The Lakers now seem disjointed, yet West remains optimistic as he tells his players in the locker room that the series has just begun.
"Don't expect to beat the Trail Blazers in four or five games to reach the finals, but the Trail Blazers shouldn't think they can easily beat us either."
"Prepare for a very tough series, six games, or even seven. Then, the initiative will be in our hands."
Jerry West urges everyone on the Lakers to brace for a marathon fight; from past performances, it's clear that a swift victory is impossible.
Jackson pulls West into the office to vent his frustrations; years of being dominated by the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan have left him incoherent.
West quietly watches Jackson "go crazy," recalling the last coach driven mad by Gan Guoyang: Pat Riley.
Perhaps madness is the fate of Lakers coaches over these fifteen years, in the darkness without prospects and pathways, madness is the alternative to extinction.
