Portland should have our squad's full attention given how much their play has been lauded... If it doesn't, well they can plan for next season.
I have. I have also seen their defense. In order to actually beat us and advance, Dame will have to average 45-50 for the series and have some serious help. I'm pretty sure our coaches who preach defense all the time will find a way to make Lillard's life difficult next week. What I do know for sure is that Bron will pick them apart from the get go. There is nothing they can do to him due to their horrific D and non-existent wings. He will do whatever he wants to them, in terms of scoring and facilitating.
yes but if our guards cant keep either dame or cj in check AND hit some 3s we're in trouble....Por didnt have nurkic/collins for most of the yr either
The issue for me is that I don't like the implication that those expressing doubt or worry about a first round matchup with Portland have somehow forgotten what it means to be Lakers fans. I took offense to that. I haven't forgotten anything and I never will. As I said before, I've been watching the Lakers since Kareem came here when I was a kid, and I became an ardent fan during Showtime. I haven't forgotten how Lillard destroyed us the last time we played him at the Kobe memorial game. He's a killer and the closest thing to Kobe that I've seen in terms of his mentality on the court. I admire that about him. And I fear it. I'm bummed about facing these guys in the first round for a lot reasons. Number one is the fact that we got a one seed and yet we now have to take on one of the hottest teams in the bubble, a team that should be at least a 4 seed if their big guys had been healthy (which they now are), and a team that went to the Western Conference Finals last year. They are battle tested and have fight for days. I didn't like much about what I saw from our team since the restart other than a couple of the warm up games. In the seeding games I've seen greatness from AD followed by absurd passivity. That has me a bit rattled. I didn't for a second expect AD to put up single digit scoring games, not to mention doing it in a quarter of the games played. Lebron looked pretty good. Not great. I get it, he does this when there isn't much at stake. He gets a pass. Our guards have been horrific. I don't really know what else to say in that department. Danny Green can't guard anyone any more seemingly and his shooting has been tragic. KCP has shown a few signs of life but he's also kept getting hurt and he's had some awful shooting droughts as well. His three ball has been pretty damn bad. Caruso has been just ok, but he's also been called for tons of fouls and that won't improve when we play Portland, especially with Dame getting the Harden ref treatment in the bubble. I can't stand the play where he gets the screen, jumps into the defender and gets the three free throws. But that's what he's getting right now and good luck to our guys defending him. They now have size whereas they didn't all this year since Collins and Nurkic are back. Yes Whiteside is a dud on offense but he's big and he's a shot blocker we have to deal with. Nurkic is quite an offensive weapon and his 20 and 20 yesterday showed us what he can do. He's a strong guy who AD is going to have some trouble with on both sides. Collins isn't that much of a threat, but he's another big they can put in there and he can stretch our defense. I'm not saying we are an underdog in this series. I'm just voicing that I'm upset with the luck of the draw given that the eastern conference leaders the Bucks get to play the freaking Magic who scare no one ever. I think some other folks most likely agree with me that this is our toughest possible first round opponent by the voting at the top of this poll. The worst possible outcome I can imagine is us going home after one round. That would undo so much of the good work our team has done to erase the last bunch of years' disappointments. I am not saying I wanted a cakewalk for the first round, but I don't relish the possibility that we might get taken out in it. I would have preferred playing any other team listed. But here we are. At least it is guaranteed to be an exciting and competitive series. I don't have any doubt about that. As ever, Go Lakers! Let's hope that Portland is at minimum a bit tired out from all of the effort to get here.
Whoever says they are worried and feel fear, go ahead and fear them. I don't fear them at all and I feel very confident we're going to advance. Period. And even if they were healthy all year and ended up being higher seed, we'd still have to beat them. Or Houston, or the Clippers; it doesn't matter.
Cool. Thank you, Karacha. RE: the second statement, the issue is not having to beat Portland at some point if that happened to be the case and we met later (if they had been healthy and almost certainly would have been more like a 4 seed). The thing that's bugging me is that now we are stuck having to play essentially two SECOND round level opponents vs. what would typically be a fairly easy task to get out of the first round against any of the other teams most likely. It's just a bit awkward in that the worst scenario is actually a real possibility of going out in a first round upset. I can't say that about the Bucks or Toronto. But here we are. I guess whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger so hopefully our guys step up to the challenge and play a heck of a lot better than the sloppy lack of urgency we've seen so far from them in the bubble. If they don't, we'll get our butts handed to us by a very motivated Blazer team.
really sucks to see the #1 seed in the east get to face the goddamn magic in rd. 1 and the lakers have to face a team that would've been a 4-5 seed if it wasn't for injuries and is riding a major hot streak
No doubt, 432J. Article about it today on ESPN: The Lakers' 1-seed might not be the advantage it should be The good news for the Los Angeles Lakers is they are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, the first time they've earned pole position in a decade and an honorable accomplishment after a traumatic season. The bad news is they appear to have won the least valuable No. 1 seed in NBA history. This entire escapade in Florida is a giant one-off, resulting in many unusual and unique circumstances. The vaporizing of home-court advantage is an unintended consequence that might slap the Lakers hardest. Then there is their draw, which has landed the Lakers a matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round after the NBA's first play-in game to determine a playoff spot since 1956. Winning three playoff series in the West is a tough challenge for any team, considering the depth in the conference at the moment, no matter how the bracket landed. But playing the Blazers with a hot Damian Lillard is by most accounts the least favorable outcome of all the Lakers' potential scenarios coming into the restart. "[The Blazers] have defensive issues, which is a reason they are the 8-[seed] at the end of the day," one league scout said. "From an overall talent and experience standpoint, they are probably a 4- or 5-seed masquerading as an 8." Damian Lillard and the Blazers are not your typical No. 8 seed Everything to know about the 16 teams that can still win the NBA title Said one Eastern Conference coach: "They're just a team that scares you because of Lillard. When you're the top seed, you don't like the idea of being scared in the first round." The Blazers are a veteran team with lots of playoff experience -- they were in the Western Conference finals last year -- and they are mostly healthy, if not well-rested. The Blazers were in ninth place when the season halted in March largely because two starters, Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic, had missed the entire season and they'd gone 2-6 in games without Lillard. Given the extra time to get their big men healthy and Lillard some rest has unquestionably benefited Portland, which has gone 7-2 in Florida with Lillard averaging 36.9 points and being named Most Valuable Player of the seeding games portion of the schedule. It's possible, had the coronavirus pandemic never happened, that the Blazers would have gotten into the playoffs naturally with their play in March and April. Nurkic, who had 22 points and 21 rebounds in winning the play-in game Saturday, was nearing a return when the league was halted. But in that case, Tuesday's Game 1 would have taken place at a high-energy Staples Center hosting its first Lakers playoff game in seven years. A potential Game 7 would have been there, too. Now, of course, every game is at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Answer questions on the NBA playoffs and compete for $30,000 of guaranteed prizes! Make Your Picks The loss of home court might truly be the most penal to the Lakers in a possible conference finals showdown with the LA Clippers. In what would have been the NBA's first hallway series, the Lakers looked to be headed to a valuable advantage because the heavily pro-Lakers crowds at Clippers games might have made it feel as if every game were a home game. Even not getting to play on the road might be a disadvantage. The Lakers were the best road team in the NBA this season at 27-9, including a 14-game winning streak at one point. One of the reasons is that they often enjoy major support on the road because of their large fan base. LeBron James is one of the greatest road playoff performers in league history. From 2010 to 2018, James won at least one road game in 25 consecutive playoff series, the longest such streak. He won two road Game 7s in that span, the rarest of away victories, and often talked about how playing on the road in the postseason would bring out the best in him. "I just like the adversity of the road," James said during the 2017 playoffs. "I love playing out on the road more than I love playing at home. It's just a weird thing. I love the adversity, I love the 'Tonight is not the night' LeBron slogans. I love the 'You're overrated' and all those things. I like all that. I don't know, man. It's the bunker mentality of knowing it's 15 guys plus the coaching staff and whoever there that's traveled with us against the whole state and the whole city." The loss of this type of edge is what James has described several times while going through the restart. He has admitted to struggling to get into the needed mentality and how unusual the environment has been in Florida. Playing in front of fans, friendly or rival, is something he has fed off for nearly two decades. Winning a championship typically means having to overcome significant adversity, even for the best teams. But for this particular scenario, the Lakers are going to have to manage extra hurdles. "It's a totally different situation than any other situation I've been in in my career," James said earlier this month. "I have zero experience with having the No. 1 seed inside of a bubble ... so this is all a learning experience for all of us."
This will be a lot like the 2000 first round against the Queens. We're stumbling into the playoffs while Portland is killing it. Also Portland is the worst possible matchup for us. We're not making it past the first round. I really wish this wasnt the case but our guard play has been dreadful and we're having too many defensive breakdowns. I wish I was more hopeful but I have 0 reason to be based on what I've seen so far. My prediction: Portland in 6.
I definitely hear you there. We could have tanked to #2, but obviously we did not want to do it or did not anticipate this scenario at all... or the guys feel confident they can beat anyone. At least I hope they are. Bron is on record wanting to prove he can do it in the Western Conference as opposed to "always being told he goes through the weak East". So, if this is not extra motivation, I don't know what is. I honestly don't know if having no HC is good or bad for us vs Portland.
i just hope the guys were coasting and focusing on avoiding injuries the last handful of games. because if that's any indication of what's to come, they're not making it out of round 1
We had nothing to gain and POR had everything to lose. They needed a lot of BS whistles and some Griz players injuries to even make it to the PO. Im calm way more than i thought i would be
I get it Juronimo. We've looked awful thus far and they are on a roll. I still think we will prevail, but it might prove extremely difficult. And there is a solid chance for them to get the upset over us, which would be a terrible look for the franchise. It's not a great situation for us, really. The only good possible outcome is as Karacha and a few others have said, if we have a tough first round series maybe it will get us in gear for the rest of the playoffs. Personally I'd prefer an easier match and take my chances going forward from that.
To be clear I do not think anyone that worried about playing Portland isn’t a true fan. I just think this is a good thing. This team will right the ship. Vogel has shown time and again this season that he’s a good enough coach to make smart adjustments to anything that’s giving us trouble in game and from game to game, and LeBron is really the ultimate leader on the court (never thought I’d say those words). I’m not worried about Portland at all. The series will probably go 6 games, but that’s ok. I think we need it
It is going to be like 2009 playoffs very similar when not a lot of people give Lakers any chances : Gasoft and Davis, 1 - st round, Houston,Denver , NBA finals P.S.Clippers will be eliminated by Michael Porter Jr.
