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By the time the Los Angeles Lakers play their next game, it will be six days since their last game: a 131-122 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers that secured their spot in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Lakers lost the first game of that series to the Trail Blazers 100-93, but it was their only loss of the series. After their loss, they won four straight games and held the Trail Blazers 7.3 points below their regular season offensive rating. They were dominant.
“I think our first round was great,” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said after practice on Wednesday. “Portland is a great team, Dame and CJ is a great backcourt in this league, so they gave us a good taste of what it will be like in the playoffs.”
The biggest question for the Lakers going forward (now that they know who they’ll be playing against) is whether or not the six-day break will be beneficial to them or not. The fact is, they won’t know until they show up on the court again, but they feel good about where they are.
“It gives us some time to rest from that first series,” Caldwell-Pope said. “That was a difficult match. There were a lot of bumps and bruises that we had, so it gave us plenty of time to recover and control them by being 100% healthy. It also gives us a fresh mind, a fresh approach heading into the second round. “
But they are also aware of the downsides that breaking up could bring.
“It depends on your roster,” Danny Green said. “Obviously we have a larger crew. I think it helps us. At the same time, you want to keep up. I think most teams want to keep playing and keep up, but for the older groups, I think it benefits them more than any other to have a few days off, to be able to relax a bit, to take a break, especially in this type circumstances, where there are not many leaks. “
The Lakers will have a light practice without a contract on Thursday after having a full practice on Wednesday, according to Frank Vogel. Then, on Friday at 6 pm PT, the Lakers will take the court for Game 1 of their second-round series with the Rockets.
Buckle up, everyone. It should be fun.
For more The KUsers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast at iTunes, Spotify, Stapler or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.
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