The first round has always been a formality for the Trail Blazers, much like playing the Rockets in regular season games.
Prior to the series, the Trail Blazers coaching staff meticulously prepared and devised three plans along with four different rotation strategies to deal with unexpected situations.
Unexpectedly, the Rockets offered no real resistance, losing spirit early on.
The Trail Blazers finished every game in the third quarter, leading in the first half and then launching a powerful offensive in the third quarter to widen the score and seal the win.
Against the absolute disparity in strength, all of the Rockets' preparations were futile. The Trail Blazers now just need to wait in Portland for their semifinal opponent.
The Los Angeles Lakers, fourth in the Western Conference, and the Phoenix Suns, ranked fifth, engaged in the most evenly matched encounter of the Western Conference first round.
