Kobe was very aggressive in Game 1.

Kobe Bryant took over the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the NBA Finals in route to a decisive Game 1 victory as the Los Angeles Lakers topped the Orlando Magic, 100-75.

Bryant scored 30 of L.A.’s 60 points in the two middle periods.  In contrast, the Magic could only manage 34 points.  With the game in control, Bryant rested on the sidelines during the fourth quarter.  It’s not often that you can rest your best player in the fourth quarter of the NBA Finals.

After picking up some early fouls, Dwight Howard struggled tonight.  He picked up a couple of offensive fouls, so it should be obvious that he isn’t going to have to adjust his extremely physical, Eastern Conference game to suit the officiating.  If not, the Magic are going to see more nights like this one throughout the series.

One bright spot for the Magic is that Jameer Nelson came in and gave them some spirited play.  In his first few minutes of game time, he quickly collected a basket and 3 assists.  We’ll keep an eye on how his minutes are managed, particularly with the Magic now in an 0-1 hole. 

As good as the Magic are on offense, they’ve found out that nothing is going to come easy against this Lakers team.  Now, let’s see which Lakers team shows up for Game 2.

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