June 06, 2008 03:12 am Bill Burt BOSTON — Red Auerbach never would have allowed this: scantily-clad cheerleaders, a mascot, trampolines, "Gotta Beat L.A." T-shirts for all the fans, the Jumbotron hijinx. But he would have loved what really mattered, the basketball game. Particularly the end result. It was a 98-88 Boston win ... and a humbling Los Angeles Lakers loss in Game 1 of the NBA finals. We were wondering what would happen after 21 years of mediocrity. So far, so good. This time in this storied rivalry, the Lakers had the resume, including a league MVP and a Hall of Fame coach, and the prestige of being Western Conference champion. Would Kevin Garnett miss 17 shots? Would Doc Rivers' team get pushed around before realizing what was at stake? Would the Celtics buckle when the going got tough? No. No. And no. Rather it was Kobe Bryant bricking 17 shots (9-for-26 shooting). It was Phil Jackson looking helpless as his team got outmuscled for two out of every three loose balls. And it was the Lakers who looked like the Atlanta Hawks as the Celtics ran off six straight points in the first 45 seconds of the third quarter. Paul Pierce accounted for all six of the aforementioned points (including a rare 4-point play) to instantly eliminate the 51-46 deficit. "It was quite a flurry they came out with," said Jackson. The Lakers were confused, which is to be expected when teams from different conferences play (they only met twice in the regular season). They knew Bryant was going to have the kitchen sink thrown at him, which means four different defenders, all with different skill sets, covering him at different times. They knew the Celtics would bully them. They knew Pierce would be the go-to guy during crunch time. Last night crunch time was the third quarter. After a scary knee injury saw him carried off the court, Pierce made a dramatic return and showed his flair for the dramatic. Judging by his pained expression, it looked like a long shot that he'd even return. But return he did. About a minute after he came back, he drilled back-to-back 3-pointers in a 22-second span. The crowd went wild. It was part of his 15-point third quarter. The Lakers looked like they forgot to study for their final exam. "It was me," said Bryant, referring to his shooting problem. "I missed bunnies. I had a lot of good looks. I just missed them." The Lakers allowed homecourt to be an issue in Game 1, which isn't earth-shattering news. Celtics playoff teams have always been tough to beat at home, especially in a series opener. The Lakers were supposed to be more diverse than, say, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who rely on LeBron James to dominate. The Celtics weren't perfect. They had no rhythm on either side of the ball in the first half, allowing 51 rather easy points. But the second half was what we have become accustomed to since November. The Celtics defended, allowing only 37 second-half points, and rebounded (26 in the half) like they were playing ... well, last year's Celtics. In the end it was Pierce, not Bryant, who took over (6-for-6 shooting in the second half). It's too early to break open the champagne. This championship series has just began. But it's not too early to be impressed, even if a few cheerleaders got in the way. E-mail Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com. You can also check out his blog, "Burt Talks Sports," at blogs.eagletribune.com/sports.
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