Playoffs 2000:Pippen is a gem for Blazers in Game 5

Pippen is a gem for Blazers in Game 5
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Scottie Pippen knew exactly how to inspire the Portland Trail Blazers.

Pippen, darting for loose balls and leading an aggressive charge to the basket, scored 22 points in a 96-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers that staved off elimination from the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night.


	Blazer sparkplug Scottie Pippen dunks Tuesday night.

But it was what Pippen did before the game that caught the eyes of his teammates, showing them the six NBA championship rings he won with the Chicago Bulls.

"He blinded me with those diamonds," Bonzi Wells said.

Then Pippen dazzled the Lakers with his play.

"Pip played his heart out the whole time. He really motivated all of us to take the ball to the hole strong," Brian Grant said. "That's the thing we haven't been doing. We were taking jump shots and got stagnant."

The Lakers still lead the best-of-seven series 3-2. Game 6 is Friday in Portland, where the Blazers lost both games last week.

"It isn't hard to give up on a team that loses two games at home, but we didn't give up and that says something," said Grant, who had nine points and seven rebounds and helped defend Shaquille O'Neal.

Pippen had 12 points in the first quarter despite dislocating two fingers on his left hand in a collision with the Lakers' Robert Horry.

"Scottie's a warrior," Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "I thought he made big plays in the second half going after loose balls. He tracked down a couple of balls that were big possessions for us. He just really wanted it."

In the third quarter -- a troublesome stretch for Portland in the two home losses -- the Blazers stretched an eight-point halftime lead to 13 points. Arvydas Sabonis scored their first six points, then Pippen hit a 3-pointer and followed with a pair of free throws for a 64-57 lead.

"Scottie played well and we tried to follow his lead. He said we've got to play hard and intense out there," said Wells, whose defense contributed to Kobe Bryant's 4-for-13 shooting.

The Blazers ran a lot of bodies at the Lakers, and got contributions from nearly everyone. Rasheed Wallace matched Pippen with 22 points and 10 rebounds. He kept his composure after receiving a technical foul in the first quarter, unlike Game 1 when he was ejected.

Sabonis had 12 points and Steve Smith added 13. Detlef Schrempf, who didn't play in Game 4, had nine points and five rebounds.

"I'm really proud of how we stepped up and responded," Grant said. "Even when it started getting rough out there, we continued to go with it. We didn't blow up, lose our cool or anything to hurt the team."