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How the Los Angeles Lakers would easily beat the Blazers in the playoffs

By Addam Goldman

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass under pressure from CJ McCollum of the Portland Trailblazers on January 31, 2020 during their NBA game in Los Angeles. - Trailblazers defeated the Lakers 127-119. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass under pressure from CJ McCollum of the Portland Trailblazers on January 31, 2020 during their NBA game in Los Angeles. - Trailblazers defeated the Lakers 127-119. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

The Los Angeles Lakers starting backcourt vs. the Portland Trail Blazers starting backcourt

Besides proclaiming that the Trail Blazers will beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs, Charles Barkley also said that the Portland backcourt is the second-best in the NBA.

The majority of NBA general managers would take these three Western Conference backcourt duos over McCollum and Lillard for their two-way ability:

  • Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry and Klay Thompson
  • Los Angeles Clippers: Patrick Beverly and Paul George
  • Houston Rockets: James Harden and Russell Westbrook

It’s not even clear if the Trail Blazers backcourt is better than Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Damian Lillard is undoubtedly the best of the bunch, but Chris Paul isn’t far behind, and Shai is a much better two-way player than CJ.

Damian Lillard is a great point guard. He’s averaging 29 PPG and 8 APG, and he’s capable of stealing a game in the playoffs by himself with his jumper. If Kentavious Caldwell-Pope starts at the point guard position for the Lakers in the playoffs, Lillard will toast him. KCP’s defensive field goal percentage (76.2%) is miserable and second-worst on the Lakers. Caldwell-Pope is also last on the Lakers in defensive rating at 110.

Frank Vogel’s not an idiot; he’s one of the best defensive coaches of the last decade. If KCP struggles to slow down Lillard, he’ll have Alex Caruso waiting in the wings, and he won’t hesitate to use him. Caruso’s defense lands on the opposite end of the spectrum vs. KCP’s. Alex is ranked 10 in the NBA in defensive rating (minimum of 15 minutes per game).

Nobody’s going to shut Lillard down, but Alex Caruso is relentless on defense. He’s one of the few guards in the NBA who can bother Portland’s best player.

CJ McCollum has a great movie villain mustache, and his constant scowl is the stuff of legends. However, he is not a great shooting guard.

CJ McCollum, at 6’3,” is an inefficient chucker who took 20 shots per game this season to average 22.5 points.

Danny Green is a better postseason performer than CJ McCollum. Compare both player’s career playoff stats:

  • Danny Green: 3.7 VORP, 6.7 WS, 2.6 BPM, 105 DEFRTG, 40 3P%, 9 postseason appearances
  • CJ McCollum: 1.1 VORP, 2.0 WS, 0.9 BPM, 115 DEFRTG, 39 3P%, 6 postseason appearances

It’s easy to get lost in McCollum’s point average. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past 20 years, it’s that undersized wings struggle in the playoffs.

A modern shooting guard needs to be able to do two things to help his team win in the playoffs: defend the other squad’s best perimeter player, and spread the floor on offense by hitting a high clip from deep. Danny Green does both exceptionally well. Don’t be surprised if Danny Green shuts CJ McCollum down this year (if the Lakers and Trail Blazers meet in the playoffs) and averages more points per game.

Overall, Lillard and McCollum are better than any two players the Lakers will be able to feature in the backcourt, but their edge comes from Damian Lillard’s offensive capabilities.

We mustn’t forget, though, that the Trail Blazers are ranked 27th in the league in defense, primarily because the undersized combination of Lillard and McCollum has trouble stopping their assignments. Lillard and McCollum have scored in bunches this year, but they’ve given up almost as many points on defense.

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