tlongII
04-28-2014, 08:23 AM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2014/04/trail_blazers_houston_rockets_game_4.html#incart_b ig-photo
http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/pgmain/img/oregonian/photo/2014/04/-f0e354d120b8b1a0.JPG
Nicolas Batum reacts to a defensive stop late in OT Sunday at the Moda Center.
It has caused your heart to flutter. It has made you dance in the aisles at the Moda Center and scream at your television at home.
You’ve slapped your head at the officiating and questioned how much more you can take, quitting on the Trail Blazers one second only to rejoin the party a few breaths later.
But in the end, it’s hard to imagine that your devotion to all things Rip City has not bloomed even more.
The Blazers and Houston Rockets added another juicy chapter to their topsy-turvy, edge-of-your-seat postseason thriller Sunday night at the Moda Center. And by the time the final horn sounded in Game 4, it was the Blazers who had escaped, edging the Rockets 123-120 in yet another overtime contest.
“I thought we showed a lot of heart and determination,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said after his team took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
How crazy has this series been? Three of the four games have been decided in overtime, marking the first time in franchise history the Blazers have played three overtime games in one playoff series. The Blazers became the first home team to win a game. And neither team has held the upper hand for longer than a quarter, let alone an entire night, as each matchup has featured far too many incredible plays and jaw-dropping moments to chronicle.
Game 4 simply offered more of the same, with flagrant fouls, scuffles, technicals, amazing blocks, wild scrambles for loose balls and clutch shot after clutch shot. The Rockets held control for much of the night, leading by as many as 11 points in the second half and eight in the fourth quarter, as they appeared to be the better team for long stretches. But the Blazers refused to roll over, and when Nicolas Batum swished a three-pointer over nemesis Chandler Parsons with 4:31 left, they led 99-97. Before that moment, they had led only twice — at 2-0 and 6-5.
“I think we’re at our best when our backs are to the wall and have something prove,” Stotts said. “We have a determination to us. We know what we have to do, and most times we do it.”
Back and forth the teams went in regulation as LaMarcus Aldridge finished beautiful Damian Lillard passes with layups, Dwight Howard made multiple game-saving blocks, James Harden hit step-back jumpers and Wesley Matthews somehow managed to corral every meaningful loose ball. Tempers flared. Emotions reached an apex.
A monster dunk by Howard with 3.6 seconds left tied the game at 106-106 and, after Mo Williams missed a three-pointer at the end of regulation, the drama moved to overtime. And it was Matthews who set the tone in the extra period.
At the start of overtime, Matthews dove the floor to wrestle a loose ball away from Howard during a scramble. "Iron Man" somehow emerged with the ball, called a timeout and jumped up, screaming toward the stands while flailing his arms around as he walked near the courtside fans, urging them to go nuts. They did.
The hustle play fueled the Blazers, who burst ahead to a 117-110 lead. But just when it looked like they would run away in overtime, Troy Daniels — yes, him again — swished a three, Harden hit a 13-foot jumper and Houston had a pulse. That pulse became a heartbeat when late Blazers miscues almost sabotaged their comeback.
Aldridge missed two free throws with 11.7 seconds left and then, with 8.9 seconds left, Dorell Wright inexplicably fouled Daniels as he attempted a deep three. The unheralded Game 3 hero went to the line with the Blazers' lead resting precariously at 121-117, and he made all three, trimming that lead down to one point.
Williams answered the clutch free throws with two of his own on the other end, pushing the Blazers’ lead to 123-120 and setting up one final dramatic moment in this crazy series. But there would be no nail-biting, last-second shot.
As Patrick Beverley brought the ball up to work for a shot, Matthews intercepted and picked him near midcourt. Lying on the ground, Matthews snatched the ball and passed back to Aldridge, who kicked it to Lillard and the clock expired. The Blazers had escaped and confetti fell from the rafters, splashing on top of owner Paul Allen, who stood, giddy, soaking up the postgame scene.
Matthews’ grit and hustle, yet again, saved the game.
“He came out determined and made plays on both ends,” Stotts said. “That’s what Wes does. He has a big heart.”
And the Blazers are now firmly in control of this series, one game away from winning their first postseason best-of-seven since 2000. Game 5 is Wednesday in Houston — where the Blazers already have won two games this series.
The Blazers’ stat sheet was stuffed with superlatives by its usual cast of characters. Aldridge finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, while making 12 of 23 shots. Batum recorded 25 points, six rebounds and six assists, Lillard had 23 points and eight assists and Matthews proved to be a two-way wrecking ball, finishing with 21 points, four rebounds and four steals.
Harden finished with 28 points for the Rockets, but had another shaky shooting night (9 of 21 from the field, 3 of 11 from three-point range). Parsons, who was red-hot in the first half, added 26 points and Howard was a beast from beginning to end, recording 25 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks.
But it wasn’t enough to outlast the Blazers’ magic as this remarkable — and exhausting — series pressed on to Game 5.
“It’s not exhausting to win,” Houston coach Kevin McHale said when asked about the overtime games. “It’s exhausting to lose, and we’ve lost two of the three.”
http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/pgmain/img/oregonian/photo/2014/04/-f0e354d120b8b1a0.JPG
Nicolas Batum reacts to a defensive stop late in OT Sunday at the Moda Center.
It has caused your heart to flutter. It has made you dance in the aisles at the Moda Center and scream at your television at home.
You’ve slapped your head at the officiating and questioned how much more you can take, quitting on the Trail Blazers one second only to rejoin the party a few breaths later.
But in the end, it’s hard to imagine that your devotion to all things Rip City has not bloomed even more.
The Blazers and Houston Rockets added another juicy chapter to their topsy-turvy, edge-of-your-seat postseason thriller Sunday night at the Moda Center. And by the time the final horn sounded in Game 4, it was the Blazers who had escaped, edging the Rockets 123-120 in yet another overtime contest.
“I thought we showed a lot of heart and determination,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said after his team took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
How crazy has this series been? Three of the four games have been decided in overtime, marking the first time in franchise history the Blazers have played three overtime games in one playoff series. The Blazers became the first home team to win a game. And neither team has held the upper hand for longer than a quarter, let alone an entire night, as each matchup has featured far too many incredible plays and jaw-dropping moments to chronicle.
Game 4 simply offered more of the same, with flagrant fouls, scuffles, technicals, amazing blocks, wild scrambles for loose balls and clutch shot after clutch shot. The Rockets held control for much of the night, leading by as many as 11 points in the second half and eight in the fourth quarter, as they appeared to be the better team for long stretches. But the Blazers refused to roll over, and when Nicolas Batum swished a three-pointer over nemesis Chandler Parsons with 4:31 left, they led 99-97. Before that moment, they had led only twice — at 2-0 and 6-5.
“I think we’re at our best when our backs are to the wall and have something prove,” Stotts said. “We have a determination to us. We know what we have to do, and most times we do it.”
Back and forth the teams went in regulation as LaMarcus Aldridge finished beautiful Damian Lillard passes with layups, Dwight Howard made multiple game-saving blocks, James Harden hit step-back jumpers and Wesley Matthews somehow managed to corral every meaningful loose ball. Tempers flared. Emotions reached an apex.
A monster dunk by Howard with 3.6 seconds left tied the game at 106-106 and, after Mo Williams missed a three-pointer at the end of regulation, the drama moved to overtime. And it was Matthews who set the tone in the extra period.
At the start of overtime, Matthews dove the floor to wrestle a loose ball away from Howard during a scramble. "Iron Man" somehow emerged with the ball, called a timeout and jumped up, screaming toward the stands while flailing his arms around as he walked near the courtside fans, urging them to go nuts. They did.
The hustle play fueled the Blazers, who burst ahead to a 117-110 lead. But just when it looked like they would run away in overtime, Troy Daniels — yes, him again — swished a three, Harden hit a 13-foot jumper and Houston had a pulse. That pulse became a heartbeat when late Blazers miscues almost sabotaged their comeback.
Aldridge missed two free throws with 11.7 seconds left and then, with 8.9 seconds left, Dorell Wright inexplicably fouled Daniels as he attempted a deep three. The unheralded Game 3 hero went to the line with the Blazers' lead resting precariously at 121-117, and he made all three, trimming that lead down to one point.
Williams answered the clutch free throws with two of his own on the other end, pushing the Blazers’ lead to 123-120 and setting up one final dramatic moment in this crazy series. But there would be no nail-biting, last-second shot.
As Patrick Beverley brought the ball up to work for a shot, Matthews intercepted and picked him near midcourt. Lying on the ground, Matthews snatched the ball and passed back to Aldridge, who kicked it to Lillard and the clock expired. The Blazers had escaped and confetti fell from the rafters, splashing on top of owner Paul Allen, who stood, giddy, soaking up the postgame scene.
Matthews’ grit and hustle, yet again, saved the game.
“He came out determined and made plays on both ends,” Stotts said. “That’s what Wes does. He has a big heart.”
And the Blazers are now firmly in control of this series, one game away from winning their first postseason best-of-seven since 2000. Game 5 is Wednesday in Houston — where the Blazers already have won two games this series.
The Blazers’ stat sheet was stuffed with superlatives by its usual cast of characters. Aldridge finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, while making 12 of 23 shots. Batum recorded 25 points, six rebounds and six assists, Lillard had 23 points and eight assists and Matthews proved to be a two-way wrecking ball, finishing with 21 points, four rebounds and four steals.
Harden finished with 28 points for the Rockets, but had another shaky shooting night (9 of 21 from the field, 3 of 11 from three-point range). Parsons, who was red-hot in the first half, added 26 points and Howard was a beast from beginning to end, recording 25 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks.
But it wasn’t enough to outlast the Blazers’ magic as this remarkable — and exhausting — series pressed on to Game 5.
“It’s not exhausting to win,” Houston coach Kevin McHale said when asked about the overtime games. “It’s exhausting to lose, and we’ve lost two of the three.”