On a night where ‘Amazing’ happened in Orlando, the playoffs for the Los Angeles Lakers started out somewhat more mundane.

The Lakers did not need Andre Iguodala-style heroics or Derrick Rose-like revelation in taking down the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of their Western Conference bout. Instead, cool efficiency, deadly professionalism, and precise effectiveness marked the day for the Western Conference’s best team.

Utah knocked on the door the entire second half; the Lakers played the part of poor hosts and simply never let them in.

Even before Game 1, it was accepted knowledge that the purple-and-gold are a more talented, deeper, and more skillful team than Utah. The only real chink in their armor is whether or not they have the defensive focus and resiliency needed in later playoff rounds.

By virtue of the way they shot the ball Sunday (55.6% from the floor, 46.7% from three), we are no closer to knowing they’ll be a time where their skill won’t carry the day.

Kobe Bryant scored 24 points, Trevor Ariza added a career playoff high 21 and Pau Gasol had a frightfully-easy 20.

All par for the course it would appear.

But what was impressive, if not all together unforeseeable, was the manner in which Bryant paced himself. The former MVP never forced the tempo and was incredibly efficient in his offensive attacks, replacing what in years gone by would have been forced turnarounds with calm dishes to Ariza and Shannon Brown for open corner threes. It was thanks to that efficiency that the Lakers built a 30-10 lead while shooting over 70 percent from the floor early on.

If Cleveland was watching this game, they could not have been amused. Not when Brown, a former Cav and a career journeyman, provided the Lakers with a much-needed shot in the arm at point guard where Derrick Fisher and Jordan Farmar have struggled for weeks.

Brown gave Los Angeles 22 minutes in relief and managed to go 3-4 from the floor and have a plus/minus of +20. If he can replicate that consistently over the next five to six weeks, the Western Conference playoffs will play more like a coronation than a competition.

The lone bright spot for Utah was (unsurprisingly) the play of Deron Williams, who finished the game with 16 points and 17 assists. Still, he wasn’t able to find a flow offensively or create the sort of space he usually does with his crossover. The credit for that goes to the much-maligned Laker defense, who pressured the ball and used their length brilliantly in the first half.

If Utah did not have enough bad omen’s coming out of Sunday’s game, here is another: no Phil Jackson-coached team has ever lost a playoff series after winning Game 1 (Jackson is 41-0 in such cases).

What this game lacked in late heroics or breathtaking fearlessness was made up for by the enjoyment of watching a cohesive unit play inspired, though imperfect, basketball.

Three more standard performances from these Lakers will likely see them handing the Jazz some brooms.