Tied 2-2, each team winning once on the road. O'Neal was ejected from the teams' first meeting in early November at Portland, a 15-point Blazers' victory, and Bryant came off the bench to score nine straight point down the stretch in early December as the Lakers won by 13 at home. Smith scored 27, Stoudamire had 22 and the Blazers held O'Neal to 17 in a 95-91 victory at Los Angeles in late January. O'Neal, despite not scoring more than 23 points in any of the teams' four regular-season games, has historically thrived against Sabonis. Rice, still a terrific shooter, will inevitably be left open on the perimeter as the Blazers double-team O'Neal.
Depth is a huge advantage.
Portland has nine players who can hurt the Lakers. The tandem of Wallace and Grant gives the Blazers a big edge at power forward, and Sabonis, a 3-point threat, can open up the middle for them by drawing O'Neal away from the basket. Stoudamire has been able to score against the Lakers, and Portland won six straight at home against Los Angeles before losing on Feb. 29. The first true test of whether the Lakers are championship material. Alaska Australia Brit.