This was the type of game Lakers Coach Phil Jackson relishes, in which Kobe Bryant is not employed as an escape valve with the ball in his hands and the outcome on his shoulders.
Bryant picked his spots — a free throw here, a layup there, 3-pointers everywhere and even a couple of dunks from his 31-year-old legs — as if he were leisurely leafing through a magazine while his teammates steadily bludgeoned the Boston Celtics, 102-89, in Game 1 of the N.B.A. finals Thursday at Staples Center.
In the span of two years and on the heels of one game, the more aggressive team in this matchup was decked in gold, not green, thanks to the addition of Ron Artest, the inclusion of Andrew Bynum and two years of Pau Gasol’s bad memories.
Full story: Lakers 102, Celtics 89 – Lakers Put Celtics in a Hole – NYTimes.com