The Scene

Staples Center was loud for the first two games of the Western Conference finals but the sellout crowd in Portland’s Rose Garden took excitement to a new level early in Game 3. The anti-Los Angeles mob even booed Penny Marshall--you know, Laverne--when her face was shown on the video screen.

But after Portland’s fast start, thanks in part to a delirious crowd, the Trail Blazers and their fans had a difficult time catching their second wind. Even though it led by double figures for most of the first half, Portland could not pull away from the Lakers and Kobe Bryant.

Bryant, who looked very much like a young Michael Jordan, kept the crowd noise down with one tough basket after another until he finally got some help from his teammates.

In the fourth quarter, Scottie Pippen brought the crowd back, but couldn’t prevent the Trail Blazers’ second loss of the series.

Moment of Day

The Lakers had no answer for Rasheed Wallace, but a turning point came late in the third quarter when he hurt his left ankle. After getting pushed slightly by A.C. Green, Wallace landed awkward and fell to the court in pain. He was not the same from then on as he attempted and made just one more shot over the final 12 minutes of the game.

Matching Up

Bryant has spent most of the series defending Portland’s guards, but in the final quarter, he was often matched against Pippen. Bryant picked up his fifth foul with 4:03 left in fourth quarter, and Pippen took advantage, scoring eight of his 12 points. Bryant was terrific early, scoring 14 points to keep the Lakers in the game in the first quarter. And he set up the winning play, passing out of a double-team to Ron Harper, who made the final basket with 29.9 seconds remaining.