Lakers v. Celtics, First Half Notes

> Early, both teams were rusty and the ball was ugly. Shocking, what with only three months between games!

> Garnett, as is his wont, was big early, with 8 of the Celtics fst 14, and 16 in the first 18 minutes. If he played in the fourth the way he does in the rest of the game, this wouldn't be his first Finals. Rest of the team is shooting 9 for 21. The Lakers are more balanced, with Kobe struggling (3 for 9). If I were a Celtics fan, I'd want to be up by more than 5 after the first 18 minutes, since both of these trends are unlikely to continue.

> Cassel draws a foul on Kobe, then misses a 3. He's out of his mind! Kobe draws one on Allen on the next trip, makes. Celts by 3, then Pierce picks up his third on a Fisher flop. Good play by Fisher; Pierce leaves, and Kobe feeds Gasol for a dunk. Pierce is a big loss on defense tonight. Fisher gives the Lakers a 41-40 lead after a 6-0 run.

> Lakers keep owning the Celts on pick and roll. That's a big worry; the Lakers are scoring on easier looks. After Odom penetration and finish, the Lakers stretch it to 3. They are shooting 51% from the floor with just four turnovers, and doing exactly what you need to do to win a road game.

> Bryant turns away an open 3 to feed Gasol, rolling to the rim uncontested, yet again. Gasol hits both after the lay up prevention foul, and it's a 5-point Lake lead. The Celts are having a real problem, and then Rondo makes an awful turn, but Kobe can't make on the other end, and Rondo gets a make coming back.

So it could have been 7, but was 3 -- those are the moments that decide tone. And this tone, so far, is to a game that won't go beyond 10 points in either direction.

> The last shots are a missed rainbow by Radmanovic, and a heave from Allen. For a half where Bryant is only 3 for 10, on the road, to be up by five... well, the Celtics aren't playing the Hawks, Cavs or Pistons here. More later.