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I admit, as a Lakers fan, it’s hard not to be excited right now. After all, our “Lake Show” just dominated the hated Celtics in Game 1…in virtually every phase of the game.

Pau Gasol made Kevin Garnett look as if he were about as old and stale as one of the late great Red Aurbach’s cigars. Anyone who thinks that Pau isn’t on a mission to prove his toughness and dominate Garnett, isn’t paying attention. Then again, Garnett made himself look fairly pathetic, even missing successive “2-inch” shots late in the game.

Ron Artest, including the use of an opening WWE maneuver that would have made my former neighbor, Randy “The Legend Killer” Orton proud, bottled-up Paul “The Actress” Pierce pretty much all game. Pierce, when he’s not feigning being feloniously assaulted, is an excellent offensive player and no one will shut him completely down, but “Ron-Ron” kept him frustrated and from going off with a string of big shots.

Meanwhile, Kobe, with help from his friends, turned Rondo into an “airborne baseline thinker”. The good news for the Lakers was that many, if not most, of the decisions that Rondo made while airborne, collapsed-upon, and faux collapsed-upon by the Lakers “Bigs” were the wrong ones. And even some of the right ones were poorly executed either by Rondo or his targets.

Kobe also, with a little help from referee Joey “My Whistle Will Melt If I Don’t Blow it Every 30 Seconds” Crawford, got Ray Allen in early foul trouble. This was huge…not because Allen was going to come anywhere close to shutting down Kobe (or anyone else), but due to Allen’s big shot capability.

Offensively, the Lakers were a well-oiled machine. Kobe was semi-magnificent as both a scorer and a facilitator. Pau was strong and consistent. All of the other starters chipped in nicely, and…STOP THE PRESSES…the Lakers’ bench played far better than their usual high school-level (Side Note: Did anyone besides me see Shannon Brown miss a basket because he jumped TOO HIGH to dunk it?).

Now take-in all of the above and allow me to tell you what it all really means…It means that the Lakers won ONE friggin game! Since the league has decreed that 4 wins are necessary to acquire THE trophy, ONE game doesn’t mean much at all. Bill Russell used to say (Gosh, I hate quoting Celtics), “You’re not behind in a series until you lose a game at home”. Therefore, while the Lakers have ONE victory, the Celtics aren’t really behind….and trust me….the Celtics know that.

All of the great, dominating play by the Lakers in Game 1 will be reduced to…well…tears, rendering of garments, and gnashing of teeth if the Celtics win Game 2. A Celtics’ Game 2 victory would force the Lakers to grasp the distinct possibility that they may have played their last game in Staples Center this season…and I don’t mean because the Lakers will take 3 straight in Boston.

So, my fellow Lakers fans…enjoy..nee…BASK IN the moment, but I suggest that you not yet make plans for exactly where you will stand along the Lakers’ Championship parade route. The Celtics are a very good team (as much as I hate to admit it). This series has barely begun…and the parade…well, it hasn’t begun at all.

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