Roy in The Rose too much for Lakers

The Portland Trail Blazers have had great success against the L.A. Lakers in the Rose Garden dating back to 2005. Eight straight wins instilled a confidence and swagger into Blazer fans as Kobe Bryant and the Lakers came to town. "Beat L.A." signs were resting on every seat throughout the sold out arena. Fans also had their own clever signs, which were showcased throughout the evening. For the Laker fans brave enough to show up in purple and yellow, they were booed the entire evening. Coming from New York, Blazer fans earn my respect for their passion and energy.

Most teams don't enjoy playing the best team in the league, others bring their game to the next level. Portlandis one of those teams. Behind Brandon Roy's 32 points on 9-11 shooting, a huge effort from Jerryd Bayless (21 points) off the bench and solid efforts from Andre Miller, Martell Webster and Juwan Howard, the Blazers won easy 107-98. This was an example of the final score not being a true indication of the ease of victory. Bryant finished with 32 to match Roy, but did so on 14-37 shooting. The Blazer defense frustrated Bryant who didn't seem to get to the basket as easy as usual. His jumpers were as smooth as ever and he made a number of plays only he makes, but he also settled for a lot of tough shots. He only took four free throws the entire game, which you know irritated him. It wasn't his night. It was Portland's.

I was unaware of how strongly Portland fans dislike Bryant. They hate him the way Spike Lee hates Reggie Miller. The way Red Sox fans hate Alex Rodriguez. The way Packers fans now hate Brett Favre. Well, Portland hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday night in what should be another high energy game in the Rose Garden. The Blazers will again try to control one of the NBA's elite players in LeBron James, but I have a feeling he will receive a less hostile reception. I do not expect a standing ovation, nor do I expect the barrage of boos. James is a completely opposite personality compared to Bryant, he also plays a very different game. He also isn't in the western conference. Bryant lures you to him with his head fakes and jumpers, then he blows by you once you're off balance. He seldom thinks pass first. James is tremendous without the ball, is constantly looking to incorporate his team and is the best in the league at getting to the bucket. He doesn't need to use the triple head fake, fade away jumper like Bryant does early in most games. I expect James to get the ball on his first possession and drive straight to the rim. That's his game; power and intelligence.

I think Sunday's game will be closer in the fourth quarter, I don't expect Portland to ever be ahead by twenty points. The Cavs have a healthy Shaquille O'neal and Anderson Varejao to bang down low and a slew of guards that can hit 3's. James will match up against Webster who will have his work cut out for him. If the Blazers want to be considered more than a first round playoff team, these are the games they need to continue to show up and play hard in. Sunday should be a good one.