Houston rapper Scarface dropped an album entitled The Last Of A Dying Breed in 2000. It was an appropriate title. Face was then, and still is, one of the last emcees that truly cared about the craft— the beats, the rhymes, the creativity, the content, the substance. Hip-hop is bigger than, as Ice Cube calls it, “escapism rap”. Artists like Scarface are among the few that consistently explores this lane, but the genre and the culture are far better off for it.
It was in Houston three years ago that LaMarcus Aldridge announced himself as one of the elite players in the league when he hit the Rockets with a Hadouken (46 points, 18 rebounds) in Game 1 of their first round series.
What was more impressive was how he basically duplicated his scoring output in effort in Game 2 by dropping 43 on H-Town.
Anybody who fancies themselves as the least bit of a basketball traditionalist can appreciate what Aldridge did in these two games. A classic big man with a touch of contemporary game, Aldridge torched the Rockets by scoring in a variety of ways. Face-up jumpers, drop steps, up & unders, jump hooks, offensive put-backs, three-pointers— LA was automatic. Portland would go on to upset the Rockets before losing in the second round.
After getting bounced in round one by Memphis last year, LaMarcus Aldridge fled the Pacific Northwest for San Antonio, and a shot a championship. He sacrificed the spotlight and shots, and it took awhile for him to get acclimated in the Spurs system. But the nine-year vet shot a career-high .513 from the field in 2016, and eventually managed to put it all together. Exhibit A was the 38 he hung on the Thunder in Game 1 of the Spurs’ conference semifinals series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9ww-sd2J8E
And just like in Portland two years ago, Aldridge doubled-down on his Serge Ibaka roast session in Game 2 to the tune of 41 points and eight rebounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f14jEMDEsvQ
Entering tonight’s Game 3 against Ibaka and the Thunder, Aldridge is shooting 33 of 44 (.750)! He’s also hit all 11 of his free throws, and even hit a three-pointer in each game.
Again, the variety in which Aldridge scored the ball (Hubie-ism) is as extraordinary as it is unique. In an era where offenses built around the three-point shot have become ubiquitous beyond reason, and the power forward position is slowly fading away (according to The Ringer’s Bill Simmons anyway), Aldridge’s game still shines as efficient and effective as ever before.
LA’s real estate is from the low block out to 20 feet on the wing, a space fewer players desire to operate in these days. Conversely, the Warriors have teams like the Cavaliers doing their best Golden State impression. Aldridge is cool because his game is different— sure he can make a three, but he’d rather play within himself and the confines of his style of play, a style that San Antonio has made room for in their robust offense. Simply put, his mid-range game is official, and contrary to popular belief, a 16-footer is still an easier shot to make than a 23-footer for most people.
LaMarcus Aldridge is the appropriate recipient of the San Antonio big man torch from Tim Duncan, which was passed to him from David Robinson. TD’s footwork and angle-friendly game is legendary. As we watch players like Chris Bosh and Kevin Love morph into over-sized 2-guards, we should stop to appreciate a throwback player that “makes the impossible look easy” on his block, just like Scarface.