On Tuesday afternoon, the Orlando Magic stunned the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1, as the 8-seed upset the 1-seed in the East with a thoroughly convincing 122-110 win. There were some that predicted an 8 v. 1 upset on Tuesday, but they were thinking of the Western Conference series between the Lakers and Trail Blazers.
L.A. enters the series having looked off in the Bubble. They didn’t seem to have their rhythm in the seeding round and struggled defensively, an area they’d shined in the regular season prior to the hiatus. Offensively, they were likewise inconsistent, flashing the dominance they’re capable of but never seeming to put it together for 48 minutes. Portland, meanwhile, was among the hottest teams in the Bubble, clawing their way to the 8-seed in the West with a 6-2 record before beating Memphis in a thrilling play-in game.
Damian Lillard is out of his mind right now, earning seeding round MVP honors with his play, which included multiple 50-point outings, and they’re playing unreal offense. As such, they’re a trendy pick to take a few games off of a scuffling Lakers team, and they have the full attention and respect of LeBron James and the Lakers. We know the stars in this series will play a huge role, but for both, the question is what they get from the “others” in the playoffs. We’ll look at a pair of X-factors that could swing what figures to be a more competitive 1-8 series than usual.
Los Angeles Lakers: Alex Caruso
Rondo is cleared but isn’t playing in Game 1, and if Lakers fans had their way, the veteran would never see the floor in this series. The pressure is firmly on Caruso, who figures to draw the Damian Lillard assignment most possessions he’s on the court, to give L.A. high level defense — which he’s more than capable of — but maybe more importantly, some kind of creativity on offense.
The Lakers, if they’re smart, will trap and pressure Lillard to move the ball out of his hands, but Caruso has to be able to lead that pressure without getting into foul trouble given the Lakers lack of backcourt depth. On the other end, LeBron James could use some kind of assistance in carrying the ball-handling and facilitating load, and Caruso figures to be the best bet to give them that, given guys like Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith are not exactly known for their creation for others. Giving LeBron help in that area would be great, but given the amount of energy he figures to expend defending Lillard, it remains to be seen how much he can provide offensively.
Portland Trail Blazers: Gary Trent Jr.
The Blazers biggest weakness entering the Bubble was wing depth with Trevor Ariza not joining them in Orlando. That’s left Carmelo Anthony and Gary Trent Jr. to log major minutes, with the latter exploding to start the seeding round, hitting a preposterous amount of his three-pointers. He’s cooled off of late, going just 7-for-25 from beyond the arc in the last four games, and Portland desperately needs him to make teams pay for sending additional help at Dame and C.J. McCollum.
The Lakers figure to try making anyone other than Dame beat them, with secondary focus on McCollum, and that could leave open looks for Trent. He’s not an especially good defender — as evidenced by the Nets game against Caris LeVert — which means if he’s not knocking down shots he’s not really helping the Blazers. However, he is capable of becoming a flamethrower on the offensive end and that could genuinely tilt a game or two in this series.
