2020 NBA Playoff Preview: Western Conference

Western Conference

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs (8) Portland Trail Blazers

More power to Damian Lillard. My goodness. Sometimes he seems to be playing in a mesmerizing trance. Like he’s out there by himself. Take away fans. Take away travel. Take away the variables, and his complete confidence in his shot doesn’t change a bit. Unfortunately, C.J. McCollum is playing with a fractured vertebrae. And Jusuf Nurkic is still shedding some of the rust off. And Gary Trent Jr. (who deserves praise for his newfound stroke) can’t hit 5–7 three-pointers in 4 out of 7 games. Not against a very good defense.

The Lakers have lost some depth in the bubble. No Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo is listed as “day-to-day” but hasn’t played since March 10th (had to). Suddenly, Alex Caruso is looking at important playoff minutes. He’s more versatile and a better defender than some give credit for, but in a Lakers-Clips 2nd round series, you have to imagine Doc Rivers is glad Lou Williams won’t have to deal with Avery Bradley. Still, the Lakers have two of the top basketball players on the planet in LeBron and Anthony Davis. Dame might go off for 50 twice, but the Blazers can’t win this series unless LeBron or Davis get injured. Kyle Kuzma needs to have a good start to this run for the Lakers to hit their ceiling later on.