Game One - A New Era

The fortunes of the Boston Celtics improved dramatically when they acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen over the off season. Paul Pierce started the season healthy, a change from the end of the last campaign. Head Coach Doc Rivers led Boston to 66 regular season wins. With the arrival of the playoffs came a struggling and unsure Celtics bunch, despite key veteran additions to the bench throughout the season. They began the postseason with 6 straight losses on the road to counteract their 9 straight home wins. The Celtics began to regain their form in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons.

The Los Angeles Lakers started the season in disarray. Kobe Bryant wanted out and even with him, they weren't expected to do much. But Bryant stayed and took his game to another level, winning the MVP award. The Lakers were also given a mid-season boost, trading for Pau Gasol. The trade was the biggest steal since the Zimbabwean government's land acquisitions earlier in the decade. Like the Celtics, the Lakers were the number one seed, but Los Angeles had an easier time in the playoffs. In the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers easily beat the defending champion, San Antonio Spurs.

Rust and nerves plagued both teams in Game One. The game was close for three quarters. In the third, Paul Pierce fell to the floor in agony. Unlike most NBA players, Pierce doesn't need a serious injury to roll around shivering in pain. He was carried off the court, but soon returned to an uproarious cheer from the home crowd in Boston. Pierce wasn't bothered by the knee, scoring 15 of his 22 in the third quarter.

The other two of Boston's big three contributed. Allen had a quiet 19 points and Garnett added a nice line with 24 and 13 rebounds, but missed 9 straight shots towards the end of the game. However, Garnett knocked the ball off of a Laker following a missed Boston free throw, a key play in the game. KG threw in a monster jam to seal the deal. Maligned point guard, Rajon Rondo, scored 15 and dished 7 assists.

Kobe Bryant scored 24, but shot 9-26 from the field. The Lakers as a whole were awful throwing the ball at the hoop in the fourth. Gasol and Derek Fisher put in 15 points and Lamar Odom had another 14, but it wasn't enough. No one took over for the Lakers when it counted. The Celtics won 98-88.