Roy, No, Roy
After watching playoff football all day, it’s hard to get excited about this Sunday night match-up against the Blazers sans Brandon Roy. Roy’s one of the young players in the league I enjoy watching the most, and definitely the Blazers’ go-to guy down the stretch. I was really looking forward to this game, because I think the Blazers will be the Lakers primary rival in the West (along with the Hornets and Jazz) for the next five years or so. Without Roy it’s just not the same.
Nonetheless, the Lakers have a chance to continue their home-winning streak and remain undefeated in their Sunday whites. I’ll be watching Rudy Fernandez, a Spanish national team teammate of Pau Gasol’s and a high-flying, sharpshooting young baller. Travis Outlaw is another young Blazer to keep an eye on.
As for the Lakers, it will be interesting to see if they can keep their focus even though Roy didn’t make the trip to Los Angeles. I could see our guys letting their guards down and coasting a bit. Here’s hoping that isn’t the case.
