LOS ANGELES -- It's local custom to arrive fashionably late at the Staples Center, so Ron Artest made his NBA Finals entrance 26 seconds after tipoff
NFL jersey, as only Artest can.
He ran downcourt. Got himself tangled with Paul Pierce. They locked arms and fell to the floor. They glared. Artest jumped up and got huffy. Whistle blew, double tech. Uh-oh. You know the man's history. This was certainly one of those red flag moments, right?
"That's not a tone I wanted to set," Artest said later. "I was just fired up, high on anxiety. I had to calm down right quick
youth MLB jersey. I'd rather set the tone with basketball, with performance."
Well. He did that, too, in his first taste of championship action. Artest scored 15 points, made a few plays that fed the rout, held Pierce to the quietest 24 points you'll ever see (13 came in a meaningless fourth quarter). And so the Lakers did take their Game 1 cue from Artest, in terms of toughness and performance. A bit even rubbed off on Pau Gasol
MLB jersey. Pau Gasol!
Toughness and performance intersected most vividly in the third quarter, and once again Artest was the instigator. You saw it. He swatted Big Baby Davis under the basket, knocked the loose ball over to Jordan Farmar, who found a streaking Gasol for a breakaway layup. Timeout, Celtics. What happened next, though, was the real moment.
Artest jogged to the Laker bench
youth MLB jersey, where he was bear-hugged by Kobe Bryant, who whispered sweet somethings into Artest's ear while they stayed in an embrace. You can use your imagination to figure what Kobe said. Something along the lines of: This is why we got you, Ron-Ron. For plays like that.
"It was a big play for us," admitted Bryant. "I was happy with the play and I was excited for him. I think he does a great job for us, setting the tone defensively with his intensity and his energy. He can do a multitude of things. I was just letting him know it was well appreciated."
It was the third time in three games Artest and Kobe fell into each other's arms, sharing a man crush. First came after Artest caught Kobe's airball
wholesale NFL jersey, dropped in the game winner against Phoenix, then turned and looked for Kobe. Second came after the Lakers clinched the Western Conference finals, when Artest once again went hunting for Kobe. Now this. Kobe came hunting for him.
It's their unique way of communicating. Before he arrived last summer, Artest and Kobe were as compatible as Rasheed Wallace and the three-man officiating crew. As opponents, Artest was always in Kobe's face and tried hard to get under Kobe's skin. Even now, as teammates, they don't exactly go out for tea.
But the respect seems mutual, and Artest seems to seek Kobe's approval constantly. Which will come only if the Lakers win the championship, you know.
So much is on the line. Definitely for Kobe, who wants ring No. 5, bringing him one step closer to Michael Jordan. And for Artest, most famously known for being goofy, and infamously known for becoming unhinged and starting the bloodiest brawl in NBA history. Also, the Lakers essentially swapped Trevor Ariza, who helped them win last June, for Artest, so there's also that issue.
"Well, you can't take nothing from Ariza; they won it with him," said Celtics center Kendrick Perkins. "He's proven. He won the championship. Ron's still searching for one. So after this series, after The Finals, you'll be able to see who's the better fit."
As the season progressed, Artest flashed mixed signals concerning the Ariza issue. He took too many bad 3-point shots, looked lost in a fog some nights. Other nights, he gave the Lakers, whose backbone was considered as solid as a wet noodle, a much-needed edge. They just prayed he wouldn't go over that edge.
Well, we should definitely hold off on any Artest-was-the-right-choice proclamations if and until the Lakers win three more games. We'll see if Artest manages to keep his head on this planet. And his body on Pierce. That's really what it comes down to.
In Game 1 he was guilty of being amped for the Finals. Which you could understand.
"Since it was my first taste, I didn't want to think of it as the Finals," he said. "The minute I think of the Finals, my head gets out of the game. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel, how emotional I'm supposed to get. I just don't want to place too much importance on it. Then I'm not playing basketball.
"I just have to stay focused. I can't enjoy it. I wish I could."
So, it was a good start against the Celtics. A promising one. Some points, some rebounds, steals, stops, no turnovers. Three-out-of-5 shooting on 3-pointers, a few massive blocked shots. A technical foul in the game's first minute ... OK, scary moment there.
But at least it got the Lakers in the right frame of mind. And Artest another Kobe hug.
