Thursday, April 21, 2011

First Round- Mavs vs Portland: Game 3

The Mavs came into the Thursday night's game at the Rose Garden with one thing on their mind: winning at the Rose Garden for the first time all year and taking control of the series, 3-0. But after what was a 48 minute battle, the Mavs fell short 97-92 and couldn't get the win they wanted.

Early on in the first quarter, the Mavs struggled immensely, missing 5 of their 6 first shots while trailing 10-2. Jason Terry led the team to bring them back into the game, but it still wasn't enough to stop Wesley Matthews and his great perimeter shooting as he led Portland to a 28-23 lead at the end of the first.

Matthews hit four 3-pointers in the first and outscored Terry 16-10.

Things would change for the Mavs early in the second after struggling in the first quarter. Terry and Peja hit some great perimeter shots while Dirk focused on mid-range jumpers and together they sparked the Mavs to a 14-4 run to take the lead. Tyson Chandler left for the bench after getting his third foul. With Chandler playing limited minutes, the Mavs' defense was hurt. It was at this time that Brandon Roy would start to get hot as he carried his team and Portland ended the second quarter with a 54-52 lead.

Although the Mavs outshot the Blazers 60% to 57.5% in the first half, they committed 8 turnovers which led to 11 Portland points. Matthews led in scoring with 22 first-half points while Terry wasn't too far behind him with 17.

Carlisle changed things up in the second half has he put Terry on the court replacing DeShawn Stevenson at shooting guard. Terry proved this to be a smart change as he drained in shots from 3-point range. But again, Brandon Roy along with LaMarcus Aldridge wouldn't let Dallas pull away as they continued to spark the Blazers' offense and ended the third quarter with a 75-72 lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Mavs' were in dire need of an offensive spark. This is when Carlisle switched the lineup up once again, adding in Barea. This didn't help much as Portland went on a 12-2 run and took a 13 point lead early on in the fourth. Mid-way through the quarter, Chandler left the game with his sixth personal foul; this really shifted the momentum in the game away from Dallas. The Mavs continued to struggle at the foul line as they never got any closer than within 6 points until Dirk banked in a shot with less than 45 seconds to go to cut their deficit to trail just 95-90. Kidd ran down the court and hit a quick 3, which was then reviewed and ruled a 2, with 12.9 seconds left. (Personally I think they should have reviewed the shot from a different angle than they did, because, all bias aside, it clearly looked like a 3 to me.) But Andre Miller's free throws with less than 10 seconds left would lock in the Blazers' lead and win it 97-92.

Terry had a game-high 29 points off the bench while Dirk added 25 points and 9 rebounds to make the only two Mavericks in double figures.

Matthews had 25 points to lead four Blazers in double figures. Aldridge racked up 20 points while Miller and Roy added 16 points each.

Despite the loss, the Mavs outshot the Blazers, 51.5% to 48%, but had 16 turnovers compared to Portland's 10.

It was a series of things that didn't go well for the Mavs in game 3:

Free throws. Dallas made 13 of 23 free throw attempts compared to Portland's 17 of 21. Dirk was 28 for 30 at the foul line in the first two games but was just 4 for 7 in game 3.

Turnovers. In the last game, Dallas had 6 total turnovers with 0 in the second half. In this game, they totaled 16 turnovers.

Kidd. In the first two games, he averaged 21 points on 16 for 25 shooting, including nine 3-pointers. In this game, he made just 3 of 9 shots, 2 of 8 3-point tries, and had 5 personal turnovers.

Chandler. He fouled out of the game after just 15 minutes of play. Since Chandler is the heart of Dallas' defense, this really put a strain on them.

Blazers' offense. Roy, who had scored a combined two points in the first two games on 1 for 8 shooting, scored 16 points, shooting 6 for 10, and had no turnovers in 24 minutes of game 3.

The Mavs need to work on these things and have a chance to regroup for Saturday night's game at the Rose Garden. The series could split 2-2 if the Mavs give up another game or they could take control of the series with a 3-1 advantage.

**Game 4 will air on TNT Saturday evening at 5pm ET.

Aldridge celebrates his shot in front of Dirk

Roy driving around Terry

Kidd posting up Miller

Matthews defending Dirk

Terry going up for the basket


For More Articles on NBA Playoff Coverage Visit: The Bowse: "All Ball, Nothing But Net"

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MyDallasMavs: First Round- Mavs vs Portland: Game 3

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First Round- Mavs vs Portland: Game 3