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2019-20 Matchup preview: Portland Trail Blazers vs. LA Lakers

By Austin Carroll

PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 03: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on November 3, 2018 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 03: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on November 3, 2018 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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After a brief period of one-sided dominance, the Portland Trail Blazers look to re-ignite their rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers next season.

King James. Big Game Dame. Co-stars of Space Jam 2, and mortal enemies on the basketball court. Offseason antics aside, the Portland Trail Blazers should be set for a very fun season series against a revitalized Los Angeles Lakers squad.

Recent History

  • Last year head-to-head: (2-2)
  • Last decade head-to-head: (23-12)
  • Most recent playoff meeting: 2002 WC 1st round, LA won in 3 games

Here’s a fun fact: From April of 2014, to October of 2018, the Lakers were winless against the Portland Trail Blazers. That’s right, the Blazers win streak extended to a whopping 16 straight games over the course of those years. All that winning probably felt great considering the heated postseason rivalry these two teams have together.

Portland and Los Angeles have played each other 11 times in the playoffs, dating back to their very first matchup in 1977 — the same year the Blazers were crowned league champions. The Lakers have won nine of those meetings, which explains why Portland has so much bad blood the purple and gold.

Key Matchups

Are we ever going to stop hearing “Portland should have taken John Collins and Kyle Kuzma instead of trading up in the 2017 draft” rhetoric? If not, I beg you Zach to finally put this narrative to rest. Portland needs a rim protector with a versatile offensive toolkit to offset the star guards, and that’s exactly what Collins brings to the table. Watching him shut down Kyle Kuzma in the process won’t only be a necessary step towards finally overcoming the Lakers, but just the cherry on top to put this debate on ice.

It’s always exciting when two top ten players go head-on in a high-stakes scenario, and that’s disregarding the fact that the best player on the planet will also be on the court. But this showdown won’t be all manufactured media hype to prop up the Lakers, this year it’s going to be personal.

Dame isn’t the type of player to easily forget things, and you can guarantee Portland’s first-round loss to Anthony Davis in 2018 has been eating away at the back of his brain. That series had the media labeling Lillard as a choker, and a player that couldn’t be the best on a championship team. He’ll be more than happy to flip that narrative on its head as he takes on LeBron and Davis at the same time.

What to Expect

Fireworks. The Lakers are possibly the most interesting team in the league, with almost as much talent as they do attitude problems. There’s almost no chance this locker room remains stable throughout the entirety of the year. LeBron, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins, Jared Dudley and JaVale McGee are all much too controversial personalities for this to go over smoothly. And even if it does, you can always have faith in LA’s front office to bungle things up.

Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers are essentially the anti-thesis to everything that is the Lakers. They have one of the most highly respected cultures in the league, and have found consistent success through cultivating home-grown talent instead of tanking and aggressively chasing the free agent market.

Next. Using math to determine Portland's most valuable player. dark

In my opinion, the latter strategy makes being a fan much more difficult and is just one of many reasons I’ll be rooting for Rip City to lay the smack down on LA next season.