LaMarcus Aldridge is carving his name in NBA history. He followed up his game one performance with 43 points on 18-for-28 shooting, eight rebounds and three blocks to give Portland a 112-105 win in game two of their first-round series at Toyota Center.
Aldridge joins Michael Jordan and Tracy McGrady as the only players in NBA history to begin a playoff series with consecutive 40 point performances on the road. The Rockets have had no answer for the all-star forward. The most impressive part of Aldridge's tear is that it has come against one of the best centers of this era in Dwight Howard. Howard played well in game two, finishing with 32 points on 13-for-22 shooting, 14 rebounds and four blocks in 35 minutes. Howard phased out in the second half after a hot start scoring 19 points in the first quarter. His inability to create on the offensive end is becoming more and more apparent in late game situations.
Aldridge is now the only player in Blazers history to score 40 points in multiple playoff games. Prior to Aldridge, Clyde Drexler was the only Blazer to score at least 30 points in multiple playoff games. Aldridge is in some pretty elite company.
In previous years Aldridge has been forced to deal with multiple nagging injuries. Last summer was the first time in years in which he was healthy enough to focus on basketball. His perimeter game has improved drastically since entering the league in 2006. This year he averaged 23.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.6 assist. The work he puts in during the summer is paying off.
Due to playing in the Pacific Northwest, many of Aldridge's accomplishments often go unnoticed. Right now there is no clear cut "best big man" in todays NBA. After this series people may be forced to change their perception of LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Blazers are now in position to win their first playoff series since 2000. Rasheed Wallace, Arvydas Sabonis and Terry Porter should be proud.
No comments:
Post a Comment