The debate isn't over whether or not Thursday night was a great one for the Boston Celtics -- it was. Boston's 98-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals woke up the echoes of the Celtics' ghosts gone by.
But which part of Thursday night's festivities was the best? That's where the discussion can begin, along with what Boston needs to continue throughout this series to add Banner 17 to the TD Banknorth Garden rafters.
First, we'll get to the Paul Pierce saga. I was watching the game in a crowded bar that serves $5 pitchers of beer while the Red Sox are playing. Needless to say, there were plenty of people who were well on their way to a morning headache by the time the Celtics game started just after 9 p.m. on the east coast. That's quite a difficult type of crowd to quiet down, even with the police outside ready to bust someone for drunk and disorderly conduct, but you could have heard a pin drop when Pierce fell to the floor and clutched his right knee, writhing in pain along the baseline. Pierce had to be carried off the floor and was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair, Boston's chance to win the finals rolling away with him.
And then, suddenly, back came Pierce to save the day. He walked back onto the floor and the Garden exploded in an ovation filled with relief and adoration, ready to watch The Captain get back to work. Pierce banged in back-to-back 3-pointers on his way to a 6-for-6 second half from the field and 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting on the night. The Truth needs to continue that sort of high-level play if Boston is to have any chance to win this series, and his tender knee is going to have to hold up if he's going to have any chance of guarding Kobe Bryant.
Which is where our next point comes in -- bunnies? Kobe missed some bunnies? I guess he has a different idea of easy shots than I do. Kobe found two defenders awaiting him all over the floor and couldn't get to the rim, settling for jumpers on his way to a 9-for-26 night. He scored 24 points and was completely ineffective, something that won't last for the entire series but a good start for a Boston defense that was the best in the league during the regular season. Pierce, James Posey, Ray Allen and even Rajon Rondo took turns keeping Kobe off balance. Maybe the Celtics have hit on their own sort of Jordan Rules, knowing that Kobe will put his head down and try to play harder while he struggles. All he'll do is run into more traffic on his way to the hoop and frustrate his teammates by hogging the ball, Jordan staples before he started winning championships with Chicago.
And can we all agree that Kevin Garnett was aggressive enough in Game 1? One ferocious follow dunk over Pau Gasol in the fourth quarter should end that argument for good. Garnett rode a strong start to a 24-point, 13-rebound night, and not even a stretch in the second half where he missed nine straight shots could dampen his first Finals game. He hounded Gasol on the defensive end and cleared the glass at both ends, keeping the paint off limits for any Lakers guards who wanted to enter.
Maybe none of this will continue. Maybe Pierce's knee will be too sore, Bryant's touch will return and Garnett will revert to the passive ways that have always been the biggest chip on his shoulder. Maybe Boston will keep winning at home and it will be business as usual, the Celtics taking advantage of the advantage that they earned all season. We'll always have Thursday no matter what happens over the next few games, and it was a night where basketball in Boston mattered again.
