What hopes do all 16 teams have of hopping in the postseason driver's seat? Take a ride with NBA.com as we outline each team's Keys to Success.
MASTER KEY: The Trail Blazers have been somewhat of a soap opera this season, posing more questions than Regis Philbin. Who is the answer? Power forward
Rasheed Wallace. Wallace has more moves than Mayflower in the low post and his end-to-end play (he leads the team in points, rebounds, blocks and field-goal percentage) is invaluable to the Blazers. Now if he could just stay on the floor ...
KEY STOPPER: Also 'Sheed. Wallace's intimidating inside presence cannot be understated, especially in the Western Conference where the four-spot is filled with the likes of
Chris Webber,
Kevin Garnett and
Tim Duncan. Wallace can go to toe-to-toe with any of those big guns, but only when he is on the court. Staying out of foul trouble, technically speaking, maybe more important than any opponent he goes up against.
KEY IN THE KEY: The Blazers have more quality height than any team in recent history, but offseason acquisition
Dale Davis is their most valuable big man after Wallace. Not only does Davis get the big boards (7.5 per game to be exact), but he has plenty of playoff experience from his days with the Pacers. With
Arvydas Sabonis' play limited to short spurts due to sore knees, Davis actually gets more minutes per game.
KEY DISTRIBUTORS: This could be one of the best subplots of the postseason.
Damon Stoudamire is a top-shelf point guard, but ex-Blazers
Rod Strickland was brought back to Portland for the playoff run. Give GM Bob Whitsatt the benefit of the doubt. Where most have seen problems, he has seen potential - and for the most part it has worked. Bringing in Strickland could easily disrupt an already tenuous Blazer chemistry, but Strickland, when he is on, is one of the purest players in the league and is motivated by what he knows may be his last shot at a championship.
 
KEY WIN, KEY VID:
The Blazers went to San Antonio on Feb. 27 and gave the Spurs their own little Alamo. The Blazers came from behind to win on the road 95-87 against the best team in the Western Conference. If Portland can put it together, the rest of the West should be on notice.
Video Highlights:
28.8+ | ISDN+
|
KEY RESERVES: The Blazers have more reserves than the National Guard, so the key reserve will be dictated by individual matchups. Anytime you bring
Steve Smith OFF, repeat OFF, the bench you know a team is stacked. But with
Bonzi Wells out for the year with a torn ACL, Smith will start. So look for the usual suspects -
Dale Davis,
Greg Anthony,
Stacey Augmon and
Rod Strickland - to cause headaches for opposing coaches.
KEY LONG-RANGE GUNNER: Greg Anthony leads the team in three-point field goal percentage at 40.9 percent, but coach Dunleavy will have a hard time finding minutes for him with Stoudamire and Strickland at the ready. Look for
Steve Smith and
Scottie Pippen to shoulder the load and make like F-16's dropping bombs when teams double up on Wallace down low.
KEY IMAGE
Technically Speaking: Usually Rasheed Wallace's game does the talking, but sometimes his talking sends him walking...from the game.
|
KEY INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE: Rasheed Wallace's 33-point performance against the L.A. Lakers on Christmas Day was right out of Santa's bag. Wallace outscored both Shaquille O'Neal and
Kobe Bryant. Rasheed showed that he could keep his cool and could lead his team over the defending NBA champs, on the road no less.
KEY NEWCOMER: Dale Davis' playoff savvy and knack for the loose ball could be the difference for a Blazers team that was oh-so close to going to the NBA Finals last year. Also, with
Shawn Kemp a bit of a question mark, Davis gives the Blazers another big body and six more fouls in the middle.
KEY TIDBIT: The owner of the Blazers is Paul Allen, one of the co-founders of Microsoft and the force behind the Jimi Hendrix-inspired Experience Music Project, which, naturally, begs the question: Are the Blazers experienced? The answer may depend on how they fare against the purple (and gold) haze.
