Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol combine for 53 points to help Lakers drop Celtics in Game 1 of Finals. Bryant exploded with 30 points and 7 rebounds to lift LA Lakers and take Game one of the Best of Seven Championship Series against Boston Celtics. Pau Gasol made an outstanding night with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum added 15 and 10 points respectively.
The 12th finals meeting between the NBA's most entertaining rivals opened with a chippy, rough-edged first half featuring 28 fouls and 27 free throws.
Both teams seemed determined to get a physical edge early in the series, starting just 27 seconds in when Ron Artest and Paul Pierce got double technical fouls after tumbling to the court with elbows locked.
Bryant picked up two early fouls, but still led four Lakers starters who scored at least seven points.
Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 10 points, and Pierce added nine. Rondo's latest productive offensive game included four assists and helped cover up for combined 5-for-14 shooting by Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, who picked up three fouls.
Boston and Los Angeles are meeting in the finals for the second time in three years, following the Celtics' six-game victory over the Lakers in 2008. If the first 24 minutes of the rematch are any indication, the series will be a knockdown, drag-out physical confrontation - and the supposedly finesse-oriented Lakers held their ground early.
Artest's defensive showdown with Pierce, the 2008 finals MVP against his hometown team, got heated in the opening minute. Jostling for rebounding position, Artest and Pierce locked elbows while back-to-back and rolled to the court together.
After they got up aggressively, the officiating crew called double technical fouls. The collision set the tone for the first quarter, which featured 18 personal fouls and 20 free throws, 12 by Boston.
On the other hand, Paul Pierce inked 24 points and 9 rebounds but not sufficient to steal game one of the series. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen contributed 16 and 12 points respectively. The superstar point guard Rajon Rondo added 13 points and lead the game with 8 assists.
No comments:
Post a Comment