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Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets: NBA Playoff Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

blazers-rockets-41609 The Portland Trail Blazers came out of the gate strong once again in the 2008-09 season, but this time the team did not endure a second half collapse. Portland tied Denver for the best record in the NBA Northwest and earned the No. 4 seed in the West as it enters the postseason for the first time since 2004. The Houston Rockets put together another strong season and did so without star Tracy McGrady for much of it. The Rockets have advanced to the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, but have lost in the first round each time. They will be happy not to see the Utah Jazz who have taken them out each of the last two years. The Rockets can’t help but be a little disappointed heading in as they squandered a chance at a division title and home court in the first round by losing to the Dallas Mavericks in their season finale.

No. 4 Seed Portland Trail Blazers +800 to win the Western Conference - It’s true that the Blazers lack playoff experience, but I like their chances with home court on their side. Portland was 34-7 at home this season and appeared very focused down the home stretch, winning its final six games, which included victories over the Spurs, Lakers, and Nuggets. Houston did take two of the three meetings this season, but both of those wins came at home. What you really admire about this young Portland team is its commitment to the defensive end. You hear quite a bit about how good the Rockets are defensively with Yao Ming in the middle and Shane Battier and Ron Artest usually assigned to the best perimeter players, but the Blazers actually allowed less points per game on the season. Portland has a deep bench with scorers like Rudy Fernandez and Travis Outlaw. Brandon Roy is going to see plenty of Battier and Artest, but I think he is savvy enough and has enough strength to be effective against both defenders.

No. 5 Seed Houston Rockets +1400 to win the Western Conference – The Rockets won the season series, winning both games at home and playing the Blazers to a two-point game in Portland. The Rockets also have a noticeable edge in playoff experience, but I think the Rockets are going to endure another first round defeat. When teams take away Yao Ming, the Rockets don’t have enough guys who can provide consistent offense to carry the load. We saw this most recently in the second half of Houston’s regular season finale. The Mavericks said Yao Ming is not going to beat us, and the Rockets were not able to find another answer. A lot gets made of Tracy McGrady never advancing past the first round of the playoffs, but Houston wouldn’t have had a chance in its playoff series’ without him. The Rockets will miss McGrady’s ability to create his own shot and to hit big shots in crunch time in this series.

Prediction: Portland Trail Blazers in 7
Teams have figured out how to play the Rockets. Take Yao Ming out of the equation and the other guys aren’t good enough to beat you most nights. With home court, a defense to match, and a deeper bench, the Blazers overcome their lack of playoff experience to take this one. Bet the Portland Trail Blazers at +1800 to win the 2009 NBA Finals.

Bet on the NBA with Jimmy Boyd’s basketball picks this postseason for guaranteed results against the NBA odds makers.

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