In the opening round of the Western Conference playoff series, the Trail Blazers ended the evening with an 89-81 loss on the road against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
The result was only the first of the best-of-seven games, so the Blazers have plenty of time to win the series; however, they will have to overcome the veteran leadership of the Mavericks. Jason Kidd, the 38-year-old NBA veteran, scored 24 points, shooting six of 10 from behind the three-point line. All-Star Dirk Nowitzki added 28 points. Still, the Blazers held a six-point lead with less than six minutes remaining in the third-quarter, giving Portland fans hope. Much of that is thanks to LaMarcus Aldridge, who led the Blazers with 27 points. In addition, Andre Miller contributed 18 points and Nicolas Batum scored 14 points off the bench.
Once the fourth quarter hit, Dirk Nowitzki began to dominate the game. Considering Nowitzki ranked third in the NBA during the regular season for scoring in the fourth quarter, it shouldn’t be a shock that he scored 18 of his 28 during the final period, including a stretch where he scored 12 consecutive points. Trail Blazer’s coach Nate McMillan knew where to focus more for the rest of the series.
“It’s no secret where the ball is going to go in the fourth quarter,” McMillan told The Oregonian after the game.
The Mavericks had a huge advantage at the free-throw line, making 18 of 19 during the final quarter, compared to the Blazers, who only shot 1 of 2 from the line. Nowitzki lived at the line, going a perfect 13 of 13 overall. After the game, McMillan voiced his frustrations regarding the lopsided officiating.
“A lot of touch fouls and I thought that [gave Dallas] momentum and pretty much gave them control of the game in the fourth-quarter,” McMillan said in a statement to The Oregonian.
Meanwhile, Brandon Roy continued to struggle to find his offense. Roy, a former NBA all-star, is still recovering from having surgery on both of his knees during the regular season. Since his return to the court, he’s struggled to adjust and during the pivotal second half, he missed all five of his shots, finishing with only two points for the night.
Blazer forward Gerald Wallace also struggled to find his shots during the game. Wallace, who was considered a key component to the Blazers offensive attack, was only able to score eight points, despite averaging almost 19 points per game during the season. The Blazers also struggled from the outside as well, as the team shot only 12 percent from behind the three-point line.
The Blazers, who have failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs in the past three years, were considered by many experts to be the favorites to win the series, despite being a number six seed. The Mavericks, the number three seed, have had their own playoff woes. They have failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs the last four years, even though they have posted consecutive 50-win seasons during that time.
The Blazers will look for revenge tonight, when they play Dallas in Game Two of the series at 6:30 p.m. at America Airlines Arena. After tonight, the next two games will shift back to the Rose Garden, a place where Portland was at their best this season, finishing with a 30-11 record at home. ?