game one, blouses

Tougher Lakers rout Magic 100-75
By BETH HARRIS, AP Sports Writer
6 hours, 28 minutes ago

Buzz up!90 votes PrintLOS ANGELES (AP)—Nobody is pushing these Lakers around.

Playing tougher than they did a year ago, Kobe Bryant(notes) and his teammates took control in the second quarter and ran away to a 100-75 victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of the NBA finals on Thursday night.

In last year’s finals, Boston’s big men led by Kevin Garnett(notes) were more than the Lakers could handle. The Celtics dealt them a humiliating 131-92 defeat in Game 6 that stayed with the Lakers all through this season.

This time, Los Angeles stood up to Orlando’s self-proclaimed Superman, Dwight Howard(notes), thanks to 7-foot Pau Gasol(notes) and 7-0, 285-pound Andrew Bynum(notes) in the post. Gasol had 16 points and eight rebounds, while Howard scored 12 points and 15 rebounds.

“Our bigs were very active, and that’s what you have to do against a team like Orlando,” Bryant said. “You’ve got to work your tail off 24 seconds.”

Los Angeles double-teamed Howard at times, but mostly they relied on individual defense against him.

“We wanted to get the ball into Andrew and to Pau, let them work,” Lamar Odom(notes) said. “Andrew and Pau did an awesome job, getting in front of him, protecting the basket, making them take hard shots.”

The Lakers dominated the paint, 56-22.

“We were trying to stop penetration,” coach Phil Jackson said. “Their inside game, which was a big part of their game, we were exceptional on that. A lot of fouls for Dwight, but nothing really in the lane.”

The Lakers succeeded in their goal of making Howard uncomfortable. He took just six shots.

“You’ve got to make sure you mix it up with him, keep a body on him at all times and try to make a catch a little farther off the low post and then move your feet,” Gasol said. “You have to be able to move around because if you let him hit you with his body, he’s going to gain ground and he’s going to get that position.”

The Magic were 23 of 77 from the floor, and just 8 of 23 from 3-point range, a long-range weapon that typically works for them.

“Tonight was just an off night,” Howard said. “We’ve never had a shooting night this bad. Even when we’re not making shots, we got to give a better effort. It just wasn’t there. We just weren’t fighting.”

Bryant was superb, with 40 points (a career finals high), eight rebounds and eight assists, and gritty play that matched his I-came-to-win facial expression. He was clipped in his comments Wednesday and maintained his serious demeanor throughout Game 1.

“My kids call me Grumpy from the Seven Dwarfs,” he said. “That’s how I’ve been at home, just a grouch.”

Bryant scored 12 points in a 25-10 run that closed the first half. The Lakers opened the spurt with 10 consecutive points, including six in a row by Bryant. He assisted on a 3-pointer by Derek Fisher(notes) before hitting two more baskets.

He scored 18 points in the first half and 18 in the third quarter alone.

His supporting cast clearly got the message Bryant conveyed anytime he rested on the bench.

“I wanted to be sure we stayed on the aggressive and it was my responsibility over the course of the game to keep it going,” he said. “We worked very hard on the perimeter, keeping these guys out of rhythm, then we did a good job on him (Howard) inside—giving him different looks.”

Bynum got into early foul trouble, but had eight points and four rebounds in the opening quarter, when the Magic led by two points.

Odom, whose up-and-down performances have plagued him in the playoffs, was solid off the bench with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Luke Walton(notes) added nine points.

“Man 1 through 5, everybody was dedicated to working hard, came back in transition, did a pretty good job,” Bryant said. “We’ve just got to keep our foot on the gas and keep our head down and just keep on working.”