"We threw the paint on the canvas yesterday."
That was Tony Battie's assessment of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The comparative context was that, like an artist, the Orlando Magic was just beginning to mix and match colors, comparing hues, to see what connects visually. Here's an early review:
Splat.
And so, the artistes known as the Orlando Magic are in a funk, barely able to hold a crayon to the masterpiece the Lakers crafted Thursday night.
The Lakers' 100-75 victory does not come with any additional style points. There's no extra credit for throttling a team by 25 in a game that started getting away from the Magic by midway in the second quarter.
But it does raise legitimate questions about the rest of the series, and whether the Magic can match the Lakers' star power, with or without Leonardo DiCaprio and Kanye West hugging it out on the sidelines.
The Magic has been down this death march before.
Orlando trailed Philadelphia, 2-1, in the first round of playoffs games before rallying to win the series, 4-2. And it was down, 3-2, to the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics before forcing a Game 7 in Boston. The Magic won that one, stomping all over those pesky leprechauns with Celtic pride on their side.
It's reasonable to assume that Orlando won't wilt that easily again against the Lakers .
But there's also the ominous forecast of more misery and heartbreak.
The Lakers aren't Philadelphia, Boston or the one-man band over in Cleveland.
They have the best player in the game -- forget everything I said about LeBron James last week -- and a bunch of "complementary" players who are anything but.
Guys such as Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, whom Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy calls one of the "top 30" talents in the NBA.
In a game of matchups, it's all Lakers at first blush. The Magic had the edge against LeBron and his Cleveland Cavaliers because forwards Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu created all sorts of problems for the slower and/or smaller Cavs.
The switch appears flipped after Game 1 because Gasol and Odom can be dominant inside. If Lewis and Turkoglu don't make their outside shots, it creates a bigger squeeze for center Dwight Howard.
Our superhero already seems to have it rough because Andrew Bynum can muscle up against Howard and negate some of his inside moves.
Key stats: Lewis and Turkoglu shot a combined five for 21 Thursday. And the Lakers outscored Orlando by 34 points in the paint.
And those are just the issues on offense.
Defensively, the Magic must contend with a player who is angry and playing with a purpose.
Kobe Bryant is an angry guy, for a bunch of reasons.
He's mad at Jerry West, the man who drafted him, because West recently gave LeBron the nod over Kobe in the "best player on the planet" debate.
He's mad at Shaquille O'Neal, who continues to cast an annoying shadow over the three championships they won as a tag team.
He's mad at the media for fawning over LeBron.
He's mad because the Lakers lost to Boston in last year's Finals.
Kobe Mad = Magic Bad.
Bottom line: We're looking at a must-win scenario for the Magic in Game 2.
I don't see the Lakers losing three games in Orlando next week. A sweep in the first two games allows the Lakers a hiccup in Orlando, but they can still go back to Los Angeles with a 3-2 edge.
Game Over, Orlando.
This is all on Howard, Turkoglu, Lewis and the rest of the gang.
They can drool all over themselves again, or they can find the passion to match brush strokes with the Lakers .
"We're going to put the primer back on it, open up the jars and start all over again," said Battie, an Orlando reserve.
One thing is certain.
Splat isn't the answer.
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gdiaz@orlandosentinel.com
