Houston, Yao Blast Portland in Game 1

In front of a raucous crowd the Portland Trail Blazers took the court tonight for their first playoff game in six years, and the first of the modern incarnation. They were young, they were excited, and the entire city of Portland was behind them.

Then Yao Ming happened.

Ming scored 24 points, all in the first half, all in only 24 minutes, on 9-9 shooting to put the Blazers down for the count from the very beginning. After the rubble had cleared? Rockets 108, Blazers 81.

Rockets 108, Trail Blazers 81: Box Score | Live Blog | Scoreboard

Yao scored the first seven points for the Rockets, and the Blazers had absolutely no answer for the big man. Dominant would be the word, but it would be an understatement. However, it wasn't just Yao that went off against the sieve called the Portland defense.

By the end of the game, alongside the 27 point score differential, the Rockets shot 59% from the field (65% eFG), out-rebounded Portland 44-30, and had an offensive efficiency of 133.3. If you're not big into stats, anecdotally, the Blazers allowed wide open looks to almost every Rocket, seemed lost on defense, exerted little effort on the boards and were completely overwhelmed. It's one thing for Yao Ming's gigantic size to overwhelm Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden. But Luis Scola added 19 points and 8 rebounds, and Aaron Brooks lit them up for 27 points and 7 assists.

There was more to this game than just a hot shooting night for the Rockets and a cold one for the Blazers, though. The Rockets were in the younger team's grill on every possession. There they were challenging shots, communicating on defense, hustling for loose balls, crashing the boards. When you talk about creating the game you want, Houston did it. Their offense was very effective, and their defense made Portland highly ineffective. Brandon Roy led the Blazers with 21, but needed 23 shots to do it (43% from the field) and got kneed in his head by Ron Artest on a loose ball for his trouble.

Okay, so where do you go from here if you're Portland? It's just one game. There were obviously some nerves. And Portland can't play that badly again. They were able to do some effective things against Ming in the second half, including fronting him and "flashing" the inlet passer to swing the ball. LaMarcus Aldridge will adjust and Nate McMillan will work to get him better shots.

But defense has been an issue all year for this Portland club. Hot shooting can overcome it against many teams, but Houston is about as sound fundamentally on defense as you're going to find. And things won't get any less physical from here on out. For Portland, it's going to take a severe commitment to defense going forward in this series.

Latest NBA Playoff Photos

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 18: Ron Artest #96 of the Houston Rockets flashes a smile in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Rose Garden Arena on April 18, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ron Artest

NBAE/Getty Images

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 18: Coach Rick Adelman, Aaron Brooks #0 and Yao Ming #11 of the Houston Rockets discuss the game in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Rose Garden Arena on April 18, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Yao Ming;Rick Adelman;Aaron Brooks

NBAE/Getty Images

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 18: Aaron Brooks #0 of the Houston Rockets goes up for a shot over Sergio Rodriguez #11 of the Portland Trail Blazers in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Rose Garden Arena on April 18, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sergio Rodriguez;Aaron Brooks

NBAE/Getty Images

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 18: Brandon Roy #7, LaMarcus Aldridge #12 and Greg Oden #52 of the Portland Trail Blazers watch their team lose in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Rose Garden Arena on April 18, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brandon Roy;LaMarcus Aldridge;Greg Oden

NBAE/Getty Images

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 18: Aaron Brooks #0 and Yao Ming #11 of the Houston Rockets take a break in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Rose Garden Arena on April 18, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Yao Ming;Aaron Brooks

NBAE/Getty Images

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 18: Ron Artest #96 of the Houston Rockets takes a shot in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Rose Garden Arena on April 18, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ron Artest

NBAE/Getty Images

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 18: LaMarcus Aldridge (L) #12, Greg Oden (C) #52 and Rudy Fernandez (R) #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers watch the game from the bench against the Houston Rockets during Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the NBA Playoffs on April 18, 2009 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LaMarcus Aldridge;Greg Oden;Rudy Fernandez

Getty Images

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 18: Greg Oden #52 of the Portland Trail Blazers grabs for a rebound infront of Dikembe Mutombo #55 of the Houston Rockets in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Rose Garden Arena on April 18, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dikembe Mutombo;Greg Oden

NBAE/Getty Images

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 18: Aaron Brooks #0 of the Houston Rockets drives against Steve Blake #2 of the Portland Trail Blazers during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 NBA Playoffs on April 18, 2009 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Aaron Brooks;Steve Blake

Getty Images