Houston Rockets Against Portland Trailblazers

The Blazers will look for an inch of revenge against the Houston Rockets after getting slammed out of the playoffs last year. The Rockets, who will be without Yao Ming as he returns to Monster Island to get Mothra to fix his foot, are entering this season with tons of questions surrounding their team. All-Star Tracy McGrady is back after having mircofracture surgery, but it’s only a matter of a time before McGrady quits this season as well.

Coach Rick Adelman, one of the more capable head coaches in the league, has his hands full. With Luis Scola as his only option under the rim, the Rockets won’t be the defensive juggernaut they were last year. Houston allowed just 94.4 points per game last season and averaged 43.0 rebounds with Yao Ming, but without the Great Wall of China, the Rockets are destined to get steamrolled this season. Scola is only 6-foot-9.

Almost every franchise is reasonably optimistic about the NBA season, but the Rockets are the real contender who remains genuinely and realistically concerned about what they’re going to be able to do. They certainly weren’t without some positive notes last year as Aaron Brooks enjoyed a breakout season, but this team has more things to worry about and almost nothing to be optimistic about.

The Blazers, on the other hand, are the fourth horseman in the Western Conference race. People have them pegged from anywhere from 6th to 3rd in the west, and rightfully so. They’ve locked up Brandon Roy, one of the best clutch shooters in the game, to a max deal and threw a bit (i.e. ‘a lot’) too much at LaMarcus Aldridge to serve as “Greg Oden Insurance”.

But the oddsmakers’ line should tell you all you need to know about the Houston Rockets. As nearly double-digit road dogs in Portland, the betting community feverishly believes that Houston is well on its way to missing the playoffs while Portland is a viable contender.

Any team that has the size is going to give Houston absolute fits. I want to be as hopeful as any handicapper for any team in the league, but Houston just don’t have the nuts to last the season.