Upsetting the Upset Attempt: Three Reasons Why the Lakers Will Beat the Blazers in the First Round

Many wanted the Portland Trail Blazers of Damian Lillard and company to take the eighth seed in the heavily-stacked Western Conference playoff picture as they thought that Portland would be a dangerous opponent for the West-leading Los Angeles Lakers. They got what they wished for as Portland defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in yesterday's play-in game that booked the Trail Blazers' ticket to the first-round dance against LeBron James and Anthony Davis.  And even before Portland secured its playoff berth, many already saw them as the team that could crush the Lakers' hefty championship aspiration this season with some pointing out that the Trail Blazers have won six of their last 10 games against the Lakers dating back to the 2017-2018 season. Portland even won 16 straight games against the Lakers from April 1, 2014, to October 18, 2018.  As successful as the Trail Blazers are against the Lakers in the regular season, things are always different when the postseason comes around. 

And that's the first reason why the Lakers will beat Portland right in the first round of 2020 National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs that will start this week.

If we are to look back at the playoff history between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers, they have already faced each other 48 times during the playoffs with the Lakers winning in 32 of those games. The Lakers are also up 9-2 in playoff series won against Portland with the last one being during the 2002 playoffs en route to their third straight championship with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Incidentally, the Lakers eliminated Portland six times in the first round. In other words, history is on the Lakers' side.

The second reason: LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The last time the Trail Blazers got swept out of the first round by the Lakers, the seemingly unstoppable duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant was leading the way for the Purple and Gold. Come Game One on Wednesday, Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Carmelo Anthony will have a big duo to deal with in LeBron James and Anthony Davis- two finalists in two major awards this season. In three games against Portland this season, Anthony Davis averaged 32 points and 11 rebounds- highlighted by a 39-point explosion on December 7, 2019. The King, too, put up majestic numbers against Damian Lillard as he averaged 26 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds against the Trail Blazers this season. While Lillard torched the Lakers with 48 points on seven for 12 shooting from downtown, the Lakers' dynamic pair still came out with huge numbers. With the stakes now higher in the playoffs, Portland should expect these two superstars to come out firing on all cylinders once the series kicks off.  

Many pundits and fans got worried about the Lakers' chances of even moving past the first round of the playoffs as the eight seeding games in Orlando saw the Lakers struggle offensively especially in their shooting from the three-point line. What many people tend to forget is that regardless of how woeful their performance during the restart of the 2019-2020 season that saw the team only winning three games, this Lakers team is loaded with playoff veterans led by LeBron James. They also have JaVale McGee who played a crucial role in the championship runs of the Golden State Warriors. Danny Green, a two-time NBA champion, is also there to make the threes from the corner and, if things go well, Playoff Rajon Rondo might make his return. We can even add Dion Waiters and JR Smith into the veterans' circle. Ultimately, it will go down to how they will use the experience of playing in the bright lights against the Trail Blazers.

While Anthony Davis was recently quoted in saying that Damian Lillard is hot right now as evident by the 154-point total explosion during his three-game span prior to the Memphis game yesterday, we all know how unstoppable Anthony Davis is when his offensive game is rolling. Back in the 2018 playoffs when Davis was still playing for the New Orleans Pelicans, Anthony Davis averaged 33 points and close to 12 rebounds in their four-game sweep of Portland in the first round. Imagine the damage that an AD can inflict with LeBron James running the offense. We've seen it during the regular season. We're about to witness it in the playoffs with Portland getting the first-hand taste of it.  

Photo is from CBS Sports