Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers host the Dallas Mavericks. We're now six games away from the end of the regular season and the Playoff Speculation Bug is loose and more contagious than Justin Bieber spambots on Twitter.
The Blazers are currently holding tight to a half-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies for the sixth seed in the Western Conference, which is significant because were the playoffs to start today, the third seeded Mavericks are the team Portland would battle in the first round. A loss drops Portland down to the seventh seed in the playoff hunt, which all but guarantees another first round playoff exit, this time at the hands of the red hot Los Angeles Lakers. A win keeps the Blazers in command of that sixth spot, and of all the first round match-ups Portland could draw, they have the best chance for an upset versus the Mavericks.
Ugh, see what I mean? To keep the Playoff Speculation Bug at bay, every game from here on out is a must win for Portland. Otherwise, get ready for a week and a half of "LOL Justin Bieber married Rebecca Black pregnant RT RT RT, y'all."
PRE-GAME:
Dallas holds the season series lead 2-1, but Portland has a good chance to tie it up at two games apiece tonight. After the Mavericks belted out to a blistering 24-5 start, they've gone a respectable but not fantastic 29-18. Granted, many of those losses were racked up after losing Caron Butler for the season, and MVP Dirk Nowitzki for an extended stretch with a strained right knee.
When these two teams met a little more than two weeks ago in the Rose Garden, the Blazers were led by LaMarcus Aldridge, who poured in thirty. They also got some serious offensive help from Brandon Roy, who notched twenty-one points. In the nine games since then, he's only managed forty-seven points combined. The chances of him scoring in double digits are slim, so Portland is going to need to get some offense from somewhere else, especially considering that Dallas is a fantastic defensive team.
With Portland starting their larger lineup again—swapping out Nicolas Batum for Marcus Camby—Gerald Wallace is ripe for a huge game against the smaller DeShawn Stevenson. Or, he would have, but it looks like the Mavericks are starting Shawn Marion to try and combat Portland's size. This does not bode well.
The Blazers are going to have to defend the three-point line with vigilance tonight, as Dallas have multiple streaky shooters that can get hot from distance, like Peja Stojakovic and Jason Terry. And when the three ball isn't falling, the Mavericks have enough size and speed to get good looks in the paint. Overall, as one of the top ten in both offense and defense, the Mavericks are a very tough team, even if they are coming in having lost two in a row.
It looks like Tyson Chandler is a last minute scratch for tonight's game, freeing up LaMarcus Aldridge from the best post-defender on the Mavericks. Odds of LaMarcus notching another thirty plus point game just increased significantly.
FIRST QUARTER:
11:43 - Yep, it only took seventeen seconds for Aldridge to score. He is going to feast on Brendan Haywood tonight. 2-0 Blazers.
10:38 - Portland caught a huge break, as second year speedster Rodrigue Beaubois picked up his second foul in the game's first couple of minutes. In unorthodox fashion, Rick Carlisle is leaving Beaubois on the floor with the fouls. Here's to picking up number three, as Beaubois just gave the Mavs their first points. 4-2 Blazers.
7:01 - Dirk's first bucket gave Dallas their first lead of the game. But that was followed by a coast to coast drive by Gerald Wallace that saw him both dribble it behind his back and split a double team on his way to an easy layup. That was real smooth. 9-8 Blazers.
5:45 - Four points and three rebounds early on for LaMarcus. Despite missing two open shots early, he's looking active, picking up his second field goal on a baseline alley-oop. The Mavs are going to have to consider a double-team if they want to keep Aldridge in check. 11-8 Blazers.
5:16 - That's two straight alley-oops for Aldridge, the second one coming on a fast break touch pass from Nicolas Batum. Portland is running the floor in transition really well tonight. 13-8 Blazers.
3:33 - Andre Miller just tried to pull that fake calling a timeout thing, which might be my favorite play of all time. He stopped by the sideline, and looked like he was going to whip a pass to someone under the basket. The Blazer he was trying to get the ball to was either not open or didn't see the play developing, because Miller ended up calling the timeout with a huge grin on his face. Nate McMillian was also amused, giving Andre a huge slap on the back as they went to timeout. 15-12 Blazers.
2:57 - There is Aldridge's tenth point of the night. Beast. 19-12 Blazers.
2:20 - Hey, Chris Johnson is in the game! Hey, Chris Johnson just had a nice reverse layup! 21-14 Blazers.
0:00 - Gerald Wallace had a huge hustle play, grabbing a loose ball in the air while falling out of bounds, and got Portland a possession to end the quarter. Too bad that possession was squandered by an air-balled Rudy three as the clock expired. Still, a good overall quarter for Portland. 23-17 Blazers.
SECOND QUARTER:
10:50 - Five quick points for Dallas to start the quarter, with three of those coming off a Peja Stojakovic bomb. Those old legs still apparently have something left in them. 23-22 Blazers.
10:19 - I think someone from the 300 level was just trying to heckle Mark Cuban. More of this, please. 27-22 Blazers.
9:45 - Brandon Roy just hit a three, his first make of the game. Those old legs still apparently have something left in them.
8:43 - Make that twelve for Aldridge. He followed up a Roy miss by tapping in the offense rebound. He missed the first put-back attempt, getting two offensive rebounds on the play. Ah, the old Kevin Love. 36-28 Blazers.
6:53 - Nicolas Batum just put Ian Mahinmi on a poster, flying through the lane and slamming it home over his Mahinmi's out-stretched hands. That was Batum's second highlight reel dunk in as many games. Keep it up, Frenchy. 43-34 Blazers.
5:37 - JJ Barea just water-bugged his way to five straight points. That guy is quick. And little. Okay, mostly just little. But still, he always manages to play well against Portland. He's leading the way for Dallas with ten points on the night. 43-39 Blazers.
4:25 - LaMarcus is checking out of this half earlier than normal. Maybe the Blazers are trying to limit his minutes more, keep him fresh for the playoffs? I did hear he was tired. Seeing as how he's leading Portland with fourteen points, that must be the case. 48-41 Blazers.
1:56 - No LaMarcus, no problem. The Blazers are playing loose and easy, and have upped this lead in the last couple of minutes. Wesley Matthews picked up a three-shot foul on Jason Terry, and then found a wide-open Andre Miller on the next possession for an easy layup. 55-44 Blazers.
0:47 - Hey, speaking of loose and easy, I just got a text that my sister had a baby! I kid. Congrats though, sister! Also, sorry for making a cheap and stupid joke at your expense. Think she'll care that it's also Rudy Fernandez's birthday today? Probably not. 59-44 Blazers.
0:00 - Wow, the Blazers scored thirty-eight points in the second quarter. That's nuts. Are the Mavericks missing Tyson Chandler that much? 61-46 Blazers.
THIRD QUARTER:
9:20 - It had been a very sluggish start to the quarter for both teams, but after a Wesley Matthews twenty-foot jumper and a Gerald Wallace three, things are starting to pick up again. 66-48 Blazers.
8:12 - A steal and another transition bucket for Gerald Wallace. For a 6'7" guy, he can run in the open court extremely well. Portland is up nineteen and threatening to put the Mavericks down for good. 70-51 Blazers.
5:31 - Beaubois just knocked down a corner three off of an offensive rebound, giving Dallas a bit of life. With only seven points for Nowitzki thus far, though, it's going to be difficult for the Mavs to make a game of it. 74-59 Blazers.
4:33 - Brandon Haywood just put up one of the worst free throws I have ever seen. The thing just glanced off the left side of the rim, almost an airball but not quite. Man, Chuck Hayes shoots them better than that. Unfortunately for Portland, their offense has completely stalled, and Dallas is starting to chip back into this game. 74-61 Blazers.
2:20 - Yep, completely stalled. Dallas is one big bucket away from making a serious game of this. 76 - 65 Blazers.
1:26 - Or not. Nicolas Batum nailed a three to stretch the lead back a bit. Rudy then picked up a mid-court steal, tapping the ball and then chasing the loose ball out of bounds. He saved it, passed it to a cutting Gerald Wallace who knocked down the easy layup. Five quick points for Portland, and the fans are now chanting Rudy's name. 81-65 Blazers.
0:00 - A buzzer-beater from Dirk Nowitzki snapped a 9-0 run from Portland, who had rebuilt their lead back up to twenty. I would not be surprised if the Mavericks came out in the fourth with their white flag up, sitting their starters to get them some rest for the upcoming playoffs. 85-67 Blazers.
FOURTH QUARTER:
11:40 - Right on cue, there's Brian Cardinal for the Mavericks. Game, set, match. 87-69 Blazers.
9:48 - LaMarcus Aldridge just picked up his sixteenth point on the night, but really, why is he still in this game? The Mavericks are not going to bring their starters back, which means the Blazers should rest theirs. Patty Mills, where are you? 89-71 Blazers.
8:49 - Oh man, Batum just had an insane behind the head pass on a give and go with Gerald Wallace. Wallace converted the layup with ease, but Batum deserves the credit on the highlight assist. Nicolas is putting together another solid outing coming off the bench. 93-74 Blazers.
7:58 - Huh, so Nowitzki is back in the game. As is Jason Terry. I would not have suspected that tonight, what with the lead as big as it is. 95-74 Blazers.
6:35 - Brian Cardinal and Gerald Wallace just got into it a bit. Cardinal, ever the wise man, backed down from that fight. 95-79 Blazers.
6:04 - DeShawn Stevenson just knocked down a corner three, which cut the lead to thirteen. And now Andre Miller and Wesley Matthews are entering back into the game. Really? Because you have a THIRTEEN point lead? Even Jason Terry couldn't shoot the Mavs back into this one. 95-82 Blazers.
5:25 - Right after typing that, Jason Terry had an open corner three to cut the lead to ten. He missed, and the long rebound led to a fast break for Wesley Matthews. He hit the transition basket, and picked up the and one. Yep, this is still not a game. 98-82 Blazers.
5:02 - Okay, seriously. Five straight points for Portland. The lead is eighteen. There are five minutes left. This would be the time to bring in Chris Johnson for LaMarcus Aldridge. And Luke Babbitt. And Patty Mills. Let's do this, Blazers. Nope, starters still in. 100-82 Blazers.
4:13 - Andre Miller just got a finger in the eye and is writhing around in pain. He is doubled over and looks seriously injured. And why? Because an eighteen point lead isn't safe? UGH. Pull. The. Starters. 100-82 Blazers.
4:13 - After the timeout, and the made free throws from an apparently okay Andre Miller, LaMarcus Aldridge is still in the game. This is not okay. He needs to sit, and now. 102-82 Blazers.
3:16 - Finally! Chris Johnson is coming in for LaMarcus. That should have happened a long time ago, but at least it's happening now. Now, how about Miller, Matthews, and Wallace? 104-87 Blazers.
0:49 - Finally! Here's Patty Mills and Luke Babbitt! Glad to see the made it in for forty seconds! 104-94 Blazers.
0:00 - And that's the ball game. Portland thoroughly dominated the Mavericks, leading by double digits for the most of the night. Portland is now up by a full game over the Grizzlies and the Hornets for the sixth spot in the playoffs, meaning a matchup against these Mavericks in the first round. One more win for the Blazers and they've clinched their playoff berth, regardless of position.
FINAL SCORE: 104-96 Blazers.
