Trail Blazers make it nine in a row over Lakers in Portland

[tlongII]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-blazers9-2010jan09,0,5709776.story

Reporting from Portland, Ore. - The Lakers have another game scheduled in Portland next month, but at this point, really, why bother making the trip?

It's uncanny, it's unfathomable and more than anything else, it's fully predictable that the Lakers will lose at the Rose Garden, their latest setback a no-longer-surprising 107-98 loss to the Trail Blazers on Friday.

The Trail Blazers' roster was ravaged, and it didn't matter, the Lakers losing for a ninth consecutive time in Portland, still cursing under their breaths at the curse that won't quit.

The Lakers haven't won here since a tight 86-83 victory on Feb. 23, 2005. Since then, they've become semi-annual victims in Rip City, somehow losing 28 of their last 34 games in Portland.

"I just mark 'L's on our season [schedule] right away when we come up here," said Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, smiling thinly.

Kobe Bryant had another poor shooting night, scoring 32 points on 14 of 37 attempts and the Lakers were undone by the Trail Blazers' guards -- Brandon Roy (32 points), Jerryd Bayless (21 points) and Andre Miller (17 points) picking them apart on drive after drive.

"Our defense just was not good enough the whole entire game," Lamar Odom said. "They had four or five guys that were hot. Can't allow that."

Why so many problems in Portland, year after year?

"I don't know," Bryant said flatly. "They're extremely well-coached, they play with a lot of energy here, they're very comfortable shooting in this arena, particularly against us. They just play fantastic every time we see them."

The Blazers made 32 of 39 free-throw attempts to only five of 10 for the Lakers.

Jackson said "there were some calls that were bad," but he also saw too many Lakers' three-point attempts, 28, for his liking.

He missed the Lakers' last trip to Portland nine months ago because of painful swelling in his lower right leg, but he was reminded quickly what typically happens up here.

The Lakers trailed after the first quarter, 30-24, a mildly surprising development because Roy sat the last five minutes because of early foul trouble.

It got worse in the second quarter, the Lakers falling behind, 55-43, one play typifying everything: Bryant bent over to pick up a loose ball near the sideline, took his eyes off it too early and fumbled it out of bounds, to the delight of Trail Blazers fans.

The Lakers (28-8) were without Pau Gasol and Luke Walton, but the Trail Blazers (23-15) were without Greg Oden, Joel Przybilla, Rudy Fernandez and Steve Blake.

"We wish Pau was available tonight so we could attack inside," Jackson said wistfully before the game.

Gasol sat in street clothes at the end of the bench, missing his third consecutive game because of a hamstring injury. He almost surely would have helped, seeing how the Trail Blazers have been hit hard down low, losing centers Przybilla and Oden to season-ending injuries.

"This organization has a history of that since [Sam] Bowie and [Bill] Walton, etc.," Jackson said. "You wonder, is it the weather? Or is it the water? Is it just the fate of a franchise? They've lost great centers, really good centers."

Jackson has blamed everything from the cloudy weather to the referees in losses up here. On Friday, he said he would consider banning team trips to the Nike store in nearby Beaverton, where players often load up on free or discounted gear. He then said he was joking.

As usual, Trail Blazers fans were amped from the start, chanting "Beat L.A." a few seconds after the national anthem was completed.

Then they held up "No Quit in Us" signs that were handed out ahead of time. They even have their own Mexican fast-food promotion up here, singing "Cha-lu-pa" as the Trail Blazers approached 100 points.

Nine in a row. Will it be 10 on Feb. 6?

"If you compared records, I suppose we're the team that's supposed to win the games," Jackson said. "It's kind of unusual that we haven't been able to win well [here] because we do well on the road."

[TDMVPDPOY]

too bad you guys cant win it when it counts in the playoffs...

[tlongII]

http://www.dailynews.com/lakers/ci_14154676

PORTLAND, Ore. - Once again the Lakers entered their personal house of horrors. Once again they had the best of intentions. Once again they left without fulfilling them and departed the Rose Garden with a dispiriting loss.

What, you expected something different?

The Lakers fell to the Portland Trail Blazers for the ninth consecutive time in Oregon, 107-98 on Friday night. They never led and never played like a team many league observers believe can win a second consecutive NBA title.

They looked like a team bent on extending an embarrassing run of futility.

The Trail Blazers naturally played a key role in the Lakers' latest defeat. They have lost five consecutive games to the Lakers at Staples Center, but in recent seasons they always seem to come up with a more efficient and energetic game at home.

"They just play fantastic every time we see them," Kobe Bryant said when asked to explain the Lakers' losing streak in Portland.

"We had our opportunities, but our defense was just not good enough the whole game and we can't allow that," Lamar Odom said while trying to explain what went wrong.

"You want to play well enough to have a chance to win, and that's the thing that bothers you when you don't," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

Bryant led the Lakers with 32 points on 14-for-37 shooting. He also had eight rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes, 33 seconds. He essentially was a solo act in the first half, when the

Lakers trailed 55-43.

Brandon Roy led the Trail Blazers with 32 points on 9-for-11 shooting.

He had plenty of help, too.

Well, the eight healthy Trail Blazers who played in the game each contributed something positive. Backup guard Jerryd Bayless, for example, scored 21 points on 5-for-9 shooting and starter Andre Miller had 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting.

"They just made all the tough shots," Bryant said. "A lot of the shots were contested. They're extremely well-coached.

"They play with a lot of energy here. They're very comfortable shooting here in this arena, particularly against us."

Portland shot 50.7 percent to the Lakers' 43.2. The Trail Blazers shot 39 free throws to the Lakers' 10.

"They played very well," Jackson said. "You have to give them credit."

The Lakers' last victory in Portland was Feb. 23, 2005, an 86-83 win that was so long ago center Andrew Bynum was attending high school in Metuchen, N.J. It was so long ago only four Lakers can claim to have been members of the team.

Assistant Frank Hamblen coached the Lakers that night after taking over after Rudy Tomjanovich resigned at midseason because of heath concerns. Jackson was in the midst of his one-season coaching sabbatical.

Those changes were nothing compared with the alterations the Trail Blazers have been forced to make since their last victory over the Lakers last season in Portland. They went into Friday's game decimated by injuries to key players.

The Trail Blazers played without Nicolas Batum (right shoulder), Steve Blake (pneumonia), Rudy Fernandez (back), Greg Oden (left knee), Travis Outlaw (left foot) and Joel Przybilla (right knee).

Juwan Howard, 36, started at center for Portland.

No matter.

The Trail Blazers never trailed and led by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter before the Lakers rallied down the stretch. The Lakers got no closer than seven points, the last time at 105-98 in the closing minutes.

Bayless set the tone in the first half by scoring a team-leading 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting during a dynamic 12-minute, 39-second appearance. Roy had 13 points on 4-for-4 shooting.

Miller, fresh off a 30-minute shouting match with Portland coach Nate McMillan, scored 10 points and had four assists. Miller, who is unhappy with his role, went into the game averaging pedestrian totals of 11.8 points and 4.8 assists.

Meanwhile, the Lakers' hoped-for bounce-back performance after Wednesday's loss to the Clippers never materialized. Playing for the third consecutive game without Pau Gasol (strained left hamstring), they failed to keep pace.

"With Pau out, we're losing a 20-point scorer," Odom said. "Pick up the defense."

[tlongII]

http://www.ocregister.com/sports/bryant-228331-lakers-gasol.html

PORTLAND, Ore. - Kobe Bryant is remembering how hard life without a co-star can be.

With Pau Gasol idled again because of a pulled hamstring, Bryant said he pushed his individual offense Friday night beyond the comfort zone — to generally poor effect — without Pau Gasol again, and the Lakers lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, 107-98.

It was the Lakers' ninth consecutive loss in Portland, but more meaningful statistically was that the Lakers dropped to 9-5 this season without Gasol.

They are 19-3 with him, and they'll need to win Sunday against visiting Milwaukee — likely without Gasol again — to continue their record of never losing three consecutive games since trading for Gasol on Feb. 1, 2008.

Asked about his 14-for-37 shooting and five turnovers while clearly bothered again by his fractured right index finger, Bryant said: "Somebody had to do something. ... Something had to be done."

Bryant scored 32 points, but missed most of the shots he created against Martell Webster.

"I had some good looks," Bryant said. "I just missed 'em."

Matching those 32 points was Portland's Brandon Roy, whom Bryant called "one of my favorite players in the league and one of my favorite players to play against." But Roy shot 9 for 11 from the field and 13 for 14 from the foul line.

The Blazers shot 50.7 percent from the field. They also shot 32 of 39 on free throws compared with the Lakers' 5 for 10 — the biggest disparity in free throws made in the NBA since March 14, 2006.

The Lakers never led and looked as sluggish as they did against the Clippers.

"I just mark L's on our season (schedule) right away when we come up here," Jackson said with a smirk.

[tlongII]

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2010/01/trail_blazers_really_should_bo.html

The confetti fell, the music blared and here were the Lakers again on Friday night, leaving the Rose Garden court as losers.

Nine consecutive times in this building, mind you.

The team security guard who travels with Kobe Bryant for the last two seasons waited for the Lakers star to peel off the bench after Portland's 107-98 victory and march toward the locker room.

The security guard, dressed in a sport coat, surveyed the dangling hands of Blazers fans above who were reaching down with their fingers to touch Bryant's shoulders as he passed. And as the star player skirted through in a line of teammates, the security guard cut in front of Ron Artest, and batted away a falling Blazers thunder stick that fluttered to the floor.

A small victory, sort of.

Los Angeles hasn't won at Portland since Feb. 2005. Not in basketball. Not in checkers. Or bridge. Or Monopoly. There is no doubt that the Lakers would lose at any of these games, and any you could dream up if only the Blazers could get them at home.

82-0?

On Friday, the Blazers ran the floor, and dived for loose balls, and whipped weaving passes between each other like they were moving in and out of the commuter lane on I-5 on a loose and free weekend night.

The Lakers mostly stood and blinked.

It's been this way nine consecutive times. The Lakers have won conference championships, NBA championships, but what they can not do is beat the Blazers in Portland and there is only one possible explanation.

The Lakers don't take this building seriously.

Coach Phil Jackson joked before the game that it must be the gray days, rain, and the visits to the Nike employee store. "I'm not going to let them go anymore," he said. And after the game, pressed against a wall in the hallway outside the locker room where he's 0-9 since 2005, Jackson said: "You know, we just don't match their energy."

The team security staffer who left the court shielding Bryant stopped outside the locker room and stood by the door. And since he's with the Lakers on the road, city to city, night to night, I asked him why he thought the Rose Garden gave the Lakers fits.

"There is not more electricity anywhere in the league from the crowd," the guard said, "well, maybe Utah is close, but Utah is an angry kind of energy."

Far be it from me to declare that Blazers fans beat the Lakers on Friday night. But what's true is that the Rose Garden was sold out, and rowdy, and that fans stood and rocked the building for two hours in a row.

With Portland stuck on 99 points for a few possessions, even the cries of "CHA-LU-PAH!" were so infectious that the Lakers players on the bench began looking around the building, wide eyed, trying to figure out if it was going to begin raining from the rafters with cheap Mexican fast-food treats.

You screamed when Brandon Roy, 32 points, pump faked Bryant out of his shoes and into a foul. You shouted when Andre Miller went barreling down the court on a fastbreak. You rose to your feet when Jerryd Bayless ripped off 21 points, and you hopped around high-fiving each other when that confetti fell.

The Blazers undoubtedly feed off that energy. They looked like contenders on Friday. And if the franchise could somehow bottle the magic that spins off this matchup and bring it back for Cleveland and Milwaukee, there wouldn't be a worry in Nate McMillan's world.

Therein lies the challenge for Portland.

It's not good enough to matchup with the best playoff teams in the league. But it's unbeatable when it has the Rose Garden, and fan electricity, and a reason to care. And that's what the remainder of this NBA season must be about for Portland.

The Rose Garden must continue to matter.

Does this anti-Lakers magic happen everywhere in the NBA?

I'm sure the Lakers, or whoever the defending champions are year to year, get everyone's best shot. But it's true that the Blazers treat the Lakers every season at the Rose Garden as if the loser must immediately pack and leave town after the game.

The Lakers did just that again on Friday.

[tlongII]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2010/01/post_11.html

A season that has never provided a dull moment just became a little more memorable Friday, when the short-handed and recently short-fused Trail Blazers did what they seemingly always do against the Lakers at the Rose Garden: win.

In one of their more well-rounded and entertaining games of the season, the Blazers controlled the Lakers 107-98, giving Lakers coach Phil Jackson until Feb. 6 to come up with new material on why his team has lost nine in a row in Portland.

"We played great basketball tonight," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said.

The Blazers led wire-to-wire, and by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter, as Brandon Roy had the look of a candidate for league most valuable player, Martell Webster played inspired defense on Kobe Bryant, and Jerryd Bayless was a burst of energy off the bench.

Roy was as efficient as he was brilliant, finishing with 32 points, six assists, five rebounds and zero turnovers in 38 minutes. He matched Bryant in points, but Bryant went 14 for 37 from the field and had five turnovers, while Roy went 9 for 11 from the field and 13 of 14 from the free throw line.

"He's a fantastic player," Bryant said of Roy. "One of my favorite players in the league and one of my favorite players to play against. I enjoy watching him. He's very skilled. One of the few players in the NBA who is extremely versatile."

Part of Bryant's struggles were a result of an active defense by Webster, whom McMillan said played his best game as a professional. Webster said his defense was about "heart" and moving his feet.

Bayless also was fleet of foot, alternating determined drives and pinpoint perimeter shots to score 21. His drives helped produce 12 free throw attempts.

"You can go down the list, and every guy who played did something special," McMillan said.

So McMillan went down the line, recognizing the contributions of everyone who played ... except one. He saved that for last.

"And my main man Miller," McMillan said, referring to veteran Andre Miller. "(He) played great basketball."

McMillan's timing and delivery was straight out of Hollywood, and it drew widespread laughter from the media, who amply covered a heated 30-minute discussion between Miller and McMillan at practice.

Neither McMillan nor Miller would credit their spat, and subsequent reconciliation, as a factor in Miller's effective play (17 points, seven assists, four turnovers), or the team's focused effort.

"If we would have lost, we would have been sitting here saying, 'That was the reason we lost.' Turmoil is what I saw on the news last night," McMillan said. "Turmoil with the Blazers. ... So I can't say that it had an impact."

If anything, the Miller-McMillan dust-up provided another day of ripples in a season that has never included calm waters. If the drama hasn't been injuries, it has been confusion over who gets shots (Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge or Greg Oden), who gets to start (Miller or Steve Blake) or who gets a chance (Bayless).

"It's been a crazy year," Roy said. "But we are doing a great job of not looking back. There hasn't really been a calm moment this season, but 23-15, we'll take it."

Notes: Blake said he intends to play Sunday against Cleveland after missing the past four games with pneumonia. Blake said he lost eight pounds during his sickness. ... The Lakers (28-8) lost their third in a row on the road. ... Pau Gasol (left hamstring) missed his third game in a row. ... The home team has won 10 consecutive games in the series. ... The Blazers were 23-15 at this point last season. ... Roy is the first player since March 2008 to score 32 or more points on 11 or fewer attempts. Utah's Deron Williams scored 32 on 10 attempts. It was the sixth time this season Roy has scored at least 30.

[JamStone]

Jeez you can't put all the articles in one thread?

[tlongII]

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=126302192373924400

The Red Sox finally exorcised their demons eminating from the trade of Babe Ruth to the Yankees, so there is hope yet for the Los Angeles Lakers in their quest for victory at the Rose Garden.

“We have to go out and try and break the curse,” center Andrew Bynum said after the Blazers’ 107-98 victory over the Lakers Friday night. “It’s hard. It’s really hard for us to win here.”

Maybe it’s an aversion to purple and gold, or Phil Jackson’s frequent put-downs of their city, or just the stars always being in the right alignment under Portland’s cloudy skies.

Whatever the reason, the Trail Blazers always seem to rise up when the Lakers come to town.

Portland got outstanding individual efforts all around, and it added up to a convincing win over the defending NBA champions and the team with the league’s best record this season.

A sellout Rose Garden crowd of 20,629 was electric as the Blazers (23-15) beat the Lakers for the ninth straight time and the 15th time in 17 meetings in Portland.

Why the dominance?

“I know once they started making a big deal of the streak, our fans have done a great job of coming out with a lot of energy,” said All-Star guard Brandon Roy, who was sensational in a 32-point performance. “The minute that game starts, we have a lot of confidence. We come out with a lot of energy and work hard and play our best games against them up here.

“But we don’t talk about it like, ‘Let’s keep the streak.’ We just say, ‘World champions – let’s try to beat them.’ "

Jackson seemed annoyed when asked about his teams’ lack of success in the City of Rainfall, er, Roses.

“I just mark ‘L’s’ on the season right away when we come up,” Jackson said with more than a trace of sarcasm.

But Jackson managed to pay homage to the Blazers, who shot .507 from the field and .821 from the foul line, won the rebound battle 42-38 over the much bigger Lakers, committed only eight turnovers and even won the fastbreak points matchup 10-2.

“They played very well tonight,” the Laker coach said. “You have to give them credit for what they do. I don’t think we played exceptionally well.

“We just can’t seem to match their energy (in games at the Rose Garden). We don’t do a good job of it.”

Portland coach Nate McMillan couldn’t have been happier with his team, a day after he had words with point guard Andre Miller during a practice session, an incident that created quite a stir among fans in the city.

“It was a great win for us,” McMillan said. “We played great basketball tonight. To beat the Lakers, you this type of effort from start to finish.

“Defensively, we made them work for everything. Offensively, we got the movement. We attacked, we pushed the ball. You can go down the list of every guy who played and he did something special.”

The game’s biggest stat was the free-throw disparity. Portland was 32 of 39 at the line, Los Angeles only 5 of 10.

“You can’t have a discrepancy like that,” Jackson sniffed.

Roy “accepted the challenge” of facing the Lakers, McMillan said, with a near-flawless game. Portland’s franchise player knocked down 9 of 11 shots from the field and 13 of 14 from the line, collected five rebounds and six assists and had no turnovers in his 38 minutes.

Martell Webster “played one of his best games as a pro,” McMillan said, especially at the defensive end. The Blazers’ small forward had primary defensive responsibility on Kobe Bryant, who scored 32 points but was only 14 of 37 from the field.

“It’s a lot easier to get motivated playing against a team like that, a player like that,” said Webster, who made only 6 of 17 shots but contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. “I took it my heart on my sleeve and prove to myself I can get down and guard him.”

The Lakers entered the game No. 2 in the NBA in opponents’ field-goal percentage at .434. Portland cut them up with precision passing, getting terrific play from point guards Miller (17 points, seven assists) and Jerryd Bayless (21 points in 21 minutes off the bench).

“Bayless was outstanding, and my main man Miller played great basketball,” McMillan observed, drawing laughs from the media throng. “That was good to see.”

McMillan was asked if the air had been cleared with Miller, and if he viewed the Laker game as a new start.

“It was clear this morning when I talked to my team,” the Blazer coach said. The escalation of Thursday’s practice incident “was on me. I needed to control that, and I should have. But we’ve put that behind us.

“I didn’t plan for that to happen and for it end up this way ... (but) hopefully what happened tonight is something we build off of and we get consistent with this type of effort and play for 48 minutes.”

For the Lakers, they’ll be marking Feb. 6 – their next visit to Portland – in red on their calendar.

NOTES: The next action for the Blazers, who moved within a half-game of Denver atop the Northwest Division, is Sunday night against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. ... Portland couldn’t have been much more impressive in rolling to a 55-43 halftime lead. The Blazers shot .543 from the field, made 3 of 5 from 3-point range, got to the foul line 17 times (making 14), won the rebound battle 22-17 and committed only three turnovers. Portland also held the Lakers to .407 shooting in the half and .432 for the game. ... Bayless was unconscious in the first half, scoring 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting in his 13 minutes off the bench. Roy was 4 of 4 from the field and 4 of 4 from the line en route to a 13-point half, and Miller scored seven points in the first five minutes and finished the half with 10 points and four assists.

[tlongII]

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/jan/08/roy-scores-32-to-lead-blazers-over-lakers-107-98/

Portland, OR — PORTLAND — Maybe a good old-fashioned argument was all it took.

One day removed from a fiery confrontation between Portland Trail Blazers guard Andre Miller and coach Nate McMillan that ended a practice in which the Blazers had been limited to 3-on-3 drills due to injuries, Portland lit up the Rose Garden and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Serenaded by “Beat L.A.” chants all evening, the Blazers downed the Lakers, 107-98, before a sold-out crowd of 20,629.

In doing so, Portland extended its home winning streak over Los Angeles to nine games. And a Blazers team that has faced and overcome challenges all season hurdled over another by knocking off the defending NBA Champion Lakers, who lead the league in winning percentage this season.

“It was a great win for us, in the sense that we played great basketball tonight,” McMillan said. “And to beat the Lakers, we needed this type of effort from start to finish.”

Brandon Roy scored a co-game high 32 points on 9-of-11 shooting, dished out six assists and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Blazers (23-15). Jerryd Bayless added 21 points, while Miller scored 17 and recorded seven assists.

McMillan said Roy, who is battling minor injuries and fatigue, faced a serious challenge in going up against the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers.

The Blazers’ star guard rose up and answered the call.

“Sometimes, your best defense against the best player in the world is to attack them,” Roy said. “So, I just wanted to be aggressive the times that he was on me and just try and wear him out as much as I can on that end.”

To Roy, Portland’s convincing victory — one that saw the Blazers jump ahead by as many as 20 points midway through the fourth quarter — captured the heart of a resilient team that has consistently overcome injuries and setbacks to remain in the early hunt for the Western Conference title.

“Really, that’s the only way we’re going to beat the Lakers, is if we come out with a lot of energy,” Roy said. “And I thought we did that tonight.”

Bryant topped the Lakers (28-8) with 32 points. However, he was just 14 of 37 from the field, and he often struggled to deal with a Blazers defensive tandem of Roy and Martell Webster.

“I thought Martell played one of his best games as a pro,” McMillan said.

A stingy Portland defense held Los Angeles to 43.2 percent (41 of 95) shooting during the game. In addition, Portland dished out 22 assists while only committing eight turnovers.

“They played very well tonight,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “You have to give them credit for what they do.”

But the biggest number that signified the Blazers’ dominance was found in the free-throw column. Portland shot 82.1 percent from the line, taking

39 free throws and making 32. Roy was 13 of 14 from the line, and Bayless hit 10 of his 12 attempts.

McMillan has often said he considers 26 as an ideal amount of free throws. Friday, a Blazers team that pushed the agenda on the offensive end and refused to settle for long-range jump shots topped McMillan’s ideal by 13.

In contrast, a jump-shot heavy Lakers team took just 10 free throws, sinking five.

“The more aggressive you are and hitting teams first, teams tend to take a step back,” Miller said. “And I think by us being aggressive, we had them backpedaling a little bit.”

The Blazers grabbed a 14-6 lead after Webster knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing with 7 minutes left in the first quarter.

Smart, aggressive play by Bayless then propelled Portland in the second period. Bayless recorded eight points in the quarter and 16 during the first half. And he kept the Lakers’ defense off balance by consistently penetrating the lane and finishing at the rim.

Bayless was not the only Blazer with a true touch, though.

And when Roy connected with Miller for a fast-break layup, it was 53-41 Portland with 1:25 remaining in the second quarter.

The Lakers rallied by turning to the 3-ball.

Los Angeles hit four quick 3-pointers in the third period, and L.A. pulled as close as 74-71 with 2:28 left in third period.

But just as the Lakers found a groove, so did Roy. He poured in eight points during the third quarter, hitting 3 of 4 shots while finding a sweet spot between the free throw line and the top of the key.

A converted reverse finger-roll layup by Webster then made it 81-71 Blazers heading into the final period.

The rout was on.

And the “Beat L.A” singalong inside the Rose Garden had only just begun.

“It feels good,” Roy said. “It gives us confidence.”

[tlongII]

Knock it off Kori!

[Double-Up]

Knock it off Kori!

Quit acting like a bitch...we get the fucking point already

[TDMVPDPOY]

premature ejaculation thread....

stop this nonsense now

[Muser]

Holy shit, they beat the Lakers and the whole of Oregon creams itself.

[Banzai]

Holy shit, they beat the Lakers and the whole of Oregon creams itself.

:rollin

[gaKNOW!blee]

what a douchebag

this is why i lmao when another blazer goes down

[pauls931]

Holy shit, they beat the Lakers and the whole of Oregon creams itself.

LMAO Oregon, you're touching CA and there's nothing you can do about it!

[Banzai]

TLONG getting fucking crazy.

[21_Blessings]

RY06eaFaplw

[iggypop123]

its a 1 pro team sports town. like utah. they go nuts except they arent as white as those mormons but just as loud to those refs

[j.dizzle]

HAHA now ya'll understand how serious this town takes these regular season games vs LA..Its pretty sad in my opinion but they really dont have much to look forward to up there..I actually wouldnt be surprised if they had a little parade today hahahaha.

[djohn2oo8]

HAHA now ya'll understand how serious this town takes these regular season games vs LA..Its pretty sad in my opinion but they really dont have much to look forward to up there..I actually wouldnt be surprised if they had a little parade today hahahaha.

Andre Miller was not in attendance

[JordanL]

HAHA now ya'll understand how serious this town takes these regular season games vs LA..Its pretty sad in my opinion but they really dont have much to look forward to up there..I actually wouldnt be surprised if they had a little parade today hahahaha.

I always got a kick out of the "Welcome to Oregon" sign on I-5 at the California border. It used to say "Welcome to Oregon. Now go home." Now it says. "Oregon: A Nice Place To Visit".

:lol

Even the Governor in Oregon used to be like "Don't tell anyone from California this is a nice place. Tell them it rains 365 days a year and there's nothing to do."

[lil_penny]

I always got a kick out of the "Welcome to Oregon" sign on I-5 at the California border. It used to say "Welcome to Oregon. Now go home." Now it says. "Oregon: A Nice Place To Visit".

:lol

Even the Governor in Oregon used to be like "Don't tell anyone from California this is a nice place. Tell them it rains 365 days a year and there's nothing to do."

Look what happened when all those retired people from california moved up to the bend area, that place was turned to the shitter... its like the oc up there I'm hearing now

[Hemotivo]

The Lakers (28-8) were without Pau Gasol and Luke Walton, but the Trail Blazers (23-15) were without Greg Oden, Joel Przybilla, Rudy Fernandez and Steve Blake.

"We wish Pau was available tonight so we could attack inside," Jackson said wistfully before the game.

Gasol sat in street clothes at the end of the bench, missing his third consecutive game because of a hamstring injury. He almost surely would have helped, seeing how the Trail Blazers have been hit hard down low, losing centers Przybilla and Oden to season-ending injuries.

"This organization has a history of that since [Sam] Bowie and Walton, etc.," Jackson said. [B]"You wonder, is it the weather? Or is it the water? Is it just the fate of a franchise? They've lost great centers, really good centers."

Jackson has blamed everything from the cloudy weather to the referees in losses up here. On Friday, he said he would consider banning team trips to the Nike store in nearby Beaverton, where players often load up on free or discounted gear. He then said he was joking.

:wakeup:lol

[Allanon]

It's that crowd in Portland...they're into the game the whole 48 minutes when they play the Lakers.

Sounded like a Playoff game.

[21_Blessings]

The Bobcats own the Lakers @ STAPLES and you don't see them celebrating like they just won the championship after they get done spanking LA.

Portland would get their asses handed to them in a playoff series. Just like they did the last FIVE playoff series vs LAL. Loser franchise. Only a UCLA alum made you respectable in the 70s.

[jimo2305]

lol @ this thread.. let the blazers be happy tho lol..

[TheManFromAcme]

The Bobcats own the Lakers @ STAPLES and you don't see them celebrating like they just won the championship after they get done spanking LA.

Portland would get their asses handed to them in a playoff series. Just like they did the last FIVE playoff series vs LAL. Loser franchise. Only a UCLA alum made you respectable in the 70s.

:toast Nice touch there 21.

[Sportcamper]

In Friday night's loss to The Blazers, Portland had 39 foul shots to LA's 10.:bang
It's not fair! It's not fair! Life's not fair! Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!llllll

[The Gemini Method]

Why even play in Portland if you're the Lakers? Just give us the 2/1 losses each and every campaign and be done with it...

[Allanon]

In Friday night's loss to The Blazers, Portland had 39 foul shots to LA's 10.:bang
It's not fair! It's not fair! Life's not fair! Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!llllll

I don't blame refs.

But it's funny that the Haters never point this out when it goes against the Lakers but are so quick to point it out when it's in Lakers favor. :lol