They’ve met in the playoffs just four times in thirty years (all first-round matchups) so it’s not what you’d call the most storied rivalry, but Blazers-Rockets games have definitely picked up some added intensity this season.
Both teams finished the regular season with records of 54-28, and their four head-to-head matchups showcased some of the best individual performances of the season: LaMarcus Aldridge’s 31 points and 25 rebounds vs. Dwight Howard’s 32 and 17 on Dec. 12; Chandler Parsons’ 31-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist game vs. Aldridge’s 27 and 20 on Jan 20; James Harden’s mammoth 41-point, 10-rebound, six-assist and six-steal performance on Mar 9.
The Rockets ultimately won the season series 3-1, earning home-court in the first round. A fat lot of good it’s done them.
Starting a playoff series on the road is never easy, and the consensus is typically if you can split those first two games, you’ve done your job. Well, it seems the Blazers are workaholics because, not only did they squeak out an overtime win in game one in Houston this past Sunday, but last night they shocked H-town a second time. Now they’re the only Western Conference team with a 2-0 series lead, heading back to the notoriously raucous Moda Center (formerly the Rose Garden) in Portland for games three and four.
The catalyst to the Blazers’ success is their star power forward, LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge is already in elite company in NBA circles. He’s viewed as one of the three best PFs in the league, along with Kevin Love and Blake Griffin, but compared to those two, Aldridge has flown under the radar of most casual fans. It’s safe to say that’s no longer the case.
Following a 46-point, 18-rebound performance in game one with 43 and eight in game two, he joined Kobe Bryant (2001) and LeBron James (2009) as the only active players to score 40-plus in consecutive playoff games. Keeping the good times rolling for a second: He’s scored 89 points in 81 minutes played this series, shot 59.3 percent from the floor and posted a mind-numbing PER of 41.6. Aldridge has been the best player in the league this postseason. Hands down.
Of course, he hasn’t done it all himself. Despite being a little inconsistent against Houston this season, second-year point guard Damian Lillard stepped up huge in game one—his career playoff debut—with 31 points, nine rebounds, six assists and a couple of huge shots down the stretch to force overtime and get the W after Aldridge fouled out late.
Lillard shot just 3-for-14 and had trouble establishing an offensive rhythm in game two, but didn’t let that stop him from being aggressive. He earned 10 of his 18 points at the foul line, and also distributed and rebounded the ball well; finishing with 11 dimes and eight boards, including an offensive rebound late in the fourth quarter to essentially seal the victory. Lillard plays with a composure well beyond—and a feistiness perfectly in tune with—his 23 years and I’d look for him to feed off the frenetic atmosphere in these upcoming home games.
A number of role players have also made key contributions over the first two games—a welcome surprise considering Portland ranked last in the league in bench production this season, at 18.5 ppg. Wesley Matthews has been instrumental, using his size advantage over James Harden to post him up and wear him down on the defensive end and Nic Batum, Mo Williams and Dorell Wright have all stepped up when it counts.
But no matter how difficult they’ve made the road for the Rockets, this series is still far from over. Harden has played nowhere near his potential averaging 22.5 points, four boards and five assists while shooting an atrocious 29.8 percent from the field. Compare that to his regular season averages (25.4 pts, 4.7 rbs and 6.1 asts on a much more respectable 46 percent shooting) and it’s clear we’ve not seen the best of the Beard this series.
Howard has put up some impressive numbers so far. He’s averaging 29.5 points, 14.5 boards and four blocks through the first two games of the series, but he’s doing so on a number of post-up isolation plays that have stymied the flow of Houston’s offense.
The Rockets assembled this team in the offseason to be perennial title contenders and while it’s only year one for them, a first-round loss would be devastating.
Both teams need extra production wherever they can get it, but this series will ultimately be decided by which superstars perform better. Right now, it’s Portland’s duo of Aldridge and Lillard by a landslide.
Game three tips off in Portland on Friday night and, if the first two are any indication, basketball fans should consider the remaining games of this series appointment viewing.