The Houston Rockets have been consistently strong this year and the first regular season of the Harden-Howard duo turned out to be a success. Despite persistent questions about the team’s lack of commitment to perimeter defense, the Rockets won 54 games including 33 at home, which was the fourth most in the league.

The Portland Trail Blazers were the talk of the league after winning 20 of their first 24 games. They were mostly able to sustain their productivity on offense, but leaky defense caused them to go through two prolonged slumps during the regular season.

Here are the efficiency ratings for both teams during the 2013-14 season.

ORTG DRTG Net RTG Rockets 108.6 103.1 +5.5 Trail Blazers 108.3 104.7 +3.5

Now, here’s when they faced off against each other.

Wins ORTG DRTG Net RTG Rockets 3 114.6 105.0 +9.6 Trail Blazers 1 105.0 114.6 -9.6

It seems that the Rockets offense exploded against the Blazers while the Blazers were unable to match their own typical offensive production when playing Houston. One of the primary reasons for this is because of the disparity in offensive efficiency between each team’s All-Star big man during these games.

Rockets Offense Vs. Blazers Defense

Dwight Howard was able to score more against Portland than he was against most other opponents. Check out how his stats against the Blazers exceeded his normal averages.

Dwight Howard Stats (All per game)

PTS FGA FG% Paint 2nd Chance Vs. Blazers 25.5 15.0 63.3% 19 5 Season Avg. 18.3 11.3 59.1% 13.1 3.9

Howard got more touches and shot at a better percentage versus the Blazers. This is interesting because Robin Lopez is generally considered to be a competent post defender. The reason Howard was so dominant in the 4 regular season games was because the Blazers decided they were going to resist double teaming Howard when he got the ball in the post in order to stay close to the Rockets 3-point shooters. The Blazers mostly accomplished their goal of curtailing the Rockets’ 3-point attack, as Chandler Parsons, Patrick Beverley, and Francisco Garcia all shot below average from behind the arc. However, the strategy did not do much to slow the Rockets overall offensive output, as Howard constantly took advantage of single coverage in the post to score easily at the rim.

The following clips exemplify how Howard was able to score inside against the Blazers. Notice how the Blazers’ perimeter defenders are content to stay at home on the shooters and watch Howard go up for a dunk.

http://on.nba.com/1meLq4F

http://on.nba.com/1meLvW9

Terry Stotts may have to consider double-teaming Howard in the post in the playoffs if he wants to slow the Houston offense.

Blazers Offense Vs. Rockets Defense

LaMarcus Aldridge and Dwight Howard are vastly different players and the matchup between Portland and Houston reveals how they impact defenses in different ways. Aldridge is most comfortable around the elbows where he can get shoot his midrange jumper over just about any defender. He is an elite shooter from that spot and his excellence in that area is a large part of why the Blazers are the 5th seed in a tough Western Conference.

However, relying heavily on midrange jump shots represents an inefficient method of offense. While Howard shot 59% from the field during the season, Aldridge shot 45.8%. Granted, Aldridge is the primary scoring option on the Blazers offense whereas Howard is only Houston’s second or third. Regardless, Aldridge’s mid-range heavy game is less efficient and doesn’t put as much pressure on a defense as Howard’s inside game.

Here’s a table comparing Aldridge’s season averages to his stats vs. the Rockets.

LaMarcus Aldridge Stats (All per game)

PTS FGA FG% Paint 2nd Chance Vs. Rockets 26.8 23.5 42.8% 11.5 7.0 Season Avg. 23.2 20.6 45.8% 7.8 3.5

Aldridge’s scoring average against the Rockets was higher than his season average but that increase was mainly due to the fact that he took about 3 more shots per game. He did score more in the paint and off second chance opportunities, yet his field goal percentage was lower.

In the same way that the Blazers chose not to double team Howard, the Rockets avoided double teaming Aldridge and were happy to let Terrence Jones defend him one on one. Jones struggles on defense when he has to guard powerful post players but his length and athleticism allow him to have success against more perimeter-oriented big men.

The clip below illustrates how Jones was consistently able to force Aldridge into taking tough contested shots.

http://on.nba.com/1meKXiM

The Rockets didn’t even send a double team when James Harden switched onto Aldridge in the post. This possession demonstrates Aldridge’s reluctance or inability to overpower smaller defenders inside.

http://on.nba.com/1meL5yY

The difference between the way in which Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge were successful in taking advantage of single coverage was the reason for the Rockets dominance over the Blazers in the regular season. If that trend continues and the defenses don’t make the necessary adjustments in the playoffs, the Rockets should move on to the second round.