Alex Harkaway

After a disheartening game-one loss to Houston, a few things became apparent for Portland in its series with the Rockets: Houston has the better point guard, Houston has the better big man, Houston has the playoff experience. However, after a spirited game-two victory at the Rose Garden, the Blazers showed that they have the superstar.
Brandon Roy poured in 42 points, mixing clutch jump shots with daring drives to the hoop. Even when it became apparent that the officials were not going to call a fifth foul on Yao Ming for anything short of first-degree murder, Roy was undeterred. His off-balance layup over a player a full foot taller than him was one of the crucial buckets of the second half, and every time the Blazers needed points, Roy delivered. His point total was the second most in the Blazers ‘playoff history (only Bonzi Wells has scored more).
Roy’s evolution to a scoring machine has helped the Blazers live down a potentially monumental mistake they made earlier in the year. Back in February, with the trade deadline fast approaching, the Blazers had the most tradable asset in the entire league on their roster. Raef Lafrentz’s expiring contract, coupled with the injury insurance on it, gave any team with him the chance to save a huge sum of money. Chatter within the league said that the Blazers were getting better offers for Lafrentz than the Phoenix Suns were for Amare Stoudemire. One reputed offer had the Blazers getting Vince Carter from New Jersey straight up for Lafrentz. The Blazers could have gone without giving up key players or draft picks and landed one of the most proven scorers in the league, and yet, they turned it down. The only way they could justify this is if they already had all the scoring punch they needed. On April 21, Roy gave it to them.
If the Blazers are going to win their first playoff series in seven years, Roy is going to have to be ready for an all-out blitz. Houston has always been one of the premier defensive teams in the league, and in Shane Battier and Ron Artest they boast two of the best perimeter defenders around. Furthermore, the Blazers will need to win the last game in Houston, where the Rockets went 33-8 this year. Despite all that, anyone who watched game two knows that Brandon Roy will not back down from any challenge, and neither will his team. Game three is at 6:30 p.m. April 24. Get ready, Blazer fans.