Opening night. Filled with red, the Rose Garden will undoubtedly roar with enthusiasm upon the tip off of the season. The fans in Portland can be an advantage, especially on such an emotional night, and it is crucial for the guards to hit outside shots early on and to find Aldridge at the left block frequently throughout the game.
Projected Starters:
Lillard Nash
Matthews Bryant
Batum World Peace
Aldridge Gasol
Hickson Howard
Matchups:
Expect Batum to start defending on Kobe, and LMA on Gasol, rather than Howard. We will throw lots of various bigs at Howard (Hickson, Leonard, Jeffries, maybe Freeland), as they can get into foul trouble without too much of an issue. After shooting 3-14 from the line last night vs. Dallas, fouling Howard may be a good strategy. Lillard will start on Nash, and he needs to be aggressive and get past him with his quick first step.
The Lakers bench has improved with the addition of Jamison, though the overall depth of the bench should not give the Blazers' bench too much difficulty. Blake can hit open 3's, Jamison is a mid range guy, and Hill will crash the boards. Other than those characteristics, the bench should not be terrible to defend. If our matchups against their bench can get out in transition and score easy baskets the odds of winning will go up.
The Lakers struggled last night in part because their core had not played many minutes together. Portland is in a slightly similar scenario with 5 rookies being part of the rotation. Lillard and Aldridge need to continue to build a strong rapport, especially in pick and pop scenarios, as well as feeding LMA on the block. Nic and Wes need to shoot well, and not force shots.
Here are my keys to win:
1 Shoot 48%
2 Win the rebound battle
3 Commit less than 12 turnovers.
Should be an exciting game! GO BLAZERS!
#RIPCITY
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