2011 NBA Playoffs: Blazers Fall Flat, Mavs Take 2-0 Series Lead to Portland

In Game 1, it was Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Kidd who doomed the Portland Trail Blazers. In Game 2, it was Peja Stojakovic’s turn.

The player who drained hundreds upon hundreds of catch-and-shoot three-pointers with the Sacramento Kings turned back the clock and looked like the deadly scorer of old. The Blazers didn’t do much to stop him.

Gerald Wallace had a bounce-back performance for Portland. LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double.

Andre Miller had a solid all-around game as well, while a momentarily unconscious Wesley Matthews also made a sound contribution. Nicolas Batum provided a spark off the bench.

Overall, Portland shot 48 percent, made seven three-pointers, committed just 12 turnovers, and collected fast-break points.

Yet, this game was a simple case of statistics not telling the story. The Blazers were awful when it mattered most, and the 101-89 loss was well-deserved.

Stojakovic was a main reason why. Time after time he was left open. Shooting is and always has been his strength.

He’s never been able to create much off the dribble, nor play good defense. Yet Portland failed to get the memo, which is hard to believe.

Dallas’s guards did a terrific job of baiting the Blazers wing players, driving inside in hopes they would turn their heads and converge.

They fell for this trick repeatedly, and lunging attempts at recovery were late as the 6’10″ forward with one of the prettiest shots in NBA history rained long jumpers.

He had 21 points, 13 better than his season average, making five three-pointers and eight of 13 shots overall. When he missed, it was his own fault. Portland didn’t deserve any credit.

Dirk Nowitzki was much more of a hassle in Game 2 than he was in Game 1 for Dallas, scoring 33 points and leading his team down the stretch late. A bounce-back performance was expected from the star.

So, Portland had to focus on containing other players, therefore making the Mavericks one-dimensional. Stojakovic’s performance exemplifies they didn’t have the right game plan.

Their continued slacking off Kidd didn’t help matters. The 38-year-old guard continued his surprising series, scoring 18 points and hitting three more three-pointers. Most of his shots were, not surprisingly, uncovered.

Despite the play of the trio, Portland was within striking distance well into the fourth quarter, with plenty of time to make a run and steal a game on the road. They collapsed instead.

In making only four field goals in the final quarter, the Blazers went with a lineup lacking a true point guard for far too long and didn’t appear to have anyone willing to be the go-to guy.

Aldridge was guarded well by Tyson Chandler, and the rest of the Mavericks defense was rather effective, but even still, no one stepped up.

This was due in large part to going with a lineup featuring Rudy Fernandez, Brandon Roy, and Gerald Wallace, as none of whom handle the ball very well. That’s on head coach Nate McMillan, especially since the lineup without Miller was an eyesore in the first half.

Wallace often brought the ball up as their point-forward. He didn’t have much success. Again, Dallas’s defense deserves credit, but the effort wasn’t there to push the ball nor run an offense that didn’t have a chaotic feel to it.

They were, put simply, a mess in the fourth quarter. About the only thing that went right was Marcus Camby’s first three-pointer of the season and his flashing of the “Three Goggles” after.

Portland was confident entering the game. This is a team we can beat, they collectively thought. Matchup-wise, we think we have the edge. Dallas, after all, is the team many thought would be the best opponent for Portland in the first round.

Contain Nowitzki and clamp down on his supposedly underwhelming supporting cast; entering the series, they weren’t the only ones who thought this could be done.

Given their inability to guard Stojakovic and learn from Game 1 against Kidd, their repeated misses at the free-throw line, and their woes in the half-court offense, it’s now a fool's hope.

A dim picture has been painted, but the series is not over by any means. Portland heads home for two games, in a raucous Rose Garden.

The ship needs to be righted now and it can be, but to do that they have to use their heads...something they didn’t do in Dallas.