One team has found an all-around team approach to winning, the other has relied on their superstars to maintain their prestige in the Western Conference. And now the self-entitled team travels from their southern palace, draped in their royal gold and purple attire, to yet again conqueror, as they have so many times before, the rugged north.
The Rose Garden arena will have a playoff type feel to it tonight, and it is well deserved. The “Lake Show” is coming to town. And in case you are not aware of the feeling shared between these two teams, ask anyone walking down the street, they will tell you; although, unfortunately, the resentment has been flowing stronger north to south than south to north.
Why you might ask has this resentment been on a mostly one way street?
The Blazers have had 28 exits from the NBA playoffs in their history, nine of those came directly from the Lakers. The Blazers have only overcome the Lakers twice in a playoff series, 77’ in the conference finals when the Blazers won it all, and the first round in 92’ when the Blazers went to the NBA Finals to face His Airness and the Chicago Bulls.
The most recent playoff matchups between the two teams resulted in the Blazers going 3-10 and getting swept in two of the three series.
The last three years, the Blazers have a record of 5-7 while facing the Lakers, and 4-3 at home. Not bad or horrible by any means, last year, however, the Blazers won only one of four, dropping one home game and both road games to the Lakers.
Now after the lockout has been lifted, the 4-1 Blazers host the 4-3 Lakers. Before you allow yourself the hope of each team’s records dictating who might win tonight, let’s remember that Andrew Bynum has only played in three of those games, dominating in each. The Lakers have also won four of their last five, and Kobe Bryant heating up, i.e. the off the backboard play against the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers are a top heavy team, with only three players, Bryant, Bynum and Gasol, averaging in double digits. The Blazers have five players averaging double digits but no single player averaging more than either Bryant or Bynum.
It will have to be a total team effort by the Blazers tonight if they want to take down the Lakers. With a win tonight, it could boost the Blazers to win their next three with one on the road in Phoenix, then hosting Houston, followed by their opportunity to get back at the Clippers in the Rose Garden.
This is the most important game of the early season for the Blazers. Another spine crunching loss via the Lakers only eight days before a six game road trip will not positively affect the moral or spirits of the Blazers, nor will it make the next two meetings in L.A. any easier.
To those of you who will be attending the game tonight, rock the Garden and lets all hope that the Blazers come to play.
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