Western Conference | Danny Vinik

The Houston Rockets walked into Portland as a slight underdog, but left the overwhelming favorite to win the series. After a 108-81 victory Saturday night, Houston is now in great position to move on to the next round. Yes, it is only one game, but this was quite a dominant game. Rockets Trail Blazers Basketball

They shot 58.5% from the field and out-rebounded the Trail Blazers 44-30. In every facet of the game, Houston outplayed Portland. No one on Houston played too many minutes (Shane Battier played the most at 37) and so no one was over exerted.

The offense was precise and destructive, but the defense was the star of the game. The Blazers shot just 41.7% from the field and were 1 of 11 from 3-point- range. This wasn’t just a bad shooting performance by Portland. This was a great defensive performance from Houston. Every shot was contested.

LaMarcus Aldridge, who averaged over 18 points a game during the regular season, mad just 3 of his 12 shots and scored only 7 points.
Brandon Roy, the only bright spot for the Blazers, shot 10 of 23 from the field for 21 points, but even that was still below his 22.6 season average. Continue reading “Rockets Make A Statement” →

With over a month of the NBA season complete, the top of the league is a crowded. The usual Western Conference powerhouses, San Antonio, Phoenix, and Dallas, are all up there, but the Eastern Conference is finally making some noise. Detroit is good as always, but Boston and Orlando have burst on to the scene as title contenders. Orlando center Dwight Howard has become one of, if not the best, big man in the NBA. He averages 23 points and 15 rebounds per game, and his supporting players have picked up their play as well. Rashard Lewis is averaging 18 points per game and Jameer Nelson is averaging 12 points and 6 assists. After a 40-42 season last year, Orlando has jumped out to a 18-10 record this year and is poised to make a run at an Eastern Conference title. Continue reading “At The Top of the NBA” →