Close to three minutes had passed before the Lakers got their first field goal yesterday. In what would give them their only taste of the lead for the entire first half, LeBron James’ left-handed reverse stab off a quick leak past the unprepared Blazers followed two missed shots, a turnover, and two flubbed charities. The unscripted sequence was one of many that would benefit them throughout the match, but their relative carelessness with the ball told on their consistency. Despite ultimately taking 24 more free throws and 17 more rebounds, their 17 turnovers kept things interesting.
The Lakers would go on to right their offense (which enabled them to hit half their 78 attempts off 26 dimes), but it wasn’t really what gave them the eight-point win. Rather, it was their work on the opposite end of the floor that stood as the difference maker. For the third consecutive set-to, they restricted the Blazer’ shooting to around the 40% mark, a not inconsiderable feat given their latter’s offensive efficiency and firepower in the backcourt, precisely where they are weakest. Indeed, they’ve been so good in their coverages that impartial quarters can reasonably deem their advancement to the West Semifinals as inevitable.
Considering how the first three contests of the first-round series has turned out, it’s clear that the Blazers need outstanding performances from their top point producers AND poor outings from the Lakers’ own in order to triumph. It’s certainly what happened in Game One, when the closing minutes proved to be Dame Time and the first seeds couldn’t buy a bucket. And it’s certainly what needs to be true moving forward; Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Carmelo Anthony (with help from Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Trent, Jr.) must be productive from opening tip to final buzzer for them to overcome their underdog status.
The odds are against the Blazers, to be sure; superior talent invariably wins out in a seven-contest affair. Which, for all intents, is why they’re right to approach their Sisyphean endeavor one hurdle at a time. It’s how they survived — and thrived — in the seeding games, and how they went one up to start the series. It also bears noting that they continue to remain upbeat about their chances; confidence bordering on irrational is part of their winning DNA, not to mention the source of many a highlight reel from their marquee names. Given the strength of the competition, of course, they simply have no other choice.
For the Lakers, the imperative is clear. The Blazers are down, and they would do well to finish the job as quickly as possible. For all their pluses, they have shown significant cracks borne of their inconsistent effort. When they’re on, they’re on. But they’re at least occasionally off, as they were yesterday in trying to consolidate their gains in the crunch. In part due to fatigue, but in larger measure because of a disturbing lack of effort, their inability to keep pushing the pedal to the metal allowed the score to stay close. They’ll get away with it in the first round against overmatched and gassed opponents. They won’t be able to do the same in the next round, and especially as they inch closer to their expected Finals berth.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
