It sound like Pau hurt his hamstring again last night. That would certainly help the cause on Friday if we weren't the only team with injuries. Both sides knew enough not to read too deeply into this one game, which was the second of a back-to-back for the Mavericks. The biggest ramification might be the extent of Gasol's hamstring injury, which will be examined by an ultrasound test on Monday. Gasol injured his other hamstring in the preseason and missed the first 11 games of the regular season. Gasol felt worn down after trips to the NBA Finals in the previous two seasons, and he time spent with the Spanish national team in the summers. He was extra-cautious with the hamstring, to the point of frustration among the Lakers coaching staff. Once he came back, the Lakers went 19-3 in games in which he played, including his cameo appearance in this one, as he combined with Bynum to give matchup problems galore. Phil Jackson said Gasol had complained of some tightness in the hamstring before the game, and wasn't able to play through it. Gasol came out after playing seven minutes and didn't return. "Obviously, it's something that we have to take seriously," Jackson said. http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-100103/daily-dime
Even without Pau, all it means is that Bynum probably regains his early season touches and form. We have nobody to contend with he and Odom. Kobe is probably going to finally get over in Portland.
I think so too. Too much fire power (even w/o Gasol) Although nothing would be more satisfying than beating the Lakers with half our team out. I would take losses against the clippers & memphis to beat LA. I'll be at the LA game courtside - I just hope we don't get whacked by 25.
LA has a really good chance of winning if they pound the ball inside. I actually think Portland will win regardless. B-Roy has never lost to the Lakers in the RG and he isn't going to start this Friday. Besides, the idea of the Lakers fans that come to RG getting to gloat makes me feel ill. I have no idea how the Laker fans in LA are, but the ones here in Portland are absolute dicks. I honestly believe they are the reason Portland fans loathe the Lakers. More so even then the Laker players. It actually warms my heart to see them slink out of the arena. The only thing I know for sure is that there will be a fight in the stands. There is every Laker game.
If we can't match up big, go small. Run. Run. Run. Aldridge, Webster, Roy, Miller, and Bayless. Get the crowd involved. We might just have a shot at this.
You need misses and/or stops to "run, run, run." If the Lakers execute like they are more than capable of then I don't see too many ways for us to prevent them from getting deep post position -- something both Bynum and Kobe are good at. The sun always shines on a dog's ass once in awhile so I guess it's always possible the Blazers could pull off a miracle.
