PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Series tied 3-3


Game 1: Los Angeles 109, Portland 94
Game 2: Portland 106, Los Angeles 77
Game 3: Los Angeles 93, Portland 91
Game 4: Los Angeles 103, Portland 91
Game 5: Portland 96, Los Angeles 88
Game 6: Portland 103, Los Angeles 93
Game 7: at Los Angeles, Sunday, June 4, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC

ISIAH'S SERIES OUTLOOK
    The Blazers are deeper and have better overall talent than the Lakers, but individually none of the Blazers is a better player than any of the Lakers' Big Three of Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice.
    In head-to-head meetings this season, Shaq outscored Blazers' center Arvydas Sabonis by nearly 10 points and outrebounded him by six boards. But that's where the Lakers' frontcourt dominance ended as Rasheed Wallace and Scottie Pippen did just about anything they pleased against A.C. Green and Rice.
    The Blazers are a more talented version of the Kings, which means the Lakers will once again get hit hard where they are the weakest--defending quick point guards, jump-shooting centers and active power forwards.
    Damon Stoudamire, who plays a quicker and more controlled point guard than does Jason Williams of the Kings, has the speed to beat Ron Harper off the dribble as well as the strength to drive the middle.
    Sabonis, who is a better passer and outside shooter than the Kings' Vlade Divac, can go out to the perimeter and nail the jumper, forcing Shaq out from under the basket to guard him. Getting O'Neal outside opens up the middle and offers the Blazers the perfect scenario to run the pick-and-roll with Sabonis and Stoudamire.
    On any given night, Wallace can raise his game to the level of the Kings' Chris Webber and the Lakers already were exposed as having no answer for Webber in the first round of the playoffs. The Lakers' power forward combination of Green and Robert Horry struggled mightily this season against Wallace, who averaged 17 points and nine rebounds in three games.
    The Lakers struggled on the road in the first two rounds of the playoffs, going 1-3. That has to be a concern to them. But I still think the Blazers will have a tougher time winning a game in Los Angeles than the Lakers will in Portland.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
    Lakers: Glen Rice. He's the third option on offense and I think to win the Lakers need a third option. I don't feel they can beat the Blazers with just Shaq and Kobe carrying the scoring load. Rice must shoot better than he did against Phoenix in the second round when he hit just 31 percent of his shots from the field.
    Trail Blazers: Brian Grant. Maybe Grant's not as talented as Wallace, but his energy at both ends of the floor, coupled with the Lakers deficiency at power forward, makes him a threat to have a big series. Grant is also playing his best basketball of the season.

ISIAH'S INTANGIBLES
    The play of Kobe Bryant. Given Bryant's athleticism, I think he can win his matchup with Pippen offensively. But Kobe's never been to the conference finals before so he hasn't seen firsthand just how hot it can get. Pippen will turn up the heat defensively against Bryant. And pressure like that makes players react in different ways. So it's going to be up to Bryant to stay within the confines of his offensive game and generate points without doing too much one-on-one stuff. It all comes down to sustaining concentration in a heated environment and Kobe hasn't been tested like that yet.

ISIAH'S OUTCOME
Players usually decide a series, but in this case the Lakers' coaching staff of Phil Jackson, Bill Bertka, Tex Winter, Frank Hamblen and Jim Cleamons--one of the most experienced staffs in the NBA--will make the difference. They will leave no stone unturned in their preparation and there won't be any situations that arise during a game that they won't react to and try to work to their advantage. With coaching like this, I like the Lakers in seven.

SEASON RECORDS
Trail Blazers: 59-23 (2nd in Pacific Division)
Lakers: 67-15 (1st in Pacific Division)

SEASON SERIES
Series tied 2-2
Nov. 6: at Portland 97, Los Angeles 82. Lakers' first loss after opening season with two victories; Shaq leads Lakers with 21 points before being ejected early in fourth with second technical foul; Scottie Pippen leads Blazers with 19 points, eight boards, five assists.
Dec. 3: at Los Angeles 93, Portland 80. Kobe comes off bench in second game since returning from injured list to score game-high 23 points; Pippen held to five points and Portland shoots just 34 percent from floor; Shaq has 16 rebounds and Blazers as a team outrebounded by 15; Damon Stoudamire has 23 points.
Jan. 22: Portland 95, at Los Angeles 91. The Lakers blow 10-point lead in fourth in losing, marking their biggest advantage squandered this season in a defeat; Shaq held to 17 points; Portland's starters score 91 of the team's 95 points; Steve Smith leads Blazers with 27 points.
Feb. 29: Los Angeles 90, at Portland 87. Game marks the NBA's first-ever contest between two teams riding 11-game victory streaks; Shaq posts his 46th double-double of season with 23 points and 10 rebounds; Lakers' bench contributes 25 points; Pippen leads Blazers with 19 points; triumph gives Lakers sole possession of first place in Pacific Division and best record in NBA.

HEAD-TO-HEAD PLAYOFF HISTORY
1998: Lakers won 3-1 (First round)
1997: Lakers won 3-1 (First round)
1992: Trail Blazers won 3-1 (First round)
1991: Lakers won 4-2 (Western Conference finals)
1989: Lakers won 3-0 (First round)
1985: Lakers won 4-1 (Western Conference semifinals)
1983: Lakers won 4-1 (Western Conference semifinals)
1977: Trail Blazers won 4-0 (Western Conference semifinals)

KEY INJURIES
Trail Blazers
No significant injuries
Lakers
No significant injuries

VEGAS ODDS TO WIN NBA TITLE
Trail Blazers: 3-5
Lakers: 4-5

STARTING LINEUPS
Trail Blazers
F Scottie Pippen: 12.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.0 apg, .451 FG%, .715 FT%
F Rasheed Wallace: 16.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, .519 FG%, .699 FT%
C Arvydas Sabonis: 11.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.18 bpg, .504 FG%, .840 FT%
G Steve Smith: 14.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 apg, .462 FG%, .851 FT%
G Damon Stoudamire: 12.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.2 apg, .429 FG%, .841 FT%

Lakers
F Glen Rice: 15.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, .430 FG%, .874 FT%
F A.C. Green: 5.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, .447 FG%, .695 FT%
C Shaquille O'Neal: 29.7 ppg, 13.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, 3.03 bpg, .574 FG%, .524 FT%
G Kobe Bryant: 22.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.0 apg, .469 FG%, .822 FT%
G Ron Harper: 7.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, .399 FG%, .680 FT%

TOP BENCH PLAYERS
Trail Blazers
F Brian Grant: 7.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, .490 FG%, .671 FT%
G Bonzi Wells: 8.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, .490 FG%, .672 FT%

Lakers
F Rick Fox: 6.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, .414 FG%, .808 FT%
F Robert Horry: 5.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.05 bpg .438 FG%, .788 FT%

OFFENSE/DEFENSE NBA RANKING
Trail Blazers: 17/3
Lakers: 7/4

COACHES
Trail Blazers: Mike Dunleavy (348-358 overall; 24-20 playoffs).
Lakers: Phil Jackson (612-208 overall; 114-43 playoffs).

FIRST-ROUND RESULTS

Portland beats Minnesota 3-1

Game 1: Portland 91, Minnesota 88
Game 2: Portland 86, Minnesota 82
Game 3: Minnesota 94, Portland 87
Game 4: Portland 85, Minnesota 77

LA beats Sacramento 3-2

Game 1: Los Angeles 117, Sacramento 107
Game 2: Los Angeles 113, Sacramento 89
Game 3: Sacramento 99, Los Angeles 91
Game 4: Sacramento 101, Los Angeles 88
Game 5: Los Angeles 113, Sacramento 86

SECOND-ROUND RESULTS

Portland beats Utah 4-1

Game 1: Portland 94, Utah 75
Game 2: Portland 103, Utah 85
Game 3: Portland 103, Utah 84
Game 4: Utah 88, Portland 85
Game 5: Portland 81, Utah 79

LA beats Phoenix 4-1

Game 1: Los Angeles 105, Phoenix 77
Game 2: Los Angeles 97, Phoenix 96
Game 3: Los Angeles 105, Phoenix 99
Game 4: Phoenix 117, Los Angeles 98
Game 5: Los Angeles 87, Phoenix 65