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Remember last week when Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers beat LeBron James and the Lakers in Game 1 of their first-round series and it seemed like all those predictions of a tough series and possible upset were pretty spot on?
Yeah, that was a good time but all of those hopes for a fun run for Portland are now officially over after what happened Monday night.
LeBron and the Lakers jumped out to a 15-0 lead, and then an awesome 24-8 lead on Kobe Bryant Day, before putting the game away well before the final whistle. The final score was 135-115 but it was much worse than that for Portland.
The Lakers had an 80-51 lead at the break, LeBron had 30 points and 10 assists at the end of the third quarter, and the Trail Blazers lost their star, Lillard, to a right knee injury in the third.
Their Game 4 win now gives the Lakers a 3-1 series lead and erases any doubts about whether this team can get the job done in the bubble and win a title.
Forget about the stories about the Lakers struggling to find their stride in Orlando. Forget about the concerns after that Game 1 loss to Portland. LeBron and the Lakers are the clear favorites and it’s not even close.
The Lakers still have to close this series out, which they’ll do on Wednesday. Then they get to sit back and see what happens to the rest of West, which has seen the Mavs and Thunder giving the Clippers and Rockets all sorts of fits in their respective series, which are both tied up at 2-2.
Throw in Denver being down 3-1 to the Jazz and the West is basically all LeBron’s for the taking and its seems like he’s ready to take it.
Quick hits: Westbrook’s run-in with Thunder… Kobe jerseys sell out in a hurry… Frustrated Harden vs. hand sanitizer… And more!
– Russell Westbrook hasn’t been playing in the Rockets-Thunder series due to an injury but he’s been a leader on the sideline and on Monday he got into with the Thunder during a time out.
– Kobe Bryant’s “Black Mamba” jerseys sold out in a hurry and fans were not happy.
– James Harden took out his frustrations out on a hand-sanitizer dispenser after the Rockets’ Game 4 loss.
– Steven Ruiz explains why the Ravens are going to miss Earl Thomas more than anyone realizes.
– Need some fantasy football advice? Charles Curtis is here with some possible busts that you’ll want to avoid.