L.A. Lakers: Why Should They Fear Portland and OKC in the Postseason?

Many people consider the Portland Trail Blazers and the Oklahoma City Thunder to be the two teams none of the higher seeded seeded teams want to face in the West, but in the case of the Los Angeles Lakers I can't understand why.

There have been several suggestions offered as to why this line of thought is true, but most of the theories are either based on faulty logic or gut feelings, and most people who subscribe to this usually disregard the real evidence that has been presented.

Some observers point to Portland and Oklahoma City's recent triumphs over the Lakers, but those same people also fail to acknowledge that those victories are both team's first out of four games in the season series.

It's kind of hard to point to a single victory in the regular season as proof that either the Thunder or the Blazers can beat the Lakers in the postseason, and excuse the other three losses both teams suffered in the series.

But that issue is almost beside the point since regular season games usually have little bearing on the playoffs, and some people would tell you there are other variables that validate Portland and the Thunder.

The most commonly mentioned is the roster upgrades that both teams have made, and Kendrick Perkins and Gerald Wallace do make the Thunder and Blazers much stronger teams.

But assuming that either player is enough to propel their team past the Lakers in a seven-game series is silly.

Perkins' toughness was a defining element during his time as a Boston Celtic, and it will likely define his time in Oklahoma City as well, but does his presence suddenly make the Thunder as good a team as the Celtics?

Perkins does add more bulk in the middle for the Thunder, but he no longer has Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo backing him up.

Granted, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka are not bad replacements as teammates, but they are not as good defensively as the Celtics were, and they have not proved a single thing in the postseason.

It's easy to look at the Thunder and predict what they might do in the postseason, but it's even easier to point out what the Lakers have done to the Thunder in the playoffs, and the advantages they still possess.

The Lakers are a better rebounding team, they are better defensively, they are arguably more talented and they have the benefit of understanding what it takes to actually win a playoff series.

Portland is a better defensive team than Oklahoma City and Wallace gives them one of the more versatile players in the postseason, and the return of Marcus Camby may make them the more intriguing opponent for the Lakers.

LaMarcus Aldridge is a true superstar at the power forward position and one of the more underrated players in the league, and he has the size and talent to hold his ground against Pau Gasol in the paint.

But Camby is the key, because although the Blazers do defend well they are still very vulnerable in the paint.

Portland only averages 39 rebounds per game, and over the course of a seven-game series with the Lakers it will be impossible to win four contests with those numbers.

The Blazers are the team the Lakers would most likely face first in a second round matchup, and even though they may give Los Angeles a run for their money home-court advantage for the Lakers might be to much to overcome.

And that statement holds true for the Thunder as well if the Lakers should meet them in the Western Conference Finals.

Both Portland and the Thunder will face a hard enough time as it is since the Blazers must play each series on the road and Oklahoma City will likely be forced to play their second round series on the road if they advance past Denver.

But it's a huge stretch of the imagination to picture either team beating the two-time defending champion Lakers without the benefit of home-court advantage.

I do believe that Portland and Oklahoma City are capable of surprising some people in the postseason, but to suggest that the Lakers should be afraid of them is ridiculous.

If anything the fans of both teams may want to take another long look at the two-time defending champion Lakers and then reconsider who should really be afraid of whom?