, and fouled like fouls were worth 4 points each. This sounds like it would be an exciting time for Jazz fans, but no. Utah shot so poorly that all their second-chance opportunities were just more bricks to throw at the backboard. Also, Kobe picked a terrible time to go ice cold from the field; making only two field goals in the second half, while the rest of the shots were so far off that I thought he was practicing new eyes-closed shots for games of H-O-R-S-E. The Jazz miraculously pulled the game within 5 late in the 4th, but a rejuvenated Gasol quickly extinguished their flame.

Make no mistake about it - I'm happy when the Lakers win... But when both teams play so poorly, it's really hard for me to write a positive article for anyone. I don't know which was worse: the Lakers' 2nd-half defense or Utah's comical offensive performance. A couple things I do know is that Los Angeles won't last long giving up 25 offensive rebounds, and the Jazz won't get anywhere shooting 37% from the floor.

I'm sure both squads are gonna make the right adjustments before game 2 on Wednesday. I'd hate to see a series decided by which team played worse. Lakers...Jazz...get a clue.