At Game 2, I wonder if Chris Rock will sit beside a different Laker.

As Rock was trying to conversate with Kobe Bryant, the star had his game face on – basically ignoring the comedian.  Nothing was funny for Bryant – he was all business as he led Los Angeles to a decisive 102-89 victory in Game 1 of the 2010 NBA Finals.

Los Angeles got out to a great start – distributing the ball and getting everyone involved.  Each of their first five field goals was scored by a different Laker.  They were able to maintain the lead throughout the first half, but exploded prior to the break due to some untimely errors by Boston.

The Lakers extended the lead to 20 behind Kobe Bryant’s 14 points in the third quarter.

Los Angeles outscored Boston in each of the first three periods to build a comfortable cushion that Boston could not overcome despite a small push late in the fourth.

Let’s look at how each player fared in the Finals opener:

Boston Celtics:

PG Rajon Rondo – When opposing teams put taller, longer guards on him to affect his penetration, his game suffers.  With Kobe Bryant covering his from the start of the contest, Rondo deferred to his teammates.  That was not what the Celtics needed.  They need Rondo to dictate the flow of the game, and he did not tonight.  He managed to come up with a decent number of assists, but his influence on the game was minimal.

Grade:  C

SG Ray Allen – The NBA’s premier shooter had nothing go his way in Game 1.  He battled foul trouble early and often (two fouls in the opening quarter; he committed his fifth foul late in the third quarter), and consequently, he was unable to establish any offensive rhythm.  Allen was not able to slow down Bryant at all.

Grade:  D-, Allen avoids an “F”, but only because Bryant is the best shot-maker in the league.

SF Paul Pierce – “The Truth” was was anything but that tonight.  Pierce was the best performer in the last Finals meeting between these two teams (in 2008), but he didn’t interject to anything Los Angeles did tonight.  He didn’t seem aggressive enough for Boston to have a chance at stealing this game – until the final quarter.  Pierce waited too long to try and win a game in the Finals.  He needed to bring it from the opening tip.

Grade:  C-

PF Kevin Garnett- Garnett was abysmal defensively.  Gasol got 10 free throw attempts tonight, and had a double-double by the end of the third period.  Gasol outrebounded K.G. 14 – 4.  That’s right – Garnett only corraled 4 rebounds.  And from what I counted, he missed three uncontested layups. 

Grade:  F, because we expected a more physical presence from Garnett than we did from Gasol.

C Kendrick Perkins- Well, at least Perk avoided his seventh technical foul.  But maybe Phil Jackson is just waiting to provoke him when L.A. needs a little extra boost.  Perkins almost scored as many points as Andrew Bynum, so this was a respectable performance from him.

Grade:  B

Bench:  Rasheed Wallace acted like a kid that didn’t have anything go his way.  For every positive thing that Tony Allen did, he counterbalanced it by trying to do too much on another possession.  Glen Davis gave Boston his usual inspiring, but drastically undersized (from a height perspective) effort.  Due to some Celtic foul trouble, Nate Robinson came in and helped Boston briefly get back into the game.  His speed and ball handling gave Boston a change of pace that they need to figure out how to use to their advantage more than once per game.

Grade:  C-, Although Robinson played great during his brief stint.

Los Angeles Lakers:

PG Derek Fisher – Fisher played admirable defense and didn’t turn the ball over.  That’s about it.  But it looks a lot better when you do nothing for the winning team.

Grade:  B-

SG Kobe Bryant – Bryant did it all tonight (30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists), and he didn’t ball hog in the process.  He did a good job in slowing down Rondo, rendering him ineffective.

Grade:  B+

SF Ron Artest- Ron Ron played within himself tonight.  He made a few key shots and played smart and aggressive.  Artest kept Pierce quiet for most of the game, and contributed 15 points of his own – nailing a game-high three treys. 

Grade:  A-

PF Pau Gasol- 23 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks.  Pau stuffed the stat sheet, embarrassing K.G. in the series opener.

Grade:  A, The Lakers have been to three straight NBA Finals since he’s arrived.  Their success is not coincidental – this guy is good.

C Andrew Bynum- Bynum didn’t do much.  He ran up and down the court.  Worked for a couple of buckets, snatched a handful of boards – but the Lakers didn’t even need him tonight.

Grade:  C

Bench:  Los Angeles only had 15 points off the bench.  But Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar keyed a late second quarter burst that widened the Laker lead.  Boston was never able to recover from it.

Grade:  B-, What would be a decent bench performace for most teams is a great one for the Lakers.  L.A. doesn’t expect much from anyone sans Lamar Odom, except perhaps some minutes to give the starters a quick breather. 

Overall Observation:  Game 1 came down to heart.  The Lakers played like they wanted Game 1 more than the Celtics.  They hit the boards harder.  They dove after loose balls.  They were aggressive on both ends of the court.  At times, the Lakers have appeared to lack that killer instinct that separates the good teams from the great ones.

Tonight, they looked great.

---

T Lamont is the owner, administrator and author of all content for Ball or Nuthin\'. Feel free to contact T Lamont with a question or comment at ballornuthin@gmail.com.  All created Ball or Nuthin' content is the sole property of T Lamont. Read more from this author

---

Tags: Celtics, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, NBA Finals, Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce