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Scanning the blogs and beats following the Lakers’ 109-98 win over the Jazz in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals …
Tim Buckley, Deseret News: "NBA MVP-elect Kobe Bryant finished with a game-high 38 points, including 21-of-23 shooting from the foul line — the 21 makes marked a Lakers franchise playoff record — and 8-of-16 shooting from the field. Bryant also got his teammates involved, dishing seven assists … "He’s definitely changed his game a little bit to do that," Jazz forward Matt Harpring said. "He’s more of a passer now. I mean, he can still score — for sure. But he definitely looks for his teammates now, which makes them a better team."
Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times: "Twenty-three times Sunday, the Utah Jazz left Kobe Bryant wide open.Twenty-three times, the bumping, bruising Utah Jazz stood still and just let him shoot. Twenty-one times, Kobe Bryant scored. Twenty-one times, he jabbed a 10-foot sword into a puffed-out chest. And basketball folks still have the nerve to call it a free throw? Not here. Not Sunday. Not Kobe."
Jazz Hype: "The Jazz can come away from this game with the idea that they lost this game, LA didn’t necessarily win it. If they can build on that idea, keep controlling the boards and cut down on the TOs and poor shot selection, game two could be very winnable."
Forum Blue And Gold: "To Utah fans complaining about Phil complaining about the refs: Welcome to playoff basketball. You can influence the refs through the media, every coach knows this and does this."
Jazzspin: "You have to like the fact that Utah was in the game with 2 minutes
left despite such a poor outing.  With so many missed open jumpers,
this didn’t appear to be entirely due to Lakers defense as it was in
the Houston series. I still see hope for a game 2 victory and we all know the Jazz will
come to play at home.  Missed opportunity, yes, but this is going to be
a long series."
Jill Painter, LA Daily News: "Jerry Sloan has told Deron Williams not to point the finger at himself after a loss, but the Utah Jazz point guard couldn’t help it. Williams is the team’s leading scorer and the integral cog in Utah’s offense. On Sunday, Williams missed eight of his first 10 shots against the Lakers, and his teammates didn’t have much luck in that department, either. Sloan has said he doesn’t know where the Jazz would be without Williams, but with Sunday’s disappearing act, he has an idea it’s not a good place."
Kurt Kragthorpe, Salt Lake Tribune: "The basketball was stuck impossibly atop the rim like some kind of Hollywood visual effect, before finally falling off. Deron Williams just smiled and shook his head. What else could he do? His driving layup attempt Sunday afternoon came too late for the Jazz to catch the Los Angeles Lakers anyway, and just gave them one more miss to make up in this series, one more shot to fall their way at some point. "It summed up the day for us offensively," Williams said. "That’s how it goes sometimes."
Lakers Blog: "[Derek Fisher’s] 2-6 shooting line won’t make anyone sit up and cheer, but that’s hardly where the evaluation of Fish’s impact should begin and end. Try his six dimes, often created off penetration and a dish. Or the six steals, accumulated while racking only three fouls, meaning his quick hands weren’t being offset by quick whistles. More than anything, Fisher’s hustle stood out.  He guarded Deron Williams well (5-18 from the floor) and with four minutes remaining, emerged from a scrum holding a loose ball and called time out."
Brad Rock, Deseret News: "Even in 1997, when yet a teen, Kobe Bryant had the world by the tail. Until that moment in Game 5 of the playoffs in Salt Lake. Waning seconds of regulation, neck-and-neck, frenzied crowd. And he missed an 18-footer. The overtime was even worse: He air-balled two more shots down the stretch as the Jazz went on to win the series, four games to one. But even then, Bryant had composure beyond his years. In the locker room, he gamely faced the microphones and cameras, saying he hoped he would learn from the experience, and that the next time he was in that situation, he would come through."
Mike Bresnahan, Los Angeles Times: "The Lakers didn’t need more rest after six days between games, but they got plenty of it during typically long timeouts in Sunday’s game on ABC, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson facetiously pointed out. Jackson has long been irritated by the length of nationally televised games. "They take two hours and 45 minutes, and a locally televised game takes two hours and 15 minutes," he said."
Buckley, Deseret News: "The Jazz had about 38 hours after Friday night’s Game 6 first round-ending win over Houston and before Sunday’s afternoon tip. They did not want to use it as an excuse but did address its reality. "It doesn’t matter how you feel — no energy, you have energy. No. You need to play," forward Andrei Kirilenko said. "That’s a playoff-intensity game, so you’re supposed to match it."
Inside The Lakers: "Vlad Radmanovic isn’t superstitious, but maybe he should be. Before the
game, he told me that he shaved his beard this morning. Actually, he
said he "lost’" his beard this morning. Is it a coincidence that [he]
missed his first few shots?"
