Life is tough living as a Los Angeles Lakers fan in Oregon. Outside Southern California, supporting the Lakers is akin to supporting the New York Yankees. Everyone’s drawn to watch them play and hopes to see them lose.
This diehard Laker fan loves nothing more than to see the Los Angeles return to respectability.
I see all-star guard Kobe Bryant as a quality person amidst the ego, false rape allegations and $136 million contract. His athletic moves to the basket for rim-rattling dunks and his ability to stop and deliver mid-range jumpers within a crowd of defenders are nearly unparalleled.
My Lakers’ memories extend to Magic Johnson’s short-lived coaching stint in 1993-94 and the three-point daggers from second-round steal Nick Van Exel. I enjoyed the turnaround jumpers from Elden Campbell and the emotion of Vlade Divac.
Leaving Southern California last summer, I entered Trail Blazers’ territory. I no longer had the luxury of seeing every Lakers game televised – thank goodness for national television broadcasts.
Last week, I clicked on the list of NBA scores. The Lakers-Trail Blazers score flashed across the screen with the Blazers winning, 101-90. For whatever reason, the Lakers success in Portland has dwindled since the memorable Western Conference Finals in the 1999-2000 season. Four straight times the Lakers have lost to the Blazers in the Rose Garden.
That Lakers team, with coach Phil Jackson at the helm, stormed through the regular season with a 67-15 record. Los Angeles survived a five-game series with Sacramento, cruised past Phoenix and met up with Portland in the Western Conference Finals.
The contentious series extended to a game seven, where the Lakers came back from a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to stun Portland, 89-84. Clutch shots by Robert Horry and Brian Shaw should still haunt Trail Blazer faithful. Since the series ended, the Lakers have won three rings and the Blazers have been stuck in mediocrity.
And I couldn’t be happier.
I shared many NBA fans’ views of the Blazers as thuglike, they could never seem to steer clear of the law or an official’s whistle. Rasheed Wallace is the worst. Ruben Patterson, Damon Stoudamire and even Sebastian Telfair, who carried a gun onto a plane, drew my ire.
My stance is softening with time. The college environment last year introduced me to the talents of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. Roy is a solid building block, who, with his workman-like game, offers more substance than flash. Point guard Jarrett Jack, two years removed from Georgia Tech, is a no-nonsense starter. Role player Juan Dixon brings his national championship pedigree from his time at the University of Maryland.
The collection of talent offers fans a team in the truest sense, that brings hope with players hustling and fighting until the whistle. The Trail Blazers are never going to replace my passion for the Lakers, but they do offer a team worthy of support. Is Portland likely to make the playoffs this season, like my Lakers? I doubt it. But when the Trail Blazers are on television, this new team is likely to grab my attention, at least until the next televised Lakers game.
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