NBA Playoff Preview: Portland Trailblazers vs Houston Rockets

James Harden (left) and Damian Lillard

Prediction: Houston in 5

For those of us that like high-powered, offense-based games, this may be the best opening round series. Houston averaged almost 108 points per game this season, and Portland scored 106. Both teams like to get out and run as well. Houston was 8th in turnovers forced this season, which led to them being 5th in possessions per game. Portland ranked higher in turnovers forced this season, 1st overall, but didn’t see it translate as well, having the 12th most possessions per game. But clearly, both teams will want to get the ball and go, with both teams having offenses ranking in the top 4 in points per 100 possessions.

Match-ups in this one are where the two teams begin to separate. Portland can clearly hang their collective hat on two players - Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge. However, Houston has two of the league’s top defenders on each one.

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Patrick Beverley, nicknamed the Wolverine for his tenacious approach to the defensive side of the ball, and Dwight Howard, who has been the league’s defensive player of the year multiple times, will likely spend large minutes on each Blazer. The match-up question then becomes, who guards Houston’s James Harden, an All-Star guard who bullies his way to the rim enough to get almost eight free throws per contest this year?

Does Portland go with Lillard, a poor defender, and risk him getting into foul trouble because of Harden’s style of play? Do they go with a long defender like Nicolas Batum? But who would that leave to extend out towards Houston’s 6’9” perimeter player Chandler Parsons (16.6 PPG)? It will be interesting to see how the individual match-ups progress throughout the series. Don’t expect the same players to be covering each other in game five as in game one.

The match-up that will be the most fun to watch HAS to be Beverley on Lillard. Beverley single-handedly changed last year’s playoff picture by injuring Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Not that anyone would ever injure someone intentionally, but that kind of tenacity on Lillard, one of the game’s best young talents, will be great to watch. And it will be a chess game. Sometimes that aggression will get Beverley into foul trouble and Houston will bring Jeremy Lin on instead. At other times, Lillard may go an entire quarter without a bucket. Yes, Lillard’s bank account following his ad with Adidas is much larger than Beverley’s, who went to the NBA after playing overseas for a few seasons, but the head-to-head between these two could determine the series.