2011 NBA Playoffs: With Gerald Wallace, Portland Trail Blazers Are Built to Get Past Dallas Mavericks

Author’s Note: Beyond The Beat, where I wrote about the Portland Trail Blazers for the better part of the past eight months, is closing shop this week, so I will be writing about the team here for the playoffs and beyond. I hope you enjoy.

Portland was a good team before making the February trade for small forward Gerald Wallace. They would have been a tough team to beat come playoff time with Dante Cunningham instead. But Crash transformed the Blazers from a potential threat to undeniably dangerous.

As The Oregonian‘s Jason Quick mentions, Portland was 8-19 against playoff teams prior to the Wallace trade. After, they were 10-5, including 6-2 against the top-four teams in the Western conference. Of those six wins, two were against the Dallas Mavericks, which awaits as their first-round playoff matchup. Once again, Portland couldn’t be more ready.

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has consistently posed problems for Portland. In spite of his seven-foot frame, the star is incredibly versatile and athletic. He has the ability to score both inside and out, and also has a knack for creating contact.

This is where Wallace comes in. Blazers head coach Nate McMillan said Wallace would be guarding Nowitzki, who has shot 50 percent from the field over the last four years when Wallace has been on the floor, including 32-for-50 (64 percent) this season.

That stat supplied by NBA.com’s John Schuhmann is misleading. Wallace, considering he is four inches shorter than Nowitzki, may have been matched up on someone else like Josh Howard, Shawn Marion or Caron Butler through the years. And with the way he has played with the Blazers, there is no doubting his toughness and defensive prowess should give Nowitzki fits.

The key is to not bite for his pump-fakes. If he stays grounded he should be able to keep the fouls to a minimum, which is especially vital when going against a player who is in possession of the ball so often.

He isn’t as long as Nicolas Batum, who has guarded Nowtizki in the past and is expected to give some assistance in the series, but he has consistently made opponents uncomfortable with his timing and physicality.

Without Butler, who has been out since the beginning of January with a severe knee injury, the Mavericks pose much less of a threat. They still won 55 games this season, so that talent is still there, but it’s not the kind of top-to-bottom talent that strikes fear into the eyes of opponents.

Portland isn’t buying that Dallas is the “underdog”, as guard Jason Terry put it, despite being the fourth seed. They won’t be taken lightly, especially considering the first two games are in Dallas.

That said, the Blazers are without a doubt the better team entering the series. They have more talent from top-to-bottom. Everyone knows their role and more often than not has excelled within the successful system implemented by McMillan.

The head coach has said leading up to the series opener that his team should not be nervous, given the experience the core has gained by reaching the postseason the previous two seasons.

LaMarcus Aldridge has been their best player and will have to be for Portland to do what many experts expect: win their first playoff series since the 2003 Jail Blazers. A Dallas native, the presumptive winner of the Most Improved Player award averaged 27 points and 10 rebounds in four games against the Mavericks this season.

Andre Miller and Jason Kidd, as well as Wesley Matthews and Terry, may be a wash scoring-wise, but if Aldridge can outplay Nowitzki, Portland should have the overall edge.

Why Aldridge out-playing Nowitzki is so crucial is because of Dallas’ lack of options on the wings. DeShawn Stevenson has never been dependable. Peja Stojakovic, a once deadly shooter for the Sacramento Kings, has lost a step. Corey Brewer is primarily known for his defense for a reason.

So if Terry and Nowitzki aren’t making plays on a consistent basis, Dallas is vulnerable. This is why the defense of Wallace and Batum is so important to the Blazers success.

My prediction of Portland winning in six games should come to fruition if these three Blazers do their jobs. They have all season, are battle-tested, so there is no reason to believe they won’t now.

Both teams are looking to avenge early exits the past few seasons. The Blazers are primed for a deep run with Wallace in the fold, while the Mavericks are due for another disappointing finish. A best of seven series awaits to see which takes place.