24-second thoughts on Game 1

24 -- Does anyone want to ask again if Lakers-Celtics isn't good for the NBA? 27 seconds to get Pierce and Artest tangling to the floor and crowd whipped into frenzy. It doesn't take Marv Albert to say: Yesssssssss!

23 -- Derek Fisher picks up two fouls in two minutes and goes to bench. That's OK. Phil Jackson told Sasha Vujacic that Ray Allen's real name is Goran.

22 -- Hoo boy! Who had Sasha vs. Tony Allen was the key matchup to Game 1?

21 -- A difference from 2008? How about Kobe already getting all the way to the rim twice in the first 6 ½ minutes? That didn't happen twice in six games two years ago.

20 -- The way the fouls are piling up early, will it all come down to Luke Walton vs. Brian Scalabrine?

19 -- Let's hope the next 27 quarters of this series are just as intense with considerably fewer fouls (18).

18 -- So much for Boston's defensive rebounding prowess. Celtics ears must be ringing from getting pounded on the boards.

17 -- Did Grant Hill have a flashback when Kobe got the ball off the jump from Gasol and buried that tough, tough two over the defense?

16 -- Is that even the same player wearing Pau Gasol's No. 16 jersey from two years ago? Back then, the Celtics worked him over unmercifully. This Pau is so much more confident.

15 -- The last time Ron Artest put up a 3-pointer inside the Staples Center, the entire crowd was shouting: "Nooooooooo!" Then about a minute later, he was their hero.

14 -- Lakers stretch the 2nd quarter lead out to double figures. Do the Celtics know that Phil Jackson's teams are 46-0 when they win Game 1?

13 -- So help me, Rondo. Did you have the feeling the Celtics desperately needed that buzzer-beating jumper to give them a little lift going into the locker room at the break?

12 -- Nah. The Lakers don't remember 2008. They could care less about playing the Celtics. They don't have a single thought of vengeance. Nah.

11 -- Anybody else thinking that maybe Andrew Bynum should have that knee drained before every game?

10 -- After he stuffed the cork back into the bottle on Kobe Bryant's strong drive to the hoop, should we think about sending Tony Allen to stop the Gulf to help BP with the oil leak?

9 -- Who says Phoenix was eliminated? The Lakers big men are still playing volleyball over the heads of the Celtics just like they did to the Suns in the Western Conference finals.

8 -- Make no mistake about it, Phil Jackson. It's Pau Gasol who's using that smackdown mentality on K.G. in this one.

7 -- The Dirty Dozen. The Lakers have owned the third quarter through the entire playoffs and Kobe looks like the landlord with 12 points in the first 10 minutes of the period.

6 -- Just asking. Would Kendrick Perkins be better off taking the 7th technical at the end of this one, serving the suspension in Game 2 and then get back to banging like Gasol like crazy in Game 5 at Boston?

5 -- Rasheed Wallace gets fifth technical, one behind Perkins in the race toward suspension. But who would miss him?

4 -- Just when you think it's safe for Phil to pull Kobe and Pau and let his bench team bring it home, here comes the late wakeup call and the arrival of Kevin Garnett to the fray.

3 -- Celtics Big Three 16-for-37, 52 points, 12 rebounds; Lakers Big Two 18-for-35, 53 points, 21 rebounds.

2 -- Flying beneath the radar -- none other than Ron Artest. In addition to keeping Pierce from going nuclear with his defense, Ron-Ron also chipped in 15 points and nobody at Staples was shouting: "Noooooo!" as he made 3-for-5 on 3-pointers.

1 -- Good thing the Celtics already get two days off in the series. They'll need it to practice their rebounding and work on a plan that can stop Kobe from getting to the basket anytime that he wants.

Fran Blinebury has covered the NBA since 1977. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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