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In case you missed it, the Lakers lost again in Portland Friday night. That's nine straight, impressive on any count but plainly shocking given how good the Lakers have been over that span. ESPN's John Hollinger notes that the Blazers are 22-4 at home against L.A. in the last 26 match-ups. Pau Gasol missed Friday's Laker loss, but that's hardly an excuse given the body count in Oregon.The question now resolves to how much the Lakers should worry about a potential second round match-up with the Blazers this postseason. Portland is positioned to challenge Denver for the Northwest crown, but even then it's plausible the Blazers could end up as the West's fourth seed, as San Antonio and Phoenix remain in the scrum. (If Portland doesn't beat out Denver, it could very well fall to the fifth seed, which would also set up a potential L.A.-Portland second round match-up). While every Western team except the Lakers should have a toss-up first round series, L.A. fans must be most nervous about meeting Portland in Round 2.
These Lakers whipped the Jazz and Nuggets last spring, and the Rockets (while viable) are not remotely the same. Outside of perhaps the Mavericks and Spurs (depending on how the trade market and stretch run play out), the Lakers have one great mystery heading into the Western side of the bracket: can they hold serve four times against a young but tough Blazers teams, and if not, can they win a single game in Oregon?
That's a long time from now, but as it seems perfectly clear the Lakers will grab the top seed in the conference, and as such late-season match-up politics could enter the picture early. There's no doubt L.A. is better off if the Blazers get knocked out before the Lakers' draw comes up.
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