Those are the words uttered in thriller suspense movie “Marathon Man” starring Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman. “Is It Safe ?”: And if one can remember the scene whereby the villain of the piece Olivier an on the run Nazi war criminal subjects his prisoner Hoffman to some undue torture by way of drilling into his tooth with a drill.
What then follows is an unseemingly tortuous scene that one can only lament. As too was last night’s abysmal showing by the Los Angeles Lakers in their loss to the Portland Trailblazers. No matter which way you slice and dice it , analyze it or whatever. This may well have been the Lakers’ worst regular season display. And one might question the fact that there’d been a skirmish during the game between the two teams. But it oughtn’t to excuse the fact that they were handed their heads on a silver platter. And if nothing else it proves the point that the assumption being made that they possess the deepest bench in the league can no longer be justified. Based on last night’s performance they were anemic to say the very least.
As for the Trailblazers they’re proving to be a very young , hungry and tough team. Whatever they’re lacking in inexperience they’re more than making up for with their very determined displays. To my mind they are indeed the surprise team within the NBA this season and the fact that they’re now locked in a two way tie within their division alongside the Utah Jazz (40-23). It shows the progress that they’re now making under coach Nate McMillan. He’s providing the stability needed and the players themselves are buying into the thought process and teachings. If nothing else it has proved that this team though not yet tried and tested they’re now proving that they’re capable of contending with the best. Whether or not they can convert that into anything sustentative remains to be seen. At this juncture they’re trying to play themselves into the playoffs and garner a postseason berth.
In Brandon Roy the Portland Trailblazers possess one of the better young players within the NBA. And this season he proved that point by him being named to the All Star roster of the Western Conference for the NBA midseason showcase event. But it’s not just Roy alone that one has to be impressed with on this team. The roster has a nucleus that should they remain together over the next five or six years can contend for numerous championships. But that’d be predicated upon the desires of the hierarchy within the organization and the financial constraints that they would be under. If nothing else this team has become a pleasure to watch as they set about doing things the right way. They play with a zest and zeal not often seen in such a young and inexperienced team.
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