Wow, what a Game One!
How’d the Celtics do it? Defense, one and done rebounding, and heart.
Paul Pierce had a truly legendary performance in the second half. On the downside, Celtic Nation is nail biting and wondering about the extent of his injury. With everything on the line, look for Pierce to go in game two.
On defense, Ray Ray did a great job on Kobe. True, Kobe had 24 points but shot a miserable 9 for 26. Considering the performance the Lakers need out of Kobe to win I am giving Ray Allen the nod for winning this round.
The Rajon Rondo/Derek Fisher match-up was a dead heat (check the stats if you need to). Both sparked it up and played great.
Kendrick Perkins and Pau Gasol was clearly all Gasol. In fact, I have to wonder why the Lakers are not going to Gasol more often. Poor Kendrick, first game jitters, twisted ankle, and his most important play was injuring Pierce. Look for more minutes for PJ Brown and Leon Powe.
KG had a less than stellar night shooting the rock in the second half but had 14 rebounds, carried the offense in the first half, and put Lamar Odom in foul trouble in the second.
Which brings us to the benches. While stat wise they look the same, it seemed the green side made some big plays when big plays were needed. Round 1 Celtics.
One down, three to go.
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