|
BOSTON—The
burden of a franchise sits on Kobe Bryant’s shoulders,
the pressure escalating since the shots began missing
toward the end of Game One.
Not that
Bryant’s sleep has been affected by it.
“I’d
much rather have the pressure of this moment as opposed
to having the pressure of deciding which swim trunks I’m
going to wear in Bora Bora—the Gucci ones or the Yves
Saint Laurent ones,” he said, smiling.
The
Lakers aren’t on vacation yet and are relatively unmoved
by their one-game deficit against
Boston in the National Basketball Association Finals.
Bryant
was loose and humorous Saturday while talking about his
nine-for-26 shooting effort, falling in step with a team
that appeared unencumbered heading into Game Two at TD
Banknorth Garden.
Maybe
they’re eager because the Celtics can’t guarantee the
availability of Kendrick Perkins (sprained left ankle)
or the effectiveness of Paul Pierce, who will try to
play despite a strained right knee.
Maybe
the Lakers realize Bryant responded to a similar
nine-for-26 effort in the first round against
Denver
with a 49-point, 10-assist performance the next game.
Maybe
they know that Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom couldn’t be much
more ineffective than they were in Game One, which still
came down to the final minutes.
Something’s up, and it’s not just Bryant’s budding
career as a comedian. Typically stoic, he instead tossed
out one-liners after Saturday’s practice.
He also
dipped into a punch line when asked about the lack of
hatred between the teams now compared with the 1980s.
“I’ve
heard stories in the past of them coming here and not
getting room service and stuff like that,” he said. “I
mean, my room service is cool. I got the nice apple pie
with ice cream on top, à la mode. I didn’t even ask for
ice cream, but they hooked me up.”
The
maraschino cherry on top for the Lakers would be a
victory tonight. If it doesn’t happen, fun mode might
turn with frantic.
The
Lakers were drubbed on the boards in Game One, 46-33.
They were too relaxed after Pierce went down with his
knee injury in the third quarter and too tight when he
returned more quickly than expected.
They
scored 88 points, the second-fewest of their 16 playoff
games. Their reserves totaled 15 points and 11 fouls.
Gasol
and Odom have been peppered with questions about the
apparent differences in physicality between the teams.
Gasol had no rebounds in the first half of Game One,
finishing with eight. Odom sat out key stretches of the
fourth quarter.
“We want
to make sure we establish a post presence and play
inside-out a little bit more,” Gasol said. “I think
that’s going to help our offense and hopefully give me a
little more in the lane.”
It’s a
goal that becomes easier if Perkins can’t play because
of an ankle injury that kept him out of the fourth
quarter in Game One. Pierce will play tonight, though
Celtics coach Doc Rivers didn’t sound as confident about
Perkins.
“Paul is
moving much better today, that’s clear,” Rivers said
Saturday. “And so, of the two, he’s the guy I’m more
optimistic about, just from watching him move around and
walk around.”
If they
both play, their lateral movement will be important. The
Celtics did a solid job of keeping Bryant out of the
lane in Game One, though Pierce was already questioning
what he would be able to do because of his sore knee.
“My
range of motion, just being able to squat all the way
down. I can’t quite do that yet,” Pierce said. “My walk
is pretty good, actually, but when I go down into a
squat position, that’s when I feel it the most, when I
bend it.”
The
chief factor for the Lakers, as usual, will be Bryant.
Some of
his shots rimmed out in Game One, forcing him to go back
to the drawing board in the days before Game Two. He has
worked on improving his arc and release, shooting before
practice with assistant coach Brian Shaw.
“Just
had to tweak a couple things here and there and see if I
can’t put the ball in the hole a little better [Sunday]
night,” he said.
He has
one fairly important voice on his side, and this time it
wasn’t a one-liner.
“He’s
been an unstoppable force in this game,” Lakers coach
Phil Jackson said. “He usually doesn’t have two games in
a row that are bad. He comes back and plays better. So
we anticipate that’s going to be a pattern.” |
