Rivers wins coaching battle

Every move Doc Rivers made from the bench paid dividends for the Celtics. To start the game Rivers matched Kevin Garnett against Pau Gasol, but when Garnett picked up his first foul, he switched Kendrick Perkins to Gasol and Garnett to Lamar Odom. The Lakers never went to Gasol with any consistency and Odom was not really an offensive threat, especially in the first half.
Rivers had a variety of defenders on Kobe Bryant, starting with Ray Allen. Allen did a terrific job keeping Bryant at the perimeter and challenging his jumper. Kobe was 3-for-10 in the first half and 9-for-26 for the game. Paul Pierce and James Posey also defended Kobe and, in general, prevented him from an MVP performance.
Rivers also used Sam Cassell to back up Rajon Rondo for about 13 minutes. Cassell came through with four field goals mostly against Derek Fisher, whom he backed down to mid-post position where he shot over him.
To start the third period, with his team trailing 51-46, Rivers ordered a set play for Pierce, who at that point was 1-for-4. Pierce scored from the low post and then nailed two 3s and two free throws in an eight-point run that allowed the Celtics to regain the lead.
So give Rivers the coaching nod over the veteran nine-ring wearer Phil Jackson ... at least for Game 1.