Tonight the Portland Trail Blazers will take on the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time this season. It’ll also mark the first time the Blazers have faced a decent opponent. The game is significant for that.
It also matters because historically, the Trail Blazers have butted heads with the Lakers. All three peak periods of Trail Blazers basketball—late 1970’s, early 1990’s, late 1990’s—have involved playoffs battles with L.A. Once the Blazers were successful. Twice they fell. Either way, the Lakers hold
a special place in the hearts of Portland fans. A somewhat rancid, “wish you ill” place, but a special place nonetheless.
Both franchises have been in a downswing recently. Portland has been rebuilding. The Lakers won an NBA Championship in 2020 with LeBron James, but have been treading water since. This year LeBron is gone. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are trying to become the best backcourt in the Western Conference. Coincidentally, Damian Lillard and Ja Morant want that designation for themselves. Once again the fortunes and arcs of the teams parallel.
So…do you feel any of the old Blazers-Lakers rivalry welling up inside you today as the 2-0 Blazers meet the 3-0 Lakers? Can this “Dame and Ja vs. Luka and Austin” matchup rise towards the level of the games of old? Does a Portland versus (Beat) L.A. game still hold significance to you? Does it make you mad that a picture of those two Lakers schlumpfs are on the front page of Blazer’s Edge?
Share your thoughts and reflections in the comments section below and join us for our Game Day Thread this evening!
