2011 NBA Playoffs: Portland Trail Blazers Bounce Back With Wild Game 3 Win

For the Portland Trail Blazers, Game 3 of their series against the Dallas Mavericks was a must-win. Behind an always raucous home crowd, they stormed out of the gate, playing with the intensity of a team determined not to go away. Wesley Matthews was on fire early and LaMarcus Aldridge made his usual impact.

Andre Miller dished assists, and Brandon Roy, who bickered amount his playing time to the media earlier this week, provided a spark in front of a fan-base that desperately wanted him to succeed. All was right for Portland. But it wouldn’t continue to come that easily. They knew that. Dallas wasn’t going to be toyed with, and what ensued was a back-and-forth battle that was heart-wrenching, nerve-racking, and ultimately satisfying.

Little defense was played by either team early. Portland continued to slack off three-point shooters, rotate poorly inside, and switch far too often. Baskets were easy to come by for the Mavericks, as they shot 60 percent in the opening two quarters and received 30 combined points from star Dirk Nowitzki and sixth-man extraordinaire Jason Terry, but the Blazers fortunately received 22 points from Matthews en route to 57 percent shooting and a five-point lead at intermission. Just then, the screws proceeded to tighten, with two evenly matched teams trading punches until the exhilarating end.

Roy finished a seesaw third quarter with a bang, fueling flashbacks to The Natural of old. He had his legs and was clearly playing with something to prove. He took the minutes head coach Nate McMillan gave him and didn’t disappoint, pulling up for jumpers, driving inside and crossing over defenders.

He scored seven points in the span of a minute and a half, helping Portland snag a three-point lead entering the fourth. In this game, and over that stretch in particular, he didn’t look like a player playing on surgically repaired knees, nor a player disappointed with his role. He just played to the best of his ability, leading his team as he’s done so many times before.

Roy wasn’t the only bench player to make the most out of his minutes. Chris Johnson, their lanky power forward who provided a tremendous amount of energy this season in limited action, proved why he was the Defensive Player of the Year in the Developmental League to spark the Blazers.

Entering with a half-minute left in the third quarter and Portland ahead 73-72, he made the most of his first taste of playoff basketball, tormenting Dallas by blocking a couple of shots, affecting a few more, grabbing rebounds and collecting some floor burns. Despite limiting Dallas in the scoring column, the Blazers defense still wasn’t altogether pleasing. Johnson was the main bright spot in this area. He made such a substantial impact that it was hard to see him replaced midway through the fourth.

What a fourth quarter it was. This was playoff basketball at its finest. You could sense the hatred, the desire to come out on top. Down 3-0 or playing for a chance to even the series in Game 4: that’s what was on the line for the Blazers. The latter would take place due to a tone-setting burst to begin the period by Nicolas Batum and Gerald Wallace, continued energy offensively, clutch shots late and a little luck.

The energy and clutch play was expected. They had no choice but to match Dallas’s intensity and make big shots. Offensively, the Blazers deserved what came to them. They worked tirelessly for good shots, trying time and time again to keep possessions alive and overcome a stingy Mavericks defense.

Yet, the luck was far from deserved, as their frustrating defense was bailed out by a botched review. Up five with under 30 seconds remaining, their underwhelming defense inexplicably paid no attention to Jason Kidd, who entered the possession with nine three-pointers in the series. He should have had his tenth, but the referees didn’t overturn the two-point field goal ruled originally, despite video evidence clearly showing the ageless point guard to be behind the line.

Ahead by three with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban fuming courtside, Miller sealed the victory with two free-throws. Fans could breathe again. It was that kind of game, resulting in an intense victory Portland desperately needed. They knew they could beat Dallas entering the series. They showed they could tonight. Now they are focused on doing it again, hopefully with a little defense sprinkled in.

As Matthews said postgame, “They took care of their home-court, and now we gotta take care of ours.”