The good news for the Lakers is Jackson is 6-8 when losing the first game of a playoff series, a success rate that's more than double the overall winning percentage of Game 1 losers. But that can't match perfection; he's 42-0 when winning Game 1 (24-0 in Chicago, 18-0 in Los Angeles). Phil Jackson's taking the first game of a series makes the outcome even more of a lock than Tiger Woods' holding the lead entering the final round of a golf tournament.
That's how critical Game 1 was, the difference between inevitability and doubt.
So much is subject to change. The Lakers' outside shooting won't be as woeful. Yao Ming might not be as dominant as he was in Game 1, when he scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He couldn't sustain that output in the Portland series, and if Andrew Bynum can avoid the early foul trouble that limited him to 15 minutes in Game 1 he might have a hand in slowing Yao -- or at least attacking him at the other end and perhaps drawing some more fouls on him. The mercurial Ron Artest might not have a line as efficient as his 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting, with seven assists to boot.
Inside The Lakers: Bynum is only 85-90 percent.
Lakers.com Basketblog: Quotes from today's Laker practice as they prepare for Game 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment