Pau Gasol, Lakers
89-85 win vs Spurs
19 pts, 9-16 FG

Kobe Bryant, Lakers
89-85 win vs Spurs
27 pts, 11-21 FG, 4-4 FT

Vladimir Radmanovic, Lakers
89-85 win vs Spurs
10 pts, 5-5 FG

For the Spurs to have any chance at securing the still elusive back-to-back championship, they’re going to have to win at least once in Los Angeles. It looks like Tim Duncan decided it would be on Wednesday, but the rest of the Spurs weren’t on board. Duncan proved he is still one of the top talents in the NBA with 30 points and 18 rebounds to go along with four blocks, two assists and two steals.

Manu Ginobili, Spurs
89-85 loss at Lakers
10 pts, 3-13 FG, 2-6 3-pt FG

Tony Parker, Spurs
89-85 loss at Lakers
18 pts, 7-17 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG

Derek Fisher, Lakers
89-85 win vs Spurs
4 pts, 1-9 FG

If the two teams mixing it up in the Western Conference Finals look familiar, even to the casual fan, they probably should. Either the Lakers or the Spurs have represented the West in the NBA Finals eight out of the last nine seasons, so it is only fitting for the pair to battle it out this year. The Lakers have struggled since losing Shaquille O’Neal after their fourth Finals appearance, but Kobe Bryant is excited to be back in the NBA’s elite. “We've had our battles. We've had some great matchups,” Bryant said before Game 1 on Wednesday. “It feels great to be back at that level, matching up with San Antonio.” The combination of the Lakers’ MVP and a tenacious bench proved to be too much for the Spurs, but San Antonio almost jumped out of the gate with a win in Los Angeles. Leading by 20 points in the third quarter, the Spurs couldn’t keep up the heat and shot just 3-of-21 from the floor in the fourth as Los Angeles rallied all the way back for an 89-85 win. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 30 points and 18 rebounds, while Tony Parker added 18 points, 10 boards and six assists.

Through 24 minutes of basketball on Wednesday, it looked like the league’s MVP was taking the “I'm happy just to be here” approach. Kobe Bryant, electing instead to defer to teammates, came within a minute and a half of recording his first scoreless half in the playoffs since the 2004 Conference Finals, before saving himself with a late second-quarter finger roll. With fellow veterans Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom struggling on the way to a combined 12 points on 4-of-21 shooting, Los Angeles relied on role players like Vladimir Radmanovic and Ronny Turiaf to keep the team within eight at the half. Coach Phil Jackson even joked that he thought Bryant might have been lost in the Bermuda Triangle rather than the Lakers’ sideline triangle. Los Angeles continued to stumble after halftime as San Antonio’s lead grew to 20 points in the third quarter before Kobe seemed to find his rhythm. Once he found the right gear, the Spurs didn’t have an answer. After scoring just two points in the first half, Bryant finished with 27 points and nine assists and Pau Gasol added 19 points, seven rebounds and two timely blocks.