The Los Angeles Lakers were again flat, but this time it cost them a playoff game as they dropped Game 1 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers can look to a lot of areas to explain the loss, but the most apparent is the awful shooting from beyond the arc where they shot a brutal 5-of-32 (or 15.6%, tied for the second-worst in playoff history with a minimum of 30 attempts) from three-point land.
“We had some great looks, just didn’t knock ’em down,” Lakers LeBron James said, according to Mark Medina of USA TODAY Sports. “Nothing you can say about it. We’ve created a lot of great looks, just wasn’t able to make ’em fall.”
“You’ve got to erase your memory. That’s part of being confident,” Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma said. “If you miss 10 in a row, or you make 10 in a row, you’ve got to forget about them and keep shooting them. I like to say, ‘Just shoot until you get hot,’ and I think we have that capability.”
Despite the terrible start to the series, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel believes that the shots will eventually land.
“Remain patient,” Vogel said. “Trust the percentages, law of averages and continue to work with our guys on identifying the right shots and remaining calm.”
The Lakers will have another shot (no pun intended) in Game 2 on Thursday, where they will attempt to even the series with Portland.
