The Phoenix Suns missed the NBA Playoffs with a 48-34 regular season record. If nothing else this was an indication of how competitive the playoffs were going to be out west.
The action is barely underway, yet we've already seen historic playoff performances. LaMarcus Aldridge had his coming out party in game one of the Portland Trailblazers Houston Rockets series. Aldridge scored 46 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the Blazers 122-120 overtime victory in Houston. At 28 years of age, Aldridge is certainly in the conversation as the best big man in the NBA.
Damian Lillard was an excellent compliment to Aldridge in his first career playoff game. Lillard scored 31 points and added nine rebounds in the overtime win. Lillard reminds me of a young Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
There is something special about the way Lillard and Aldridge feed off of one another. The two always seem to be on the same page. For such a young team, the Blazers have great comradery. Wesley Matthews, C.J McCollum and Nicolas Batum compliment their superstar teammates well. Houston may very well win this series, but Portland has a great young nucleus.
The first round match-up between the number four and number five seed is always the most difficult to pick. The four and five seed usually have similar regular season records. If these two teams are familiar with one another a good series is usually on the horizon.
Houston and Portland combined for 30 points in one overtime period. This was one of the greatest first round games in NBA history. Both teams won 54 games during the regular season. It is a rare occurrence for teams of this magnitude to face off in the first round. If the east doesn't catch up the NBA may have to consider one super conference in years to come.
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