Two weeks into the regular season, neither the NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers or the highly touted Portland Trail Blazers have lived up to their lofty expectations. In the season-opening rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals thrill ride, both the Lakers and Blazers came out flat, and for the next week the downward spiral continued.
The Lakers went on to lose to the Jazz, traded buckets with the Grizzlies and Clippers, and then dropped two in Texas to the Spurs and Rockets. Meanwhile, the Blazers dropped three of their first four games. If you recall, the Blazers were 16 games into the regular season last year before getting three in the loss column.
Indeed, this has been an unsettling beginning for both clubs, prompting fans to question whether they should write both powerhouses off.
The Lakers have talent, and most of the time last year were flat out dominant. So why are they losing to mediocre teams? One criticism of Los Angeles from last year that carries over to this season is its short attention span. The Lakers can play incredible basketball and take over at any juncture of the game, but occasionally tune out, execute poorly, and allow other teams to control the tempo. They are susceptible to giving teams double-digit leads because they know they have the talent to play their way back into the game. It worked throughout last year's championship run, but many other teams in the Pacific are catching on, and will take advantage.
Another reason the Lakers have played poorly could be a case of conflicting attitudes. Which came first, the losing or the turmoil? There are numerous reports that guard Kobe Bryant, who matured significantly last season, has gone back to his old ways of not sharing the ball and making other bad decisions. Superstar center Shaquille O'Neal has even mentioned this publicly. Bryant broke out with a season-high 37 points in a victory against the Rockets Sunday night, so this could be much ado about nothing, but it's certainly something to watch for.
Finally, there have been questions about the make-up of this year's Laker team. In the off-season, Los Angeles traded away sharpshooter Glenn Rice, who last year fell short of expectations. Even so, Rice was a formidable outside threat, which is a big plus in coach Phil Jackson's triangle offense. So far the Lakers have not been knocking down shots from outside, and until that happens, double-teaming the stars of the squad, O'Neal and Bryant, will be much easier.
But the squad has made two key additions. The most intriguing newcomer is Isaiah Rider. Rider wants to play, wants to win, and has more skills than anyone on last year's bench. The problem is that he also has more of an attitude. Phil Jackson handled Dennis Rodman for a while, so he shouldn't have much trouble with Rider. But the question remains: Will the slashing Rider make up for the absence of Glen Rice's dangerous three-ball?
The second addition is power forward Horace Grant. Last year, the Lakers were abused at the four with the aging A.C. Green, prompting he front office into action. Though Grant's legs are not much younger than Green's, the move has so far marked improvement at both ends of the floor. Nonetheless, it remains a spot where other teams, like the Blazers, will take advantage.
So the Lakers have some problems, and the rest of the league can rejoice. But not so fast. Odds are it won't take much to get the Lakers back to their winning ways, and when that happens, it will be back to the drawing board for most of the league.
The rival Trail Blazers' poor opening deserves equal attention. While the Blazers are slowly but surely climbing out of the hole with four straight wins, they still haven't beaten a winning team in their first eight contests. Going into the season, this looked like the only team that could go toe to toe with the champs. Certainly Portland still has the talent, so what has been going wrong?
The Blazers' hardships start with their injured list. On it, you'll find a 7'3", 292 pound center, who was a big part of the team's success last season. That center is Arvydas Sabonis, who is far more valuable to his team than last year's 11.8 point and 7.8 rebound averages would indicate. Out for at least another couple of weeks because of surgery on his left knee, Sabonis' absence could explain part of the team's woes.
On offense, Sabonis allowed the Blazers to spread the floor, because of his long-range touch. Last year, he shot 50.5 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three-point range, the highest of any center in the league. In addition, Sabonis created opportunities for other players with his imaginative passes. On defense, Sabonis takes up an incredible amount of space in the lane, which not only prevented easy baskets down low, but also allowed ball-hawking defenders like Scottie Pippen and Rasheed Wallace to excel, making steals and blocks from the help-side while opponents tried to deal with the enormous obstacle.
That role is even more crucial when playing the Lakers. O'Neal had trouble when Sabonis held his position and made the big guy shoot over him. In the Western Conference Finals, it wasn't until Sabonis left midway through the fourth quarter of Game Seven that the floodgates finally opened, sealing Portland's fate.
The Blazers made some big transactions over the summer, trading away heart and soul Brian Grant and young gun Jermaine O'Neal, and acquiring big men Shawn Kemp from Cleveland and Dale Davis from Indiana. Whatever numbers Grant and O'Neal put up for their new ball clubs, keep in mind that they weren't big contributors to last year's squad. The additions of Kemp and Davis offer the Blazers a whole lot of potential and versatility up front.
The problem, so far, has been chemistry. Both Kemp and Davis been inconsistent, and often have looked out of sync with the offense. The team is likely hoping that, by midseason, it will have gelled and will once again wipe the floor with most of its opponents.
Last, but not least, the Blazers haven't played with energy. This team runs 12 deep, but if nobody comes to play, that doesn't do any good. In their recent victories, the team has stepped it up a notch, but this is still something to watch for.
The rest of the league is not going to concede this season. But make no mistake, the Lakers and the Blazers, despite their troubles, are the best two teams in the NBA, even if it might take them a while to prove it.
