Aldridge looks & sounds different before playoffs, 'I want to be more dominant'

By Jason Quick | jquick@oregonian.com
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on April 15, 2014 at 5:40 PM, updated April 15, 2014 at 6:04 PM

If anyone is looking for an encouraging sign for the Trail Blazers’ playoff chances against Houston, listen to what happened Tuesday after the team’s final practice of the regular season.

Well after the Blazers had a particularly long practice spent working on strategies the team will employ against the Rockets, LaMarcus Aldridge remained on the court, fine tuning his game.

Among the points of emphasis in the more than 30-minute extra workout, Aldridge practiced his shot from the right side of the court, a side from which he usually rarely shots. And he worked extensively on his free throws, a skill that throughout his career has haunted him in late-game situations.

But it wasn’t so much what Aldridge did Tuesday after practice as much as what he said about this playoff matchup, his fourth as a pro.
“I definitely want to be better this year,’’ Aldridge said. “I want to be more dominant.’’

It’s not shocking, nor newsworthy, that Aldridge wants to be dominant. He should. He’s paid handsomely to do so, and it’s part of the job description that comes with being a franchise cornerstone.
What’s different here is this is the first time I’ve seen and heard Aldridge take ownership of his responsibility, and embrace it.

In his first three playoff series – against Houston in 2009, Phoenix in 2010 and Dallas in 2011 – Aldridge has been a hit-and-miss crapshoot. He had seven points and three rebounds in Game 1 against Houston, before responding with 27 points and 12 rebounds in Game 2. Against Phoenix, he shot 38 percent throughout the first three games of the series before breaking out with 31 points and 11 rebounds in Game 4.

And against Dallas, in the pivotal Game 5, he was lost in the shuffle, finishing with 12 points and 9 rebounds.

It can be argued that in all three series, he lost his head-to-head matchup, with Luis Scola, Amare Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki outplaying him over the course of the series.
That can’t happen again. And neither can the on-again-off-again pattern of his previous playoff series.

In this series, against the Rockets, Aldridge not only has to be better than Terrence Jones, he has to dominate. On both ends of the court.

The playoffs are a time when legends are made. When players make a name for themselves. Brandon Roy only lasted only five seasons, but he is forever etched in Blazers lore for his playoff heroism that ranged from playing hurt, to scoring 42 points to leading an improbable comeback.

Doesn’t it feel time for Aldridge to join this franchise’s rich playoff history? Nobody’s asking him to cozy next to Walton and Lucas, but how about something along the lines of Scottie Pippen’s series-clinching three-pointer against Utah in 2000? Or Terry Porter’s 36 points in Game 7 against San Antonio in 1990? At this point, I’d take a memorable scene, like Buck Williams tossing the ball into the air and being dogpiled after winning the 1990 West crown in Phoenix.

At the very least, it’s time for Aldridge to show that he is indeed a franchise player. It’s time to show that in the playoffs he can make the big shot, make the important defensive play, and force the opponent to adjust to him.

This will be Aldridge’s fourth career playoff series, and for the third time Aldridge and the Blazers will be underdogs. On Tuesday, Aldridge didn’t sound, nor look like an underdog, and he acknowledged that his approach is different.

“It’s different because I’ve been there,’’ Aldridge said. “I know that every game is going to be physical. Every possession is going to count. Every play is going to be tough to run because everybody knows everybody’s plays, so I think just being there three years already gives me that mentality to be ready.’’

After his first career playoff game, the one in which he had seven points and three rebounds while Scola pump-faked and jab stepped his way to 19 points and eight rebounds, Aldridge admitted to being out of his element. The enormity of the stage got to him.

Against Phoenix, he was frustrated by the Suns’ double teams, which were easier to throw at Aldridge because Brandon Roy missed the first three games recovering from knee surgery.

And against Dallas, the Blazers and Aldridge never got comfortable against the Mavericks’ zone defense.

It became part of the frustrating maturation of Aldridge: There was always an excuse or reason why he wasn’t doing more, and doing it more often.

This season, it appears Aldridge has come into his own as a player, and he has been more comfortable inside his own skin, both changes he attributes to merely getting older and wiser.

So perhaps it only figures that he was the last to leave the practice floor Tuesday. He knows what he needs to do to prepare, and he has the confidence nothing will catch him off guard.

“I don’t think it’s surprising anymore,’’ Aldridge said. “I think I know what to look forward to.’’

So he said he will begin watching film of the Rockets, analyzing where his shots came from, and how he can master those shots. His post-practice workout, which included him taking what for him are non-traditional shots, perhaps showed an anticipation of Houston funneling him out of his bread-and-butter spot on the left block.

Not that Aldridge was about to reveal anything about his game plan or the strategies the Blazers worked on.

“Can’t tell you that. It’s a secret,’’ he said with a smile. “Next thing you know it’s in the papers and everybody knows.’’

It’s a mystery, too, what the Rockets will do in defending Aldridge. They’ve tried a little of everything, and a little bit of everyone, all with little success.

“That’s going to be interesting. Because they have done things differently every game … so we will see,’’ Aldridge said.

In four games against the Rockets this season, Aldridge is averaging 26.8 points and 15.5 rebounds. However, he has made only 44.6 percent of his shots, and the Rockets have won three of the four meetings.
It’s why his impact has to extend beyond his scoring. It’s the playoffs, and time for Aldridge to sacrifice his body more on defense. This season, Aldridge’s defensive forte has been to slap for steals when his man lowers the ball below the waist. There has been very little effort to slide over and offer help defense, and almost no willingness to stand in and take a charge.

That has to change in this series. We will know if Aldridge is indeed locked in to playing defense if he takes a charge or challenges shots at the rim. And unlike the playoff series from years past, Aldridge needs to win his matchup, rendering Jones moot.

“The playoffs comes down to one-on-one matchups, guys making plays,’’ Aldridge said. “That’s what the playoffs is about. I think Brandon Roy showed that when he went off and had that crazy game against Dallas – an individual performance gave us that win. So I think guarding one-on-one will be big for us.’’

And how would he rate his defense this season?

“I feel like the team has definitely been better when I’m on the floor, and that’s what matters to me,’’ Aldridge said.

Now, more than any other during his time in Portland, it’s time for Aldridge to not only make this team better, but make them better over the course of a playoff series.

From Aldridge, there were encouraging sights and sounds Tuesday. But as he knows, the playoffs are not about words or practice moves. It’s about production and results. Still, you couldn’t help raise an eyebrow to what he was saying.

“I feel like this team has a good chance to win,’’ Aldridge said.

--Jason Quick

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2014/04/quick_lamarcus_aldridge_looks_and_sounds_different.html

 

Heh heh.

 

LOL!

Rep'd!

 

Blah blah. Doesn't mean jack.