He does this sometimes, especially with Lowry and Aaron Brooks, who are younger and not inclined to stand up to a 10-year veteran that occasionally forgets he has four teammates on the floor with him.

When Artest got the ball on this particular play, he didn't pass it, shoot it or dump it inside to Yao Ming.

He just stood there, seemingly forever.

He eventually bulled his way into the lane and turned it over at a moment in the game when the Rockets desperately needed a basket to stop a Dallas run.

Welcome to Ron-being-Ron, the thing the Rockets should fear most in these NBA playoffs. Moments like this represent Portland's best - and maybe only - chance to win this series.

Artest is a huge reason the Rockets have made another late-season run to the playoffs. He's one of those rare players capable of making an impact on both ends of the floor.

Yet there are stretches in almost every game when he freelances. These stretches can win games or lose them, frustrate teammates or amuse them.

The Rockets have no idea if they'll get more of Good Ron than Bad Ron in this series. They're hoping for one, braced for another.

This is a series the Rockets can and should win. Never mind that they haven't won one in 12 years. That history means nothing to most of the locker room and the entire coaching staff.

Jeff Van Gundy told radio personality Chris Russo on Friday afternoon that he thought the series might be over quickly.

"I can't see how Portland can beat Houston," he said. "I can't fathom how this is going to be a close series."

It can be close if Artest gets out of hand or if the inexperience of Von Wafer and the young point guards is exposed.

The Blazers have less playoff experience than the Rockets, but they have home-court advantage.

The Rockets have other worries. Carl Landry hasn't had the same energy or production since returning from that gunshot wound. Brooks has been extremely inconsistent.

Still, the Rockets have far more advantages:

The Blazers have no one capable of defending Yao Ming.

If referees don't get sucked into Joel Przybilla's flopping act, the Blazers will be forced to put a second defender in front of him.

When the Mavericks did this the other might, the Rockets stopped running their offense and were chased off the court.

Instead of swinging the ball back to the other side to get a second look at Yao or to take an open jumper, the Rockets settled for bad shots.

The Rockets have other advantages on the offensive end, but everything they do begins with Yao.

Unless the referees allow the Blazers to beat up on him - he took one foul shot in 35 minutes in Dallas - he has a chance to dominate the series.

Quick point guards

Brooks and Lowry could be important offensive factors. Both are quicker than Portland's guards. If they're aggressive in the lane and if Brooks gets his confidence going by knocking down a few jumpers, the Rockets could exploit this area.

The Rockets have advantages on the defensive end as well. Brandon Roy is Portland's best offensive player, but he'll get a full night of two of the NBA's best defensive players - Shane Battier or Artest.

Rockets coach Rick Adelman probably will try Luis Scola and Carl Landry on LaMarcus Aldridge, but if they can't handle him, Chuck Hayes could get major minutes. He has dominated the matchup in the past.

In the end, Portland's biggest edges are home-court advantage and the emotional wave the Blazers will ride in being back in the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Beat home-court edge

The Blazers were honored at a downtown pep rally Thursday, and dozens of fans waited overnight to get the remaining tickets. The Rockets will have to withstand this early wave of emotion and keep their poise when things get crazy.

They got a taste of playoff atmosphere Wednesday night in Dallas and didn't handle it well.

If they go long stretches without getting Yao the ball in the low post, if Artest loses control, if the inexperience is exposed, the Rockets could lose. It's not likely to happen.

Prediction: Rockets in six.

richard.justice@chron.com