What we learned from Game 1 going into Game 2

It has been two days since the opening of the NBA Finals. I predicted that we would see a sloppy game full of turnovers and ugly offensive possessions because of the players' nerves. After all, for 90% of the players on the court, the NBA Finals was a new experience. The first half was a well played basketball game for both teams. However, the second half played a lot better for the Irish than the men who wear purple and gold.

The Lakers are the most efficient team in basketball offensively. Phil Jackson has players that are perfectly suited for the triangle. They've been called the best passing team in basketball by many NBA pundits. This same offense scored 30 points in the 2nd quarter, but could only manage a meager 15 points to end the game, with only four field goals made in the 4th quarter.

A lot of the blame is going to Kobe Bryant, and rightfully so. He ventured out of the triangle offense on many occasions, and consistently relied on his fade-away jump shot. He shot 9-26, and I can count on my left hand just about how many times he drove to the basket. That's very unlike Kobe and shooting only six free throws for a guy who loves to slash, is simply unacceptable.

Kobe said after the game that he missed a lot of "bunnies" and he's due for a good game against the Celtics. The Celtics should get credit for not allowing him to drive into the paint and playing good help-defense, but the MVP of the league needs to be more aggressive.

I have never seen Kobe defer two wide open three pointers in my life. My cousin James told me that Kobe doesn't like to take wide open shots as much as he likes to create shots off the dribble, and I agree with him to an extent. The fact of the matter is we all know that Kobe can make a big three any time that he wants, but the fact that he deferred shows confidence in his teammates. Unfortunately, his fellow Lakers let him down as well.

Pau Gasol did not come to play in Game 1. He became Pau Gasoft again as he missed some wide open jumpers and was essentially Snuggles Soft around the basket, when he wasn't getting a clear dunk off Kobe's double-team. Pau needs to do a much better job boxing out the tenacious rebounder Kevin Garnett. KG out-hustled Pau twice down the stretch, and put the exclamation point on the game with his thunderous put-back jam.

Lamar Odom was back to his old self missing lay ups and disappearing on the court, so much so that Phil Jackson had him on the bench in crunch time.

The only player on the Lakers that played well was Derek Fisher. He was 4-9 with 15 points and played aggressively by getting to the hoop and shooting eight free throws. His backup was completely ineffective in Jordan Farmar. He only played seven minutes and was a non-factor.

The Battle of the Bench was definitively won by the Boston Celtics. Sam Cassell rose from the dead and knocked down four jump shots, while posting up Derek Fisher. They out-rebounded the Lakers bench 12-8 and beat them up inside.

The Lakers need to improve on two things going into Game 2:
1. Run the triangle, and make the extra pass.
2. Play better collective team defense. Boston shot the lights out in the 3rd quarter.

Paul Pierce has been a target for critics as well. Some people believe that he faked the injury in order to induce a Willis Reed type moment. It certainly worked for the crowd, since Phil Jackson took a quick time out in order to diffuse the crowd (something he rarely does).

I believe that he is actually hurt and he won't be close to 100% for Game 2. Most of the shots Pierce made when he came back from his injury were from the three point line. He scored an amazing six points in the first minute of the 3rd quarter. A truly gutsy performance by the pride of the Celtics.

With all that being said, the Lakers need to attack him like a shark smelling blood. He will most likely guard Vlad Rad, so the the Serbian Slalom needs to be more assertive offensively. Pierce won't have much lateral movement and Kobe needs to realize where is on the court so he can slash his way to the basket.

The Lakers played a horrendous 4th quarter and were in the game down the stretch. Boston is trying to give Kobe Bryant "The Jordan Rules," like Detroit did to him in the Finals in 2004, but this Lakers team is different. He actually has help now, and his teammates aren't all injured or brain-dead like Gary Payton or Slava Medvedenko! They need to make minor adjustments, and I expect them to win Game 2.