Any questions fans had about the San Antonio Spurs were answered in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Despite struggling to take down the Dallas Mavericks in seven games, the team came out and showed why it\u2019s the defending conference champions against the Portland Trail Blazers.[ad-4468020]<\/p>\n
Portland (0-1) @ San Antonio (1-0)<\/strong>
\nThursday, May 7 9:30 PM ET (ESPN2)<\/strong>
\nAT&T Center<\/strong>
\nSpread: Spurs -6.5<\/strong>
\nTotal: 207.5<\/strong>
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Now it must keep home-court advantage by taking Game 2 and a 2-0 lead before it heads to Portland for Game 3.<\/p>\n
Portland<\/h3>\n
The Portland Trail Blazers got another brilliant game out of LaMarcus Aldridge. The power forward recorded 32 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 12-of-25 from the field, and it\u2019s clear why he\u2019s been considered one of the top MVP candidates of the postseason up to this point.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for fans in Rip City, Aldridge\u2019s game was masked by the fact that the team lost 116-92 in a game that was never even in question.<\/p>\n
For Portland, success starts and ends with three-point shooting. It\u2019s what got them where it is today, and it\u2019s what will help it move onto the next round, should it improve in that category.<\/p>\n
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In Game 1, the Blazers shot an abysmal 25 percent on 16 attempts.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, it gave up 43.8 percent shooting on the other end, which is a recipe for disaster no matter how well Aldridge plays.
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\nDefensively, the Blazers need to do a better job of disrupting passing lanes. The Spurs are a machine when it comes to methodical basketball, and that includes pick-and-rolls, backdoor cuts and overall motion on the perimeter.<\/p>\nYou can\u2019t expect the Blazers to shut them down completely, but a bit of containment will be necessary whether or not their three-point shots are falling.<\/p>\n
San Antonio<\/h3>\n
If the Spurs can do the same things they did in Game 1 again in Game 2, they will win even if Portland picks up its three-point shooting. But that will be easier said than done, as Terry Stotts, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, has proven he can make adjustments between games throughout the postseason.<\/p>\n
In the first game of this series, Parker played brilliantly.<\/p>\n
He shot 13-of-24 from the field, and he scored 33 points to go along with his nine assists.<\/p>\n
Getting that same kind of performance is going to be crucial for San Antonio\u2019s success, but you have to believe the Blazers will be ready to give him different looks using Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews and Manu Ginobili.<\/p>\n
Home-court advantage is big in this one, which is why the Spurs should take Game 2.<\/p>\n
The catch is, Portland will put up a much better fight than it did the first go-around, giving us a game instead of a blowout Thursday night.<\/p>\n
Prediction: San Antonio 107 \u2013 Portland 103<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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