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SI's Marty Burns' Breakdown
Portland		Los Angeles
Arvydas Sabonis (7-foot-3, 292 pounds) has the size and strength to battle Shaq on defense. At the other end, he's a clever passer and facilitator who makes the Blazers' offense click. He must avoid foul trouble and make outside shots to pull Shaq out of the lane.	CENTER The Edge:	Shaquille O'Neal is still the game's dominant force, averaging 28.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 57 percent. If he gets his deep touches, there's nothing Sabonis or anybody can do to stop him. Lately he's even been making his foul shots at a 60 percent clip.
Rasheed Wallace and Scottie Pippen have the potential to do serious damage to the Lakers. Wallace (19.9 points, 7.8 rebounds) is Portland's leading scorer and rebounder, and he should have little trouble with Horace Grant. Though Pippen doesn't put up great numbers anymore, he's still a 6-foot-7 defensive menace who knows L.A.'s triangle offense better than most of its players. If Wallace keeps his cool, and Pippen can wreak havoc on D, the Blazers will have a chance.	FORWARDS The Edge:	At age 35, Horace Grant probably won't fare much better against the youthful Wallace than last year's power forward, A.C. Green, did. However, Grant is a savvy player who knows what it takes to win. He'll also knock down enough open shots to keep 'Sheed honest on defense. Rick Fox is a hard-nosed defender who can guard either Pippen or Steve Smith, allowing Kobe to take the hotter hand, and a guy who will make big shots at critical times.
Damon Stoudamire is the kind of cat-quick scoring point guard that gives the Lakers fits, as he showed in one of Portland's victories over L.A. earlier this season. However, he's streaky, and he can shoot the Blazers out of the game as quickly as he shoots them in. Steve Smith, back in the starting lineup for the injured Bonzi Wells, is a proven scorer (13.6 points) and post-up threat. However, he's limited by chronically bad knees, and thus will likely be assigned to guard Fox most of the time, leaving Pippen to chase Bryant.	GUARDS The Edge:	Back after missing several games with foot and ankle injuries, Bryant looked nearly his old self in the Lakers' final tuneups before the playoffs. He's still the team's go-to guy in the clutch and its best perimeter defender. He'll need to make Pippen stay home on defense, while remembering to share the ball with Shaq. Derek Fisher might not be a big-name point guard, but his return after missing the first four months with a foot injury, was a huge key to L.A.'s turnaround. He's the only Laker guard quick enough to defend Stoudamire, and he's hitting 39.7 percent from downtown.
The Blazers' vaunted bench has been thinned by the absences of Wells (knee injury) and Shawn Kemp (drug rehab). Still, Portland has four talented reserves in Stacey Augmon, Dale Davis, Rod Strickland and Greg Anthony. Augmon's defense on Bryant could be a crucial factor, as will Davis' ability to keep Shaq off the glass. Strickland could be a factor if Stoudamire is unable to get Portland into a consistent transition game.	BENCH The Edge:  Even	Just like last year, Brian Shaw, Robert Horry, Mike Penberthy and Mark Madsen won't make opponents cower with fear. But like last year's championship squad, they can get the job done. Shaw must step up and provide solid defense in place of the injured Ron Harper, while Horry must continue his history of hitting big postseason shots. Penberthy's ability to keep the floor spaced for Shaq will be crucial, but he's vulnerable on defense against Stoudamire.
Fair or not, Mike Dunleavy will get most of the blame for the Blazers' disappointing performance this season. He has a chance to silence the critics here, but he's going to need a creative game plan to stop Shaq & Co. So far he hasn't shown any indication he's got such tricks up his sleeve.	COACH The Edge:	Phil Jackson took some criticism this season for his handling of the Shaq/Kobe feud, but he still guided the Lakers to a 56-26 record and the Pacific Division crown. His teams have defeated Dunleavy-coached squads in the '91 Finals and last year's Western Conference finals.
Despite losing 14 of their past 22 games, the Blazers say they are ready for a fresh start. They also say they want to avenge last year's Game 7 debacle to the Lakers in the conference finals. But the loss of Wells was a severe blow, and over the past two weeks they've looked like a team ready to pack it in.	INTANGIBLES The Edge:	After a turbulent season marked by the nasty Kobe/Shaq feud, the Lakers seem to have put their issues behind them and renewed their focus. L.A. enters the playoffs riding a season-high eight-game win streak, with its two superstars meshing nicely. If they jump on Portland early, they could make it a short series.
Like never before, the fragile Blazers need the volcanic Wallace to act like a leader. Not only must he dominate on the stat sheet and avoid silly technicals, but he also must set a positive tone for his teammates. If he gets thrown out or causes a scene, Portland will unravel.	'X' FACTOR The Edge:	With Harper sidelined, Bryant's defense against the pick-and-roll figures to be crucial. However, he has been bothered by sore ankles much of the season. Any recurrence of his injuries could limit his mobility and expose L.A.'s slow-reacting defense.
Burns' Prediction: Lakers in 3