Lakers face the media

TD BANKNORTH GARDEN – The morning after a loss to the Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Lakers held a media session on the Garden’s parquet floor. Players seemed loose, if not a little sleepy. Last night’s game ended just before midnight.

Several Lakers players, including Jordan Farmar and Coby Karl, did some light shooting. The rest of the team was spread out around the edge of the floor, answering questions for about 150 media members.

One of the biggest media crowds was for Derek Fisher. The veteran Lakers point guard said his team could have won Game 1 with a little more effort on 8-10 crucial possessions in the game.

“We realize what’s at stake,” said Fisher. “You can’t squander away chances to win games at this level.

“You play against great teams, there are certain things you can live with and certain things that you can’t. Guys that are dominant basketball players like a Kevin Garnett and a Paul Pierce and a Ray Allen, you can’t just let those guys size up the defense and have their way….We do feel like there’s a lot of room for improvement.”

Lakers forward Lamar Odom said rebounding would be his team’s focus in Game 2.

“We have to keep their guards off the boards as well,” said Odom. “They rebound as a team. We need to limit that.”

The Celtics have media access next. We'll have quotes, as well as an update on Paul Pierce, shortly.