THE BASKETBALL ORACLE

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks to the convened press at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the game one postgame interview. Bryant would lead all scorers scoring 40 points in the game. picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Jon Soohoo …….

If nothing else we’d hope that they can avail us all from seeing the Lakers perform a perfunctory sweep of the team. That’d definitely be the last thing that the league’s hierarchy would want to bestow upon their fans at this juncture. Not with all of the excitement that the preliminary rounds that the playoffs have provided. And less we forget also the millions of dollars that NBA’s patrons have invested in terms of ads and the ABC network itself. Who if anything are counting on these finals to be a ratings’ bonanza.

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic shoots against the Los Angeles Lakers in game one of the NBA Finals played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California . picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Jon Soohoo …….

So what of last night’s game one may well be asking ? The Lakers came in with something to prove . And the Magic themselves were looking to prove that they were the worthy opponents of their West Coast adversary having silenced the ambitions of both the Boston Celtics and most notably the LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers. That being said the finals ought to be about what is and not what might’ve been in terms of a worthy adversary for the Lakers.

Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers grabs a defensive rebound during game one of the NBA Finals. The Lakers would go on to defeat the Orlando Magic 100-75 in the game played infront of a sellout crowd in attendance of 18,997 at the Staples Center. picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Jon Soohoo ……..

The first quarter didn’t as such really shed any light as to what’d transpire as the game went on. But if anything it did in many ways tell us all that we might’ve needed to know in terms of both team’s persona. The Lakers were free and loose and the Magic looked as though they were somewhat shell shocked to be on this type of stage. And this was borne out as the game was played out on this grand of a stage. The one thing a team can’t afford to be in this type of an environment is to have the demeanor of being scared to perform much less show their competitive prowess. And this was most clearly the case for the Magic last night. And as we all know as the Dwight Howard goes , so does this Magic team.

Dwight Howard conducts his postgame interview with the convened press at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Howard would have something of a disappointing game by his own lofty standards. picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Jon Soohoo ………..

If the Magic are prove themselves to be the Lakers’ equal then a performance such as this has to be an aberration. And it cannot be repeated in any of the ensuing games. He has to be more productive in terms of his offensive output. And if anything he has to be more aggressive in his play around the boards and his decision making when it comes to decision making in terms of his shot productivity. The box scores clearly bears this out as not only his productivity. But that too of his teammates as well. The triumvirate of Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Rafer Alston did little to suggest that they might have what it takes to bring the team back into the game last night. Together the three could only muster a combined 27 points between the three of them.

Kobe Bryant shoots against the Magic with the ensuing defensive play of Dwight Howard in pursuit. picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Mark Rowlands ….

The Los Angeles Lakers and their fans must now be drooling at the thought of how easy on appearance this first game was won. But at the same time their coach Phil Jackson won’t be lulled into a false sense of security that this may well be the best that the Magic will have to offer as the series proceeds forward. If anything he knows that his counterterpart Stan Van Gundy will be far from happy with his team’s performance. And that he well go about making the necessary changes as he sees fit in order to negate the overall play of the Lakers.

Hedo Turkoglu of the Magic goes for the layup whilst looking to evade the defensive play of the Lakers’ Pau Gasol. picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Jon Soohoo………

What also noticeable about this game and that if anything came down to experience more than nothing else. It was the mere fact that Jackson felt at home with regard to his circumstances. Whereas for Van Gundy he must’ve felt like a fish out of water.

Making his twelfth appearance as a coach in the NBA Finals and seeking tenth title as a coach. Jackson showed with great authority why it is that he may well be viewed as the best coach of his era and perhaps the best NBA coach of alltime. At no time did he appear visibly concerned as to how this game was progressing. He watched his team meticulously exploited a Magic team that seemed all too afraid to perform at their best. And it merely then became an exhibition as the Lakers put the game beyond the Magic’s reach. All that Jackson asked of his team it would seem is to keep up the pressure that was brought to bear on Orlando. And not to make any stupid mistakes.

Pau Gasol and teammate Lamar Odom speak to the convened press during their postgame interview. Both played a big part in insuring the Lakers’ 100-75 triumph over the Orlando Magic in game one of the NBA Finals. picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Jon Soohoo …….

Orlando for its part as alluded to earlier had a night that they well want to forget. Clearly not playing at their best and with the Lakers all but circling them like a school of sharks surrounding its prey. On this night it was the Lakers who were the hunters and the Magic who ended up being the prey. And this wasn’t clearly how the Magic wanted to be viewed last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Lakers’ Lamar Odom and the Magic’s Marcin Gortat look to contest a loose ball in last night’s game. picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Jeb Jacobsohn …..

With game two beckoning on Sunday , it is hoped that the Magic will be able to better acquit themselves. Albeit that the surroundings will remain the same. Going down 2-0 and this team will be hard pressed to completely resurrect this series at all. Especially if they allow the Lakers to play as well as they did last night. If nothing else it portends to the fact that they would have given up hope of trying to put themselves back into this series.

Familiar faces in the crowd are actor Denzel Washington seated alongside actor/singer Tyrese Gibson. Normally this is the customary scene at a Lakers’ home game that’s littered with A list celebrities . picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Jeb Jacobsohn ………….

Come what may if this series is indicative of last night’s performance as it progresses. Then quite possibly by the time game four comes around there might not be many viewers tuning in nationally to see how this series pans out. I think it’s safe to say that we’d all rather see a competitive series. Rather than see a complete blowout.