Icy Shooting Mavs Still Scorch Blazers, 83-77

Stellar defense may make for a very physical and closely fought basketball game, but it certainly doesn’t make it entertaining. Sitting on the sofa watching the Mavs take on the Portland Trailblazers in the Rose Garden last night was a bit difficult at times. As much of a Mavs fan as I am, I struggled to keep my eyes open during the game last night. The defensive effort was so great on both ends of the floor that the game had no real offensive flow, something I have become quite used to after watching the Mavericks over the past decade. What little bit of flow there was to the game was stripped away in the first half by the whistle happy officiating crew. Fortunately for Dallas, the majority of those whistles seemed to go our way on this particular night. Defense may win championships, but it definitely doesn’t make for an action-packed, edge of your seat type ball game. When the TV analyst has to inform the viewing audience, “Don’t fall asleep at home, folks, not tonight,” (thank you, Bob Ortegel) you know you’re in for a long – and late—night.

The basketball I saw on Friday night was more the Eastern conference style of play – great defense, nonexistent offense (Dirkand his 40 points not withstanding). But as ugly as it was, the Mavs played a complete game and really united on the defensive end of things, which is what allowed them to pull out the eventual 83-77 victory over the Blazers, who had been a thorn in the Mavericks’ side all season long. The Mavs’ defense was, aside from their free throw shooting (30-of-35, including a perfect 17-of-17 by Nowitzki), the only thing that kept them in the game; they couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with a basketball for much of the night. They shot only 34% for the game but still managed to win.

Another factor that played a big role in the Mavericks’ win in Portland was their age and veteran experience. Knowing the playoffs were close at hand and recalling how physically intensely Portland had played them all season long, the Mavs knew they had to get the jump on Portland from the opening tip – which they did. The Mavericks were the more aggressive team, both on offense and defense. And during the second half, when the game became more physical and hotly contested, the Blazers began to lose their cool when whistles went the Mavs’ way. Untimely technical fouls (four of them, including one on Blazers’ Coach Nate McMillan) and terrible turnovers helped the Mavs secure the lead and close out the game in the final few minutes. Even the Blazer fans couldn’t keep their cool, as one man got tossed for throwing debris onto the playing court while the game was in action. The Mavs, on the other hand, kept their cool, even when the ball wasn’t bouncing their way, and managed to maintain focus, allowing them to do what they had failed to do in three previous attempts: beat the Blazers.

Prior to this game, the Blazers had an incredible streak of 72 games this season where they had gone undefeated when holding their opponents under 88 points. But Friday night, that streak came to an end in an ugly fashion as the Mavs literally fought their way to victory in the Rose Garden. Not only could this game have an impact on the final playoff pairings out west, but it also sent an important message to Portland, who could very well be Dallas’ opponent in the opening round: You may have beaten us before, but don’t expect to beat us again.