Game 2 Portland @ Houston (630 PST)

[Capn'O]

the 2 blocks were nice, but that was offset by a couple of bonehead turnovers and some stupid fouls. That's why he only played 7 minutes. True x-factors earn more playing time then that

That was not a positive yikes. You just don't know what you're getting from TROB but if he can get it together this team can do some real damage. LMA has been amazing but when he inevitably gets gassed it's down to TROB to spell him and ROLO a bit. Freeland may be useful later but he certainly doesn't have the strength for Howard.

I suspected you weren't extolling the virtues but I wasn't sure

seeing how important it was to have strong contributions from Mo and Dorrell...and keeping in mind that Mo has helped in most game this season and Dorrell has played well since the all-star break...it would make a world of difference for the Blazers to have an effective veteran big man on the bench. Whether it was Delambert, or Dujaun Blair, or Ronny Turiaf, or Chris Kaman or Jermaine O'Neal....just some big that can come in and put up decent numbers with a little consistency, and all those guys were available last summer. T-Rob and Freeland can't provide that and Leonard is a lost cause. hell, even Drew Gooden would be better then what Portland has...probably

It would help a ton if Olshey corrected last summer's mistake this summer

Jermaine would have been amazing. How does a slightly used Tyson Chandler suit ya?

[Village Idiot]

Exactly, people think the Blazers played their A game, when 3 out of our 5 starters has awful nights and in game 1 our bench was even worse, we still haven't had our go to three point shoot game..

I don't think it is at all fair to say the other 3 starters played poorly. I would say they did their jobs and didn't allow Harden or Howard to get going. Harden has been a complete non-factor this series, largely thanks to Matthews and Batum.

[DusterBuster]

Exactly, people think the Blazers played their A game, when 3 out of our 5 starters has awful nights and in game 1 our bench was even worse, we still haven't had our go to three point shoot game..

I don't think it is at all fair to say the other 3 starters played poorly. I would say they did their jobs and didn't allow Harden or Howard to get going. Harden has been a complete non-factor this series, largely thanks to Matthews and Batum.

I wouldn't say they had "awful" nights, but I'd say pretty sub-par, at least on offense. Wes and Batum were a combine 1-8 from 3pt land in game 2. If they can snap out of their funk in Portland, the Rockets will be in for a long night.

[Shem]

@mtokito: As we noted the other day, the only other #Blazers team to take a 2-0 series lead with two road wins was the '77 title team.

That was against the Lakers in the '77 Western Conference Finals which the Blazers eventually swept them.

[Shem]

Where's shem when ya need him?

I was at my parent's house like last same yelling at the TV along with my two brothers, my dad, and my two nephews. I'll probably be doing that for Game 3 as well.

[Case2012]

So far Lillard is averaging 24.5 pts, 8.5 rebs, and 8 assists.

Definitely not worth that shoe deal.

[Case2012]

GLB of the Game

I'll "and 1" the first person to correctly guess who it is

My future wife.

[GreenRiddler]

Stated on Be and has to be stated here after what we been through the past 2 years

This is soooo much better than watching DX videos of draft Prospects...

[Case2012]

I feel like we won the championship tonight, I'm so f*cking happy right now.

[GreenRiddler]

Exactly, people think the Blazers played their A game, when 3 out of our 5 starters has awful nights and in game 1 our bench was even worse, we still haven't had our go to three point shoot game..

I don't think it is at all fair to say the other 3 starters played poorly. I would say they did their jobs and didn't allow Harden or Howard to get going. Harden has been a complete non-factor this series, largely thanks to Matthews and Batum.

True probably had awful shooting nights.

[Shem]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMFV7WFtHm0[/youtube]

[GreenRiddler]

teams up 2-0 in the first round win 95% of the time.

http://www.whowins.com/tables/up20.html

[jhern87]

Hopefully we remain focused and close this out in Portland.. Would love to give our guys a few days rest before next round.

[NBAfan3024]

Aldridge a basketball God in this series.

[PDXKnight]

Apparently there are blazer fans in Houston too . Whoever got harden drunk deserves some kind of award.
http://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/james-harden-partying-hard-all-weekend/227120

Nate Fitch @UNCLENATEFITCH
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Someone at the game tonight with a lot of credibility told me Hardin was partying hard all weekend. Selfish.
10:01 PM - 23 Apr 2014
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[PDXKnight]

How about a Clippers-style rebound tonight? 40 pt beatdown!

Want to know the inside scoop on what McHale has up his sleeve tonight? He told me he's going to suit up and defend LMA himself... old school, if you know what I mean. "I may have bad knees, but my elbows are just fine. After I'm done with him tonight, his nickname will be LMAO"

Lin will have a "flu game" that will rival Jordan's in history!

Forget Beverley, Harden will guard Lillard himself and shut him down.

Ok, maybe not, but let's go Rockets!

Uh oh...LMA is in waffle stomp mode

Blowout tonight

Seems like first game the Rockets thought they can beat the Blazers in straight up bball, no tactics, ISO one on one, no gameplan, n they almost succeeded. Tonight is a different ball game.

TNT panel with no mention of defense the whole time. lol

No mention of Portland what so ever... Dwight most scrutinized player in the league. All they ever talk about.

flop on lillard smh

NBA is screwing us by putting us on TNT

Garbage refs

I predict a Harden explosion in this second half.

That's Rockets basketball! Fk that inside out crap!

Thats called defense, or "putting Dwight on LMA because Jones can't touch him"

Take Harden OUT!!!@!!!!!!!#$JFio;xdrtuieq0 [pogujqol

Even Robin Lopez is torching us...

plz take out harden out we are good to go.

Just imagined if we did the deal with Portland for LMA.

good luck winning in portland

LMA is **** unconscious!

Let the miracle happen.

I hate that Barkley was right, you knew that Howard's luck would run out after his beasting 1st half. The ball wasn't moving as it should have and we didn't get good open looks, rather forced shots.

McHale is horrible. 41 minutes for Beverley? Harden had a bad game. Again. Expand the squad, use guys strategically. Make set plays especially at the end of the game. Valiant effort by Howard but this coach isn't up to the task of getting his team out of the first round of the playoff. He has the horses, but he doesn't know how to use them.

Lin is insignificant in this game.

The last is on McHale and his love on Beverley. I just don't understand why is Beverley in the court together with Asik and Howard.

Well, the good new is, after the first round exit, Rockets will get a real coach next season. Can't wait.

That's the main positive.

Always loved LMA's game but never thought it would've come against us.
It still is 0-2 but, anything is possible as long as it's not 0-3.
Congrats to Oregon.

[GreenRiddler]

In the last three playoff series in which Harden has played, he shot 18-for-47 (38.2 percent) against Miami in the 2012 Finals, 45-for-115 (39.1 percent) a year ago in the first round against Oklahoma City and now, this 29.7 percent vs the Blazers.

Is Harden a post-season player?

[Billy]

I thought this was another masterful game plan by Stotts. I had personally hoped that Portland would start conservative defensively for at least the first half of the first quarter to get a feel for the officials. By and large I think that went well. Obviously Dwight dominated that first half for them, but Robin only had 2 fouls, Aldridge 1. I think by essentially conceding the inside position to Dwight while not giving up fouls Portland accomplished two things:

1. They took Harden and the rest of Houston's offense out of it. The few occasions in which Harden got the ball he tended to rush things almost in an effort to get a shot up quick.

2. It made Houston completely one dimensional. There was no reason to kick out as Dwight clearly had the edge, so it really came down to one on one defense. Portland wasn't fouling so the game wasn't slowing down, nor were they forced to sub in players that would be more foul prone (until Freeland at the start of the 4th)

I also thought Stotts was very smart early on taking the temperature of Houston's defense, and then moving on. In particular, he went to Matthews the first play of the game, but clearly Harden was stepping up the defense, Houston had made adjustments, and Matthews also looked a little rushed. Rather than forcing the issue and possibly seeing Portland get down big early, we moved on. From there it was sprinkled throughout the game, but never anywhere near the staple that it was in game 1.

This again felt like a game in which Portland is reinventing themselves. The three was not there again, but they adapted. The free throws thankfully were back to the expected level, and I personally expect they'll stay there throughout the playoffs.

Saving the best for last: LaMarcus Aldridge. I was joking with my wife that after game one he said "move over Brandon", but if he keeps playing like this we might as well say move every everybody. He's already easily one of the top players we've ever had, and I think it could be legitimately argued (hell it may not even be an argument really) that right now he's playing at a higher level than anyone has ever played as a Blazer. Eat that Clyde.

[SalemStoner]

Saving the best for last: LaMarcus Aldridge. I was joking with my wife that after game one he said "move over Brandon", but if he keeps playing like this we might as well say move every everybody. He's already easily one of the top players we've ever had, and I think it could be legitimately argued (hell it may not even be an argument really) that right now he's playing at a higher level than anyone has ever played as a Blazer. Eat that Clyde.

As great as LMA has played, I have serious doubts that he's playing as good as Walton in our championship year, or the year after before he broke down. That said, I think LMA has had the best 2 game stretch of any Blazer in my lifetime(born in 1982).

[a_sensei]

2 down, 14 to go.