Would-Be Portland Edge Isn’t

So it’s come to this for the Portland Trail Blazers--being played to a virtual rebounding draw by the Lakers.

The Trail Blazers were No. 3 in the league in rebounding during the regular season and the Lakers were No. 13, so Portland was supposed to have a big advantage in their playoff series. But it’s become a tiny advantage through the first two games, a single-rebound advantage, 74-73. In four regular-season games, the Trail Blazers out-rebounded the Lakers by 17.

“It’s one of the factors,” Laker Sean Rooks said with the Trail Blazers facing elimination in the first-round series that continues Wednesday at Portland with the Lakers leading, 2-0. “They’re one of the top rebounding teams. It’s how they beat other teams. If we’re playing them even, that’s taking away one of their big things.”

And that’s even with Elden Campbell having contributed only eight rebounds.

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O’Neal is shooting 60.2% from the free-throw line in the seven games since his return.

Big deal?

Big enough.

He was at 46.6% before missing nearly two months because of a knee injury. It’s been worth about another two points a game for O’Neal and the Lakers in the last seven games, the difference between his averaging 31.9 points and the 30.1 it would have been at his old accuracy rate.

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Sunday, Chris Dudley got frustrated with the officials, complaining that O’Neal was getting practically all the calls. Monday, the Lakers got a chuckle.

“Nobody in the league does more grabbing and holding than Chris Dudley,” Harris said. “Everybody, in fact, admires that about him.”