Dwight Howard Says LaMarcus Aldridge’s Great Play Discouraging to Rockets

Portland Trail Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge has tortured the Houston Rockets through Games 1 and 2 of their first round Playoff series. Dwight Howard admits that Aldridge’s steady diet of high-arching turnaround jumpers has the Rockets feeling sick. Per the Houston Chronicle:

“That midrange shot is something he has done since I played against him in high school,” Howard said. “It hasn’t changed. You give him space, he is going to knock down that shot. You want to double team but he is catching the ball out there at the 3-point line so it’s like not a good place to double. No excuses. He is having a great series and we have to find a way to shut the water off.”

If Aldridge was not causing the Rockets’ enough problems, Howard said that Aldridge’s phenomenal shooting also were deflating.

“I think the biggest thing is when LaMarcus hit tough fadeaways yesterday, it kind of sucked the air out of a lot of guys,” Howard said. “It was like ‘oh man, that’s great defense’ but he just shoots it real high and it hits the bottom of the net. So sometimes that takes the air out of you but you have to stay focused through all of that.

“When a guy has it going like that, you got to stay confident and understand that this is the playoffs. Each possession is going to count. Like I said, everything has to be positive from here on out.”