Forget that sore toe, Shaquille O'Neal came to play in Game 1. The Big Fella scored 36 points on 12-of-22 shooting and grabbed 16 boards to lead the Lakers to the 99-94 victory. He was even 12-of-21 from the free-throw line, including hitting 5-of-8 in the game's final 6 1/2 minutes.
Here's to hoping that Kerry Kittles spent his energy on the defensive end, because he sure didn't exhaust himself offensively. The Nets two-guard was 3-of-7 from the field, scoring only nine points, and wasn't even in the game down the stretch in the crucial fourth quarter.
Todd MacCulloch may have gone up against Shaq in the Finals last season, when the 7-foot center was with Philadelphia, but that experience didn't help him in Game 1. In getting the Lakers out to an early 25-10 lead, Shaq schooled MacCulloch for 10 straight points, going 5-of-7 from the field.
With about 1 1/2 minutes left and his Nets trailing by six (93-87), Jason Kidd had a chance to cut the Lakers' lead to three with an open 3-pointer. But the shot clanged off the rim, and one Kobe Bryant pass to a cutting Rick Fox later, the lead was an insurmountable eight points.
Photo Credits: Shaq (AP), Kittles (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images), MacCulloch (AP), Kidd (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)