Playoffs 2000:Lakers hope time off heals wounds

Lakers hope time off heals wounds
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Los Angeles Lakers didn't mind the long layoff between the second and third games of the Western Conference finals.

Time heals all wounds, and the Lakers needed time to get over that demoralizing 106-77 homecourt loss to the Portland Trail Blazers Monday night.

With the best-of-seven series tied 1-1, the Blazers go into tonight's game with the homecourt advantage in this series and the NBA Finals if they beat the Lakers.

"If we defend our homecourt from here in, we're crowned the champion," Portland's Scottie Pippen said. "That's how we look at it."

The Lakers headed to Portland on Thursday after a final workout at their practice facility in El Segundo, Calif.

"In order for us to be a great team, we have to bring our `A' game, do everything right," Shaquille O'Neal said. "We just have to play, we're capable of doing that. We just have to get one of these two games or both of these games, take it to them."

The Lakers played their "Z" game in Game 2, their most lopsided loss of the season.

But they are reminding themselves that the last time they played in Portland, Feb. 29, the Lakers came away with a 90-87 victory. At the time, both teams were 45-11 and had won 11 in a row.

In Game 2, the Blazers frustrated the Lakers with a big-guard lineup that had Steve Smith or Bonzi Wells guarding Kobe Bryant, who is just 6-for-18 shooting in the series. Part of that matchup was dictated by Damon Stoudamire's foul trouble, but the Lakers expect to see more of it in Game 3.

"It's been successful," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "I don't see any reason they wouldn't do it."

The Blazers anticipate an all-out effort by Bryant to get his offensive game in gear.

"I know he wants to get his rhythm," Wells said. "Kobe's a great player, but we've got guys we can throw at him. The first couple of games really weren't his games, but we've got five more, hopefully, where he can really go off on us. So we've got to just continue to be humble and just try to play good defense on him."

The Lakers also have big problems matching up against Rasheed Wallace, whose emotions sometimes get the best of him. He had 38 technical fouls in the regular season and has six in the playoffs, including two when he was thrown out of Game 1 of the Lakers' series.

In Game 2, though, Wallace had career highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds -- and no technicals.

"That's definitely the way everybody would love to see Rasheed play, including himself," Pippen said. "But every game is not going to be the same game. It's hard to get that same result out of every game, but that's definitely the way we'd like to see him. We need him on the court to be successful."

With tonight's game, Pippen will move ahead of Danny Ainge into the No. 2 spot for NBA playoff appearances with 194.

Before the series, Jackson said Pippen is the only player on the Portland roster capable of providing the leadership the Blazers need to get past the Lakers. So far, Pippen has filled that role and then some.

"Since the playoffs began, he's done a 360 in his role as a leader," Grant said. "During the season, he was trying to make other guys better. Not that he's not doing that now, but it seems as soon as the playoffs started, he took on a whole new role offensively.

"Whereas he was more swinging it to get other guys open, now he'll look to swing it and if nobody's there, he's going to go. We know he's going to go, and that's what we need him to do."