The Los Angeles Lakers were great all season long on both sides of the ball and ended with the best record in the Western Conference. But as you’ll hear about a thousand times between now and Tuesday’s Game 1, the Portland Trail Blazers are not your typical 8th seed. In a story by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, an NBA scout likened the Blazers talent level to that of a 4 or 5 seed rather than the 8th seed they are, largely because they played the majority of their season without their starting frontcourt.
“[The Blazers] have defensive issues, which is a reason they are the 8-[seed] at the end of the day,” one league scout said. “From an overall talent and experience standpoint, they are probably a 4- or 5-seed masquerading as an 8.”
The Blazers went 6-2 in the seeding games and have posted the highest-scoring offense so far in the bubble. But their defense on the wing is a little lighter, as they are without Trevor Ariza and are relying heavily on Carmelo Anthony at small forward. But they have real size on the interior now, that coupled with their guard play, will likely make this series a little bit more competitive than a 1-8 typically is.
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