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Hardwood Paroxysm Presents: NBA Midseason Super-Overreactionizer

By HP Basketball Network

Jan 9, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) works on his dribbling during warmups before the game against the Boston Celtics at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) works on his dribbling during warmups before the game against the Boston Celtics at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 6, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) backs in on Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) during the first quarter of the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) backs in on Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) during the first quarter of the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /

LaMarcus Aldridge becomes a Better Dirk Nowitzki, leads Portland to a Championship

By Andy Liu (@AndyKHLiu) — Hardwood Paroxysm

LaMarcus Aldridge is a perfectly fine basketball player. Defenses plan their entire defense around him. They concede his mid-range jumpers because there’s no way of defending them in a one-on-one situation. Great teams like the San Antonio Spurs would rather just let him cook than throw the kitchen sink in stopping his shooting. Then during the All-Star Game, Aldridge effortlessly, and without much fanfare, sank several threes. Before this season, Aldridge had only shot 116 3s in eight seasons. He’s jacked up 59 already this season and has sunk them at a 42.4 percent clip.

But that’s just a taste. From now until the rest of his career, Aldridge is about to do what Dirk Nowitzki has done in terrorizing the entire league his entire life. Aldridge is going to murder teams from behind the arc, bending defenses a la Stephen Curry while posting up helpless smaller defenders, forcing defenses to double and scramble with lesser defenders. Aldridge is going to take Portland’s offense to astronomical levels.

Dirk needed Tyson Chandler’s defense en route to a champinship but Aldridge won’t need such a game-changing figure because the Blazers offense would become historically excellent with Damian Lillard, Wes Matthews, andd Nicolas Batum finding new lanes and space to create.

The Blazers are 19 game over .500, first in their division, and in third place overall in the Western Conference. When Aldridge finally ends this charade of shooting midrange jumpers and taps into his rightful place as a three-point magician, the Blazers are going to charge up the rankings, annihilate top defenses like the Golden State Warriors (Andrew Bogut can’t run out to him and Draymond Green is too small) and Memphis Grizzlies (same with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph) en route to a championship.

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