LA Times: Lakers do not want Portland in first round

[alex42083]

Interesting stuff. Four anonymous Lakers were polled on who they didn't want to face in the first round.. three picked the Blazers, and one picked Memphis. Bring them on! Er.. or maybe not..


http://lakersblog.latimes.com/laker...-with-portland-or-memphis-in-first-round.html

Meanwhile, Lakers executive Magic Johnson spoke pretty frankly before the Lakers' 102-84 victory Sunday over New Orleans about which potential first-round opponent would give the Lakers the most trouble: Portland, because of the "hate factor," he said.

"They don't like us and we don't like them," Johnson said Sunday, walking in a corridor underneath Staples Center. "That would be a very physical and tough series, even though we would win and we're better overall. But they really know how to play us; they're well-coached and they're tenacious."

Why the Lakers would want to avoid the Trail Blazers in the first round: Even though the Lakers ended their winless drought at the Rose Garden, one player still feels uneasy about that venue. "Portland always make it tough when we play them in the Rose Garden," the player said.

By no means did Portland make it easy in that overtime affair. There were many things the Lakers had to overcome. They had to make adjustments on LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 29 points through three quarters before being held scoreless in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Lakers' 16 turnovers led to Portland cashing in 40 points in transition.

And the last two victories entailed Bryant working his way through a shooting slump. The Lakers' ability to overcome those lapses speaks to their experience and composure, but it's a dicey gamble considering Portland's experience with them. Those mistakes only magnify in the playoffs.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

common sense says they are scared shitless

 

[maxiep]

It's nice of them to say, but it's bullshit. It would be an 8 on 5 sweep. At best it would be 4-1 so the Fake Show could win on their own court. No way Stern lets them lose in the first round.

 

[DaRizzle]

common sense says they are scared shitless

um no....just calculated

Portland would be the toughest 1st round matchup for sure. the Lakers would still win the series but I dont know if I want that much effort having to be put in a 1st round series, on the other hand it can get us "battle ready" which I dont buy since the Lakers have been here many times...

Gimmie New Orleans all day

 

[BlazerCaravan]

An anonymous poll of 15 Blazers found that 14 didn't want to face the Lakers... One, however said that the Lakers could eat shit and die, after which the other 14 agreed. But they still didn't want to face the Lakers. No way the Lakers (are allowed to) lose.

 

[LittleAlex]

It's nice of them to say, but it's bullshit. It would be an 8 on 5 sweep. At best it would be 4-1 so the Fake Show could win on their own court. No way Stern lets them lose in the first round.

I agree completely.

Portland would have zero chance of winning a first round playoff series against LA since they would have to win at least one game in LA.
That simply wouldn't happen.

 

[DaRizzle]

I agree completely.

Portland would have zero chance of winning a first round playoff series against LA since they would have to win at least one game in LA.
That simply wouldn't happen.

Yeah...because (wait for it) we are the better team

 

[KingSpeed]

It's bad news that they don't want to play us. That means that if they do play us, they will bring their A game and not take the series for granted.

 

[blazerboy30]

Yeah...because (wait for it) we are the better team from a marketing perspective

fixed.

 

[DaRizzle]

fixed.

we are better in BOTH ways...but nice try

 

[3RA1N1AC]

so we would be the toughest 1st round matchup...how about the second round? wcf? maybe they are just scared shitless.

 

[julius]

It's obviously a mind trick by the lakers, trying to make Portland overly confident. There isn't a single Laker (or fan) who is afraid of Portland.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

It's obviously a mind trick by the lakers, trying to make Portland overly confident. There isn't a single Laker (or fan) who is afraid of Portland.

then why would they bother?

 

[DaRizzle]

It's obviously a mind trick by the lakers, trying to make Portland overly confident. There isn't a single Laker (or fan) who is afraid of Portland.

Scared no, has my attention...yes

 

[RoyToy]

The Blazers won't beat the Lakers in the 1st round for the simple fact that the league won't allow it. It's sad because that statement is more true than false.

If the Blazers would to meet in say the WCF however, I'd at least pay attention. Still won't let the Lakers lose but it's less of a sure thing than the 1st round.

If you were to ask Grizzlies/Hornets fan I think they would all say the same thing. They're certainly afraid of the Lakers because they're good, but also because of the refs getting involved. Teams want to avoid the Lakers because of the refs as much as anything imo.

 

[DaRizzle]

Still won't let the Lakers lose but it's less of a sure thing than the 1st round.

you cant have it both ways...its either fixed or its not

 

[RoyToy]

you cant have it both ways...

I just did

 

[Boob-No-More]

This is the time of year I REALLY wish we had a healthy Oden. Without him we don't have the size and interior defense to beat the Lakers in a 7 game series. If we face the Lakers, we'd probably push them to six games, but that's where it would end. The addition of Gerald Wallace helps, as it gives us another outstanding defender (Wallace is a rich man's Artest these days, or Artest is a poor man's Wallace, take your pick). As long as Kobe, Pau, Odom and Bavetta are healthy, the Lakers win. With Oden out, they still beat us even if Bynum goes down.

We match up better with the Spurs and Mavs - and match-ups are a huge factor in any series where we don't have HCA.

BNM

 

[HailBlazers]

^Indeed: The Blazers do not want L.A. Fakers in the first round

 

[Rhal]

LA is hands down the better team. Now with that being said we could force them to 6 with an outside shot at 7 but we don't win that series. As someone mentioned above with a healthy GO we would have the size to possibly beat them in a series but without him getting them to 7 would be tough enough as is. I don't want to mention the 8 on 5 because at the moment LA is just the better team and if the Lakers need 8 on 5 to beat us then they aren't winning anything this year.
The only way I think we would have a shot at winning a series vs the lakers is if Bynum wasn't healthy and we knew he wouldn't play in the series. but if we do get them in the first round I hope we make it a HELL of a seven game series that tires them so badly they get swept in round 2.

 

[jlprk]

I'm sick of the national media saying matter-of-factly that the Lakers beat us March 20 in L.A. Here's the truth. We had it won until Camby got hurt.

We had led since the 2nd quarter. No exchanges of leads, it was all us. Now 5:45 left in the game we lead 72-66. The Lakers get physical, make a little run decreasing our lead from 6 to 4, and then hurt Camby at 4:18 when they make a basket. We are up 74-72, he comes out and won't play again. Gerald Wallace replaces Camby at center (because we have no Juwan Howard) and we know we will lose. Lakers tie it at 2:19 76-76. Lakers ahead 82-77 at :32. Lakers win 84-80.

We had it won until Camby got hurt. The national media, the local Laker media, and worst of all the local Blazer media, played it like, oh yeah, yawn, the Lakers beat the Blazers, ho hum, Blazers suck.

 

[TripTango]

I'm sick of the national media saying matter-of-factly that the Lakers beat us March 20 in L.A. Here's the truth. We had it won until Camby got hurt.

We had led since the 2nd quarter. No exchanges of leads, it was all us. Now 5:45 left in the game we lead 72-66. The Lakers get physical, make a little run decreasing our lead from 6 to 4, and then hurt Camby at 4:18 when they make a basket. We are up 74-72, he comes out and won't play again. Gerald Wallace replaces Camby at center (because we have no Juwan Howard) and we know we will lose. Lakers tie it at 2:19 76-76. Lakers ahead 82-77 at :32. Lakers win 84-80.

We had it won until Camby got hurt. The national media, the local Laker media, and worst of all the local Blazer media, played it like, oh yeah, yawn, the Lakers beat the Blazers, ho hum, Blazers suck.

I'm glad to see you repeat this -- when you posted essentially the same thing in the game thread, I actually thought you were being sarcastic. I agree that the loss of Camby made it next to impossible to regain the momentum the way we might have if he'd stayed on the floor. I'm sure we weren't the only Blazer fans who got that sinking feeling when he left the game.

 

[Mamba]

We'll take you in 5.

 

[Minstrel]

Yeah...because (wait for it) we are the better team

True, but "better teams" can lose series. Just not one of the most marketable teams, in the first round, in Stern's NBA.

I think even with truly neutral referees, the Lakers would definitely be significant favourites. But it would be the 2003 Timberwolves-Lakers first round series all over again, where Robert Horry got a superstar call against Kevin Garnett, fouling Garnett out in overtime.

 

[STOMP]

It's nice of them to say, but it's bullshit. It would be an 8 on 5 sweep. At best it would be 4-1 so the Fake Show could win on their own court. No way Stern lets them lose in the first round.

exactly. They just don't want to have to use their officiating trump card early on in the playoffs. If somehow Kobe Pau Odom & Bynum all broke their legs during a 1st round matchup vs Portland in the 2011 playoffs, Stern would still see to it his golden goose advanced.

Would anyone here take the Western field's chances vs the Laker's of advancing to the finals? You'd have to give me like 4-1 before I'd even consider it.

STOMP

 

[Eastoff]

It is Blake. Blake is scared of playing us. He knows he could never live in Portland again if he helped eliminate us.

 

[maxiep]

Does it warm anyone else's heart to know that Magic Johnson and the rest of the L*kers hate us? I figured we were no more than a blip on their radar.

I love rivalries.

 

[OddEnormous]

Wasn't the exact same article written last season?

 

[Sex Panther]

Even if the refs were on your side, the Lakers would still pummel you in 5.

 

[Natebishop3]

Even if the refs were on your side, the Lakers would still pummel you in 5.

Wrong. Brandon Roy has been faking this whole time. He's just biding his time to lull you into a false sense of security, only to return at full health and decimate anything and everything in his path.