Media Row Report: Blazers 106, Mavericks 104

波特兰开拓者队在周二晚上在玫瑰园中击败了106-104的达拉斯小牛队，提高到23-22。

It's hard to imagine LaMarcus Aldridge, Texan, in the old West. Cowboy boots come with spurs, not air max cushions, and non-hipster flannel wouldn't really suit him. Does Louis Vuitton even make ten-gallon hats? Truth is, he would need to lean back or bend sharply at the knees when riding a horse, lest his feet drag along in the dirt. I pity the old nag already and it's a figment of my imagination.

But there Aldridge was, settling scores on Tuesday night,atoning for an ugly late-game airballin a loss to the Thunder two weeks ago. There he was defending his turf, wheeling and firing, as if in a duel, 10 paces out, bang, nothing but net.

"That one felt great," he said ofDeadeye射击, a tumbleweed bouncing past his locker, the sun setting beyond the wide porch at the old inn. "That one felt real easy."

我是最后一个荣耀暴力的人，但是我刚刚在这么多西方人中看到了很多次。

"This is what you live for," Aldridge said, standing with his weight back on his heels, one hand clutching his belt buckle, the coyote howl fromThe Good, The Bad and The Uglykicking in right as he finished speaking.

It's hard not to drift after a finish like that, because a finish like that happens so rarely and because Aldridge is right, that's exactly what we all live for. The ready to die gunslinger and every person who sticks around through a 14-point quarter pursue the same rare ghost through the dust of the night. A 21-point comeback takes on a life of its own, those involved insist, nothing pumps like the final second of a close game and nothing in basketball beats a game-winner.

"We almost gave the crowd a heart attack, but I'll take it," J.J. Hickson smiled.

The Blazers trailed the Mavericks, 69-48, with 20 minutes left in the game. At that moment, they were on pace for 82 points, potentially within reach of setting a new season-low for points. Instead, they closed 58-35 to win the game, taking the lead only briefly in the middle of the fourth quarter before a wild, wild 10-3 run in the final minute.

"Just another win," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said, words escaping.

韦斯利·马修斯（Wesley Matthews）完美地说：“我们像一支年轻的球队一样倒下，但我们像兽医一样反击。”“这是一个怪异的动态。”

This one went down on Main Street, in broad daylight, with every able-bodied man in a five-mile radius getting in on the action. Ronnie Price made a three-pointer. Sasha Pavlovic took a steal to the house. Darren Collison made an improbable, shot-clock beating three, Matthews poked free a few turnovers, and, slowly, the duel emerged. Dirk Nowitzki poured in a season-high 26 points. Aldridge was headed for a game-high 29 points and 13 rebounds. The two combined for 21 fourth-quarter points, and the stage was set for good by a Nicolas Batum three-pointer that tied the game with 28 seconds remaining.

诺维茨基（Nowitzki）从肖恩·马里恩（Shawn Marion）踢出一个扎尼（Zany）的踢球，并埋葬了三分球，剩下11秒。小牛向人群发出了信号，并以胜利的身份将他的双手戴上了，有目的地带有小人的眩光。

"That's supposed to be the dagger and we still didn't hang our heads," Hickson smiled again.

现在是时候了另一个凌空抽射。开拓者希望将巴图姆（Batum）设置为三分之一的领带，只是让小牛队向他派遣了两名防守者，并以极大的压力击败了射门。在最后一刻，Batum选择传递到Aldridge，即使考虑到时间分数的情况，仍需要三分球。奥尔德里奇（Aldridge）在三分之遥，在过去的382天中仅以一分。

斯托兹承认：“发生的事情很少是我的方式。”“拉马库斯（Lamarcus）在那里有一个很好的触摸，他花了很多时间做到了。这是他的第一年，但我已经看到他在实践中射击他们。这并不像他是一个非射击者。他的触感很好，我很高兴看到它进入。”

Aldridge said that he does not usually practice threes during or after practice, but that the shot "felt good" leaving his hands.

"I was surprised that Nic threw it to me, yes," he said. "But [surprised] that I made it? No. ... I thought everybody was overly hyped for it, I was like, the game isn't over yet."

The shot tied the game with 4.5 seconds remaining, giving the Mavericks one final do-or-die chance in regulation. Or not. On Dallas' ensuing possession, Blazers reserve guard Ronnie Price, perhaps the unlikeliest characters in this whole bit, came across the paint to take a charge on Mavericks guard O.J. Mayo.

"I didn't know," Price told Blazersedge, when asked if he was sure he drew the charge or if he thought he would be whistled for the block on the bang-bang play. "I knew I couldn't jump up and block the shot because I was too late. I just went back to the college, [Utah Valley State coach Dick] Hunsaker's drills. Slide over, quick as you can, and take the charge."

Instinct, instant recall, blind luck, whatever, the sequence shifted the do-or-do-it-all-again-in-overtime moment to the other end of the court. The Blazers turned, as they have before, to a two-option inbounds play that looked to find Batum curling into the corner or Aldridge on the block. The play was designed in the huddle to be run from the right sideline but the officials indicated the ball would be inbounded on the left once the teams took the court.

"I was happy about it," Aldridge said of the change, which allowed him to take up position on his preferred left block. "They threw me ball and I did my shot."

“我说不出话来,”普赖斯说。“这是多么幸运?That you get L.A. on his block, the block that we try to get him on throughout the game. Get him in position to shoot his shot. That's his money shot. Going back over his right shoulder, shooting that fadeaway. We try to get that in the course of the game. To have that at the end of the game, you can't ask for a better look."

Matthews inbounded the ball to Aldridge, who caught and turned towards the baseline, leaning back into his impossibly high release and launching over Brandan Wright.

"I told [Aldridge] I was going to him," Matthews said. "I tried to throw it right so all he had to do was turn and shoot. It was nothing but net. ...He had the juices going. He just hit the three in the corner. It's [against] his hometown team. He had a game-winner against them last year."

小牛教练里克·卡莱尔（Rick Carlisle）说：“他转过身打了下来。”“我们对他有最长的男人，但他做了更好的比赛。”

赖特说：“有时就是这样。”

The ball wasn't yet in the hoop before Batum was running from his spot in the left corner back down the court, arms raised as if victory was a formality. "Because it was," he said. "I knew it. If I trust L.A. to make a three, I trust L.A. to make a turnaround jump shot in the post. That's why I left, because I knew he would make it."

"He had his hand up," Aldridge chuckled. "He said he had a lot of faith in me. That's good for us. I didn't know yet. I was waiting for it to go in."

It went in and a dog pile commenced. Aldridge has watched Damian Lillard ascend this season, he's watched as Batum has moved into a prominent late-game role, he's stood and faced the many questions that followed his airball, and he's kept to himself, for the most part. Always, always guarded, Aldridge's face broke open as wide as it has in years.

“他像新秀一样微笑，就像他的第一场NBA比赛一样，”巴图姆打趣道。

Smiling like the last man standing after the shootout in the movie, the man who had that one, final bullet.

Random Game Notes

• The Rose Garden attendance was announced at 18,888. There were entire rows empty. One of those games where 100,000 people will be claiming they had tickets.
• If you missed it: video of Aldridge's game-winner and the crazy final sequence.
• 我提到了疯狂的达伦·科利森（Darren Collison）三，这比诺维茨基（Nowitzki）的三人更像是开拓者的后卫。重要要注意：这甚至不是科里森的craziest shot of the season。
• J.J. Hickson kept Portland in this game, finishing with 26 points and 15 rebounds. He had all sorts of early miscues defensively but for stretches it felt like he was the only player scoring for Portland. He did sit during the bulk of Portland's big push, which came after Stotts switched to a smaller lineup.
• 显然是奥尔德里奇treated himself比赛结束后他的第一个伏都教甜甜圈。
• 巴图姆在40分钟内以14分的四分球命中率获得10分，6次助攻和4个篮板。他说，他的右手腕正在困扰他，已经是一个问题大约十天。他在第一季度加重了它，他说这正在影响他的射门。
• Ronnie Price said he was hesitant to launch his three-pointer: "I shot an airball earlier. I wasn't really wanting to shoot the ball. My teammates told me to quit hesitating and shoot the ball the way I know I can. They had confidence and faith in me. The shot went in."
• Price on his role in the dog pile: "I couldn't jump down there. I just kicked them a few times, punched them a few times, that was it."
• More Aldridge on his three: "I saw it on film [afterwards]. I didn't think I did it like that. I thought I caught it and then took a dribble. I caught it all in one motion and shot it. I don't know. I felt good about it. I just shot it."
• 阿尔德里奇（Aldridge）去年四月将他在达拉斯（Dallas）的比赛冠军进行了比较：“这可能有点好一点，因为我把三个到达那里了。但是，运球的人可能比今晚的那个人更有趣。”
• Aldridge said that he already had 27 messages on his phone in the first 20 minutes or so after his winner.
• Lillard finished with 10 points and eight assists on three-for-11 shooting. Quiet night for him overall but he was pleased with another comeback victory: "If we've proved anything this year, we'll give ourselves a chance to win at the end of every game."
• Will Barton got a little veteran schooling from Dahntay Jones, who seemed to use every trick in the book to get whistles on the Blazers rookie.
• 在下面的评论中，斯托茨确实努力加强了卷土重来的团队方面。
• 在100天中，有99天，我觉得世界上最幸运的人在做我要做的事情。通过设计，我尽可能地生活在生存中。没有压力，没有戏剧，也没有干扰。由于没有真正的原因，今天恰好是第100天，那种您在床的错误一侧醒来，压力源不断弹出，每一个小事都会变得神经。篮球永远不会扭转局面。
• 考虑到这一点：您会考虑支持开拓者的边缘之夜，并帮助该网站送几百个孩子参加开拓者游戏吗？详细信息在这里。

Terry Stotts' Post-Game Comments

Just another win. [Laughs]

我不知道。在竞争和战斗和永不放弃的情况下，我不愿意欣赏我们的团队所做的事情。我们都已经多次看到了今年。它永远不会变老。我们一直在寻找方法。戏剧太多了，有太多的大剧本要记住。只是为了下降21岁，回来了，有很多人为卷土重来做出了贡献。下半场比赛的每个人都助长了这一卷土重来。

LaMarcus Aldridge's first three of the season

几乎没有发生的事情就是我如何绘制它。看，科利森银行三分，洛杉矶，他的三个事情在比赛中发生。尼克做了一个不错的戏。拉马库斯（Lamarcus）在那里有一个很好的触摸，他花了很多时间做到了。这是他的第一年，但我已经看到他在实践中射击他们。这并不是他是一个非射手。他的触感很好，我很高兴看到它进入。

Nicolas Batum struggled then hit the late three

那全是尼克。我们提出了这场比赛，我们提出了一些不同的选择。尼克是其中之一，他们有点吹牛了，但他脱颖而出。他在挣扎着射击球，他的手腕困扰着他，但他是竞争对手。他没有回避当下。

韦斯利·马修斯（Wesley Matthews）的后期防守

我真的不想单身一个人因为when you play the defense we played in the second half compared to the first half, it's a team effort. When we're defending Dirk's pick-and-rolls that means the guys on the pick-and-rolls have to do a job, and J.J. or whoever has to be ready to rotate, everybody has to be ready to cover up his man. Everything we did, team rebounding, I thought everybody contributed. Their team, with O.J. Mayo and Vince and Dirk and Collison and Shawn Marion, they have a lot of guys who can score. That's why it's a team effort. Dallas is a team where everybody on the floor is pretty dangerous.

Game-winner

是Nic或L.A. Nic脱身了，如果他脱离干净，他会得到它，否则是通往洛杉矶的通行证。

Same play that generated three for Nicolas against Cleveland?

非常相似。我们对此进行了一些调整，因为卢克参加了比赛。

Describe this season

Well, we're only 45 games into it. It's been enjoyable. It's a fun team to coach. I think everybody and certainly I appreciate the effort that the players give. The season -- I don't want to get into a retrospect right now. We're in the middle of a playoff race, to try to put this season into perspective is too soon.

Big plays by LaMarcus Aldridge put his All-Star selection in perspective?

我不知道。它总是在透视图me. LaMarcus, there's no question in my mind he's an All-Star. He didn't have to make that shot to prove he's an All-Star. He proves it every night.

Turnaround on defense

In the first half we gave too much space to their shooters. Collison hit three in a row I think. We were slow getting to Dirk. They were pushing the ball. Collison and Beaubois were pushing the ball and we weren't getting back. We weren't being the aggressor, anticipating very well. I thought we did that, all those things, much better in the second half.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter