BOSTON (AP):

Coach Doc Rivers vowed he wouldn't change the way the Celtics did anything on defence in the NBA finals. And why should he? Boston's defence was too good for Los Angeles in the regular season, and it still is so far in the post-season.

The Celtics shook off a poor defensive effort in the first half to contain Kobe Bryant and his sidekicks in the second half, pulling away for a 98-88 victory in game one on Thursday night.

"In the second half, we did our jobs," Rivers said. "We got back on defence for the most part, we contested shots. I mean, that's how we have to play."

Defensive adjustments

Bryant and the Lakers had been rolling offensively in the post-season, averaging 105.9 points, while winning 12 of 15 games.

Rivers had been asked what kinds of defensive adjustments the Celtics needed to make.

"We don't change as much as people think we do," Rivers said before the game. "That's fine that everyone thinks we do. But we've been pretty much a solid defensive team all year. We're not going to recreate the wheel tonight. We're going to play Celtic defence the way we've played all year."

That defence limited opponents to an NBA-low 41.9 per cent, but it took the Celtics a while to warm up on that end after a long lay-off since the Eastern Conference finals.

Los Angeles shot 50 per cent while building a 51-46 half-time lead, but the Celtics limited the Lakers to 13-of-39 (33 per cent) the rest of the way and held them to 41.6 per cent (32-of-77) for the game.

"We didn't play any in the first half," Rivers said. "We didn't get back in the first half. We gambled in the first half. We gave them uncontested shots in the first half."

Bryant needed to take 26 shots for his 24 points. Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher each scored 15 points, but they combined for only five in the second half after going for 25 in the first 24 minutes.

Los Angeles, which has been the top-shooting team in the post-season, had its lowest-scoring game of the play-offs.

"We just didn't do a good job of moving the ball in the second half," Lakers forward Lamar Odom said. "In this game, they played the right way just for a little bit longer than us."