Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, the Portland Trailblazers will try to shake off a rough beating at the hands of the reigning Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western semifinals. Now they will try to avoid a deep, 2-0 hole in Game 2 which can be live streamed free by clicking this link. Spurs fans can hear the game on 1200 WOAI, while Blazers fans may do the same on Fox Sports Radio 620.
Portland looked stellar in Round 1 as they torched the Houston Rockets, but Game 1 served as a severe wake-up call according to point guard Damian Lillard. "That, is a championship team," Lillard said.
After sinking the series winning 3-pointer in dramatic fashion last round and running circles around Houston's guards, he was held to a modest 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting. More importantly, the Spurs limited Lillard to a single 3-point attempt, which he missed.
Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge have been the rocks of Portland's foundation this season but neither has much playoff experience, which Aldridge is keenly aware of. "Most of the guys on our team haven't even been in the second round and they've won championships," said Aldridge.
"They've been here. I think they definitely came out and they let us know how it's going to be. I think every guy on the team understands that."
Aldridge was ready for the Spurs, with 32 points and 14 boards in Game 1. They'll need more of the same from him going forward as the rest of the Blazers acclimate themselves to Round 2.
Although San Antonio administered a beating and have a big experience edge, they also have older legs. Lillard's counterpart Tony Parker said keeping pace with the young Blazers will be the key to winning. "The key tomorrow is just match their energy," Parker said after practice Wednesday.
"They're going to come back and they're going to be very motivated. The way we handle the win, that's going to make the difference for us."
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