Confidence Absent in L.A.

"This team can beat us. It's clear," Kobe Bryant said of the Mavericks after his Lakers fell 96-94 at the hands of Dallas in Game 1. This was following a game in which the heavy favorite Lakers led by sixteen in the second half, only to open the door for the aging Mavs to erase the deficit and win the game.

The Lakers went to none other than Kobe on the final play of the game, only to have a last-second three that would have won the game clank off the rim. Along with the miss came wavering confidence for L.A.  Rather than declaring a trophy like LeBron and the Heat, words like "I'm highly concerned" are used, which also came out of Kobe's mouth after Game 1.

Reassuringly enough, if anything, the Lakers also fell in Game 1 to the New Orleans Hornets, but came back to win that series fairly easily. But the Mavs are far more experienced than the Fighting Chris Pauls, and should put up more of a fight. "We're not happy right now. We're not satisfied," vet guard Jason Terry said, "We didn't play our best basketball. When we watch the film, we'll realize what we did out there wasn't that great." Terry's attitude, though, certainly sounds more confident than Kobe's does. Terry seems more convinced that his team can win the series.