Portland Trail Blazers: How To Beat L.A. Without Dame

Ed Stein   |  

Aug 27, 2020

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Gary Trent Jr., Portland Trail Blazers.

Even without their primary weapon, Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers can beat L.A. on Friday night.

Despite a lack of fans in attendance, the collective groan from Rip City was very loud. When Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard took a wrong step while driving to the hoop on Sunday, injuring his knee, it was like every fan went ugh, simultaneously. Then TNT had to show the replay 80 times to reinforce the Blazers bad luck. That’s a different story for another day.

Dame left the bubble on Wednesday to have the knee re-evaluated in Portland by the team’s medical staff. According to Mark Spears of the undefeated, the injury will not require surgery. If true, Lillard and the Blazers dodged a big bullet.

While attention has been diverted first by the injury, then the NBC players boycott, the Trail Blazers series with L.A., feels like an afterthought. Portland is down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. With Lillard, it felt like the Blazers were a long shot. Without him, their chance to advance is on life support. There is hope. Portland can win, and here’s how.

Give the devil his due

When LeBron James is on his game, he can lead a high school team to beat an NBA squad. An exaggeration maybe, but not far off. King James will get his points, assists, and rebounds and look like the best player to lace up a pair of Nike shoes in the process.

Portland didn’t stop him before, and they won’t on Friday either. Nobody stopped James in 17 years, that’s why he is who he is. This point will make Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts gag, but his team is better off trying to contain the damage James will inflict rather than trying to shut him down.

Next: Page 2 – Defend the Brow

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