The 5th seeded Trail Blazers, and the 4th seeded Rockets will square off in an intense, high speed first round battle. Houston took the season series 3-1, winning every game after the Blazers took the first. The Rockets have recently been dealing with injury issues, and nagging problems with their players, however all issues have been sorted out. The Trail Blazers will also be entering the playoffs healthy, after backup center Joel Freeland returned in the season finale versus the Clippers.

The series will start on Sunday, in Houston at 6 PM, PST. The Rockets will have the home court advantage over the Blazers because of their seed. The first two games of the series will be played in Houston, followed by two more games in Portland. The series will then proceed to alternate cities for each game needed, with a game 7 (if necessary) in Houston.

Damian Lillard has played well against the Rockets this season. However, he has stated on more than one occasion, that he has problems with the way Houston’s reserve point guard Patrick Beverley plays. Beverley’s sole purpose in the series will be to get Lillard into foul trouble, and chase him off of the ball.

The Blazers have recently been using a small lineup that they put into place when LaMarcus Aldridge was injured. It worked very well for the Blazers, because it starts Dorell Wright at the power forward, which forces the opposing team to either go small, or have their post players play perimeter defense. Obviously, there is no chance that Dorell Wright will be starting in any of the playoff games, however it is a likely lineup that Stotts will go to when Aldridge needs a rest.

The Game Changing Factors:

Winning Game 1 will be the biggest factor in this playoff series. The first two games of the series will be a chance for Houston to gain momentum, before traveling to Portland for the next two games. For Portland, winning the first game would mean that all the Blazers would have to do, would be to win their home games. Portland has some of the loudest fans around, and as with any other team they will be louder in the playoffs. Often times, Blazers players tell the media that they feed off of the crowd. A win in Houston will be tough, but if the Blazers win either of the first two games in Houston, they have the series all but locked up in six games. The Rockets, however will make the feat extremely hard to accomplish. The Blazers will be relying on backup point guard Mo Williams to guard Jeremy Lin, and either Wesley Matthews, or Nicolas Batum will have to guard all-star James Harden.

Robin Lopez is essentially the life of the Blazers in this series. Lopez is currently the only one on the Blazers roster that can guard Rockets all-star center Dwight Howard. If Lopez gets in foul trouble early in a game, then the Rockets will be able to feed the ball to Dwight Howard every play. Aldridge won’t be defending Howard in the series, because the Blazers will desperately need his energy on the offensive end of the floor. Without Lopez on Howard, the Rockets will easily win the game.

Patrick Beverley will be a huge deciding factor in this series. Beverley is getting his flow back, after missing some games due to a meniscus injury. If Beverley’s knee acts up during the series, and he has to miss time, or even just a game, it will change the flow of the whole game. Without Beverley to guard Lillard, the Blazers will run their “pick and pop” and “drive and kick ” offenses to perfection. Lillard already plays with a passion versus the Rockets, and Beverley missing time will only make it easier to express that passion. If Beverley stays healthy, then the Blazers won’t be able to run their offense nearly as smoothly, as they rely on good ball movement, and Beverly plays the passing lanes to perfection.

LaMarcus Aldridge will be the second biggest factor in the game. As everyone knows, Aldridge dominated games when he is playing well. The last time the Blazers appeared in the playoffs, Aldridge was inconsistent and unreliable. He will have to understand that as the franchise player, he will have to lead a team that has next to no playoff experience, by example. If Aldridge gets hot in the series, Jones has almost no chance at stopping him. As good of a defensive team as Houston is, they can’t double team Aldridge in this series. Double teaming him would allow the Blazers to showcase their exceptional three-point shooting skills. If Aldridge can be consistent in this series, his team’s chances of taking the series will increase exponentially.

Expected Matchups:

Lillard-Beverley

Batum-Parsons*

Matthews-Harden*

Aldridge-Jones

Lopez-Howard

*please note that these matchups will most likely interchange throughout the series, as well as throughout the games.