Headline PH: Kobe spurs Lakers past Celtics in finals opener

LOS ANGELES – Ron Artest proved it in his opening-minute scuffle with Paul Pierce, tumbling to the ground with a vise grip on the Celtics star's elbow.
Kobe Bryant emphasized it one last time with a rub-it-in 3-pointer in the waning seconds of an NBA finals opener that was already a rout.
These aren't the same Los Angeles Lakers who got pushed around by their biggest rivals on the NBA's biggest stage two years ago. They're rougher and tougher — and surprisingly willing to play the Boston Celtics' bad-tempered game.
Bryant scored 30 points, Pau Gasol had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and the defending champion Lakers did a remarkable job of the dirty work in a 102-89 victory over Boston in Game 1 on Thursday night.
Artest scored 15 points after his tangle with Pierce in the opening minute of the 12th finals meeting between the NBA's most decorated franchises. Artest and Pierce backed into each other with their elbows locked while battling for rebounding position. Both got technical fouls after they crashed to the court and got up ready to rumble.

"That's not a tone that we want to set," Artest claimed. "I was a little emotional, and I had a little bit of anxiety at that point, and I was fired up."
Yet other Lakers were grateful for the tone, and they weren't surprised Artest set it. The Lakers' defensive stopper is their only new player this season, and he quickly showed Pierce — the 2008 finals MVP — that trophies won't be quite so easy to earn against the Lakers this time.

By GREG BEACHAM,
AP Sports Writer

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