On the night the Lakers were honoring Kobe Bryant in their Black Mamba jerseys, they surely hoped to provide an unforgettable performance. The Los Angeles Lakers had a 2-1 lead over the Portland Trail Blazers and were looking to extend that to a two-game win streak. After Game 2, it seemed playoff LeBron James was in full swing. Once James has the championship mindset, it is hard for any superstar or team to stop him.
The Trail Blazers were hoping to stay alive in the series and pull out an all-important win in Game 4. In order for Portland to stand a chance against Los Angeles, they needed to adjust to the Lakers’ style of play and be more physical. Portland head coach, Terry Stotts, said after Game 3, “We have to do a better job of adjusting to playoff basketball.” While the Lakers have been anticipating a playoff run for months now, that was not necessarily the case for the Trail Blazers until recently.
The Lakers took a quick 15-0 lead over the Trail Blazers in the first 4 minutes of the game. LeBron and the Lakers looked unstoppable making basket after basket, while Portland continued to struggle. Los Angeles took an outstanding 18-point lead after the first quarter as the Lakers went up 43-25.
Either Los Angeles brought the fire in Game 4 or Portland did not work on their playoff mentality because the Lakers’ lead continued to grow in the second quarter. By the end of the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers took a commanding 80-51 lead, the first time Portland had allowed more than 70 points by an opponent this season. LeBron had 22 points in the first half, while Damian Lillard seemed to struggle with only 9 points. With the Trail Blazers’ star player not on his A-game, it seemed like a win for this 8-seed was nearly impossible.
Second Half
After a rough first half, the Trail Blazers needed a miracle to take Game 4. Los Angeles kept a consistent 30-point lead during the third quarter. James was well on his way to another fantastic playoff performance with 30 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds by the end of the third. Although the Lakers continued to pile on points, they lost a key player in the quarter. Anthony Davis went out of the game with a back injury and did not return.
A worn-down Trail Blazers team simply couldn’t keep up with the championship driven Lakers. As if the night wasn’t already headed downhill, Portland’s star player, Damian Lillard, was ruled out with a knee injury in the third quarter and would not return for the game. With a 25-point lead, the game was a runaway for Los Angeles.
Even with Anthony Davis ruled out of the game and LeBron James sitting for the entire fourth quarter, the Lakers dominated yet again to take home Game 4 with a final score of 135-115. Notably on 8/24, JR Smith tied a record with the great Kobe Bryant on a very special night for 9th most 3-pointers in NBA history. Now taking a series lead of 3-1, the Trail Blazers have a lot to make up for if they want to make a championship run, considering how difficult it is to come back from that kind of deficit – just ask LeBron. Mamba mentality was certainly present Monday night, and Kobe would’ve been very proud of his team’s performance. Game 5 and quite possibly the last game of the series goes down on Wednesday night.
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