Trail Blazers Reduced to Pointing Fingers at Officials

OK, so much for the Ideal Matchup scenario. . . .

Forced to open on the road against the Lakers, who in their (recent) harmonious phase, are again looking like a colossus, like that 1970s comic book in which Superman and Batman teamed up, the Trail Blazers decided it was a golden opportunity to end their bickering and unite against a foe they’d fought so often, on such even terms.

“Look at the last two years,” Coach Mike Dunleavy was saying before Sunday’s game. “We played 15 times. [It’s] 8-7, Lakers. We’ve got the point total by a handful. . . .

“I think both teams know each other very well. I think we probably bring out the best in each other.”

It turned out that the Lakers’ best Sunday was a lot better than the Trail Blazers’ best, especially when the Lakers hit them with a 19-0 run at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth.

After that, the matchup wasn’t looking quite as beneficial to the dark horse in it.

In fact, it wasn’t looking beneficial at all.

“I don’t know what to tell my guys about Shaq [O’Neal], to be honest with you,” said Dunleavy after the Lakers turned a 72-72 tie into a 101-81 lead and a laugher.

“Every time, he hits them with an elbow on his lead [move into the lane]. He turns into them every time. Sits in the three-second lane for five seconds, six seconds at a time. I mean, it’s got to be so frustrating for them [Portland players] and yet, they gotta play through it. Somewhere along the line, maybe someone’s going to see what’s going on. . . .

“He hardly ever clears the lane when he goes through. I mean, it’s tough enough to guard a guy, 350 pounds and good as he is. I mean, he doesn’t need any extra real help.”

This was straight out of Playoffs 101, notifying the next referee crew the Trail Blazers expect them to time O’Neal closely in the lane, and not let him menace them with his mighty elbows.

Of course, the series is young and O’Neal may yet drop 50 on them, but Sunday wasn’t one of his big games, or even one of his medium-sized games.

The Trail Blazers are a test for the Lakers, precisely because they’re so good at containing O’Neal. In last spring’s Western finals, they held him to 25.9 points a game, under his average, way under his average in big games and way, way under the 38 he’d get against Indiana in the finals.

The Trail Blazers got to him again Sunday, holding him to 24 points and seven for 21 from the floor. Late in the third quarter, O’Neal was shooting three for 15 and Kobe Bryant was three for 12. When the roof fell in on Portland in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t O’Neal and Bryant as much as team defense and team offense, with Rick Fox and Brian Shaw scoring the first eight points.

The Lakers went months this season without team anything. Imagine what they can do if this keeps up. (Hint: It involves a parade.)

Nevertheless, because they were upset, trying to steal an edge or both, the Trail Blazers told stories of Shaq Brutality into the evening.

“I have no comment on that,” said Scottie Pippen, in what turned into one of the longest no-comments on record.

“If they allow Shaq to play like that, then no one’s going to beat them [Lakers],” continued Pippen, without stopping for a breath.

“You know, there’s no way that officials should allow Shaq to play that way. If he can play that way then, hey, we got guys who can do the same thing. I mean, it was just ridiculous the way they called the game . . . I don’t know, maybe they [referees] wanted it to come out this way.”

Ka-ching! Say the secret word and the NBA’s Stu Jackson comes down and takes $5,000 of your money!

Of course, the day wasn’t a total waste for the Trail Blazers.

To start with, all of them showed up. Before the game, NBC reported Rasheed Wallace had gone after Dunleavy after last Sunday’s game here (the one in which Wallace threw the towel in Arvydas Sabonis’ face and was ultimately suspended--again--by the team). Oh, and Pippen and Detlef Schrempf fought in practice last week.

“Our conversation [between Dunleavy and Wallace] in the locker room, I won’t comment upon,” Dunleavy said. “But as far as practice, that was no big deal. . . .

“We’re scrimmaging, we’re going hard, everybody’s going at each other and you have a play where guys get into it a little bit. I mean, it wasn’t Lennox Lewis or nothing.”

And Wallace got a technical walking off the floor at halftime Sunday--and lasted the whole game without getting another!

Said Wallace after the game, knifing through a crowd of reporters:

“It was a good game, man. Let everybody know it was a good game, they played hard, we played hard, can’t do nothing about that, thank you, ladies and gentlemen.”

So, things could be worse for the Trail Blazers.

Of course, with them, the three days before Game 2 are the dangerous ones.