LaMarcus Aldridge Is Blazing To Super Stardom

If you have paid any attention to the Portland Trailblazers and Houston Rocket playoff series than there is one thing that is certain, LaMarcus Aldridge is a beast!

We are witnessing the seven year veteran make a transition from an All Star to a Super Star in front of our very eyes and what better way to make your impression across the nation than on the NBA Playoff's national stage.

After scoring a career-high 46 points in the first game of this series LaMarcus Aldridge went on to score 43 points in game two. Aldridge is now only the third active player to score 40+ points in two consecutive playoff games (Kobe Bryant 2001, LeBron James 2009).

Another interesting fact about Aldridge's play in this series is how he is now the first player with 80+ points and 15+ rebounds in their team's first two playoff games since Michael Jordan did it in the 1997 playoffs. He is also only the third player in NBA history to score at least 40 points in games 1 and 2 on the road (Joining Michael Jordan and Tracy McGrady).

In this series Aldridge is currently averaging 44.5 points and 13 rebounds. He is accruing these numbers with a steady dose of work inside the paint and his deadly mid-range game (Shooting just over 65% in the paint and just over 50% from mid-range).

This guy is just unbelievable right now and I really don't think the Houston Rockets can slow him down. They can put former defensive player of the year Dwight Howard on him but even then he finds a way to outwork the big man. The Rockets have tried to double team Aldridge but then he is able to find a mismatch on the floor and exposes their defense.

The Rockets have no answer for this blazing super star but will have another chance to try and slow him down tonight in Game 3 at the Moda Center at 7:30pm PT on ESPN.

Portland's Trailblazing Thru the NBA

The Portland Trailblazers are on pace to have their best season since 1991 and have begun to grab the leagues attention.

Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

The Trailblazers have always been a steady team in the NBA, always teetering around the 8th seed in the West, but this year they are proving to be a much more mature bunch. With 2nd year PG Damian Lillard and All-Star PF LaMarcus Aldridge leading the way, the Blazers have an NBA-Best record of 22-4 while also averaging an NBA-Best 108.3 points per game.

The Blazers are running the 3-rich offense, which means their setting up jump shots and they've been shooting a great percentage when they hit those jump shots, with Aldridge and Lillard both averaging over 20 points a game(Aldridge 23.6ppg, Lillard 20.7ppg). A lot of people say, "The 3-rich offense won't last until the playoffs, or eventually the percentages will go down and they'll start missing those shots." Well I am not sure if any of those people have seen this team play with Lillard the cold-blooded killer and with the addition of C Robin Lopez down low, which allows Aldridge to play his natural position at the PF, and this team just may have something here. The team as a whole is shooting over 80% from the free throw line with 3 players shooting over 40% from the 3 (SF Nicolas Batum 40%, Lillard 42%, SG Wesley Matthews 45%).

Portland currently has the best win percentage in the NBA (84%) and have won 9 of their last 10 games. They have already showed how they stack up against some of the elite with wins over the Pacers, Spurs, and Thunder. They still have a long road ahead of them but they are positioning themselves for a great run this year. They will face a real test at the end of the December when they play Clippers, Miami, @NO and @OKC within a 6-day span. Only then will we really know what this Blazers team will be made of. With the Blazers being the only NBA team around (Bring Back Our Sonics!) I know that I can't wait to watch how this team pans out, especially since I get all of their games on cable here in the Pacific NorthWest.

Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89
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