“These were the Lakers, a dream team recalibrated: Bryant and O’Neal in their primes, Gary Payton and Karl Malone in the twilight of their careers, heavy favorites to win the franchise’s fourth title in five years.
Billups is going to need all the leadership skills he can muster in Portland.
Portland had become so reliant on its starting guards, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, for its scoring that other players’ talents were often not fully realized.