Lakers begin defence of NBA title with win
The Los Angeles Lakers began the pursuit of their third straight NBA title with a solid 95-87 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game One of their Western Conference first-round series on Sunday.
As usual Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the way for LA, with Bryant scoring 34 points and O'Neal adding 25 as the Lakers methodically turned back the Trail Blazers.
In the night's other series opener in the West, the Dallas Mavericks overcame the Minnesota Timberwolves 101-94.
Meanwhile in the East, the Boston Celtics opened its series with the Philadelphia 76ers with a 92-82 win and the Detroit Pistons thrashed the Toronto Raptors 85-63.
In winning the title the last two seasons, the Lakers have eliminated the Blazers, gaining the upper hand in a heated rivalry.
They won in seven games in the 2000 Conference Finals and swept last year's first-round series.
Bryant did not shoot particularly well, making just 10-of-28 from the field. But he dominated for extended stretches and added seven rebounds and three blocks.
"It took a while for us to get adjusted to what we had to do, to get in rhythm and know how to get them under control somewhat," Bryant said.
O'Neal was his usual unstoppable self. He made 10-of-17 shots and pulled down nine rebounds, fouling out overmatched Blazers center Dale Davis.
"They were doubling and tripling me," O'Neal said. "We just have to move the ball and other guys just have to step up and make shots, and just take the high-percentage shots."
Bryant and O'Neal helped the Lakers hold the Blazers to under 37 percent shooting (30-of-82).
Los Angeles tightened up its defense in the third quarter, when it held Portland to 18 points and took the lead for good.
"In the second half, we started to gain an edge," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We'd had trouble defending them until the start of the second half."
The Lakers have won 17 of their last 18 playoff games.
Four of those have come against Portland, which will try to get even in Game Two of the best-of-five series in Los Angeles on Thursday.
"We can match up with these guys," Portland's Ruben Patterson said. "They were just more aggressive on us in the second half."
DECISIVE DALLAS
In Dallas, Steve Nash's long 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer triggered a decisive run for the Dallas Mavericks, who rode Dirk Nowitzki's 30 points and 15 rebounds to a 101-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The opener of the Western Conference first-round series between fourth-seeded Dallas and fifth-seeded Minnesota was everything it was supposed to be as both teams raced up and down the court and fired away from all angles.
The third quarter featured a dozen lead changes, with Minnesota holding a 73-70 edge in the final seconds.
A long miss bounced to Nash, who dribbled up the left sideline and threw in a running 38-footer at the horn, sparking the sellout crowd at the American Airlines Center.
Dallas carried the momentum into the fourth quarter, scoring the first nine points to open an 82-73 lead. The Mavericks led the rest of the way, thanks to Nowitzki.
Nash scored 21 points and Nick Van Exel added 18 for Dallas, which made just 7-of-23 3-pointers but many at opportune times.
Chauncey Billups scored 25 points and Kevin Garnett added 19 and 21 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who will try to get even here on Wednesday in Game Two of the series.
BOSTON BUOYED
In Boston, Paul Pierce had 31 points and 11 rebounds and Antoine Walker scored 20 points as the Boston Celtics overcame Allen Iverson's return to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 92-82 in Game One of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Iverson missed the final 14 games of the regular season after suffering a broken hand against Boston on March 22.
He looked like the reigning the Most Valuable Player in the first quarter, but Pierce played like a candidate for the award thereafter.
Iverson scored 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the first 12 minutes but did not make another basket after sinking a jumper with 1:06 remaining.
He missed his final nine shots and finished with 20 points, making just five free throws in the final three quarters.
Pierce made 10-of-25 shots from the floor, including 3-of-8 3-pointers, and was showered by the chant of "MVP!" in the final minutes from the crowd at the FleetCenter, which was hosting its first postseason game.
Game Two of the series is on Thursday in Boston.
WONDERFUL WALLACE
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace added an uncharacteristic 19 points to his 20 rebounds and three blocks as the Detroit Pistons routed the Toronto Raptors 85-63 in Game One of their series.
Wallace's defensive influence was evident as the Pistons entirely shut down the Raptors, holding them to the second lowest total in NBA playoff history.
Jerry Stackhouse scored 20 points for the second-seeded Pistons, who have not won a playoff series since 1991.
They host Game Two of the series on Wednesday.
Antonio Davis scored 15 points for the seventh-seeded Raptors, who scored just nine points in the first quarter and never got untracked. They shot under 30 percent (23-of-77) and only a late flurry allowed them to hurdle 60 points.
