On in a Blaze of Glory

PORTLAND, Ore. —  The powerful performance came as a reminder, in case Game 3 had prompted some to doubt, and a preview for all interested parties, especially those two who will meet in another Pacific Northwest locale, Seattle, on Saturday afternoon to settle their differences. The Lakers, they will be resting, having earned that Thursday, and much more.

The brief scare was replaced by a dominating showing at the Rose Garden, the favorites having beaten the Trail Blazers at their own game, rebounding. It was 110-99 on the scoreboard and 47-40 on the boards, propelling the Lakers into the Western Conference semifinals with their best outing in the 3-1 series victory.

The night answered every question about their potential--58.1% from the field, 31 points and 15 rebounds by Shaquille O’Neal, 22 points from Kobe Bryant off the bench, continued success on the road after the stumble Tuesday--except who else will be part of it.

The second round that could have started Saturday at the Great Western Forum against the Minnesota Timberwolves will instead have to wait until Monday or Tuesday because of the pending Minnesota-Seattle showdown that afternoon, still giving the Lakers the possibility of opening at home (with a win by the Timberwolves) or on the road (with a win by the SuperSonics).

The Trail Blazers committed only nine turnovers, a statistic both commendable and unexpected given their erratic style, but shot 38.5%. At least the end came with the air bag of history, that this was their sixth consecutive first-round elimination.

The Lakers had been in the exact same situation a year ago, winners of the first two outings at home, losers after the best-of-five series switched to the Rose Garden and needing to win the next or else have to deal with a deciding Game 5 back at the Forum. It wasn’t necessary back then, either.

Many of the concerns were also the same, like emotional state, this being the Lakers and all. Even in the playoffs, when the momentum from the great finish to the regular season halted just in time for the opener last Friday and the energy that should have come from the 2-0 lead and the chance to close out the Trail Blazers on Tuesday gave way again.

“I think there may have been a little bit where we expected them [the Trail Blazers] to fold tent after we withstood their first onslaught,” Laker Coach Del Harris said. “But I don’t know. Nobody said that.”

So the plan for Game 4 was “to come out and play to win, rather than trying to avoid losing,” Harris said. “It may be just semantics, but I think it is an attitude question, however subtle.”

The Lakers needed only nine minutes to take control and 10 minutes 15 seconds to go up by 11, taking advantage of early foul trouble for Arvydas Sabonis and Rasheed Wallace to power through Portland’s second-line big men. Of their 28 points in the first quarter, only six came from beyond 12 feet.

O’Neal, after scoring 36 points two nights earlier, had 13 in the opening period Thursday, going six for six from the field. And when he cooled in the second quarter, the Laker bench took over, the reserves accounting for 14 of their first 16 points.

But the damage was still being done inside, leading, quite understandably, to 60% first-half shooting and a 56-40 cushion at intermission. In a 10-0 run that pushed the lead to 44-28, every basket came on a dunk or layup or free throws generated from the interior. Just as significant, four of the points came as second-chance opportunities, exactly the kind of response the Lakers had been looking for after getting outrebounded by 14 in Game 3.

Harris, following through with the move he had called a possibility the day before in hopes of production on the boards, went to Corie Blount in the first quarter, as the first big man off the bench at that, and was rewarded with four rebounds and four points in only seven first-half minutes. Elden Campbell added four and six, respectively, in his six minutes before the break.

That the production there carried into the second half, against the team that finished No. 2 in the league in rebounding percentage, made the continued control on the scoreboard even more impressive, and certainly all the more complete. The closest the Trail Blazers got in the third quarter was seven points, and the Lakers went on another run after that, going back up by 16, just like intermission, before taking a 78-65 cushion into the fourth.

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LAKERS vs.PORTLAND

(Lakers win series, 3-1)

Game 1: Lakers 104, Portland 102

Game 2: Lakers 109, Portland 98

Game 3: Portland 99, Lakers 94

Game 4: Lakers 110, Portland 99