There are only a few hours until tip-off and you can’t seem to get enough last minute information to either sway you, irk you, or validate your position in this (4) Houston Rockets vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers series. As far as first-round Western Conference playoff series’ are concerned, there aren’t many of the archetype playoff basketball story-lines to choose from in this one. Not really a David vs. Goliath story (though, which Western Conference series is?), not really a case of two storied organizations battling either. There are stars, sure, but none of them are of the pedigree or have the air-time that the Lebrons and Durants of the league have (there are only two like them, anyhow).

So why then, would you invest yourself in this series? Unless your from Southeast Texas or anywhere in Oregon the sole intrigue surrounding these teams are who either one of them might face as the underdog in the second round. That way, ESPN analysts can eulogize either team’s season early as an “over achievement,” while immediately redirecting their coverage to every boo and sneeze of the Heat, Pacers, Spurs or Thunder.

I digress.

The truth is, on top of great basketball, there are a lot of reasons to focus on this series and a lot of subplots to watch unfold. Here are five to tickle your insatiable appetite for all things NBA Playoffs.

5. Buckets.

If you are a fan of defense, watch Law and Order (HEYOO!). Truly though, these teams will score. A lot. The Rockets and Trail Blazers averaged almost 108 and 107 points a game respectively throughout the regular season. The lowest point total, in any of their four contests against each other this year was the Blazers’ 101 in November. The series features two elite scorers in James Harden and LaMarcus Aldridge, and Dwight Howard has certainly scored well against the Blazers this season. Harden and Aldridge will get theirs, but when it boils down to outcome, the Rockets will win any offensive battle 9 times out 10 so long as Howard gets in on the action as well. So again if you’re looking for a trigger-happy series featuring scores as high as my best 18-holes, look no further.

4. What will Omer do?

Dwight Howard’s slight injury and rest time at the end of the season opened the door for Omer Asik to assume the starting center role that was once permanently his. Asik looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. He had two, 23 rebound games in April and averaged 10 points and 14 boards throughout the month. If Terrence Jones can’t defend the 4 position along-side Dwight Howard, Kevin McHale is open to letting Asik and Howard command the defense together.

“We haven’t done it a lot lately,” McHale recently told the Houston Chronicle. “They were effective earlier at stages, and this might be one of those games where if we’re having a heck of a time with Aldridge we might try one of our big centers on him.”

The experiment blew-up on the Rockets when they employed the lineup early in the season, but now each center is heating up at the right time and could perhaps wreak havoc in the paint against Robin Lopez and LaMarcus Aldridge.

However the Rockets decide to use Asik, he’ll be coming into the game with a new found sense of self and position. He’ll be a huge factor off the bench.

3. If Portland wins, perhaps we get another one of these gems.

I’ll let this clip speak for itself, but very quickly: As an adopted son of hipster-infused towns (Austin, and in some ways, Detroit) I got a sweet spot for anyone that looks to lampoon the organic weirdness of its people, even if it is mainstream now. Does that make it ironic still? Whatever, its funny this way or that.

2. The r/ripcity subreddit.

If you’re like me, you spend an exorbitant amount of time on websites that waste your time in the most luxurious way. One such website is Reddit, and more specifically the NBA team subreddits. The reason Portland’s is so fun is because it’s subscribers “fucking hate the Rockets.” Ctrl+F that phrase once there, and I’m sure you’ll be digging for days. For a number of reasons, the Portland fan base hates Houston. As an admitted Houston homer, the comments have become funny, and if nothing else they serve as good entertainment. It is great to see a fanbase so fired up for their team regardless of their affiliation, which is also a reason why its so entertaining to watch the Raptors-Nets series. If Portland escapes the first round, I can’t wait to keep my typing-fingers and wandering internet-mind glued here as long as the Trailblazers battle through the playoffs.

1. Damian Lillard vs. Patrick Beverley

This player-on-player matchup will be the most exciting subplot to watch unfold. We all know its a team game Patrick, but after you called Lillard out on a radio show last month, unprompted, its time to put your money where your mouth is. For those who don’t know, Beverley is a bulldog of a defender who would like nothing more than to make his assignment descend into the darkness of his soul. He puts his head down and sends opposing players into fits, particularly Lillard. He plays with a chip on shoulder, forged by the me-vs.-everybody mentality he developed as an NBA journey-man. Lillard, on the other hand, is no slouch. He’s Portland’s second-best offensive option and if Beverley doesn’t produce a few stops, Lillard may take that fuel and run with it causing Houston to collapse. He’s looking forward to it, so should we. Don’t get me wrong, I like seeing this animosity, this antagonizing character build some drama before a series, but boy does it lay out some prideful implications.