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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2000)
Econo Phone Cards Lowest Kates Around the World. Pre-Paid Rechargeable Phone Cards. Australia.7$/min U.K.5<t/min Beijmg/Shangahi..;...14<t/min Japan.7$/min Sweden... Germany. Taiwan. U.S.A. ..7<t/min ..7<f/min ,12<t/min ..4$/min Free $5 card with first order ovfer $25. P.O. Box 368> Umatilla, Oregon For more rates or to order call toll-free 1-877-922-6496 Blazers continued from page 11 pounding the paint with its three big-gun powerful forwards. And when L.A. seemingly left the Blazers crippled with a 109-94 win in Game 1? Portland beats them by twice as much in Game 2! No way the Lakers could have seen it coming. I don’t think any one saw it coming. I definitely Amateur Dance Contest at the Alaskan Bush Company Come try out your dancing skills and compete for cash. Guys get out here and cheer them on. Tomorrow at 9pm 1030 Highway 99*688-9027 one modem number! By next fall, there will be nearly IWICC as many UO modems and only 0116 modem number. . . 225-2200 Questions? Contact Microcomputer Services • http ://micro. uoregon.edu/modeminfo • microhelp@oregon.uoregon.edu • 346-4412 didn’t see it coming. It’s not often that after you rout a team in the playoffs, and in your own house, that the team you thought you’d knocked down jumps up and slaps you silly before you can cry “uncle.” Yet there is was, in the faces of the silenced Staples Center spec tators and on the screens of televi sions nationwide. Put simply, the Blazers made them eat it. It will be interesting to see if the Lakers can get back into the ring as easily as Portland did. History ultimately goes against O’Neal. Losses like Monday night’s have caused his teams to spiral out of the playoffs, resulting in sweeps in all but one season. But beware, Blazer fans. Don’t get cocky and assume that Portland is a lock to win this series, despite now holding the home court advantage against L.A. Don’t forget that “The Big Fella” pretty much sucked in Game 2, missing even close shots. Remember that Kobe Bryant has been a non-factor in the series, so far. There’s no way to predict a situ ation like this, because as easy as the Lakers could fold in Portland, they could steal one on the road and regain home-court advantage, which, make no mistake, they won’t win without. Safer predictions can be made after Game 4. If the Lakers win ei ther Game 3 or 4, then it could go all the way to Game 7 in L.A., and in that situation, it’s hard to pass over the Lakers as the favorites. But if the Blazers defend their home court and win the next two, it’s done. Because there’s no way any team in the league can beat the Blazers three games in a row. “So, Mr. Columnist, what do you think?” Well, one loss is only a loss, and past a certain point spread, a rout is a rout. If the Lakers can just manage to hang with the Blazers early in Game 3, it should be a close contest. But that’s all it will be. This is a Portland team that was shaken awake by a tough Min nesota team, then blew out Utah three consecutive games to start the second round. One of those harsh whippings happened at the Delta Center, arguably the tough est place to play in the NBA. Now, they’ve been rudely awakened — again — this time by a loud Staples Center crowd and a 7-foot-l Taco Bell sales rep. The Blazers are a reactive team. They’re not very good at creating motivation for themselves, so they need outside forces to moti vate them. Getting their tails kicked by L. A. in Game 1 provid ed the needed inspiration. Just look what happened in Game 2. So Portland goes home and de fends its home, winning games 3 and 4. Then, with a trip to the NBA Finals all but a sure thing, the Blaz ers loosen their grip and the Lakers rip them apart in Game 5. But that’s the last wake-up call Portland needs. The series goes back to the Rose Garden and the Blazers unleash 23 years of wait ing, and L.A. is defeated in one of the most intense games this season. If that doesn’t work out, the Blazers just need to keep doing what they’ve been doing. If the Lakers do something well, the Blazers need to counter it two fold. That’s the Portland way — and that’s how you beat L.A. Scott Pesznecker is a sports editor for the Emerald. His views do not necessari ly reflect those of the paper. He can be reached atJFL\K1@aol.com. Lakers continued from page 11 Mike Dunleavy’s troops — or “the best team money can buy” ac cording to Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson — not only doubled the Lakers’ Game 1 effort, but they obliterated the Lakers’ front of in vincibility. You’re like: Take that Phil (owner of six NBA Championship rings), who is, according to Dun leavy, “the best coach money can buy.” You’re like: Take that Shaq, who you happily watched get vic timized by Dunleavy’s effective but-sad Hack-a-Shaq strategy. (Yo, Mike, that plan is wrong. Bor-ing. Weak.) You’re like: Take that Kobe, who even a certain segment of the Lakers-rooting demographic is a bit upset with, in light of his re cently announced engagement. And you’re totally expecting Portland to take Games 3 and 4 here in the Northwest. Your heart is set on it. You’re counting on it. Don’t. L.A. is gonna be fine. For sure. Don’t get cocky, Blazer fans. Just ‘cause your team won by a lot (OK, a whole helluva lot). It’s just one game. One win. It’s rout-for-rout. We’re even, 1-1. Oh, no doubt, Portland was in spired by its Game 1 loss. And it showed. Your Blazers were moti vated. So motivated that Rasheed Wallace found it within himself to stay composed. But wait until you see L.A. in spired. True, it doesn’t happen often. That’s just part of the Lakers’ charm. They’re so damn cool. But if these L.A. cats were ever to get juiced, it’s now. All your Rose Garden energy might actually help them in that department. In tensity breeds intensity, so bring it Portland. Make it loud. It’s guaranteed; they won’t play as poorly, as statically, as drowsily or as badly as they did Monday. Phil won’t let ‘em. Kobe won’t let them. Nor will Shaq. There won’t be any future 20-0 Blazers’ runs. There won’t be any additional eight-point Lakers’ quar ters. Shaq is gonna stop messing around. Kobe will be ready. Mon day was nothing but another learn ing experience for the young man. And Damon Stoudamire won’t likely get into foul trouble so soon, so he’ll probably be getting more floor time — which is A-OK with L. A. Portland, even Blazer fans ad mit, is better with Greg Anthony, Stoudamire’s backup, on the floor. So, welcome back Mighty Mouse. Rice ought to eventually show — he needs to. Fox and Horry (owner of two NBA champi onship rings) figure to reappear. And Portland-native A.C. Green (owner of two NBA Champi onship rings) wears a green pro abstinence beanie baby bear on his head. So ... yeah. OK, ‘Sheed’s got him beat — if ‘Sheed can stick around long enough, that is. Besides, it would be impossible for the Lakers to play worse than they did Monday. They played that bad. But we’ll see. Enjoy your blowout, Pez. You have three more days to cherish your team’s grit, Scottie’s leadership and your Blazers-in-six apparition. Put on a headband, kid. But your team is, no doubt, touchable. Mirjam Swanson is the sports editor for the Emerald. Her views do not necessari ly reflect those of the paper. She can be reached via e-mail at mswan@glad stone.uoregon.edu
