3-1 Deficits are Hard to Overcome – But Trail Blazers Have Plenty of Motivation

In NBA playoff history, only eight teams have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit. There have been plenty of times where the team facing elimination has forced games sixes and even games sevens, but it is just that hard to beat a team three straight times. The Portland Trail Blazers face that same dilemma and have already closed the deficit to 3-2. But what kind of motivation does this team have to win the series… it’s quite simple

 

The Trail Blazers seem to be a team suffering from the playoff willies. They’re young. However, they should convert that youthful inexperience into youthful enthusiasm to try and beat the Rockets tonight in Houston with the lingering thought in the back of their minds that if they can pull it off, they go back to Portland for game seven. They need to use this to remember that the pressure is on Houston as they definitely want no part of a game seven on the road.

 

I definitely think the Blazers can pick up the win as they were one of the hottest teams going into the playoffs, and in the final week of the regular season they beat Denver and L.A. who are the top two seeds in the west. So don’t be surprised if Portland becomes the ninth team in NBA history to win a series after being down 3-1.

Player Watch: LaMarcus Aldridge

Earlier this NBA season SportsRoids talked about the success of LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers and how he looked to be growing into a potential all-star player. Now we want to revisit that topic to state we stand by our previous testimony.

Aldridge’s points average per game is at a career high 18.1 and his rebounds are at 7.4 which is only .2 less than last year. And what’s funny to say is that for a six foot eleven inch tall guy he has started to polish up his inside game.

In the first stages of his playing time he has been more of a jump shooter on the offensive end. But now he is combing that with more lay-ups, big dunks, and some short hooks.

Now look out, because Greg Oden seemed to have hit his offensive stride against the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night. Just keep imagining the potential that these two have as a big man tandem and it just may culminate in this year’s playoffs.

It’s Official: Brandon Roy Sets the Tone for the Portland Trail Blazers

Coming into this season, everyone knew that Brandon Roy was one of the rising stars in the league. However, up until his 52 point performance against the Phoenix Suns last night, he may very well be a rising super star.

I think the most widespread feeling across the league is that guys like Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge would make nice compliments to Greg Oden. However, until Greg Oden can begin to score twenty plus points per game, that cannot be said. Brandon Roy at this point is the player that you say “The team goes as far as Brandon Roy goes,” and his main man and sidekick is Aldridge, and not Oden.

Now, with Portland jumping to a 17-6 record which is good for 5th in the western conference, and coming off a recent three-game slump, the huge performance in Portland should propel the team to hit off some three to five game win streaks here and there for the next few weeks.

Go Brandon Roy.

NBA Quarter-Mark Outlook

So far in the NBA a few teams are back up to their old tricks, a few have been somewhat disappointing, and a good number of upstarts from last year as well as some surprising newcomers have begun to surface.

 

The newcomers that need to be involved in this discussion are as follows; in the east it’s Miami, New York, and New Jersey and in the west all of the other teams with playoff aspirations are of no surprise at this point in the season. Miami, led by top scorer in points per game, Dwyane Wade, are currently 9^th in the eastern conference standings. Last year, everyone remembers how atrocious they were. New York seems to be hitting its stride under the tutelage of former Phoenix head coach, Mike D’Antoni as they are 8-8 and 8^th in the standings. Finally, the previous season’s trade between the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets has finally begun to payoff, as the Devin Harris led Nets are 8-7, 6-4 in their last ten, and 7^th in the east.

 

The Upstarts from last year that are proving their worth are as follows; in the east it’s the Orlando Magic, the Atlanta Hawks, while in the west we have Portland and Denver. The Magic currently sit at 3^rd and atop the eastern conference standings at 13-4 going 9-1 in their last ten. Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu and company are really hitting their stride. The continued and improved production of guard/forward Keith Bogans and the extra lift provided by off season veteran pick up Anthony Johnson as point guard have been stalwart.

 

The Hawks slid a bit after starting off 5-0 mainly because of losing Josh Smith for the next few months, but have regained form and are now 10-6 and 5^th in the eastern conference.

 

In the west the Portland Trailblazers, continue to look like a team of the future with stars Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and the potential of first-year NBA players like Rudy Fernandez, and Greg Oden. They are now tied with Phoenix, Denver, and Houston at 11-6 while going 7-3 in their last ten games.

 

Denver’s success can be attributed to the trade of Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson. The Nuggets are 11-6 and 7-3 in their last ten while holding 3^rd place in the west. They have had many impressive victories and performances as they beat Boston in Boston, and took the Lakers to the brink of a loss in L.A.

 

Now come the disappointments. The Detroit Pistons are hovering somewhere between average and above average. Although they are 10-5 and in 4^th place in the east, they are suffering some inexcusable losses, most recently a 10+ point loss to Minnesota, do not yet seem to have their act together with Allen Iverson skipping the thanksgiving day practice (however, I do give huge props to Michael Curry for taking charge by suspending him for one game), and are not nearly as consistent as they were when they had Chauncey Billups in the lineup. 

 

The other eastern disappointments for the eastern conference are the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Washington Wizards.

The Raptors just 8-7 and are barely holding a spot in the eastern conference as the 7^th seeded team. With capable point guard Jose Calderon, and former all-start Jermaine O’Neal, they should be doing better.

 

The Sixers were a team last year that without Elton Brand finished 6^th in the east and took Detroit to six games in the playoffs. Now with virtually the same team and Elton Brand, they are struggling to find their rhythm and are 7-9 and 5-5 in their last ten. As for the “Wiz Kids,” although without injured star Gilbert Arenas they may not have been a playoff contender anyway, they are still abysmal with their 2-12 record which is good for worst in the east. Last season they played without Arenas for the most part, but still managed to finish above .500 and make the playoffs. They have now fired their coach Eddie Jordan and are in a state of disarray.

 

The disappointments in the west are the New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, and L.A. Clippers. The Hornets finished second last year and were one game away from the western conference finals. They are now 9-6 and 7^th in the standings in the west. The Mavericks are 8-8 and look like they are ready to get their act together one game, and then go back to mediocrity the next. As for the Clippers, you would think they could be more competitive than their 3-13 record would suggest with the pickup of marquee point guard Baron Davis. Oh well.

 

As for the Spurs, I’m sure a lot of people would like to put them in as a disappointment, but they have been playing without Manu Ginobli for the entire season (who is set to return soon), and Tony Parker has just returned from his injury earlier in the season. To further their defense, they are now 9-7 and 7-3 in their last ten while being 8^th in the west.

 

Finally we come to the top dogs in the league.

 

In the east you have the Cleveland Cavaliers with their 14-3 records, 9-1 in the last ten games, and 2^nd place spot in the standings. They have put together a bevy of blowouts on their opponents this season, and the addition of a scoring point guard in Mo Williams has been absolutely huge for them.

 

The second team that has picked up right where they left off from last year is the Lakers. They are 13-1 and making mince meat out of would be superpower teams and have the best record in the NBA.

 

But the pinnacle of all teams continues to be the Boston Celtics. They’re 16-2 and are still dominating defensively and continue to get great production from their supporting cast members. And although the Lakers get much help from their bench and up and coming players, let’s face it… the Celtics are still the champs.

 

The last three teams I must mention are the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, and Utah Jazz. To me, these three teams are in a state of limbo. Houston would look to be an upstart, but they can’t seem to keep their stars, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, healthy. The Suns seem like the same team as last year, which wasn’t a contender anyway, and the Jazz keep being a team with potential that can’t seem to build on it.

 

That would about sum up the NBA season at or around its quarter mark. We’ll look to see who shifts from wherever they were in this discussion and who remains where they are in the coming weeks. As for those that I did not include in this article… you really just aren’t worth mentioning (Chicago, Indiana, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Golden State, Minnesota, Sacramento, Memphis and Oklahoma City).

Greg Oden or LaMarcus Aldridge?

 

LaMarcus Aldridge’s stats as a rookie went from nine points per game, five rebounds, 72% free throw percentage, and 22.1 mins per, to 17.8 points per, 7.6 boards, a 76% free throw percentage, and 34.9 minutes per contest in his second season.

It’s funny how NBA fans and league analysts clamor about the potential of center Greg Oden and overlook the marked improvement and all star potential of center/forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Oden has yet to set foot on an NBA court in a regular season game, while Aldridge has played in a total 139 games and has enhanced his play in almost every phase thus far.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the kind of year-to-year improvement that would suggest a player can become an All-Star if not All-Star caliber. If Aldridge continues to grow and Oden becomes the superstar that everyone is expecting, then the two may very well become one of the more potent power forward and center combos in the NBA today.

However, if Greg Oden falters, then at least the Trail Blazers know that they have a more than capable insurance policy in LaMarcus Aldridge.