Kobe Bryant Leads Lakers to Game 1 Win
June 5, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Basketball
In Game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals, basketball fans around the world were ready for a classic battle. Instead, the Los Angeles Lakers breezed to a 100-75 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Kobe Bryant made an early case for Finals MVP with a fantastic performance. The Lakers shooting guard totaled 40 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks in 38 minutes of play. He hit 16-of-34 field goal attempts, all eight of his free throws and only had one turnover.
Kobe Bryant - 2009 NBA Finals MVP?
Pau Gasol helped out Bryant with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Lamar Odom had 11 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.
For Orlando, it was a long, long night on the offensive end. The Magic shot just 29.9% from the field and mustered only 32 points in the second half. Dwight Howard was only 1-for-6 from the floor, while Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu were a combined 5-for-21.
If the Magic are to come back and make this a series, they will need to shoot much better. They’ll also have to find some sort of answer to slow down Bryant.
However, the Lakers looked like the far superior team and appear destined to take home the 2009 NBA championship.
