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Despite Recent Success, NBA Analyst Rules Out Big Things from Blazers Against Lakers

Published 08/06/2020, 8:00 AM EDT

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The Portland Trailblazers have the most to play for in the bubble restart. The Western Conference finalists last season are on the outside looking into the playoffs. However, they are currently in the ninth spot and will force a play-in against the Memphis Grizzlies if they stay within four games. With Memphis losing Jaren Jackson Jr. to injury, Portland may even take the 8th seed for themselves and book a match against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.

NBA analyst Skip Bayless is doubtful of Portland’s ability to upset the Lakers, based on what he saw in the 2019 Western Conference Finals.

“I just don’t know about Portland. On paper right now, I get it, the biggest threats to Lakers in the first round… This team has two terrific guards and [Lakers] have lost [their] best perimeter guard defender in Avery Bradley.

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“Here’s my issue with Dame and C.J… What stuck in my craw is what I failed to see vs. Golden State last year in the Western Conference Finals. They played 4 games and lost all 4 games to Golden State.”

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Portland Trailblazers vs Los Angeles Lakers?

As Skip said, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum should create a lot of trouble for the Lakers on the perimeter. The team is lacking strong guard defenders, which means Dame and C.J. may light them up. The best defensive matchups for the Portland pair are Danny Green and Alex Caruso. Neither man has the same dynamic speed and explosive ability that Damian Lillard has. Green may be able to clamp C.J. down, but Dame will be way too fast for him. Dion Waiters isn’t known for his defense and J.R. Smith is way past his prime to hand with Damian Lillard.

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Portland also has a solid team around their star backcourt. However, these are also areas where the Lakers can dominate. The best big-men on Portland are Hassan Whiteside and Jusuf Nurkic, who may have a hard time after a night of Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee switching on him. Carmelo Anthony can be clamped by LeBron James, while Anthony Davis should be able to dominate Zach Collins. The X-Factor will be Dame and C.J., and it’s their turn to make up for the collapse last season.

SOURCE: Undisputed on Twitter

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Written by:

Ishaan Bhattacharya

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is an NBA, NCAA Basketball, and Combat Sports writer at EssentiallySports. Currently, Ishaan is pursuing a Post Graduate Degree in Journalism from Xavier's Institute of Communication. Previously, Ishaan has written for The Indian Express, The Quint, Sportskeeda, and WrestleClub.
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