The Lakers held Portland to the fewest point total (76) in the history of their rivalry. The previous low total was 79 points. How did they do it?
“We talked to each other, we helped each other,” point guard Jordan Farmar said. “Defense is a team thing. I learned that at UCLA. You have to hold every person accountable. It has to be all five working at the same time, rotating, shifting and making it tough on them.”
The Trailblazers noticed.
“ I think they just bought into what he (Phil Jackson) is telling them. I don’t know if individually they really got better, but they really believe in their system,” Blazers forward Channing Frye said. “That’s the same thing that happened in Boston. I mean, who thought Ray Allen or Paul Pierce were like that. But it’s their defensive system and they’ve stuck with it and got a lot of their offense through that.”
The Blazers shot just 34.5 percent on the night.
“You look at a lot of possessions and there was nothing open on the floor,” Farmar said. “You give up nothing but contested jumpshots and you’re going to win more times than not.”
