Thompson Appears at Home in Playoffs : Former Portland Player Watches as Scoring Increases During the Playoffs

Mychal Thompson, the man who would be prime minister of the Bahamas, also has this thing about Oregon.

With relatives and his own off-season home in the Portland area, he can save money.

“A whole lot of per-diem,” Thompson said. “My in-laws are there, so they can cook up some lasagna.”

He can save his strength.

“They can baby-sit, too.”

And, with one more Laker victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the best-of-five Western Conference quarterfinals, he can save face.

“I’ve got to hang out with those guys all summer,” Thompson said of the Portland players. “If we lose this series, I won’t be able to show my face in Oregon.”

Sweet motivation.

But Sunday, Thompson’s pride appeared as safe as the Lakers’ immediate future, the result of a 113-105 victory at the Forum that gave the two-time defending National Basketball Assn. champions a 2-0 series lead.

The Lakers have defeated underdog Portland by a total of 28 points, and Thompson, his playing time having climbed again during the playoffs, is doing his share: 20 points Thursday in Game 1 followed by 15 Sunday, a combined 14 of 21 from the field, and an average of 26 minutes.

His two most important scores came in Game 2, as the Trail Blazers cut the Laker lead to seven points, 69-62, midway through the third quarter.

With 6:18 to play, his basket and subsequent free throw for a three-point play pushed the cushion back to double digits and started an 11-1 run. After Portland failed to score in its next possession, Thompson rebounded a James Worthy miss and layed it in, giving the Lakers a 74-62 advantage.

Good showings in the playoffs are nothing new to Thompson, especially in the first round--he averaged 20.7 points and 13 rebounds in last season’s opener against San Antonio. But that it comes against the Trail Blazers, his former team, is special.

Portland made Thompson, from the University of Minnesota, the first player picked in the 1978 draft, and he spent his first seven seasons as a Trail Blazer. He still has a home in Oregon, as well as his native Bahamas.

“Our guys are on him like crazy about that,” Laker Coach Pat Riley said.

Thompson, who lives with his wife and young son in a hotel suite in Los Angeles during the season, has fond memories of his days in Portland. Now, he returns as a member of the team that Wednesday night could end the Trail Blazers’ season.

“It’s nice up there,” he said. “They (the fans) really respect the Lakers, as much as they give us a bad time. The Lakers are the favorite visiting team for most of the Oregonians, because of Magic (Johnson) and the whole championship aura. We’re always the hottest ticket in town.”

Does that mean Thompson will be the most wanted man?

He lacks the aura, but did average a creditable 12.6 points and 7.8 rebounds this season against the Trail Blazers without ever starting, including single-game highs of 27 and 12, respectively.

He can create problems for anyone during the playoffs, in which he contributed 9.7 points and 8.8 rebounds last season during the Lakers’ drive to a second championship. In 74 games in nine post-season runs, he’s at 12.6 points and is shooting 50.7%.

“He’s a big-game player,” Riley said. “When some guys don’t get to play a lot of minutes, it can be tough. But he’s a very unselfish player and some of his numbers don’t reflect that he is a front-line player for us. He is great in the playoffs, when his minutes go up.

“Everyone acts surprised when he gets to the playoffs and his numbers go up. They shouldn’t be.”

Thompson, for one, isn’t surprised. He expects the increased opportunities, even looks forward to it.

“You have to get something off the bench or you’re going to have a lot of trouble winning a championship,” he said. “Orlando (Woolridge), Michael Cooper, Tony Campbell and myself, we are guys Pat Riley depends on. We have to be able to match bench strength with whoever we’re playing in the playoffs. It’s imperative for our four-man unit.

“We’re all a little tired and beat up and looking forward to summer. But I also know we are not ready to take a vacation for several more weeks.”

Maybe then it’ll be back to Oregon. He should be able to show his face by then.