Aldridge Must Come Up Big Tonight!, Great Phi Slamma Jamma Memories

Hello,

If the Trailblazers are to win their first round series with Portland, LaMarcus Aldridge must have a big game on Friday. And the Trailblazers need to win Game 6, because I don't think they are going to win Game 7. The NBA can hype up Dwight Howard and The Beard much more easily than the rather anonymous team in Portland. The fact that Portland is anonymous is a shame as they are an extremely fun team to watch. Aldridge is great, I'd so much rather have him on my team than the overrated Howard. I also love watching the point guard tandem of Damian Lillard and Mo Williams. I love the grit and determination of Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews. Matthews has been playing great defense on James Harden. Lastly Nicolas Batum is fun to watch also, I love his slashing, three pointer game.

But if the Trailblazers are to win Friday's game and the series, LaMarcus Aldridge needs to come up big tonight. I don't think it's a coincidence that he has averaged 39.3 points in the three games that the Trailblazers won, but only 15.5 points in the games Houston won. In the two Trailblazer losses, he only shot 33%. Again in Game 5, the game that Aldridge virtually disappeared, I don't think it's coincidental that's the game the Rockets had their easiest win. I just didn't get a sense that the Trailblazers were going to win that game.

In the games Portland won, Aldridge averaged 12 rebounds. In the games they lost Aldridge averaged 9 rebounds. I know it's a small sample size and a small statistical difference. But I see the better stats in the games the Trailblazers won as Aldridge being move involved in the overall game. So it's not so much the specific stats, it's more about how effective Aldridge is in every facet of the game.

It makes me laugh that the Rockets went back to hyping up their Clutch City nickname on Wednesday. Although before they won those two NBA titles the Rockets were massive underachievers before and haven't won anything else since those two titles.

Here's one other big difference between the two teams, Hakeem Olajuwon is at least three times the player that Howard is. I can't think of one phase of the game that Howard is better at than Olajuwon.  Olajuwon is much more athletic, see below. He also has a much bigger heart than Howard. He has more post moves, has a shooting range beyond 3 feet, was able to make his free throws and had that sweet signature move The Dream Shake. Not only that but The Dream is a much better person. When you give yourself a nickname how lame are you, Dwight Howard as Superman? Ha.

Even though I cheer for the Jazz, who Olajuwon incinerated again and again, he was always a great player to watch even as he dominated the Jazz. Not to mention he was a member of one of the most fun teams in college basketball history in Phi Slamma Jamma. Those teams with Clyde Drexler, Benny Anders, Michael Young, Alvin Franklin and don't forget Dave Rose!

Hakeem is such a pleasure to watch, some of these moves are so amazing:

Here's Phi Slamma Jamma in all their glory, playing a very good Louisville team in the NCAA Final Four. Sadly because Houston had a terrible coach, R.I.P. Guy V. Lewis, the Cougars never won the national title that they should have. But what a fun team they were to watch:

And this is the Dwight Howard I've seen way too many times. I see him caring more about his image than wins. A tremendously talented player with a low basketball IQ, poor work ethic and the heart of an ant. Although I do have to admit he's played a lot harder in this series against the Trailblazers. He hasn't done anything this stupid yet:

More Howard lowlights:





I see the 30 point threshold being the key to this game, if Aldridge scores more than 30 points then I predict the Trailblazers win. However if Aldridge is as neutralized as he was in Game 5, this series is coming back to Houston.

themusicaddict