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LOS ANGELES - Two home games, two home victories and suddenly it's like we've been watching Serena Williams instead of Deron Williams, watching lobs but not alley-oops.
They held serve, that's what the Lakers just did. The team with the home-court advantage opened a series by home-courting its way to consecutive victories.
Didn't do anything special, really, just held serve, did exactly what they were supposed to do.
Well, to use another tennis term - poppycock.
OK, maybe poppycock isn't a tennis term and, in fact, isn't even a term used this century.
But the point is, the Lakers seemed to do more than just the minimum as they won Game 2 on Wednesday night, 120-110.
They established themselves as clearly the better team.
They proved capable of slugging with foul-minded Utah.
They never permitted the Jazz to believe, really believe, it had a chance to win either Game 1 or 2.
Utah's only leads so far in this series have come in the first quarter. Think about that. After the first 12 minutes Sunday and Wednesday, the Jazz was looking up at an opponent even it knows is superior.
Look at the other series in the West. Have the Hornets only held serve against the Spurs? The guess here is San Antonio's players, as veteran and accomplished as they are, aren't even sure that's all that has happened so far in that series.
Much like Game 1, the Lakers again grabbed this one early and squeezed the hope out of the opposition.
Not that this series is as finished as, say, the Denver Nuggets are. For one thing, the Lakers have to now visit the obnoxiously vibrant home of the Jazz. For another, these opponents aren't the
Nuggets.
In the previous playoff round, it took Denver until the fourth quarter of Game 4 to really stand up to the Lakers, by which time that series had been all but stamped and mailed into history.
The Jazz wasn't going to wait that long, joining this series in the fourth quarter Wednesday, closing to within five points - 99-94 - and pushing the Lakers into making plays.
So Sasha Vujacic hit one jumper and Derek Fisher hit another and Kobe Bryant did what MVPs are supposed to do these days - make their teammates better. He drove, spun, drove some more and hung a floating pass to Pau Gasol, who then dunked.
The Lakers' lead was 10 points, the Jazz was retreating to its timeout huddle and this series was bound for Salt Lake City, the team with the home-court edge up 2-0.
Utah's home court is famous for being loud enough to disorient, Lakers coach Phil Jackson often suggesting the place can cause referees to swallow their whistles, if not their senses.
Having been unable to sufficiently distract the Lakers here, perhaps the Jazz plus the pumped-up volume for its maniacal sixth men will cause this series to become more like an actual series.
The Lakers haven't always cherished their time in the place. Years ago in the playoffs, before Bryant was winning titles and MVP trophies, he had a game there that featured multiple late airballs.
"That was a horrible experience," Bryant said when asked about the memory recently. "Thanks for bringing that up again."
A lot of things have changed since that time, like the fact Bryant has evolved in roughly 1,000 different ways as a player, all of them positive.
He will not repeat that performance, but the fans there also aren't likely to repeat the performance of the fans in Denver in round one of these playoffs. Unless something odd happens, they won't be chanting favorably in Bryant's direction in Utah.
A few other things will be different, as well.
In Salt Lake City, Carlos Boozer is not likely to limit himself by being called for silly fouls as he was here in Games 1 and 2.
He also can't be expected to commit a foul as needless and ridiculous as his third Wednesday, the call coming just 19 seconds into the second quarter and ending his first half.
Somewhere between here and Utah, Williams will completely rediscover himself. The process started with his fantastic rebound of a second half in Game 2.
But his first half, ah, was shocking in its indifference, Williams making but one basket and generally having as much impact on the proceedings as the Lakers logo at midcourt.
After one quarter Wednesday, the Lakers led by 15. If it is trailing by a similar margin after 12 minutes of Game 3, the Jazz might want to consider another strategy - or profession.
Of course, that also is unexpected. The Jazz will be a different team Friday, if for no other reason than they'll have to be.
The biggest problem for Utah is that the Lakers will be the same team.
Just held serve? Feels like more than that today.
To us. Probably to the Lakers. Maybe even to the Jazz, which would be the Lakers' biggest victory yet.
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(c) 2008, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.). Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.