Los Angeles Lakers: Biggest enemies of the 1990s

3. Portland Trailblazers

Another team that by the early 90’s was trying to take the Lakers place as the best team in the West. The Lakers and Blazers would play four playoff series in the 90’s as well as jockeying for position in the Pacific Division. In 1991 the Blazers ended the Lakers Pacific division title winning streak after 9 seasons.

After battling all year long the two teams would face off in the Western Conference Finals with the Blazers a slight favorite lead by Clyde “The Glide” Drexler. The Lakers would defeat the Blazers in six close games as the Lakers out scored the Blazers in the series by just a three point average.

The thrilling game six came down to the wire as Lakers won 91-90 with Magic Johnson securing a missed Blazers shot with seconds left on the clock. The two teams met again the following year in a bizarre first round playoff where without Magic the Lakers were bounced in four games with game 4 in Las Vegas due to the LA Riots.

The Lakers and Blazers met again in back to back years in 1997-98, both first round series were short 3-1 wins for the Lakers as both teams introduced young players to the rivalry. The Lakers now had Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, while the Blazers had traded for a young Rasheed Wallace. All three players would figure significantly in the NBA for the next decade to come.