LA Lakers-PortlandTrail Blazers: Blazers Are the One Team That Can Stop LA
Friday night’s NBA action was headlined by the Portland Trailblazers winning their 8th straight game over the Lakers in the Rose Garden, in front of a near sell out crowd.
LayupDrill.com’s own Diane Tutell was at the game getting photos and video footage, and will have the exclusive audio/video up very soon. The 106-98 final score will stay with Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers for a while.
With the win, Portland improved to 51-28, and tied the Spurs for fourth in the West, just 1/2 game behind the Rockets for third. The Lakers, meanwhile, fell 1 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record overall in the league, and home court throughout the playoffs.
A bigger problem for the Lakers is, while they will say all the right things about loving a chance to see the Blazers again in the playoffs, Portland is in their heads.
Laker haters could only hope Portland stays in the 4/5 seeding, and faces the Lakers in the West Semifinals. If you are a Laker fan, you'd much rather see Portland rise to the 3 seed, and let them deal with Denver in Round 2.
Los Angeles matches up with Houston and San Antonio are better than Portland, and it is evident that a Lakers/Blazers series could have the feel of one nearly 15 years ago.
Five Random Thoughts about the NBA:
1. The Celtics are hitting their stride, as they have won six in a row, and have all but locked up the No. 2 seed in the East.
2. Did the Magic really lose to the Knicks in a game that meant nothing to New York and everything to Orlando?
3. The Jazz and Sixers both seem to be playing as poorly as can be leading into the playoffs.
4. For some strange reason, I believe the Mavericks will sneak up to the No. 6 seed in the West, and Denver will lose to New Orleans in the first round. Just have a hunch…
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
