Paul Jones

Paul Jones is the voice of the Raptors on the FAN 590 and writes regularly for Sportsnet.ca.

Pau Gasol added fuel to the fire when he spoke to the media on Friday.

Alright Laker fans, you know you’re sitting pretty after winning the opener of the NBA final. Yep, Phil Jackson’s teams are 47-0 when they win Game 1 of a playoff series and the other numbers point to a Los Angeles win. The Lakers are 9-0 at home during this season’s playoffs, but don’t expect Boston to go without a fight. You have to expect that the Celtics will make adjustments before the next game. The main alteration is simple -- they just have to play harder.

Game 2 will be a big one as evidenced again by the historical numbers. There have been only three comebacks from 0-2 in the history of the Finals and since the new 2-3-2 format there has been just one; the Miami Heat in 2006. When a team goes up 2-0 the winning rate is an astonishing 94 percent. So what if Boston takes Game 2? Well, again, crunching the numbers in the 2-3-2 format, the team with the middle three games at home and the series tied at one, the chances of winning are still only 30 percent.

After hearing for two seasons, in spite of winning the title last season, that they played “soft” in the finals in 2008 against the Celtics, the Lakers came out very determined in the opener. In particular, Pau Gasol was terrific as he played aggressively doing his best to shed the “soft” label that has been pinned on him. For one game at least, he was great but don’t for a minute think that Kevin Garnett is going to go away. Garnett is not the same player he was two seasons ago and everyone knows it. The problem was that even in a very respectful way, Gasol articulated that fact at the podium on Friday and it may come back to bite him. The Celtics will be more aggressive and even though his skills have eroded, Garnett’s competitive spirit hasn’t and as a rival, Gasol can expect a much tougher test Sunday.

There is more to the “Kobe” factor than just his ability to make plays on the court. Bryant’s mental approach to the game has trickled down to his teammates who also seem more determined and focused. It is the same mentality that the Celtics, as former champions, have used to “will” themselves to the final this season. Derek Fisher is a tough, experienced veteran who is not going to give in to the quicker, younger Rajon Rondo. Ditto for Ron Artest against Paul Pierce.

One other thing to watch Sunday is how the Celtics move the ball. It was widely accepted that the team that garnered the easier scores would come out on top. On Thursday, Boston was very static, with little ball movement and played lots of, unsuccessful, one on one. Considering the Lakers outscored the Celtics 16-0 in second-chance points, 12-5 in fast-break points and 48-30 in the paint, it was obvious which team had the easier scores . Boston is hoping that by being more aggressive in game two they will be on the right end of those battles and will get a better “whistle” to turn the tables.

It has been said that if life was a department store, being involved in sports is akin to working in the toy department. Well here is a rude dose of reality and it gives me a sinking feeling in my stomach as I scribe about something that is way outside the “toy department”.

You may seen this sad story from earlier in the week in Toronto. A young mother was murdered leaving behind a seven-year-old, special-needs child. But there is help on the way, as Torontonian and former NBA all star Jamaal Magloire has started a trust fund for the young boy. Magloire was heartbroken and instead of sitting there wondering what to do, he has once again stepped up and acted. If you would like to make a donation you can do so through Magloire at his web site, jamaalmagloire.com.

This is nothing new for Magloire. The ‘Big Cat’ has done this and stepped forward for the good of the community in previous occasions. Remember a few summers ago in the wake of a rash of gun violence in Toronto, it was Magloire that stood at a podium encouraging more rational thinking instead of reaching for firearms when disputes occurred.

While many NBA players lend their names to camps and make cursory appearances, Magloire not only has his name on a camp in Toronto but is there every day working with the campers. I know because I have attended and seen it with my own eyes.

It seems where ever he happens to be, Magloire pitches in to help. When Caribana, a primarily West Indian heritage celebration, takes place in August in Toronto, Magloire is front and centre as he sponsors and rides on a float in the parade. In fact, tomorrow, he will be in one of the Toronto suburbs as some young children involved in the Caribana weekend will benefit from his generosity as their costumes will be unveiled.

Unfortunately many people only know that he did not play for team Canada and don’t really look at all the circumstances involved before passing judgment. As someone who has coached Magloire for short stints as a high school all-star, I’ve watched him grow to a 10-year NBA veteran that understands how fortunate he is and is always willing to give back.

In the off-season, he’s not hard to find. He comes home to hang out, work out and support his community. When the season starts, he packs up and does the same where ever his NBA journey happens to continue that season. Big Cat, many in your community are proud of you for many reasons.

Sure looks like Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert is doing everything he can to keep LeBron James in town as yesterday Danny Ferry and the team parted ways as he resigned from his post as general manager. Ferry was not in favour of the move to relieve Mike Brown of his coaching duties and as I said in an earlier musing, I don’t know if I’d want to be the next coach of the Cavaliers. It’s a dangerous game that the Cavs are playing because if they don’t have James back in tow, they will have a lot of work to do with new people in key leadership positions.

The passing of legendary coach John Wooden marked a sad day in basketball. I had the chance to meet him as the Raptors visited Los Angeles for a game with the LA Clippers and then general manager Rob Babcock arranged for the “Wizard of Westwood” to address the team following lunch.

As a young boy in Toronto who was basketball crazy, when many of my friends weren’t, I often sat watching the limited amounts of college basketball that made to the airwaves in the 1970’s on a grainy black-and-white Philco like a starving man eating a meal. I was awestruck, transfixed that afternoon in Los Angeles as Wooden addressed the team in the conference room. The list of things he spoke about was too long to mention here but it was an honour having the opportunity to meet him. He sat and signed a book for every player and coach after speaking to the group.

Wooden was innovative in some of the initiatives he brought to the game. His offensive success has been studied to the point where a common offensive set used everywhere in basketball and still presently run in both the college and professional ranks, is identified simply as “UCLA”. It’s common language to the basketball geeks. There are many things that we currently have in basketball that can be traced back to Wooden as many of his contributions will live on forever.