LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. AKA The BUBBLE — On Tuesday everybody and their baby’s momma, Uncle LeRoy and cousin Man-Man was losing their minds. They were either excited that the Lakers loss Game 1 or panicked because they loss. My response to the NBA Playoffs is ALWAYS the same.
This isn’t the NCAA Tournament!! It’s the best of seven series with the winner having to win 4-times to advance. This is professional basketball playa and teams are going to win games because they’ve got millionaires too.
Well playas…the Lakers jumped out of the ride on Thursday night and reminded Portland very quickly why they were the No.1 seed in the west by blasting them 111-88. They also whispered into the Trail Blazers’ ear why they barely made the playoffs. There is a reason why they are the No.8 seed.
Anthony Davis picked up where he left off in Game 1 (28 points) leading the Lakers with 31 points and 11 rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who finished Game 1 with a single point, made up for it with 16 in Game 2. JR Smith came off of the bench to contribute a solid 11 points while both LeBron and JaVale McGee finished with 10 each.
AD put boyz on his back as the Lakers played with some confidence and rhythm which was a stark contrast from Game 1 and all of their games since arriving in the bubble. Losing Game 1 must have wakened the monster that was sleeping inside.
There’s still a lot of series left to play. However, Dame Dollar left the ball game in the third quarter with a dislocated left index finger. The team said X-rays were negative.
Speaking with reporters after the game Dame had this to say, “It’s just sore. A little bit tender to the touch. Dislocated it. A little bit sore, a little bit swollen. Uncomfortable.”
Dame finished the night with 18 points leading the Trail Blazers’ scorers. CJ McCollum had 13 points while Anfernee Simons came off of the bench with 11. Carmelo Anthony was nowhere to be found finishing with 2 points.
Obviously, a dislocated index finger, even if it’s on Dame’s non-shooting hand, will slow him down the rest of the series. They are in trouble at this point and you can stick a fork in Portland. Injuries are a part of the game and the BEST TEAM always wins a best of seven series.
However, there are exceptions to that rule but only when it applies to the Philistine. We’ve all seen him carry teams by himself through the playoffs. The 2003 Cavs to the Finals only to lose to the BEST team in San Antonio. We saw him carry the 2015 Cavs to the Finals without both Kyrie and Kevin Love only to lose to the BEST team, Golden State. He won the 2016 NBA title by carrying the Cavs past Golden State who was 73-9, up 3-1 in the Finals and were the BEST team. LeBron however, led BOTH teams in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. We’ve never seen that before in NBA Finals history.
I say all of that to say, there isn’t a LeBron-type player on the Trail Blazers to get them past the Lakers at this point and Dame is snake bitten now. The BEST team will win the series. Sit in the cut and wait for it. Stop me when I start lyin’!
