24-second thoughts on Game 2

LOS ANGELES -- 24 -- After all of the talk for past three days, did we really expect anyone but K.G. to score the first bucket of the night for the Celtics?

23 -- Here we go again. In the opener, it was Ray Allen taken out by two early fouls. Now Garnett gets his second at the 9:22 mark and Doc Rivers has to

22 -- I'm with Jeff Van Gundy. The whole "Pau Gasol dissed Garnett" hullaballoo was a classic case of media hysteria. Anybody who hasn't written what Gasol said -- Garnett has lost his explosiveness -- hasn't been paying attention.

21 -- A peek at the replay monitor correctly changed Ray Allen bucket to a 3-pointer. Since Bud Selig can't be bothered, any chance tonight's refs could help out Armando Galarraga?

20 -- 'Sheed happens. Five points, three rebounds in first four minutes. If more 'Sheed happened all season, the Celts season might not have been so difficult.

19 -- No rebounds, no rings. After getting eight second chances in Game 1, Gasol didn't get a single offensive rebound shot in the first quarter.

18 -- Whatever happened to that Kobe fella (2 points, 1-for-5 in first 15 minutes) I've been hearing so much about?

17 -- So are the six technical fouls actually going to work in Kendrick Perkins' advantage? Kenny Mauer gave a scolding instead

16 -- Hmmmm, it's funny how much better Ray Allen is when he's not chained to the bench with foul trouble. Do the Celts still want to let him walk away as free agent this summer?

15 -- The two scariest sights for fans at the Staples Center in the first half -- Ray wide open and Andy Garcia's moustache.

14 -- Chris Bosh spotted at Staples for second time in this playoff series. Maybe wants to see what all the fuss is about -- he's only played in 11 playoff games in seven seasons with the Raptors.

13 -- Just wondering. What's Phil Jackson's record when he wins Game 1 and then his team doesn't guard a guy who's rolling a perfect 7-for-7 on 3-pointers?

12 -- Poof! Nothing up their sleeves. But that was a neat trick by the Lakers making Boston's 13-point lead disappear in less than 4 minutes.

11 -- Of course, if Ray can hit eight straight 3s in the second half, the Celtics are home free.

10 -- Go ahead, just ask Pau Gasol. The Celtics aren't so explosive anymore when Ray Allen isn't making seven straight 3s.

9 -- Kobe gets his fourth foul with 6:16 left in the 3rd. With score tied, this could be the biggest six minutes of Shannon Brown's career to get Lakers to the 4th quarter.

8 -- Let's get this straight. Ray Allen is playing like his head is on fire and it took the Celtics 7:18 to get him his first shot -- and make -- of the second half?

7 -- "Magic" Rondo gets his 10th rebound, cups ball behind his back and then dishes his 10th assist. He needs one more point for another triple-double, practically in the shadow of the Magic Johnson statue.

6 -- Just when it looked like the Lakers had dodged a bullet with Kobe riding the last six minutes of the third quarter on the bench, he gets foul No. 5 just 45 seconds in the fourth and convinces Phil Jackson to keep him in the game. Is it too much to say it's the decision of the series?

5 -- If you're the Celtics, aren't you standing in the paint and taking a charge every time that Kobe even thinks about dribbling toward the basket?

4 -- You don't win 10 rings as a coach by accident. Phil Jackson almost dares the refs to call the 6th foul on Kobe. Bryant finally comes out at the 8:12 mark. For how long? He comes back at the 6:16 mark and the first thing he does is go into the lane for a runner. That's fearless.

3 -- Don't you have to wonder who'll be unhappier -- Celtics or Lakers -- if Garnett gets his 6th foul?

2 -- Never mind the effect on the offense. Kobe's foul trouble kept him from playing the kind of defense that was needed against Rondo (19 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists).

1 -- Ray Allen's record eight 3-pointers, Rajon Rondo's triple-double. What the Lakers have to worry about most on coast-to-coast flight is defensive collapse in the fourth quarter. Remember, a playoff series doesn't begin until the road team wins a game. So now it's really on.

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

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.