The LA Lakers' Title Defense Rests with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol

Andrew Bynum may not be the most important piece to a Los Angeles Lakers' repeat, but as he demonstrated in Sunday's first round win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, his presence sure doesn't hurt.

Bynum made an emphatic return from a strained achilles' tendon, teaming with Pau Gasol to score a combined 32 points, and 25 rebounds, and blocking six shots in a dominant post performance from the pair.

On a night where Kobe Bryant again struggled with his shot, Bynum and Gasol showed why they are just as important to the Lakers' chances of repeating, and maybe even more so.

Bryant went 6-19 from the field and scored 21 points, but he took a back seat to Gasol and Bynum who dominated the smaller Thunder players with their strong play on both ends of the floor.

Bynum showed little rust from his injury and the two looked more comfortable playing together than they have at any point in the regular season, and just maybe since last year's NBA Finals.

Bynum and Gasol proved to be a perfect contrast in styles as Gasol operated mostly from the high post with finesse and footwork, while Bynum was over-powering at the rim.

Oklahoma City had no answer for the combination, and the defense of Ron Artest on Kevin Durant left little room for the Thunder to pull off an unlikely upset in the first game.

Durant scored 24 points but Artest harassed him all night, and the NBA's leading scorer was induced into a less than stellar performance in his first career playoff game.

On this night however, Gasol and Bynum stole the spotlight, and their dominance in the post highlighted an advantage few other teams can boast of in this year's playoffs.

Gasol and Bynum arguably comprise the top front court in the postseason, and no other team could withstand the poor performance from their star player, and still pull of a relatively easy win.

Bryant wasn't alone in his ineffectiveness, because Lamar Odom also turned in an ordinary game, and the bench was once again not a factor, except when they managed to blow a 17 point lead.

Russell Westbrook of the Thunder continuously abused any Laker who had the misfortune of defending him.

If Westbrook could have made better decisions with the ball, it could have been a different game.

Each time Westbrook drove the lane, his purpose was to score, but as the Laker defense collapsed around him, Westbrook was intent on finishing at the rim, while missing numerous opportunities to kick the ball outside.

There were usually open players on the perimeter, and if Westbrook had decided to go that route, a couple of made threes may have made a difference in the 97-89 loss.

The Thunder were never able to get closer than six points, and each time they made a run, there was Gasol with a feathery 15 foot jumper, or Bynum with a beautiful Kareem-taught drop step move.

The duo was responsible for the Lakers' tight victory over the youthful, but talented Thunder team, and as long as Gasol and Bynum play with that same type of motivation and intensity, beating the Lakers will be a tough task indeed.

More than anything, the game demonstrated what the Lakers could be, with a dedication to tough defense and consistency, even when the offensive game of Bryant is out of whack.

It demonstrated an ability for the usually rhythmic Lakers to win ugly matches, and in the postseason there will be a number of ugly games along the way as the pace slows down and the contests become half court battles of will.

There will be more challenges down the road, and even this series is still in doubt, but Laker fans everywhere can find solace, that their title defense rests with two of the more capable big men in this year's postseason.