Fickle Finger of Fate Points to Backcourt

Scottie Pippen’s two dislocated fingers were no secret. What they didn’t know was how his injury would inspire Portland’s backcourt trio of Steve Smith, Damon Stoudamire and Bonzi Wells.

With Pippen not feeling in an offensive mood, Coach Mike Dunleavy encouraged his guards to go to the basket and challenge the Laker defense. And that’s what they did, combining for 60 points in the Trail Blazers’ 103-93 Game 6 victory at the Rose Garden Friday.

“We were able to come out and be real aggressive at the beginning of the game,” said Stoudamire, who hasn’t been a factor for most of the series. “Really, the only difference this game and Games 3 and 4 is that we sustained it for 48 minutes.”

Smith led Portland with 26 points, including the Trail Blazers’ only three-point basket.

Stoudamire got Portland off to a fast start with 12 of his 14 points in the first half.

Wells finished strong, scoring 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Dunleavy was pleased with his team’s focus.

“We came with passion and intensity for 48 minutes, the thing we didn’t do in our first two home games in this series,” Dunleavy said. “[This series] is not about momentum. There’s no momentum. With this series, it is one game at a time and you have to bring it each time. The team that does that gets it.”

Stoudamire played a key role in getting the Trail Blazers going. He pushed the ball up court and surprised the Lakers with a couple of layups in traffic to help his confidence.

“I was aggressive from the jump,” Stoudamire said. “Guys kept on coming to me and with Scottie’s fingers messed up a little bit, it was time for me to step up a little bit.”

Once Stoudamire started driving the lane, that opened things up for Smith, who scored 10 points in the first quarter. Smith was able to find room for his outside shot, which he wasn’t afraid to launch with a Laker in his face.

But it was in the third quarter when Smith made a key play that not only ended a Laker rally, but put Portland back in the driver’s seat.

With the Lakers only down by four after trailing by double digits for much of the game, Smith stole the ball from Glen Rice with less than two seconds on the shot clock and raced downcourt for a layup.

“I guessed right,” Smith said. “I thought he was going to fake left and then go right and that’s exactly what he did.”

Another key: The Smith, Stoudamire and Wells combined for 16 of Portland’s 51 rebounds.

“Guys are boxing out and giving the little guys a chance,” Wells said. “Our [big men] really did a good job keeping a body on Shaq and Robert Horry and A.C. Green, who normally keep the ball alive, but were not able to get their hands in there. We were really scrappy under the boards.”

After not making a shot from the field in the two previous games at Portland, Wells finally had a big game, scoring from the low post and the perimeter.

It couldn’t have come at a better time for Wells, who barely played as a rookie last season.

“The veteran guys told me to be patient,” Wells said. “It’s all paying off for me now. I was patient and I waited for my turn and I just have to keep taking advantage of it.”