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Refuse to lose Blazers insist they merely handed over Game 3
Posted: Sunday May 28, 2000 02:55 AM
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The Portland Trail Blazers tried to keep their spirits high Saturday by insisting that they didn't lose Game 3, but simply handed it over to the Los Angeles Lakers. Down 2-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals, the Blazers refuse to acknowledge that they're in trouble against the Lakers. And they don't plan to make many changes for Game 4 on Sunday afternoon. "We're not going to put any pressure on ourselves," said Scottie Pippen. "We're not going into this next game thinking that our backs are to the wall. We just have to go out and outplay this team, which I felt we've done this whole series but just haven't capitalized." The momentum has shifted wildly in this series. Following a 15-point defeat in Game 1, the Blazers blew out the Lakers by 29 on Monday night. After a four-day layoff, Portland resumed its intensity and took a 55-45 halftime lead Friday night before the Lakers rallied. The Blazers turned the ball over six times in the third quarter, and Los Angeles went on a 20-6 run to take control. Shaquille O'Neal, who outscored Blazers center Arvydas Sabonis 13-0 in the period, was intentionally fouled with 16.9 seconds left and made both free throws to give the Lakers a 72-71 lead. They didn't trail again. Portland had a chance to tie at the end, but Kobe Bryant blocked Sabonis' finger-roll attempt in the lane to preserve the 93-91 victory. "I'd rather be blown out than lose by two points," Portland's Rasheed Wallace said. "We'll be all right. We've just got to cut down on our turnovers, and we'll be cool." Friday night's loss was the Blazers' first in six home playoff games, and they fully expect to return to Staples Center for Game 5 tied again. "The longer the series goes, the better our chances are going to be because we feel like we do the things that are necessary to give this team a hard time and to beat them," backup point guard Greg Anthony said. The Lakers, having achieved their goal of earning at least a split at the Rose Garden, expect a relentless effort from the Blazers on Saturday. "They're going to be upset," O'Neal said. "They're going to be pumped up, and they're probably going to play an excellent ball game. But I think if we can play an excellent ball game also, we'll be fine." "We don't want to give them anything," Bryant said. "We're going to come out and try to take it from them and play like our season's on the line." The Blazers might be forced to have Pippen relinquish some of his duties double-teaming O'Neal and focus more on defending Bryant, who repeatedly made jumpers over the smaller Damon Stoudamire. Portland also can't count on Bryant getting five fouls, which limited him on defense and allowed the Blazers to further exploit a size advantage by posting up bigger guards on him. "If I'm not in foul trouble, they're not going to be able to do that," Bryant said. Of the officiating, Bryant said: "Some of the calls that I get, with all the physical play that's going on, it's kind of tough. "Apparently they don't know I'm first-team all-defense yet."
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