Burning questions: Hangover in Portland?
ESPN.com
They've been the two best teams in the NBA all season long.
Now, it's time for the Lakers and Trail Blazers to settle things once and for all in the Western Conference finals. But before Kobe, Scottie, Shaq and Rasheed take the court for Game 1 on Saturday, ESPN.com wants to answer some of the burning questions about how the West will be won.
We sat down with our NBA experts and asked them to go inside the Portland-L.A. matchup. Our Q&A series starts today with a trip back to February, and it will continue throughout the series:
How much did the Feb. 29 game in which the Lakers won in Portland affect the Blazers? Is there any holdover from that game now?
Ramsay |
NBA analyst Dr. Jack Ramsay
That defeat affected the Blazers for much of the regular season. They never really got their game going on a consistent basis after that. They had spurts and stops, but up to that point, they were playing very well and with a nice, consistent flow. So the loss really bothered them. But now, it's a thing of the past. From what I see, the Blazers appear to have regrouped. Coming from behind as they had to do in about every game of the Minnesota series brought the team together. |
Carter |
NBA analyst Fred Carter
There was a tremendous fallout for the Blazers after that debacle in Portland. The Lakers went into the Rose Garden and pulled off the roses, the tulips and the daffodils. The Blazers had a hangover from that whipping for a long time. They finally got themselves back on track in the playoffs. Portland is playing outstanding basketball. But it's so important for the Blazers to win Game 1. They must gain the respect back from the Lakers. The only way to gain it back is to win Game 1 in Los Angeles because they were humiliated in Portland. |
Aldridge |
NBA reporter David Aldridge
Once the Blazers realized they couldn't win the Pacific Division, they basically took the last part of the season off. The Blazers were locked into the third spot, and nobody was going to catch them from behind, so they kind of coasted. Obviously, Portland has picked up its game immensely in the postseason. So, I don't think there's any carryover from that Feb. 29 loss. They beat the Lakers during the regular season and know how to do it. I think it will be a great series. |
Jackson |
NBA 2Night's Jason Jackson
That loss was a key reason for the Blazers' mediocre finish in the regular season. They went 14-11 after that defeat -- when it once looked like Portland might end up with the best record in the NBA. Something happened on Feb. 29. The Blazers probably wish it wasn't a leap year, because then that day would never exist for them. But it became what defined the rest of their season, that they would play second fiddle to the Lakers. Even though the playoffs are different and it's a seven-game series, there has to be something in the back of the Blazers' minds that if they do anything incorrectly, pertaining to their offensive execution or defensive intensity, they could possibly lose this series and lose it big. |
Bucher |
ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher
That game affected the Blazers for the rest of the regular season. At the time, the two teams were battling for supremacy in the league. With a couple more losses, it was clear the Lakers would have the best record in the league, and the Blazers could do no better than the third seed -- and no worse than third because nobody was going to catch them. They kind of put it on cruise control shortly thereafter. Now, however, that loss might have whetted Portland's appetite. The Blazers sat back and said, "OK, we'll get a chance against them again in the playoffs." And having talked to some of their players and coach Mike Dunleavy, they are looking forward to playing the Lakers again. They might have been disappointed, but they certainly weren't intimidated. Their feeling is that they can get the Lakers the second time around.
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