The Lakers will be tested right out of the gate as they will go up against a very talented and young Blazers team lead by center Greg Oden and Brandon Roy.
This will not be an easy win for the Lakers by any means, they may be favored to win this game and the West when it is all said and done, but I think the Blazers will be the surprise team in the NBA this season and could give Kobe and company a run for their money in the first game of the season.
Not only is Brandon Roy turning into one of the most explosive up and coming guards in the league, but he also has an entire whole roster filled with young players that could easily be NBA all stars like rookie Jared Bayless, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden.
There will be two key matchups in this game which will be very entertaining to watch when these two teams start their season on Tuesday. The first head to head matchup to watch will be the reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant going up against youngster Brandon Roy. These two guards will be going at each other all night long! Kobe may be a little banged up (knee), but as he has shown in years past, not even injury can stop number 24 from dominating his opponent. Brandon Roy on the other hand will be looking to prove that he is one of the best players in this league by taking it to Bryant in his house at the Staples Center.
The next matchup to keep your eye on Tuesday will be one that might turn into the next big man rivalry in NBA with Greg Oden battling Andrew Bynum in the paint. In the past there have been some awesome big men battles like the late great Wilt Chamberlain against Bill Russell, Shaq vs. Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon just to name a couple. The center position has kind of taken a back seat to guards like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James since Shaq's dominance earlier this decade, but talented big men are starting to make their way back into the lime light with centers like Dwight Howard in Orlando, Yao Ming in Houston and now Andrew Bynum with the Lakers and Greg Oden in Portland.
Having said that, I think NBA fans will be in for a treat this season as it could be one of the most competitive in recent memory. The Lakers should teach the youngsters a lesson in their first meeting of the season, but I would not be surprised to see a close game on Tuesday night.
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