Though I picked against them, make no mistake, the Mavericks are a team stacked with veterans. If you let everyone they put on the court score against you, most of them multiple times, you are going to have a bad time. Though the Trailblazers are by no means new to the playoffs, this is a very different team this year, and tonight’s game showed it.
Their three-ball was not falling at all, shooting a paltry 12.6% from beyond the arc and hitting only 2 of 16 attempts. There was a free throw disparity as well (13 to 29 free throws attempted), but we all know the aggressive team gets the calls, and the Mavs made the vast majority of their attempts count, shooting 86.3%. With the way the game ended, if the Blazers had hit 11 instead of 9 attempts, this becomes a very different ballgame.
The defensive effort could definitely use some work as well, young hot shot Aldridge and perhaps-a-little-too-veteran Marcus Camby gave up the paint to undersized guards JJ Barea and Jason Terry a lot in the second quarter, resulting in foul shots 6-8 FT shooting for Terry. They over-helped and failed to recover many times on the perimeter, resulting in easy looks for the Mavs, who shot better than 52% from downtown, and netted 30 points in the process.
Which brings us to Jason Kidd, who is the only reason that the Mavs were in position to retake the lead in the fourth. The veteran point guard shot 60% from outside while en route to 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. While he posted the worst stats of his career this year, Kidd played like he was ten years younger tonight, and if fellow veteran Andre Miller can’t find a way to check him, then this series will get ugly quick.
And then, of course, there is the big German. Dirk finished the night with 28 points, 18 of which came in the fourth quarter, which should come as no surprise for a 7-footer who’s clutch-ness is legendary. Before that, he had had pretty pedestrian game (other than ten rebounds) after trading some early buckets with LaMarcus Aldridge.
Aldridge was as good as advertised, hitting 12 of 20 baskets on his way to 27 points and six rebounds. At least ten of the points came from alley-oops, and to be sure, this was one fun game to watch. This Portland team obviously has wonderful potential, and with a little more mental toughness, can still upset the veteran Mavericks.
But it will be an uphill battle.
Key Moment:
With about 6:15 remaining in the game, Brandon Roy throws a pass under the goal to Nicolas Batum for a beautiful jam. On the Dallas’ next possession, Gerald Wallace intercepts a Kidd pass to initiate a fast break going the other way. Wallace passes to Roy, who bobbles the catch and turns it over out of bounds. With Kidd hitting a jumper a little while before, and Dirk starting to warm up, the combo of dunk-steal-lay-in at this point might have helped give the Blazers enough confidence to weather the storm. I know I mentally called the game at this point.
What it Means for Portland:
This is definitely a gut check for this young Portland team, but there are several positives that they could, and should, take away from this. They had a team that always makes the play offs, and always wins 50 games to get there, on the ropes towards the end of this game. A couple more three balls fall, a little bit better defense on Kidd, and they walk out off Dallas’s court with a win. This will be an interesting series to watch, especially when it goes back to Portland, a terrifying place for visitors to play.
What it Means for Dallas:
Always good when you can win a game at home to open the playoffs, and help shut up the people who call you soft (not me) and say you will lose in the first round (totally me). Kidd looked great, and if he sustains even close to this level of play and Terry chips in just a little more, then this team could still give the Lakers or anyone else they play in the West (or East) hell.
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