Perhaps the Blazers versus Lakers “rivalry” isn’t what it use to be. Okay, let’s face it; there was no rivalry to begin with (sorry citizens of Portland). Sure the Jail-Blazers of old are long gone. No registered sex offenders (Ruben Patterson) or Rasheed Wallace instigating brawls with his teammates.
Indeed, the Rose Garden has a much different tone these days. Young, up-and-coming, and not a team the Lakers would want to deal with in the first round in route to their third consecutive NBA Championship.
Led by French small-forward Nicolas Batum and elastic LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers have the ability to force a possible Lakers first-round matchup to seven games–akin to the Celtics seven-game battle with the Atlanta Hawks in 2008.
The Blazers are currently sixth in the Western Conference standings a half game in front of the New Orleans Hornets (who just lost PF David West for the season with a knee injury) and two games behind the surging Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers 84-80 win over the Blazers at home on March 20 (without suspended center Andrew Bynum) was a great test for the battle-tested Lakers team, who are winners of 13 of their last 14 games.
With three straight losses to the Lakers, the Blazers lost the season series for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
Next: Problems in the Past
The lack of talent in Portland seems to be less of a factor this year than in recent years with the acquisition of Gerald Wallace at the trade deadline. Throw in a developing perennial scorer, a veteran point-guard and a healthy Marcus Camby, the Blazers seem to match up well with the defending champions.
Health, however, is always an issue, especially for the Blazers. Brandon Roy’s knees (absent the meniscus) have slowed the former NBA Rookie of the Year and three-time NBA All-Star. Without the incredible play from wings Wesley Matthews (16.2 PPG) and Batum (12.2 PPG), the Blazers would be looking to fight out of the dungeon of the Western Conference with the terrible Timberwolves and on-the-move Kings.
Let’s, for a second, assume Roy will have enough rest to see glimpses of the all-NBA player he’s capable of being and Camby comes off of his day-to-day status with an ankle injury at full strength. With this in mind, let’s take a look at a position-by-position breakdown of the Blazers’ and Lakers’ starting five and the never-forgotten, all-important bench:
Next: Positional Breakdown
Point Guard
Veterans. 11 years and 14 years in the league, respectively, Andre Miller and Derek Fisher seem to have nothing in common other than their position and 10-plus years in the NBA. Minus Fisher’s five NBA Championship rings, the matchup presents itself as an intriguing one.
Miller, a facilitator in the Blazers’ offense, is averaging 7.2 APG and a shade under 13 PPG. Fisher, a pawn in the Lakers triangle offense, is averaging just 6.6 PPG while playing 27 minutes per game.
If Miller can work the pick-and-roll and get the ball out to his shooters–Batum, Matthews, Fernandez and Roy–look for the Blazers to have the edge at the one-guard.
Shooting Guard
Kobe vs. Roy was a rivalry I was looking forward to three years ago. Now Matthews, coming off of a solid year will be Kobe’s main foe on the Blazers’ squad.
In three games this year, Matthews has averaged just 8.7 PPG against the Lakers, shooting an abysmal 20 percent from behind the arc. The main challenge for Matthews will be keeping Kobe from scorching the nets on the offensive end.
Do I even need to tell you whom the advantage goes to?
KB24.
Small Forward
Batum, the 6’8,” 22-year old rising star for the Blazers, presents a matchup problem for the Lakers and many teams throughout the NBA. Averaging 21.3 PPG against the Lakers, his highest total against any team in the association this season, Phil Jackson and company should be weary of the game changing potential Batum has.
In the March 20th loss to the Lakers, Batum had 25 points, scoring 22 in the first three quarters. With Ron Artest likely guarding Gerald Wallace at the power-forward position, it will be interesting to see how coach Jackson matches Lamar Odom or plausibly, bench player Matt Barnes against the French star.
Advantage: Portland.
It will be no easy task slowing down Batum, and if the Blazers go small with Wallace at the four and Batum at the three, look for this lineup to give the Lakers fits throughout a potential first round matchup.
Frontline
The Blazers are 28th in the league in rebounds per game. Center/power forward, Marcus Camby is day-to-day with an ankle injury. Thus, newly acquired Gerald Wallace plays a power-forward/small-forward hybrid averaging 15.2 PPG and picking up 8.1 RPG this season.
Ultimately, this potential matchup will be won or lost on the boards. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum average 10.2 rebounds and nine rebounds, respectively, as the Lakers are third in the NBA in rebounds per game averaging a shade fewer than 44.
It’s not the Lakers who have questions and doubts in the frontline. LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers leading scorer will get his points. But how well can Wallace box-out and rebound? How will Camby play after returning from injury? How will the Blazers guard a confident Bynum, a consistent Gasol, and Sixth-Man of the Year Odom?
These are the questions Blazers’ coach Nate McMillian will have to answer.
Advantage: Lakers
Bench
A volatile area for the Lakers throughout the season–either outstanding or downright miserable–the team will need some sort of consistency throughout the playoffs especially in the later rounds.
With Odom leading the charge for the Lakers, it seems easy enough to give the upper hand to the defending champions.
However, a Trail Blazer team who could possibly bring Brandon Roy, Wesley Matthews, or Rudy Fernandez off the bench is a bit terrifying. A run here, a run there, and the Lakers could see themselves in the midst of a heated battle just to make it out of the first round.
Choosing which team has the advantage is a toss up. One remarkable performance from Shannon Brown or Brandon Roy could sway the scale to either side.
Next: Reserves and the Rose Garden
Lakers’ keys to the potential match-up:
The Boards, the Killer B’s and the Rose Garden.
The Lakers must dominate the boards: use their length and size to gather offensive rebounds for easy put-backs and limit second-chance opportunities for the Blazers–a terrible rebounding team to begin with.
Shannon Brown, Matt Barnes, and Steve Blake must provide some spark off the bench. It doesn’t have to be a 25-point career night, but it must be solid defense or a few momentum changing dunks or threes. The Lakers bench play, specifically with the Killer B’s, will be a directly related to the amount of success the Lakers will have in the playoffs.
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The Rose Garden, a vaunted and historically detrimental venue to Lakers teams of the past, will be a talking point throughout this potential NBA Playoffs match-up. The Lakers, losing 12 of their 20 losses on the road this season, must find a way to eek and churn out a win on the road in Portland–a city that hasn’t been good to us in recent years.
Perhaps, with a few switching of players and jersey color changes, this could be a look at any first-round match-up the Lakers might face. However, avoiding the Blazers in the first-round would ease the minds of many.
No matter the team, if the Lakers can find a way to win the boards, have consistent bench play, and gruel out some playoff road wins, I’ll be seeing you all on Figueroa for the Championship parade.