They trampled the Orlando Magic, the Eastern Conference champ, in Game 1 of the NBA Finals by a furlong.

It was such a jog to the finish that the Lakers would have won if they'd been held scoreless in the fourth quarter.

In the battle of the superstars, it looked like Orlando didn't bring one.

Meanwhile, the Lakers' main man is so obsessed with dragging his team to the championship that he scored 40 points, dished out eight assists, grabbed eight rebounds, had two steals, made two blocks and still acted like somebody stole his car.

Does it seem possible the Lakers can actually lose this thing?

"Too bad we don't play doubleheaders," forward Lamar Odom quipped Saturday, referring to the near-perfect Game 1. "When you're playing so well, you want to sustain your rhythm."

Exactly. In the NBA, he knows things can turn around in a hurry. Today's unassailable fortress washes away like a sand castle tomorrow.

Which is why Lakers coach Phil Jackson was barely interested in talking about the three-game roll, in which they appear to have discovered their inner-dominator.

"I don't want to put too much emphasis on past efforts," he said.

So if the Lakers appeared unbeatable Thursday, check back tonight after Game 2, which those involved claim will be a totally different experience. Not necessarily a Lakers loss, but at least an Orlando team with a pulse.

"We expect them to shoot better," veteran Derek Fisher said, referring to the Magic's sub-30 percent shooting night, a universally identified aberration. Even if that's the only thing Orlando does better, TV viewers shouldn't be switching to "Nancy Grace" in the fourth quarter.

Jackson expects everything to be better on the Magic's side.

"(Orlando's) whole game is going to improve," warned the Lakers coach, who knows better than to trust his team to keep the pedal to the metal this postseason.

Most observers figure that at the very least, Orlando's big man has more to show the Lakers .

Dwight Howard scored a basket in the first two minutes of Game 1 and never made another. He went four quarters without one trademark dunk, the Lakers doing a much better job protecting their shot clock than Cleveland, which watched as Howard shook it loose from the top of the backboard on one violent two-pointer three weeks ago.

All in all, Orlando has a lot of motivation going - having shown America its Clippers side.

"We were upset with our performance," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said Saturday, after running through a litany of Game 1 problem areas. "We're anxious to get back out there."

Orlando veteran Hedo Turkoglu, so laid-back he must come from the Left Coast of Turkey, didn't seem worried about the Magic doing another disappearing act.

"We've been a strong responding team all year," he said.

Of course, the Magic also has to do something about Kobe Bryant, who's in no mood to backslide. When he showed up Saturday with the same irritated look on his face, someone asked him if he was enjoying the experience.

"Part of the fun is being focused, figuring out how to get ready," Bryant said, as chipper as a pilot landing a plane in the Hudson River. "You can be focused and enjoy it."

We'll have to take his word for it.

And everyone else's that this series has some life to it.

Reach Gregg Patton at 951-368-9597 or gpatton@PE.com