tlongII
04-04-2011, 09:13 AM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/04/portland_104_dallas_96_a_perfe.html
http://media.oregonlive.com/blazers_impact/photo/blaz1x04jpegjpg-bb2eae45521a0a17.jpg
Portland's Gerald Wallace steals the ball from Rodrigue Beaubois of Dallas. Wallace led the Blazers with 19 points and had eight rebounds and three steals.
If Sunday night truly did offer a sneak peek at the first round of the playoffs for the Trail Blazers, they might not be a one-and-done Western Conference foe after all.
In a complete, dominant performance that bolstered their playoff hopes, the Blazers steamrolled the reeling Dallas Mavericks 104-96 in a game that was far more lopsided than the final score indicates.
With a variety of players doing seemingly whatever they wanted to against the Mavericks, the Blazers (45-32) maintained their tight grip on sixth place in the West and decreased their magic number of making the playoffs to one. One Blazers win or one Houston Rockets loss, and the Blazers are in the postseason for the third consecutive season.
And, if the season were to end today, the Blazers would earn a rematch with these very Mavericks, whom the Blazers have defeated twice in a row and five of the last eight times. So, surely the Blazers are keeping their fingers crossed that they draw the Mavericks in the first round ... right?
"It doesn't matter who we face," point guard Andre Miller said. "Either way, it's going to be tough, whether it's San Antonio, the Lakers or Dallas. I really don't have a preference."
That sentiment was echoed across the home locker room at the Rose Garden on Sunday night as the Blazers took a politically correct approach to a possible first-round matchup. But if Sunday offered any evidence, they secretly have to be begging for it.
The Blazers were on from the get-go, running a crisp and precise offense that exploited the multitude of mismatches Portland has over the Mavericks. The Blazers were shooting better than 57 percent well into the fourth quarter as six different players reached double figures in scoring, including Gerald Wallace (19 points, eight rebounds), LaMarcus Aldridge (18 points, eight rebounds), Wesley Matthews (16 points) and new sixth man Nicolas Batum (15 points, four assists, three rebounds).
Meanwhile, on defense, the Blazers racked up 10 steals and forced the Mavericks into a slew of air balls, errant passes and forced shots. Just about the only players clicking on offense for the Mavericks were Shawn Marion (19 points on 8-of-11 shooting) and Jose Barea, who kept them within striking distance early with 10 first-half points. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 16 points and made 5 of 12 shots.
"They are a tough team," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "They have a lot of weapons. We feel we have a lot of weapons, too. So if this series does happen, it will be a great series."
It helped that Dallas (53-24) was playing the final game of a six-game, 10-day trip. And had lost the night before to Golden State. And that the Mavericks played without starting center Tyson Chandler, who skipped the game with a sore back.
But the Blazers led by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter, controlled both ends of the court so clearly and played with such poise that a fully loaded Dallas team probably would have suffered the same fate.
"No excuses," Carlisle said. "We are not going to make excuses. ... They were better tonight."
Before the game, when Portland coach Nate McMillan was asked what he hoped to see from his team as it heads down the final stretch of the season, he said he was looking for a little swagger, a lot of "fire" and a dose of confidence. He got all three Sunday night.
If Batum wasn't driving the basket and completing highlight-reel dunks over Ian Mahinmi, Rudy Fernandez was flying all over the court, swishing threes, completing his own dunks and delighting a sellout crowd. Wallace was a force on both ends, the most glaring illustration coming in the third quarter, when he snatched a pass on the Dallas end and streaked coast-to-coast for a breathtaking fast-break dunk.
Perhaps the most fitting play of the game came near the end of the third quarter, when Fernandez batted a Marion pass away in the middle of the court, chased the ball down as it headed out of bounds and saved it with a leaping pass to Wallace. Fernandez watched Wallace finish the play with an easy layup while sprawled out in the front row of the stands.
All the while, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban stared in disbelief as he sat near the Dallas bench.
The Blazers may not be saying they prefer a first-round chance at the Mavericks, but their play Sunday night spoke volumes.
"It can be a good matchup for us, but in the Western Conference, nothing is easy," Batum said. "I don't care if we play San Antonio, the Lakers or Dallas. They are going to be tough anyway."
Notes: With five games left in the season, the Blazers hold a one-game lead over seventh-place New Orleans and eighth-place Memphis in the Western Conference standings. ... The Blazers won their eighth consecutive game at the Rose Garden. ... The Blazers are a season-best 13-games over .500. ... The Blazers seized control of the game with a blistering second quarter in which they scored 38 points and shot 80 percent from the field. ... The Blazers shot 53.4 percent from the game and improved to 32-2 when they shoot a better percentage than their opponents. ... The Mavericks lost their third game in a row and lost just their 13th road game of the season.
http://media.oregonlive.com/blazers_impact/photo/blaz1x04jpegjpg-bb2eae45521a0a17.jpg
Portland's Gerald Wallace steals the ball from Rodrigue Beaubois of Dallas. Wallace led the Blazers with 19 points and had eight rebounds and three steals.
If Sunday night truly did offer a sneak peek at the first round of the playoffs for the Trail Blazers, they might not be a one-and-done Western Conference foe after all.
In a complete, dominant performance that bolstered their playoff hopes, the Blazers steamrolled the reeling Dallas Mavericks 104-96 in a game that was far more lopsided than the final score indicates.
With a variety of players doing seemingly whatever they wanted to against the Mavericks, the Blazers (45-32) maintained their tight grip on sixth place in the West and decreased their magic number of making the playoffs to one. One Blazers win or one Houston Rockets loss, and the Blazers are in the postseason for the third consecutive season.
And, if the season were to end today, the Blazers would earn a rematch with these very Mavericks, whom the Blazers have defeated twice in a row and five of the last eight times. So, surely the Blazers are keeping their fingers crossed that they draw the Mavericks in the first round ... right?
"It doesn't matter who we face," point guard Andre Miller said. "Either way, it's going to be tough, whether it's San Antonio, the Lakers or Dallas. I really don't have a preference."
That sentiment was echoed across the home locker room at the Rose Garden on Sunday night as the Blazers took a politically correct approach to a possible first-round matchup. But if Sunday offered any evidence, they secretly have to be begging for it.
The Blazers were on from the get-go, running a crisp and precise offense that exploited the multitude of mismatches Portland has over the Mavericks. The Blazers were shooting better than 57 percent well into the fourth quarter as six different players reached double figures in scoring, including Gerald Wallace (19 points, eight rebounds), LaMarcus Aldridge (18 points, eight rebounds), Wesley Matthews (16 points) and new sixth man Nicolas Batum (15 points, four assists, three rebounds).
Meanwhile, on defense, the Blazers racked up 10 steals and forced the Mavericks into a slew of air balls, errant passes and forced shots. Just about the only players clicking on offense for the Mavericks were Shawn Marion (19 points on 8-of-11 shooting) and Jose Barea, who kept them within striking distance early with 10 first-half points. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 16 points and made 5 of 12 shots.
"They are a tough team," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "They have a lot of weapons. We feel we have a lot of weapons, too. So if this series does happen, it will be a great series."
It helped that Dallas (53-24) was playing the final game of a six-game, 10-day trip. And had lost the night before to Golden State. And that the Mavericks played without starting center Tyson Chandler, who skipped the game with a sore back.
But the Blazers led by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter, controlled both ends of the court so clearly and played with such poise that a fully loaded Dallas team probably would have suffered the same fate.
"No excuses," Carlisle said. "We are not going to make excuses. ... They were better tonight."
Before the game, when Portland coach Nate McMillan was asked what he hoped to see from his team as it heads down the final stretch of the season, he said he was looking for a little swagger, a lot of "fire" and a dose of confidence. He got all three Sunday night.
If Batum wasn't driving the basket and completing highlight-reel dunks over Ian Mahinmi, Rudy Fernandez was flying all over the court, swishing threes, completing his own dunks and delighting a sellout crowd. Wallace was a force on both ends, the most glaring illustration coming in the third quarter, when he snatched a pass on the Dallas end and streaked coast-to-coast for a breathtaking fast-break dunk.
Perhaps the most fitting play of the game came near the end of the third quarter, when Fernandez batted a Marion pass away in the middle of the court, chased the ball down as it headed out of bounds and saved it with a leaping pass to Wallace. Fernandez watched Wallace finish the play with an easy layup while sprawled out in the front row of the stands.
All the while, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban stared in disbelief as he sat near the Dallas bench.
The Blazers may not be saying they prefer a first-round chance at the Mavericks, but their play Sunday night spoke volumes.
"It can be a good matchup for us, but in the Western Conference, nothing is easy," Batum said. "I don't care if we play San Antonio, the Lakers or Dallas. They are going to be tough anyway."
Notes: With five games left in the season, the Blazers hold a one-game lead over seventh-place New Orleans and eighth-place Memphis in the Western Conference standings. ... The Blazers won their eighth consecutive game at the Rose Garden. ... The Blazers are a season-best 13-games over .500. ... The Blazers seized control of the game with a blistering second quarter in which they scored 38 points and shot 80 percent from the field. ... The Blazers shot 53.4 percent from the game and improved to 32-2 when they shoot a better percentage than their opponents. ... The Mavericks lost their third game in a row and lost just their 13th road game of the season.