They look like their old, championship-caliber selves in playoff
opener . . . but only for one quarter. They are outscored over the last
three periods and have to hang on at the end. Kobe Bryant struggles, but
Andrew Bynum looks good in his return, and Ron Artest does a good job
defending Kevin Durant.The Lakers finally flipped the switch, looking as though they were ready
to defend their championship after weeks of indecisive play. Then the second quarter began.They held off the Oklahoma City Thunder, 87-79, in a playoff opener at
Staples Center that felt more like a mild chill instead of a warm Sunday
breeze. Andrew Bynum returned 30 days after he limped off the court and Kobe
Bryant was back after missing four of the last five games, but Coach
Phil Jackson didn't like the last three quarters, without much argument
from anybody.The Thunder never led but never were left behind entirely, trailing by
six points with under three minutes to play before fading for good.The outcome might have been different had All-Star forward Kevin Durant
been able to make a few more shots, according to Durant himself, but
this might be the state of the Lakers these days with a partly healthy
Bryant and a still-getting-into-shape Bynum.
They'll take a victory any way they can."We could have definitely played a little better, but at this stage
you've really just got to win games," Bryant said.Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Tuesday at Staples Center.Bynum looked sharper than Bryant, collecting 13 points and 12 rebounds
in 30 minutes after missing 13 games because of a strained left
Achilles' tendon.He reported nothing more than a "couple twinges" after playing eight
minutes longer than Jackson planned.The size and strength the Lakers had lacked were on display in one
second-quarter cycle. Bynum blocked Durant's shot, then dunked at the
other end after gathering the ball down low, pivoting and beating Nenad
Kristic to give the Lakers a 38-21 lead with 6:43 left until halftime.Bryant, on the other hand, made six of 19 shots and had 21 points. He
was active on defense, getting two steals and two blocked shots, but
made only seven of 12 free throws, a continual sore spot for a career
83.8% shooter from the line.He was tight-lipped after the game when asked about his play.
"Felt fine," he said. "It's good enough to win."
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