Before the Mickey Mouse series has started, the prevailing question was — who can defend Superman Dwight Howard?

After one game, the question should now be — who can defend Kobe Bryant?

Dwight Howard finished with 12 points but got 10 of them when he is not guarded, at the free-throw line. He was contained in a 1 of 6 shooting night by Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. As a believer, I can’t believe how Dwight was effectively taken out of his comfort zone by the Lakers duo. It also did not help that the Orlando Magic shooters clanged their jumpers all night long shooting at a woeful 29.9% (23 of 77) clip with their most potent weapon, the three-point bomb failing to hit its target 15 times out of 23 attempts.

On the other hand, Kobe Bryant true to his nickname “The Black Mamba” slithered his way on the Magic defense with a Finals career high of 40 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds. He also had a mean streak on, with venomous  fangs ready to strike anything that stood in his path.

After the game, Kobe said, “I just want it so bad, I just want it really bad.”

I’m sure Kobe don’t want Shaq asking how his ass taste anymore.

HALFTIME SHOW: A woman who goes by the name Red Panda entertained the crowd with her amazing acrobatic act. She was driving with one foot a unicycle about 10 feet high while balancing bowls in her head. With her other free foot, she throws some additional bowls into her head. It was pretty exciting.

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Tags: 2009 NBA finals, black mamba, dwight howard, kobe bryant, la lakers, NBA, orlando magic