Portland Trail Blazers: The 4 Keys to Victory Over the Los Angeles Lakers
After winning seven of their last nine games, the Portland Trail Blazers find themselves going against an opponent who has swept them so far this season: the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers and the Blazers are an incredible matchup with definite playoff implications. Portland matches their bigs and their bench, but Kobe is the biggest mismatch for the Lakers. Knowing that he is going to get his points, how can the Blazers come away with a victory at the Staples Center?
Keep the Bench in Their Place
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The saying goes for the Lakers, if Lamar Odom plays well, the Lakers win. Essentially a starter coming off of the bench, Odom is averaging 14.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Causing huge mismatches for the opposition, Odom's range spreads the court. He can blow by bigger Forwards with ease, and he can bully smaller ones in the post. He's got the full package and is a definite nominee, year-in and year-out, for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
"That's the difference in championship teams, said Coach Phil Jackson earlier this season. "The difference is that you have guys that you can bring off the bench that are starters. In Lamar's case, an All Star."
But as important as Odom is to that Laker bench, you can't forget about Shannon Brown.
Brown has proven to be a deadly scorer several times throughout the season. Though Brown may only be averaging 9.2 points per game, he has shown that he has a highly flammable offense, scoring 21 points twice earlier in the season.
One thing that many people don't know: Brown is a 90 percent free throw shooter. His speed allows him to get to the line, and fouling him only leads to almost definite points. And he shoots 36 percent from downtown.
Odom and Brown are the two players that the Blazers cannot sleep on. Portland's bench is very deep itself, so if they can't stop the two bench superstars of the Lakers, they are going to have to match them, point-for-point.
Cage the Black Mamba
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In their last game, Kobe scored 37 points in an overtime Laker victory at the Rose Garden. If the Blazers want to have a chance to upset the favorite L.A. Lakers, somebody is going to have to put the clamps on the Black Mamba.
And it can't be Brandon Roy.
The Blazers have three players who can effectively guard Kobe Bryant: Gerald Wallace, Nicolas Batum, and Rudy Fernandez. And they all guard differently. Wallace is a pure stopper; he uses his great footwork, athletic ability, and quickness to cut off lanes, get on-ball steals, and block shots. Batum uses his length to his advantage, as well as his athletic ability, and Fernandez annoys his man until he passes the rock up. If the Blazers continuously give Kobe different looks on defense, they might be able to throw him off of his game.
But Kobe has a tendency to ignore the fact that the defense is even there, making tough shot after tough shot. So an even better way to guard Kobe?
Make him shoot a horrible field goal percentage. Everyone says that the way to beat Kobe is to make him score 20 points off of 20 shot attempts. The less efficient he is from the field, the more he will hurt his team. If the stifling Blazer defense can force Kobe to take tough, bad shots, Portland might be able to snake out a victory in the Staples Center.
Limit Their Bigs
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You see that picture? That's what the Laker big men are so good at doing, eliminating the points in the paint for the opposition. How can Portland combat that? Take the two Lakers bigs out of the game.
Andrew Bynum is playing incredible basketball as of late. For the month of March, Bynum is averaging a staggering 12.3 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. A true Center approaching the prime of his career, Bynum can cause huge problems for opposing teams. However, in their last outing, the Blazers limited Bynum to six points and four rebounds, forcing an overtime where Kobe took over.
However, in some very pleasant breaking news for the Portland Trail Blazers, Bynum has been suspended for two games after committing a flagrant foul 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, last night.
Music to my ears.
And the Lakers' other big man? Oh, he was just an All-Star reserve. Nothing too major.
Pau Gasol has played extremely well this season, stepping up in the absence of Andrew Bynum and cleaning up after Kobe Bryant. Gasol averages 18.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. And his numberS skyrocket against Portland, as he averages nearly a triple-double with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in his last two games against the Blazers.
But he did this without Marcus Camby helping down on the block. Now that Camby has returned, the Trail Blazers front court is as elite as the Lakers. With Camby, Aldridge, and Wallace, Portland's inside defense is looking superb. It's only a matter of putting points on the board now.
Outsmart the Zen Master
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There's a reason this guy is called the "Zen Master".
Unarguably the smartest coach in the NBA, Phil Jackson will see through whatever Portland throws at him. He knows that the offense is going to flow through LaMarcus Aldridge and has probably prepared for that. He knows how team-oriented the Blazers are and has probably prepared for that, too. There's only one thing that he won't be able to prepare for. And that's Brandon Roy.
B-Roy has had one 20-point game after his surgery. He's playing well in the time he's been allotted, but he needs to step up for the Lakers. Six points will not be enough for the Blazers to come out successful against Los Angeles. Roy needs to show out tonight and put in some efficient minutes for his team. Wes Matthews has also showed that he can score in bunches. If Roy can't help his team, Matthews and Batum are going to have to fill in and have huge games.
If they can do that, then the Blazers could get their eighth win in 10 games at the expense of the Los Angeles Lakers.
