Portland’s Most Anticipated Games
By David MacKay
April 12, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers trainer Gary Vitti and center Robert Sacre (50) help shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) as leaves the game in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at the Staples Center. Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon. He under went surgery April 13 and is expected to miss six to nine months. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
1) Los Angeles Lakers – March 3rd, Moda Center
It baffles me, as well, how one can leave this game off of their list. The Lakers are widely considered to be the Blazers most hated rivals. The Moda Center will be packed to the rafters with fans ready to scream, “Beat L.A.” until they sound like Tom Thibodeau. On top of that, by the time they play in the Rose City, Kobe Bryant’s Achilles should be as healthy as it can be.
The Blazers are in a unique position to have a better season than the Lakers this year. I wish that was the case more often, but in reality, this is Portland’s big chance to capitalize on L.A.’s current weakness. Even if Portland doesn’t make the playoffs (who knows at this point), defeating the Lakers will be enough to bring joy to many, many Blazer fans.