tlongII
04-24-2014, 08:46 AM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2014/04/lamarcus_aldridge_powers_trail_blazers_to_stunning .html
http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/pgmain/img/oregonian/photo/2014/04/-dc0db4fac59bd190.jpg
HOUSTON — When LaMarcus Aldridge scanned his cell phone following yet another remarkable performance against the Houston Rockets, there was a special text message waiting for him from his oldest son, Jaylen.
“He texted me and he said I looked like Spider-Man ...” Aldridge said, laughing.
It was that kind of night for the Blazers’ superstar, and it’s been that kind of series for the Trail Blazers, who stunned the Rockets 112-105 before a sellout crowd of 18,331 Wednesday night at the Toyota Center.
The franchise that hasn’t won a playoff series since 2000 moved one step closer to dismissing that depressing reality, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in its best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series against the Rockets. And the catalyst behind the surprise was Aldridge, who followed up his brilliant Game 1 performance with an equally breathtaking effort in Game 2.
The three-time All-Star recorded 43 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, while making 18 of 28 shots, torching any and every defense the Rockets threw his way. After his incredible opener — he finished with 46 points and 18 rebounds — the Rockets flashed a variety of different defensive tactics, showing him an occasional double team and rotating behemoth centers Dwight Howard and Omer Asik on him to force him out of the paint, where he so badly burned the Rockets in Game 1.
But it didn’t matter what Houston did, Aldridge answered. He did most of his scoring from the perimeter on Wednesday, showcasing his patented and pretty midrange jumper over and over. Thirteen of Aldridge's 18 field goals came from beyond 11 feet.
He started hot, scoring 11 points in the first quarter, but was consistent throughout, recording 12 in the second quarter and 16 in the third, when the Blazers built as large as a nine-point lead. As he went, so went the Blazers. Lillard, who used words like “discouraging” and “draining” to describe what an individual performance like Aldridge’s can do to an opposing team, said he could sense the Rockets withering as Aldridge conquered.
“What can they do to stop him?,” Lillard said, when asked what he was thinking as he marveled at his teammate’s big night. “He was hitting tough fadeaways, getting into the lane, getting guys into the air, drawing guys. He was great once again, just like Game 1. He really carried our team. He played like an MVP again.”
In two games against the Rockets, Aldridge has recorded 89 points, 26 rebounds and made 35 of 59 field goals (59.3 percent). The red-hot play has been historic, drawing comparisons to some of the NBA all-time greats.
The 89 points in the first two playoff games are more than all but two players — Michael Jordan (1986, 1988) and Jerry West (1965) — have recorded in the last 50 years. Aldridge is the first player to record back-to-back 40-point games in the playoffs since LeBron James (2009) and he’s the first player with at least 80 points and 15 rebounds in the first two playoff games of a series since Jordan in 1997. Aldridge also is first player to record at least 43 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in a playoff game since Shaquille O'Neal in 2001.
What's more, Aldridge is the only player in franchise history with back-to-back 40-point playoff outings and he owns two of the Blazers’ seven 40-point performances overall.
“It’s an honor,” a humbled Aldridge said of being mentioned with such acclaimed players. “Because those are definitely big-time guys, big-time names — Hall of Famers. So to even be in the same breath as those guys, it’s an honor for me.”
And the Blazers needed every ounce of Aldridge’s production. Early on, it looked like the Rockets — most notably Howard — were motivated to make up for their Game 1 meltdown. Howard was a beast in the first half, equaling Aldridge’s brilliance with a jaw-dropping night of his own. He scored the Rockets’ first 13 points and had 25 by halftime, churning up the Blazers’ interior defense with powerful dunks and pretty post moves.
But unlike the Rockets on Aldridge, the Blazers were able to slow Howard down. He missed seven shots in a row after his hot start and became a non-factor as Portland's double-teams proved effective and Robin Lopez, Joel Freeland and Aldridge did enough to stall him in one-on-one coverage. Howard finished with 32 points and 14 rebounds, but after making 11 of his first 13 shots, he made just 2 of 9 the rest of the night.
Meanwhile, James Harden continued his ice-cold series. After missing the most field goals in his career in Game 1, Harden made just 6 of 19 shots on Wednesday, finishing with a modest 18 points and four assists. Over the first two games, Harden is just 14 of 47 from the field (30 percent) as Wesley Matthews, with some help here and there from Nicolas Batum, has neutralized the All-NBA shooting guard.
As he fizzled, so to did the Rockets' vaunted three-point shooting, which is so critical to their success. Houston made just 3 of 13 long-range shots as the Blazers' focus on allowing only tough, contested, three-point looks paid dividends.
“Right now, we’re not in a great rhythm as a team,” Houston coach Kevin McHale said. “And we’d better get there. We didn’t get enough clean looks from the three-point line.”
As a result, the Blazers became just the second team in franchise history to begin a playoff series with two road wins, joining the 1977 championship team that did so in the Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In addition to Aldridge’s heroics, the Blazers enjoyed a host of contributions from a host of key players. Lillard struggled from the field (3-for-14) but he made up for it with a cool and composed floor game and timely free throw shooting. He finished with 18 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds and made 9 of 10 fourth-quarter free throws to seal the win down the stretch.
The Blazers’ bench also was difference-making, outscoring the Rockets’ backups 30-13. as Dorell Wright finished with 15 points on 4-for-5 shooting, equaled his playoff career-high in scoring and and Mo Williams — who was so shaky in Game 1 — rebounded with an effective 13-point, 4-for-8 shooting night.
But make no mistake, the Blazers would not be heading back to Portland with a 2-0 lead over the Rockets if not for Aldridge.
After the game, as a sea of red-clad Houston fans slowly made their way from courtside seats to the exits, Aldridge stood in the background with a television camera and TNT microphone thrust in his face.
After completing the television interview — which had surprisingly eluded him after Game 1 — Aldridge sauntered to the visiting locker room and eventually pulled out his phone, scanning for the message from Jaylen. Aldridge's oldest celebrated his 5th birthday Wednesday with a win — and another incredible outing from dad.
“These two games are as well as I’ve seen him play,” coach Terry Stotts said of Aldridge. “He’s very determined. He’s focused. He’s leading the team, not only with is play, but the way he’s handling himself in timeouts and in the locker room. He’s really playing as well as I’ve seen him play.”
http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/pgmain/img/oregonian/photo/2014/04/-dc0db4fac59bd190.jpg
HOUSTON — When LaMarcus Aldridge scanned his cell phone following yet another remarkable performance against the Houston Rockets, there was a special text message waiting for him from his oldest son, Jaylen.
“He texted me and he said I looked like Spider-Man ...” Aldridge said, laughing.
It was that kind of night for the Blazers’ superstar, and it’s been that kind of series for the Trail Blazers, who stunned the Rockets 112-105 before a sellout crowd of 18,331 Wednesday night at the Toyota Center.
The franchise that hasn’t won a playoff series since 2000 moved one step closer to dismissing that depressing reality, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in its best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series against the Rockets. And the catalyst behind the surprise was Aldridge, who followed up his brilliant Game 1 performance with an equally breathtaking effort in Game 2.
The three-time All-Star recorded 43 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, while making 18 of 28 shots, torching any and every defense the Rockets threw his way. After his incredible opener — he finished with 46 points and 18 rebounds — the Rockets flashed a variety of different defensive tactics, showing him an occasional double team and rotating behemoth centers Dwight Howard and Omer Asik on him to force him out of the paint, where he so badly burned the Rockets in Game 1.
But it didn’t matter what Houston did, Aldridge answered. He did most of his scoring from the perimeter on Wednesday, showcasing his patented and pretty midrange jumper over and over. Thirteen of Aldridge's 18 field goals came from beyond 11 feet.
He started hot, scoring 11 points in the first quarter, but was consistent throughout, recording 12 in the second quarter and 16 in the third, when the Blazers built as large as a nine-point lead. As he went, so went the Blazers. Lillard, who used words like “discouraging” and “draining” to describe what an individual performance like Aldridge’s can do to an opposing team, said he could sense the Rockets withering as Aldridge conquered.
“What can they do to stop him?,” Lillard said, when asked what he was thinking as he marveled at his teammate’s big night. “He was hitting tough fadeaways, getting into the lane, getting guys into the air, drawing guys. He was great once again, just like Game 1. He really carried our team. He played like an MVP again.”
In two games against the Rockets, Aldridge has recorded 89 points, 26 rebounds and made 35 of 59 field goals (59.3 percent). The red-hot play has been historic, drawing comparisons to some of the NBA all-time greats.
The 89 points in the first two playoff games are more than all but two players — Michael Jordan (1986, 1988) and Jerry West (1965) — have recorded in the last 50 years. Aldridge is the first player to record back-to-back 40-point games in the playoffs since LeBron James (2009) and he’s the first player with at least 80 points and 15 rebounds in the first two playoff games of a series since Jordan in 1997. Aldridge also is first player to record at least 43 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in a playoff game since Shaquille O'Neal in 2001.
What's more, Aldridge is the only player in franchise history with back-to-back 40-point playoff outings and he owns two of the Blazers’ seven 40-point performances overall.
“It’s an honor,” a humbled Aldridge said of being mentioned with such acclaimed players. “Because those are definitely big-time guys, big-time names — Hall of Famers. So to even be in the same breath as those guys, it’s an honor for me.”
And the Blazers needed every ounce of Aldridge’s production. Early on, it looked like the Rockets — most notably Howard — were motivated to make up for their Game 1 meltdown. Howard was a beast in the first half, equaling Aldridge’s brilliance with a jaw-dropping night of his own. He scored the Rockets’ first 13 points and had 25 by halftime, churning up the Blazers’ interior defense with powerful dunks and pretty post moves.
But unlike the Rockets on Aldridge, the Blazers were able to slow Howard down. He missed seven shots in a row after his hot start and became a non-factor as Portland's double-teams proved effective and Robin Lopez, Joel Freeland and Aldridge did enough to stall him in one-on-one coverage. Howard finished with 32 points and 14 rebounds, but after making 11 of his first 13 shots, he made just 2 of 9 the rest of the night.
Meanwhile, James Harden continued his ice-cold series. After missing the most field goals in his career in Game 1, Harden made just 6 of 19 shots on Wednesday, finishing with a modest 18 points and four assists. Over the first two games, Harden is just 14 of 47 from the field (30 percent) as Wesley Matthews, with some help here and there from Nicolas Batum, has neutralized the All-NBA shooting guard.
As he fizzled, so to did the Rockets' vaunted three-point shooting, which is so critical to their success. Houston made just 3 of 13 long-range shots as the Blazers' focus on allowing only tough, contested, three-point looks paid dividends.
“Right now, we’re not in a great rhythm as a team,” Houston coach Kevin McHale said. “And we’d better get there. We didn’t get enough clean looks from the three-point line.”
As a result, the Blazers became just the second team in franchise history to begin a playoff series with two road wins, joining the 1977 championship team that did so in the Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In addition to Aldridge’s heroics, the Blazers enjoyed a host of contributions from a host of key players. Lillard struggled from the field (3-for-14) but he made up for it with a cool and composed floor game and timely free throw shooting. He finished with 18 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds and made 9 of 10 fourth-quarter free throws to seal the win down the stretch.
The Blazers’ bench also was difference-making, outscoring the Rockets’ backups 30-13. as Dorell Wright finished with 15 points on 4-for-5 shooting, equaled his playoff career-high in scoring and and Mo Williams — who was so shaky in Game 1 — rebounded with an effective 13-point, 4-for-8 shooting night.
But make no mistake, the Blazers would not be heading back to Portland with a 2-0 lead over the Rockets if not for Aldridge.
After the game, as a sea of red-clad Houston fans slowly made their way from courtside seats to the exits, Aldridge stood in the background with a television camera and TNT microphone thrust in his face.
After completing the television interview — which had surprisingly eluded him after Game 1 — Aldridge sauntered to the visiting locker room and eventually pulled out his phone, scanning for the message from Jaylen. Aldridge's oldest celebrated his 5th birthday Wednesday with a win — and another incredible outing from dad.
“These two games are as well as I’ve seen him play,” coach Terry Stotts said of Aldridge. “He’s very determined. He’s focused. He’s leading the team, not only with is play, but the way he’s handling himself in timeouts and in the locker room. He’s really playing as well as I’ve seen him play.”