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Tyson Chandler steps up, Mavs win Game 5 vs. Trail Blazers

The AP reports:

tyson chandler

Tyson Chandler wound up with 14 points and 20 rebounds, but his most important contribution might’ve been setting the aggressive, exciting tone the Mavericks needed to bounce back from a devastating loss and beat the Trail Blazers 93-82. Dallas leads the series 3-2, with two days to rest up before trying to close things out in Game 6 on Thursday night in Portland…

Dallas not only outrebounded its taller foe 49-37, the Mavs grabbed a whopping 20 offensive rebounds. Chandler had 13, and swatted several more to guards near midcourt. His offensive boards were the most ever by a Dallas player in the playoffs and the most for anyone in the playoffs since Shaquille O’Neal had 14 in 1995.

“They played like they wanted it more than we did,” said Portland’s Brandon Roy, who went from scoring 24 points in Game 4 to just five in 26 minutes…

Nowitzki led Dallas with 25 points, 11 coming in the third quarter, when the Mavericks broke open a tight game with a 15-5 run. Still, everyone was waiting to see whether they could protect it this time…

Jason Terry scored 20 points for Dallas and Shawn Marion added 14. Jason Kidd had 14 assists and four points, with his only basket coming long after the game was decided.

Andre Miller led Portland with 18 points and Gerald Wallace scored 18. LaMarcus Aldridge had only 12 points.

Views: Tyson Chandler shines for Mavs in Game 5 vs Blazers

By Scott Spangler

Tyson Chandler looked like a man wanting desperately to atone for a rather forgettable performance in Game Four. Shawn Marion no longer appeared baffled about coaching strategy.

Chandler played this game angry. Who could blame him? The Maverick center was very much a part of what happened Saturday at the Rose Garden. That said, he certainly answered the bell 48 hours later.

Until tonight, LaMarcus Aldridge has clearly been a problem for Chandler. But as an All-Star caliber forward, that is to be expected. This is a tough cover for any big.

Monday evening, the Tyson Chandler that received consideration for the league’s Defensive Player of The Year showed up, and his teammates couldn’t help but to fall in.

The meek little Mavericks that wilted away two days earlier had been restored. Being at home didn’t necessarily mean better shooting for Dallas, but it did do something for the rebounding.

Try 49-37 on for size. How about twenty offensive boards?  Thank Mr. Chandler for 13 of ‘em.

This game changed in the third quarter. Rick Carlisle dusted off his zone defense and put it to work. Dallas began to stretch that advantage, outscoring the Blazers by eleven to end the quarter leading 75-63.

And so, after JJ Barea scooped and scored, pushing the Dallas lead to 85-66, any sign of Blazer voodoo emanating from Brandon Roy and his magical meniscusless knees seemed unlikely.

For the record, nine times these two teams have met this season, regular season and playoffs. The visiting team has yet to break through.

Roy has 24 in Blazers 84-82 Game 4 win over Mavs

The AP reports:

Roy has 24 in Blazers’ 84-82 Game 4 win over Mavs

Brandon Roy’s season had been fraught with uncertainty, first over the stability of his knees, then over his diminished role with the team.

All those doubts melted away on Saturday when he led the Portland Trail Blazers to one of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history.

With 39.2 seconds left, Roy made a go-ahead bank shot that gave the Trail Blazers a stunning 84-82 comeback victory over the Dallas Mavericks—and evened their first-round playoff series at two games apiece.

Roy finished with 24 points—18 in the fourth quarter alone—as the Blazers erased a 23-point deficit. Portland became the third NBA team in the shot clock era to win a playoff game when trailing by 18 points or more heading into the fourth quarter…

Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points to lead the Mavericks. Terry finished with 13 off the bench.

Aldridge finished with 18 points for the Blazers, while Gerald Wallace had 10 points and 11 rebounds…

Wesley Matthews led the Blazers with 25 points in Portland’s 97-92 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night, which drew the Blazers within 2-1 into best-of-7 series.

Projectile at Blazers-Mavs Game 3 in Portland struck Mark Cuban in face

Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas reports:

An object thrown from the Rose Garden stands hit Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in the face during Thursday night’s Game 3 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The incident occurred midway through the fourth quarter after Cuban had been interacting with the fans in the section behind the Mavericks’ bench. Cuban was not injured.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Uh, that’s not cool. Don’t do stuff like that, fans.

Matthews scores 25 as Blazers beat Mavs 97-92 in Game 3

The AP reports:

Matthews scores 25 and Blazers beat Mavs 97-92 in Game 3

Wesley Matthews had 25 points and the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Mavericks 97-92 on Thursday night to narrow Dallas’ lead in the first-round playoff series to 2-1.

Jason Terry had 29 points coming off the bench early for the Mavericks, including five 3-pointers.

The Blazers led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter, but Dirk Nowitzki hit consecutive jumpers to make it 87-81 midway through the period…

Aldridge finished with 20 points for the sixth-seeded Blazers, while Brandon Roy had 16 off the bench.

Nowitzki had 25 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Mavs…

Portland went ahead 85-74 in the fourth after consecutive 3-pointers from Batum and Gerald Wallace.

InsideHoops.com notes: The Mavs shot 51.5%, the Blazers 48.0%. Portland nailed 8-of-14 from three-point range, while Dallas hit 9-of-22. Rebounding was even, and assists were pretty close, but the Mavs had 16 turnovers, the Blazers just nine.

Grizzlies sign Zach Randolph to contract extension

Grizzlies sign Zach Randolph to contract extension

The Memphis Grizzlies signed franchise cornerstone Zach Randolph to a multi-year contract extension, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“During a week that has seen the Grizzlies franchise take a significant step forward with its first-ever postseason victory, it is incredibly meaningful for this organization to be able to take another by ensuring that Zach Randolph will continue to play on Beale Street for many years to come,” said Chris Wallace, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations.  “Zach has been a pillar for this team on the floor and in the community from the moment he arrived two seasons ago, and his leadership has helped to solidify our talented young core, putting the Grizzlies in position for continued success moving forward.”

The 6-9, 255-pound forward posted 20.1 points (19th in the NBA), a career-high and franchise-record 12.2 rebounds (3rd) and 2.2 assists on .503 shooting in 36.3 minutes in 75 games in his second season in the Bluff City.  Randolph led Memphis to the club’s first postseason victory Sunday with 25 points and 14 rebounds against the No. 1-seeded San Antonio Spurs.

One of the league’s most dominant post scorers and rebounders, Randolph wrapped up his third consecutive season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game (no other NBA player has done it in each of the last two seasons) and his fifth-straight season averaging a double-double (only Dwight Howard, at seven-straight, has a longer active streak).

Overall, Randolph has averaged 20.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists on .495 shooting in 37.0 minutes in 156 games since being acquired by the Grizzlies from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Quentin Richardson on July 17, 2009, setting over 20 franchise records along the way.

Helping to change the pro basketball culture in the city of Memphis, Randolph has guided the Grizzlies to an 86-78 record (.524) over the past two seasons after the team finished an NBA-low 68-178 (.276) the previous three seasons.  Over that span, Randolph has totaled 656 offensive rebounds (over 60 more than any other player), while Memphis has averaged 51.4 points in the paint (five points higher than any other team).

The most decorated player in franchise history, the 29-year-old recently won his third Western Conference Player of the Week Award of the season for games played from March 28-April 3.  His first two weekly honors (Jan. 3-9, Jan. 24-30) culminated in the Western Conference Player of the Month Award for January 2011, a first for the Grizzlies franchise.  All of those honors have been career firsts.

But Randolph’s outstanding efforts have extended well beyond the court.  In recognition of his ongoing philanthropic and charitable work in the Memphis community, Randolph received the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for December 2010.  Randolph partnered with a variety of organizations, including St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Memphis and MIFA’s Holiday Hope Chest, to provide gifts and brighten the holidays for children and families in need.  In addition, for the second consecutive year, he paid the utility bills for 100 Memphis families in need during the holiday season.

In his first season with the Grizzlies, Randolph averaged 20.8 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists on .488 shooting in 37.7 minutes, making his first career All-Star appearance at the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in front of 100 thousand fans at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.  Memphis improved its win total by 16 games last season, the second-highest increase in the league.

The 10-year veteran owns career marks of 17.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists on .474 shooting in 31.7 minutes in 662 games (534 starts) with the Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies.

The Marion, Ind. native was selected in the first round (19th overall) in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers after helping Michigan State to the 2001 NCAA Final Four as a freshman.  He won the 2003-04 Most Improved Player Award after averaging 20.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists as a member of the Trail Blazers.

Dirk scores 33, Mavs beat Blazers 101-89 in Game 2

The AP reports:

Dirk scores 33, Mavs beat Blazers 101-89 in Game 2

Peja Stojakovic tied his career playoff best with five 3-pointers and had 21 points, and Jason Kidd continued his surprising scoring surge with 18 points, powering the Mavericks to a 101-89 victory on Tuesday night in Game 2 of their first-round series.

Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 33 points, but was practically a complementary player. He was at his best after the 30-something, former All-Stars built the lead, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter—including the team’s final 11— to help the Mavericks keep the Trail Blazers from ever making a serious push. He scored 18 in the fourth quarter of Game 1…

Portland had a lot of things go right, from LaMarcus Aldridge scoring 24 to Gerald Wallace and Wesley Matthews regaining their scoring touch after struggling in the opener. But the Trail Blazers got only 11 points from their bench, none in the second half. And while they were limiting Nowitzki to 5 of 15 shooting through three quarters, former All-Stars Kidd and Stojakovic were lighting them up…

Wallace and Andre Miller each scored 18 points for Portland. Matthews added 13. But Nicolas Batum’s 10 points and a free throw by Rudy Fernandez were all the points by reserves. Brandon Roy played 8 minutes and missed the only shot he took. The five backups who got into the game were a combined 4 for 11.

Looking ahead to Mavs-Blazers Game 2

By Scott Spangler

A thing of beauty, it was not. The Dallas Mavericks suffered through an 11-minute second-half drought only to emerge an eight-point winner over the Portland Trail Blazers. For a stretch there, we could have been watching Butler hurl tire irons in the National Championship Game.

Then came the Maverick parade to the foul line, and a couple timely yet unlikely Jason Kidd jumpers – off the dribble. This is not to suggest Kidd cannot knock down an open look, but usually those are of the set-shot variety.

There was some mention today out of the Portland camp that the wide-open opportunities by Kidd must be eliminated.

Yeah, okay.

Believe what you like, but Blazers guard Andre Miller will not be playing the Maverick PG straight up. No one does. Nate McMillan will do what Gregg Popovich did last year against Dallas. Cut Kidd lose and live with the consequences.

Portland will look for Wesley Matthews and Gerald Wallace to get on track. Wallace logged 39 minutes and was little more than a warm body on the floor. Matthews took only three shots, made one, and never looked comfortable.

Andre Miller did enjoy a solid shooting night, but Dallas was all too happy to watch him launch 20-footers against the shot clock late Saturday.

All that said, the Trail Blazers plan to force the issue in Game Two. Nate McMillan talked Monday about Dallas packing the paint and daring his club to take perimeter shots.

Portland wants to make Dallas pay for playing straight up. To do that, Matthews has to bring more to the party than 1 for 3 shooting.

Nate McMillan not a happy camper

By Scott Spangler

Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan was visibly upset after his team dropped Game 1 in Dallas to the Mavericks Saturday night. After seeing the Mavericks shoot six more free throws in the fourth quarter than the Blazers did the entire contest, McMillan voiced his displeasure.

“The free throws, I just don’t get that,” McMillan said. “It’s hard for our guys to know how to play out there when it’s called a little different. And I felt like we were attacking and guys really didn’t know how to play with the fouls that we’re being called.”

Look, this is what a coach is supposed to do. Despite the rumblings out of that locker room or Portland, Nate would not be doing his job if he failed to lay into officiating fresh off this loss. Basically, this is Phil Jackson 101.

After watching the game last night, it was apparent the Mavericks had to change things up after going nearly 11 minutes without scoring. This is a team well-known for “settling” late in games. Dallas is a perimeter-oriented bunch, and they were playing right into Portland’s hands.

Dirk Nowitzki proceeded to force the issue. He drove the ball from the right baseline, got a call. Then another. When it was all over, Dirk ended up attempting (and hitting) 13 free throws.

Nate McMillan’s club would shoot only twice from the line in the fourth quarter compared to 19 for the Mavs. Whether you are of the opinion the calls were questionable or not, the discrepancy certainly affected the outcome.

“A lot of touch fouls and I thought that turned momentum and pretty much gave them control of the game in the fourth quarter,” McMillan said. “This game was pretty much decided at the line in the fourth quarter.”

Again, this is the game coaches must play in the playoffs. Was Nate legitimately irritated with the fouls? No doubt, he was. But this is a series. And any coach worth his salt realizes the media is a tool to campaign, to plant a seed. He realizes it might be the difference in a pivotal call late Tuesday night.

Expect a softening of his stance between now and then, but not too much. The message is out there and it lingers. NBA officials are human and while they may think to themselves, this sort of talk will not affect how a game should be called, more often than not it seems there is overcompensation the other way. Call me crazy, but that’s how I see it.

Should Dallas be be outshot by 15 attempts in Game Two, I would expect to hear some of the same out of Rick Carlisle.