Wow is the word I'll use to describe the Rockets performance against the Blazers in game 1 of their best-of-7 series. Not that is was so unexpected or so hard-to-believe, but moreso that it was such a ridiculously sharp performance really in every area.
I have never seen one team so ready for their supposedly even-matched opponent in the NBA postseason before. Only 1 game separated these two teams during the regular season, Portland had 54 wins, the Rockets had 53 and the Rockets won 2 of 3 from the Blazers during the year.
Yet from the very first possession of the game the Rockets had a game plan to execute and they methodically annihilated the Blazers in front of their home fans at their first playoff game in six seasons.
Yao scored the first 5 points of the game, once the Blazers finally scored, they never drew closer than three and trailed by double figures for the final 28 minutes of the game. Yao didn't miss, but also didn't score a single and didn't take a single shot in the second half. But as I talked about over and over leading into the postseason, the Rockets will win in the postseason if other players step up around Yao, b/c Yao is going to get his. Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola both did that tonite. Not to mention the Rockets team defense was sensational - their individual defense on Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge was superb.
Some fast facts...
- Brooks had 25 total points in 6 career postseason games, obviously all last year during his rookie season. He had 27 points in Game 1 Saturday night.
- Brooks was 0-10 from 3[pt range last year vs. Utah, he was 5-8 tonite.
- Scola's 19 points were also a career high.
- Rockets shot 65.7% from the field in the first half - best mark all season.
- Going back to 2005, Yao has now scored at least 20 points in 9 consecutive playoff games.
Reminder - the last time the Rockets opened the postseason on the road, they also claimed game 1. It was 2005 in Dallas and they actually won game in Dallas also. But they came back to Houston and gave home court advantage right back, by losing both games 3 and 4 at home.
1 comment:
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