Blazers get another shot at Lakers

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The lead was 15 points with 10 1/2 minutes to play, and it seemed only a major meltdown could keep the Portland Trail Blazers from reaching the NBA Finals.

“I remember Phil saying we were concentrating too much on trying to get the ball into Shaq,” the veteran Los Angeles Lakers guard said, referring to coach Phil Jackson and near-unanimous MVP Shaquille O’Neal. “Once the coach says to look for your shot, we started to hit shots, they started missing, and the rest was history.”

That was last June, when the Lakers rallied for an 89-84 victory over the Blazers to advance to the NBA Finals, where they beat the Indiana Pacers in six games to win their first title in 12 years.

Now, as the Lakers open defense of their crown, they meet the Blazers again, starting Sunday at Staples Center.

“If you would have told me last season that we were going to face them in the first round, I probably would have told you, ‘You’re crazy,’ ” Kobe Bryant said Saturday, following the Lakers’ final practice before the best-of-five series begins.

But that’s the deal, because the Blazers dropped seven of their final 10 regular-season games to finish at 50-32 – seventh-best in the Western Conference.

The Lakers, meanwhile, won their last eight to finish 56-26, win the Pacific Division title and rise to No. 2 in the West, behind San Antonio.

They were 67-15 last season, when they had homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

Bryant admitted he thought the Lakers were in big trouble before they outscored Portland 29-9 down the stretch of Game 7 to eliminate the Blazers.

“That’s human nature, you kind of start doubting yourself a little bit,” he said. “I came into a timeout we were looking at each other, we said, ‘This is going to be tough.’ I said to Tyronn Lue, ‘This is going to be our toughest win ever.’

“We’ve been there before. Hopefully, we’re not going to be in that situation again.”

Jackson pronounced his team ready for the playoffs and said he believes the Blazers’ collapse of last spring remains on their minds.

“Oh, yeah, without a doubt,” he said. “We stood in their way of getting to the Finals last year, I’m sure there’s some resentment about that.”

Maybe so, but the Blazers say what happened is in the past.

“Game 7’s not coming back,” Dunleavy said. “Nobody talks about it anymore. This is a new series, a new day. I expect us to come out, play well and win. I don’t think there’s any underdog mentality here.”

The Blazers did an excellent job defending against O’Neal a year ago. He averaged just 20.5 points in the four regular-season games, and was held to 17 and 18 points, respectively, in the last two games of the conference finals.

However, he averaged 30 points in the four games between the teams this season, and enters the playoffs having scored 31 or more points in 11 straight games while grabbing 10 or more rebounds in 17 straight.

“The biggest thing has been Shaq’s play,” Dunleavy said when asked about the Lakers’ strong finish. “He’s played as well in this stretch as he’s ever played as a Laker. One big component is he’s been able to make free throws.”

O’Neal made 13 foul shots in as many attempts in a 108-91 season-closing win over Denver last Tuesday night, and 11-of-16 two days earlier in a 105-100 win over the Blazers.

Such accuracy could dash any thoughts of the Hack-a-Shaq strategy employed by Dunleavy at times.

Meanwhile, Rasheed Wallace spoke briefly with reporters before the Blazers practiced at Staples Center, and made it clear it wasn’t by choice.

A day earlier, he was fined $10,000 for failing to make himself available for interviews, and the team was fined $25,000.

“I’m just here to play basketball, man, that’s all,” he said. “It’s a good matchup; they’re the best, we’re the best.”

Asked about the Lakers’ rally in Game 7 last June, Wallace replied: “We already went through 82 games after that. You take it for what it’s worth.”

With that, Wallace abruptly walked away. (Associated Press)