NBA Playoffs 2011: Dallas Mavericks vs. Portland Trail Blazers Game 4 Live Blog

The Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers will clash for the fourth game in their series at 5:00 PM EST, and as the seconds tick by I'm becoming progressively more excited for the next chapter in this series.

There is a hard rain a-falling here in Athens, Ohio, so I am hunkered down with a nice cold beverage and a bevvy of snacks ready to watch some playoff basketball.

In Game 3, Portland, elevated by the crowd in the Rose Garden (which was absolutely bonkers), chipped away at Dallas' lead, bringing the series to 2-1.

Portland did exactly what they needed to do against Dallas on Thursday, forcing Dallas to settle for threes (Dallas shot 22 threes after shooting fewer than 20 in the first two games).

Dallas lost the game at the free-throw line, where they absolutely pooped the bed, making just 13 of 23 attempts. They would usually shoot somewhere around 75 or 80 percent. Had they shot that, they would have grabbed four or five more points, completely changing the game.

Keys to the Game

Dallas

First, Dallas must make their free ones. They are going to get to the line, and probably do it more so than the Blazers, especially in the fourth quarter. Through the first three games, Dallas has been called for just 15 fouls in the fourth, while Portland has been whistled for 25 fourth-quarter fouls.

Second, the Mavericks must limit turnovers. In their two wins, Dallas had just 19 combined turnovers, while in their loss in Portland Thursday they turned the ball over 16 times.

Finally, Dallas needs to go into this game calm, as any panic may turn their game south quicker than the public opinion of LeBron James went south. Stay calm and they should be able to make more free throws and turn the ball over less.

Portland

If Portland plays the same game that they played on Thursday they should be able to pull off another win.

They just need to pressure the ball-handler and keep their defense tight, hoping that will force more turnovers as it did in their last game. That on top of another crazy crowd should help them, as they have enough weapons on offense to not have to worry about who is going to score.

Prediction

The Portland crowd should smell blood; they are a smart bunch. The Mavericks know what it's like to lose to a lower seed in the first round, and after a loss they are vulnerable.

Brandon Roy finally did Brandon Roy things on Thursday, and I think he does it again today.

I'll take Portland over Dallas 101-94. There's no real reasoning behind the score, it just sounded like some good numbers to pull out.

If you're a gambling man, the odds-makers have Portland at -4 today, which is a slim margin of error, as their lone win came by five points. I would take them against the spread, but hey, that's just me.