Rockets and Blazers played an incredibly close game, until the

first quarter started.

Rockets and Blazers played an incredibly close game, until the first quarter started.

We all saw the game, right? Heck, with all that good beers I was drinking, I watched two of them.

The Spurs vs. The Mavericks and...... the drums please.... your Houston Rockets vs. the teenagers, the Blazers.

Here are my takes.

First the Rox vs. the Blazers.

From the very beginning, this is the worse nightmare-ish match-up for Portland. I don\'t know why their fans were happy about having Rox as their opponent. And heck, for that matter, why their fans were expecting to crush the Rox AND, gulp, to beat up the Lakers?! I know there are some innovative drug users out there in that Northwest corner of the US, but I want to know what stuffs they are smoking... Geez!

For all the talks about YM\'s perfect night ( 9 for 9, and 6 for 6 from the line, 9 boards in only 24 minutes of play), about how wonderful Brooks was (he looked like that Speedy Gonzales mouse in the cartoon in front of Blakes), and about how much Artest contributed, I want everybody to cool down. You have to realize that none of these will be repeated in Game 2.

The Rox really won it on the boards (39 vs. 24?), on the relatively low turnover number (12), and on the tough physical defense. The Blazers looked undersized. The keys to Nate Macmillan\'s coaching style are to create turnovers and to control the boards, then they can use their young and athletic legs to outrun the opponents, getting ton of fast break points. Without those two things, they are probably among the worse half-court team in the NBA. Did you guys see how ugly their half-court game was last night? John Wooden would have passed out if he saw that offense. The defense pressure applied by Yao, Deke, Artest, Scola, and Battier, was literally choking, not much inside games for the Blazers. Well, except that few moments when Ogden outplayed Deke in the 3rd quater, but that\'s mostly because Deke, the grandpa, was really trying to catch his last breath after running with those teenagers for half a mile.

So, for Rox to control this series, the boards, the low turnover, and the defense are critical. If they do these, this will be a 4-1 series. Otherwise, this can be dragged into an ugly and drawn-out game that will give those young Blazers more and more confidence. I also have to say that Adelman should use Lowry, not Brooks, as the PG when Yao is on the court, \'cause Yao\'s slowness would neutralize Brooks\'s speed (the only advantage about him in this series). And finally, you all have to realize that the basketball IQs from Yao, Scola, and Battier are the only stable factors in this Rox team. If I were you, I wouldn\'t count on Artest and Brooks to have two fabulous games in a row. I could be wrong, though.

Just briefly for the other game I watched. If I were a Spurs\' fan, I would be worried. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Finley (the dinosaur )played a terrific offensive game, and the whole team shot an incredible 70%-ish from the 3-point line, and they lost! Yes, to the lowly Mavericks. Do you expect all of that offensive power in game 1 would be replicated in game 2? I wouldn\'t bet my money on it.

Enjoy the games, guys!