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After going through the nuances of the play-in tournament, the Portland Trail Blazers have finally qualified for the NBA Playoffs. If the road so far was difficult, they've got the championship favorites LA Lakers waiting for them in the first round of the postseason.
This won't be the casual first seed cakewalk story though. The LA Lakers have been way off their usual best in the NBA bubble while the Portland Trail Blazers have played like the contenders they were always supposed to be after making big moves in the offseason. Damian Lillard has been his lethal best from range while LeBron James and co. have struggled to score.
There are a lot of factors that suggest that this first-round matchup of the 2020 NBA Playoffs could be dragged to the full quota of seven games. However, the Portland Trail Blazers seem primed for a huge upset over the LA Lakers, and here are the five reasons why.
#1 The readiness factor entering the NBA Playoffs
The Portland Trail Blazers are definitely the more mentally prepared team heading into the NBA Playoffs. They went through the seeding games with a greater impetus to perform and have already dug deep on several occasions to come out victorious.
The LA Lakers though, have simply switched off after confirming the first seed in the West. While they did come up clutch in their penultimate seeding game against the Denver Nuggets, it must be taken with a pinch of salt because Mike Malone fielded only bench players for the entirety of the fourth quarter.
Add to this the factor that the Lakers learned only yesterday that they will be playing the Blazers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Portland, meanwhile, has always known who they'll be matched up against if they make it to the postseason.
#2 LA Lakers' offense pales in comparison to Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are not a good defensive unit. They had the third-worst defensive rating of 120.4 in the seeding games. At the same time, they've scored a league-best tally of 126 points per game during this phase. With the LA Lakers managing only about 105 of their own during this stretch, the writings are already there on the wall.
The Lakers have scored at 43.7% from the field in Orlando while making only 72.4% of their free throws, which are fourth-worst and worst respectively amongst the bubble teams. Frank Vogel's men will definitely improve their output in the NBA Playoffs but the same can be expected of Portland.
Also read: Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers Prediction and 3 key player battles - August 18th | Game 1
#3 LA Lakers' shaky perimeter defense
Overall, the LA Lakers have been one of the best sides defensively this season. They've done a respectable job in Orlando as well but need serious work in one aspect. Frank Vogel's men have allowed their opponents to score at 39.4% from downtown in the bubble, which is the fifth-worst record among all teams for the seeding games.
It's not like there's a lack of size either. LeBron James, Danny Green, Alex Caruso, and Kyle Kuzma all have decent wingspans to get into the face of the opposition but for some reason, their perimeter defense has been susceptible since the restart.
The fact that they will be facing one of the most lethal teams from distance in the NBA Playoffs compounds this issue. Portland Trail Blazers attempt nearly two-fifths of all their shots from beyond the arc. They've shot from here at an accuracy of 41.4% too.
#4 The Damian Lillard factor
Damian Lillard has made all the headlines this past week, and for good reason. He's dropped 185 points in his last four outings including the play-in game. He casually popped up for a trey from the NBA logo against the Brooklyn Nets. But distance shooting is not the only way he can hurt you.
We've seen him employ the high pick-and-roll if a team tries to cover him the moment he crosses the halfway line to bring Nurkic into the picture, who himself has averaged a fine 17.6 points per game on nearly 50% shooting.
Double-teaming him up can be costly too, given the shooting depth possessed by Terry Stotts' side. The likes of CJ McCollum, Gary Trent Jr., and Carmelo Anthony can all score a trey. The latter scored the dagger against Memphis despite having missed all five of his previous attempts from downtown.
Lillard isn't too bad of a passer either, accounting for 9.6 assists per game during the seeding phase. So the LA Lakers have a lot to ponder about him alone.
#5 More impact players off the bench for Portland Trail Blazers
While the Portland Trail Blazers typically play a small rotation of eight to nine players, the personnel coming off the bench for them have a lot to offer. They have the luxury of putting the league leader in blocks per game in Hassan Whiteside outside the starting lineup.
Trent Jr. himself has had a wonderful run in Orlando, averaging 16.9 points per game while shooting at nearly 51% from distance. At 6'5, he's a decent defender too. The LA Lakers, meanwhile, can only look at Kyle Kuzma for constant production off the bench. Dwight Howard is a decent contributor too on defense but like the rest of the LA Lakers' second unit, he's been streaky of late.
Also read: Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers Prediction and Match Preview - August 18th, 2020 | Game 1
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