Dallas Mavericks Turn Fortune Around, Win Game 5 by Double Digits
Game 5 between the Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers started the same way the first four contests did.
In the first half, there were numerous lead changes. Defense dominated for both teams.
The second half clearly lacked the same level of competitiveness showcased in the first half.
Overall, it was all Mavericks throughout most of the night.
Without further delay, here is the breakdown of Game 5.
Crashing the Boards
1 of 5
The Dallas Mavericks recorded 50 rebounds, 20 of those coming from Tyson Chandler alone.
What was even more impressive than those 50 boards was the fact that 20 of them were from the offensive side—13 of them coming from Chandler.
Chandler set a new Mavericks playoff record for most offensive rebounds.
In this game, the Mavericks absolutely owned the Trail Blazers in rebounding. They were the clear aggressors and showed they definitely wanted it more.
Three-Point Shooting
2 of 5
Peja “Serbian Sniper” Stojakovic hit two out of only three long-range shots for the Mavericks. In any other game in this series, that would have probably meant the Mavericks lost the game. Not tonight.
Both teams were awful, combining for just 7-of-33 long-range shooting.
The three-point ball was not falling, but only Dallas actually understood that it was time to take the ball to the rim.
Free-Throw Attempts
3 of 5
Free-throw shooting was definitely the story of this game.
The Dallas Mavericks connected on 26 of 35 attempts, while the Blazers connected on 14 of just 19 attempts. In fact, Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler outscored the Blazers by themselves at the line.
While the free-throw attempt disparity will surely cause some controversy, it was actually a well-refereed game. The reason Dallas got more calls was because the Mavericks rarely looked to take jump shots as their first offensive weapon.
On the other hand, Portland kept chucking jumper after jumper, missing on numerous occasions. When they did take the ball to the rim, they met either Chandler or Brendan Haywood, who played masterful games for the Mavericks.
Bench Production
4 of 5
At the half, Portland’s bench had outscored Dallas’ bench.
Nicolas Batum was a spark plug for Portland and no Mavericks reserve seemed to find a groove offensively.
In the second half, it was the other way around.
Jason Terry led the Mavericks in bench points with 20 and the Dallas second unit dropped 36 total, outscoring Portland's bench by 14.
It was not all offense, though. Portland’s second unit was unable to score or stop the Mavericks bench. Mavericks players, mainly J.J. Barea and Terry, often got to the rim for easy layups and kick-outs.
On the other hand, Brendan Haywood was a force inside defensively.
Brandon Roy
5 of 5
Coming into this game, The Portland Trail Blazers knew they should not depend on another miracle night by Brandon Roy to win this game. They knew who they were and what they needed to do.
Even though they were not expecting Roy to be the savior again, they were also not expecting to turn into Games 1 and 2 Roy. Roy finished the game with five points and four fouls in slightly over 26 minutes of playing time.
It seems as if Roy needs the crowd’s energy to boost his confidence and be effective.
Maybe he will bring it in Game 6.
