在波特兰开拓者队击败了金州勇士队，119-117，加时赛，并在Moda中心周日，改善他们的记录53-28，并在西部季后赛确保前五种子。
波特兰开拓者队击败了金州勇士队，119-117，加时赛，并在Moda中心周日，改善他们的记录53-28并确保在西部联盟季后赛前五种子
一个充分考虑到这个游戏需要的章节。段将不得不这样做，即使他们不会真的就够了。
胜负，第四节的最后五分钟，五分钟的加时赛将是最激动人心的10分钟波特兰开拓者队的赛季。这些10分钟看见四位关系和惊人的10次交替领先。每个篮子或游离set抛出看似保持固化的结果的功率，并且还结束一直得到延迟，并且延迟，并且然后进一步延迟，通过连续的下一个播放。
“这是一个恶战的比赛就在那里，”罗宾洛佩兹说。“这感觉就像干草干草那里后一段时间后。”
这是半选择，你自己的冒险书和抛物线的回升一半兜风; the twists and turns weren't offsetting in any way, they just kept shooting the tension higher. Imagine a boomerang with a mind of its own that, instead of returning home, just keeps flying higher and higher as its endless loops get wider and wider.
"That was the craziest game of the year," Nicolas Batum said.
How many prospective heroes can one game reasonably have? Andre Iguodala, LaMarcus Aldridge, Klay Thompson, Wesley Matthews, Batum, Draymond Green (oh yes, Draymond Green), Lopez, and, of course, the magnificent Stephen Curry all had big moments during these 10 minutes. And let's not forget Mo Williams, who had 18 points on eight-of-10 shooting but watched all of the endgame action from the sidelines.
Portland should consider itself fortunate to have won, as they suffered through missed free throws and turnovers on offense, and unguardable shots from Curry and Thompson on the other end. "Fortunate" isn't the same thing as "lucky," though, and even with the flubs from both teams, there was no way either team was backing its way into a win in a game this competitive. Portland caught some breaks -- Andrew Bogut going out late with an injury, Klay Thompson fouling out in overtime, Andre Iguodala being unable to deliver on the game's final play -- but they also played hard, stoic basketball through the second half, and they didn't fall apart no matter how many times Curry or Thompson drained from outside.
The Splash Brothers were -- yet again -- at their splashiest in the Moda Center. In a repeat performance of their joint bombing display back in March, Curry and Thompson combined for 37 points on 23 shots in the fourth quarter and overtime. All told, Curry hit for a season-high 47 points and Thompson added 25. In four games against the Blazers this season, the backcourt pair is now averaging 60.8 points per game and shooting 45.2 percent on three-pointers.
"They're probably the two best shooters in the league," Damian Lillard said.
In addition to his 47 points (which came on 16-for-29 shooting and seven three-pointers), Curry dished five assists and collected three steals. He hit step-back threes, crossover-generated threes, pull-up threes, spin-move threes, and offensive-rebound threes (yes, really). He danced with the ball, posed like a statue after hitting shots, and put on the type of show that could very well land him on MVP ballots, a performance that left at least one of his teammates bamboozled.
"I don't know why people continue to be amazed by it," Green said. "I'm amazed when he doesn't do that. I'm used to seeing it. Nonetheless, it's still amazing. When I'm saying is totally contradictory: I'm used to seeing it, but it never gets old."
The 6-foot-3 guard takes pleasure in the cat-and-mouse game with defenders unlike anyone else in the league, except perhaps Kevin Durant, and he does so without compromising a team-first approach. Curry has become the quintessential "You must guard him as soon as he walks into the gym" player, and yet even total, extended attention is sometimes insufficient.
"He's a superstar basketball player and he's first team All-NBA," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said afterwards. "I don't know who's voting, but the year that the guy has had has been absolutely amazing."
Damian Lillard added: "He had a great [game]. He's a great shooter, a great playmaker, great ball-handler. Once a guy like that gets it going, it's tough to stop, especially when they're setting screen after screen for him. All it takes is a little bit of space and that's considered a great look for him, with the caliber of shooter he is, and he got hot."
Curry played 45 minutes and didn't cool off until the game's closing sequences. Harassed by Wesley Matthews throughout the second half and overtime, Curry shot just 1-for-4 in the extra period. The one was a go-ahead three-pointer, of course.
"He's not the best shooter in the league for nothing," Batum said, after posting 18 points (on 7-for-9 shooting), 12 rebounds and five assists. "Maybe the [defensive] work paid off at the end, because I think Curry missed two or three shots at the end, because he was tired. I don't know how you can play a game like this, shoot 30 shots, crossing over, and not being tired. He's a freak of nature, a great player."
Portland seemed to find the stop it needed in the closing seconds of regulation. Down one, Curry drove to his left through the paint, tossing up a floater he hoped would clear Aldridge. Curry hit a similar floater against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, and this one seemed to have a chance too. Although he wasn't credited with a block, Aldridge barely got his fingers on the ball, ensuring that the shot wound up short.
"I didn't want him hitting no step-back three, that's what he's known for, so I tried to crowd him a little bit," Aldridge told Blazersedge. "He was trying to go off the dribble, I was trying to stay in front him. Once I saw he was trying to float it, I tried to block it. I tipped it, just enough, where he missed it. I got it. He floated it perfect, it was going in."
Matthews cleared the rebound and pushed the Blazers' lead to three points at the charity stripe. On Golden State's final play, Aldridge again stepped out on Curry, encouraging him to give up the ball. The Blazers had wanted to use their foul to give, up three with less than 10 seconds to go, but the instruction didn't make it from the sidelines to the court. When no stoppage came, Curry found Green, a career 28.7 percent three-point shooter, who executed a jump-back three-pointer over Matthews to tie the game, a shot worthy of a Home Alone-style slapping of the cheeks.
"We had a foul to give," Stotts said. "Plus, up three, we wanted to foul, but we didn't relay the message very well. That being said, Draymond Green hit a hell of a shot."
There were still nearly four seconds on the clock when Green's shot found nylon, but Matthews launched a quick three coming out of the ensuing timeout, a shot that missed long and sent the game to overtime. There, the chess match continued, with Batum starting things off with a three-pointer and putting the onus back on Golden State, who had dug out of an 11-point deficit in the fourth.
Throughout this contest, there were playoff-type strategic moves. The Blazers went out of their way to make David Lee play defense. The Warriors picked on Lillard like a scab. In overtime, Lopez found himself above the free-throw line with the ball, totally and intentionally abandoned by the Warriors' defense. It was a "We're making you beat us" gambit, one that confused Lopez and led him to dribble around before throwing the ball out of bounds late in the fourth quarter. When faced with the same proposition, roughly one minute into overtime, Lopez drilled the open jumper.
"My teammates told me, if that eventuality comes up, just shoot the ball with confidence," he told Blazersedge, after finishing with 16 points (on 6-for-11 shooting) and seven rebounds. "That's what I did."
The shot was big, putting Portland up four, but the two teams still had a combined four more lead-changing plays left in the tank. Back and forth and back and forth and back.
"That was a terrific game," Stotts said. "A lot of big plays on both sides, a lot of big shots. When you see guys making the plays they're making, making the shots they're making, you do appreciate what's being done out there on the floor."
An Aldridge jumper put Portland up one with less than a minute to play, and the Blazers found themselves in position to run some clock when they cleared a rebound, up by one point with just two seconds separating the shot clock and game clock. Rather than milk the clock all the way down, Lillard went early, looking to blow past Thompson on his way to the hoop. The decision fouled Thompson out of the game, but it also gave Golden State nine seconds to try to tie or win the game, once Lillard split his free throws.
"I don't want to throw Damian under the bus but he went too soon," Stotts said. "He should have held it a little bit longer."
Lillard, who finished with 13 points (on 3-for-13 shooting), five assists, three rebounds and three turnovers, didn't run from his error in judgement.
"I actually made a mistake," he admitted. "I kind of got confused because they weren't fouling. There was only a two-second difference [between the shot clock and game clock]. Every time we went flat, they kept sending two people out there and I saw [Thompson] keep turning his head and I just went around him. But that was a bad call on my part. I should have held out a little bit longer, but I made a mistake and we still won the game. I've just got to learn from it."
Given the night Curry was having, there was good cause for dread. Golden State found him immediately on a sideline inbounds pass, and he curled into the paint drawing attention from three defenders. Rather than pull-up or loft another runner going left, Curry opted for a surprise, swinging the ball back to a wide open Iguodala, who was spotting up for three at the right angle.
"I turned the corner and tried to make a read and I was going pretty fast downhill," Curry said. "It looked like more than one defender was closing in. I turned around and he was wide open. It was a shot we like and a shot he's made before."
There was an "oh no" moment to the pass for Portland, as the misdirection was so reminiscent of Dwyane Wade's behind-the-back pass that led to a Chris Bosh game-winning three-pointer back in December. Even though he's never been known as a shooter, Iguodala has hit multiple game-winners for Golden State this season, including a deep three to down the Atlanta Hawks.
Unlike Bosh, Iguodala enjoyed an easy catch, and he was able step into his shot with his feet set. Also unlike Bosh, he missed, allowing Portland to take home the two-point win rather than suffer another heartbreaking late-game defeat.
"Unselfish play, great look," Jackson said of the final play. "Anybody who doesn't want to live with it, go back to Atlanta. The ball was in Steph's hands, he made the right play, and we got a great look."
The victory marked Portland's fourth in a row, it secured a 20-win improvement over last season, it ensured the Blazers will have no worse than the No. 5 seed in the postseason, and it officially set their playoff opponent as the Houston Rockets.
Stotts argued afterwards that the game wasn't quite to a playoff intensity level, but he cut his rotation down to eight players, four of whom played 36+ minutes in regulation. Only seven guys saw action after the third quarter, with Thomas Robinson, Will Barton and the rest looking on. Appropriately, Batum handed towels and cups of water to Matthews and Aldridge during their post-game interview on the court. Matthews finished with 24 points (on 6-for-13 shooting), three rebounds and three assists; Aldridge posted 26 points (on 11-for-23 shooting), seven rebounds and three steals, and his jumper with 40 seconds left in overtime proved to be the final go-ahead basket of the night. Finally.
"This was great for confidence, morale, everything," Aldridge said, once the never-ending shootout was finally over. "It shows the importance of playing together, staying together. There were times we could have gotten separated. Guys stayed together. Every game is going to be tough like that in the playoffs."
Random Game Notes
Terry Stotts' Post-Game Comments
Opening comments
That was a terrific game. A lot of big plays on both sides, a lot of big shots. It was good to get the win, good to secure the fifth seed. It was a good game to tune up for the playoffs. A lot to be pleased about.
Did you want to foul up three at the end of regulation?
I didn't do a good job of relaying what we were going to do. Wes was on the line, L.A. and Wes were both on the lane line. They were involved in the screen. We had a foul to give, plus up three we wanted to foul, but we didn't relay the message very well. That being said, Draymond Green hit a hell of a shot. Step back by three feet, Wes was right there. But, yeah, we did want to foul.
Defense on Stephen Curry in fourth quarter and overtime
Wes Matthews did a terrific job. You look at 47 points, but I thought Wes made him work for it. He hit some really tough shots throughout the game. I thought especially in the third quarter when we got back into the game, our defense in the third quarter was pretty good on him.
Your final possession in overtime, Damian Lillard going early
I don't want to throw Damian under the bus but he went too soon. He should have held it a little bit longer.
Wesley Matthews and defending Stephen Curry
Wes played a terrific game. He made some big shots. His defense -- the stamina that it took to work as hard as he did on Steph and then make the plays that he did on the offensive end, that was big time.
Moving Matthews onto Curry
Kind of a group decision. Last game he did a good job on him. We went into the game thinking about that in the second half. With Curry, we want to give him different looks, whether it's Dame, Wes, Mo, Nic. You work as hard as you can. Going into the game we felt like, last game, Wes did a good job on him in the last five minutes of that game here. We're probably going to follow up on that. It takes a lot of energy throughout a whole game.
Houston in playoffs
I'm glad we know who we are playing. I don't necessarily have a lot of comments on Houston right now. I'm glad we know who we're playing so we have a few days to prepare. We've played some good games -- the first game the first week of the season they handled us pretty well. We won a game, the last game there we were in a position to win that one. It's the playoffs.
Mo Williams
It was one of his better offensive games of the year, he shot the ball very well. He kept the tempo going with the lineup that we had, having a lot of spacing out there. It opened up driving lanes. He made big shots, big plays for us. Really, I thought he gave us a lot of momentum in both halves.
Eight-man rotation planned?
Not really. During the game, I liked Dorell. Dorell has been playing well and he's played well against Golden State. I gave him a few extra minutes at three. It wasn't necessarily the plan going in.
Fun game to coach?
It is fun. It's a competitive environment, you're glad to come out on the winning end of it. When you see guys making the plays they're making, making the shots they're making, you do appreciate what's being done out there on the floor.
Like a first playoff game tonight?
No. I told the guys before the game, this was not a playoff game and this was not necessarily a playoff atmosphere. I felt like both teams really wanted the game. You were going to see a lot of effort from both teams. It's heightened in the playoffs but this was a good preparation game for us.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
波特兰开拓者队和金州勇士队以119-117的加时惊悚片击败对手，斯蒂芬·库里拿下47分，精彩绝伦的收场让人难以置信。
The波特兰开拓者队="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/“class=”sbn自动链接“>金州勇士队（Golden State Warriors）今晚上演了一场精彩的篮球表演，展示了NBA在119-117加时赛中的一切精彩，这将在未来十年的重播循环中上演。在他们之间，球队的特点是：强度，有灵感的防守，死神射击，决胜，以及比杜鲁门总统竞选更多的领先优势变化。开拓者队在终场哨音响起时取得了胜利，但并非没有很多扣人心弦的时刻，也没有来自篮球之神的一点欢迎帮助。尽管如此，这场胜利还是确保了开拓者在本赛季的西部联赛中不低于第五名。如果波特兰队赢得第82场比赛和休斯顿火箭队在剩下的比赛中都没有获胜。由于这场胜利，火箭队现在肯定会成为波特兰队第一轮的对手。
在这场比赛中，从一开始就可以感受到球场上的紧张气氛。两队都冲锋出击。波特兰的进攻花了一段时间才准备就绪。他们几乎焦急地看了看，迫使单盘投篮。防守看起来不错，比第一节的大部分时间都要积极。勇士队得分了，但他们的射门是有争议的，而且是诚实的。
当比赛的第一个真正转折开始时，波特兰队以14-9落后。开拓者队本赛季很少能在板凳上大张旗鼓，但波特兰队的混合型首发阵容——预备队阵容今晚摧毁了勇士队的曲棍球替补阵容。金州勇士队的表现日夜不同。他们的首发阵容让开拓者保持旋转，随着夜晚的进行，他们的效率也在提高。但是先发球员建立的预备队的一切都带着兴趣回来了。
在某种程度上，与勇士队今晚派出的任何其他中锋相比，差异可以归结为安德鲁·博古特。博古特让波特兰队的罗宾·洛佩兹打成了平手。他成为了本赛季唯一一个让洛佩兹看起来傻乎乎的中锋，而没有用跳投把他拉离球道。博古特拘留了洛佩兹，在罗宾被紧锁的情况下聪明地传球，使他远离篮板，远离任何防守帮助。那是一场大屠杀。但是，博古特一坐下，洛佩兹就开始了一天的比赛，他在罚球线上得分，把勇士们挡在了球道之外。没有人能打扰他。
莫·威廉姆斯也度过了一个泰坦尼克号之夜（有一个小“t”…他可以走任何一条路）。他以两个标志性的鬼鬼祟祟的跳投起跑，在比赛的剩余时间里，他一直在击球。在H-O-R-S-E比赛中，大多数人都不会在没有防守的情况下尝试投篮。这不像是勇士们让他走的。他们紧紧地搂着他。但是他的进攻胜过了他们的防守，就像克里斯蒂娜·亨德里克斯站在一个20瓦的灯泡旁边。
波特兰的替补席在第一节中途接手的5分赤字在第二节太老之前变成了7分的领先优势。金州勇士队主教练马克·杰克逊一点也没有惊慌失措。他让他的替补队员轮换上场。这是他的功劳还是愚蠢的表现仍有争议。他的先发球员一回来，得分、篮板、防守和每盘的整体素质就达到了顶峰。在波特兰失误和防守失误的帮助下，金州勇士队的先发球员在中场休息时将他们的7分债变成了8分的领先。斯蒂芬·库里在这段时间里得了18分。
像往常一样，开拓者队在第三节开始时去了拉马库斯·阿尔德里奇，他的进球帮助球队稳定了局势。奥尔德里奇、威廉姆斯和卫斯理·马修斯将带领开拓者队度过第三个阶段，金州勇士队的克劳伊·汤普森从上半场的睡梦中醒来，与库里一起打出三分并点名。勇士队的先发球员再一次证明他们完全有能力击败波特兰队的对手。随着时间的流逝，战士们的长凳又一次像一块用过的手帕一样皱了起来。马修斯和威廉姆斯在第三局的最后2:30发起了一连串的三分攻势，波特兰队以76-75领先进入了最后一局。
当波特兰队在第四局的前3分钟将比分扩大到10分时，杰克逊终于轻轻松松地让他的先发球员回到了比赛中。从那一刻起，就好像那些金州警卫队发现了波特兰double-digits just to make it fair. Curry and Thompson would combine for 25 of their team's 30 points in the period, putting on a shooting display that would have made them the envy of any Wild West show in the territory.
Sustaining their 10-point lead until the 7:00 mark, the Blazers went stilted and cold. They managed only 2 field goals following, forced to survive on foul shots. The free-throw line told the story for the Blazers in the fourth. They'd score 8 from the charity stripe in the period while committing zero fouls themselves. (Not zero free-throws given up, not a whistle blown against them in the period.) 6 free throws (2 intentional) in the final 1:30 helped the Blazers survive the three-point onslaught. They led 105-102 with 12 seconds remaining in regulation and Golden State having ball in hand. Curry drew the obvious defensive attention, tossed the ball to Draymond Green, and the second-year player calmly hit a step-back three for the tie. The Blazers had a final attempt but Matthews missed a three. To overtime we went.
The extra period became a sick slug-fest as each team threw haymakers to the other's chin. Curry and Thompson accounted for all 12 Golden State points, three triples among them. They were answered by gang tackling from Portland. Matthews scored 6 but every Blazer starter put points on the board.
The penultimate exchange came with 1:10 left on the clock when Matthews hit a three followed 15 seconds later from a reply in kind from Thompson, leaving the Warriors up 117-116. Damian Lillard hit Aldridge for a jumper on the next possession and the Blazers took the lead 118-117.
The final duel ended up being a point guard contest. Curry, unable to miss for most of the second half, clanged a 17-footer (about half of his customary range) and the Warriors were forced to defend down by 1, 26 seconds left. They opted not to foul. Lillard drove the lane with 10 seconds left and drew a foul off a missed layup in traffic on which there appeared to be little contact. The suspect nature of the foul was less of an issue than the fact that it was the 6th on the red-hot Thompson, forcing him from the game. But Lillard gave the Warriors a break by hitting only 1 of 2 free throws, leaving Portland up 119-117 with 7 seconds remaining.
Following the obligatory timeout Curry tried to repeat his end-of regulation trick, drawing defenders and tossing the ball back to a shooter. Andre Iguodala ended up with a wide-open three as the clock ticked away its final seconds. It was long, Matthews grabbed and threw the rebound, and the game was over. After a heart-stopping, multiple-crescendo-building 53 minutes of action the Blazers walked away with a 2-point win in the most important game of their regular season.
Besides the victory the Blazers gave their fans plenty to love in this game. Resilience was their strongest point. The Warriors didn't just hit them, the Warriors hit them HARD. It wasn't just intensity, but intensity back by dev...a...stat...ing performances from those star guards and considerable hampering of Lopez and Lillard. The Blazers were fighting with a hand behind their backs and taking blows to the face. Giving up would have been easy. Yet they found a way to fight back and take the game.
Portland also shot 50% from the field, 42% from the arc...a pretty display. This comes with an asterisk. Golden State's shots weren't easy but they were within their normal sphere of operation. We've seen the Splash Brothers go crazy before. Some of the shots Williams and Matthews hit tonight weren't repeatable on normal nights. The Blazers provided fist-pumping moments aplenty...even a few unbridled out-of-your-chair occasions. But on a normal night those shots are misses.
Which brings us to the other side of the coin. Peel back the emotion and crazy spirit of this game and the Blazers showed weaknesses that make you worry heading into the post-season. Since only 48 minutes of basketball stand between Portland and that destination--since time is almost up--we better cover them. The Rockets will have a vested interest in inspiring a repeat performance.
First and foremost, the Blazers tried to hide Damian Lillard on the defensive end tonight. They put him on Thompson. They put him on Iguodala or Harrison Barnes at small forward. It did not work. If President Obama tongue-kissed Vladimir Putin on stage at a One Direction concert the spotlight would not be brighter than the one the Warriors put on Dame's defense tonight. Run back the tape from this game and you will see play after play after play where Lillard got burned. The Warriors got the ball to whomever he was guarding...period. They didn't even bother to disguise it. The small forwards posted him and scored. Thompson shot over him like he wasn't there. The Curry matchup wasn't close. Even when the Blazers had time to send it there wasn't enough help in the world to fix the issue. The Warriors had a huge bullseye on Lillard's back and unless they are complete fools, the Rockets are going to pull the same stunt.
Lillard has looked out of sync with the offense for a while now and that was evident tonight as well. That, at least, can be corrected. But he and his teammates better patch it up quick.
The Blazers also made procedural and mental errors as the game closed:
--As we said, Portland had zero fouls against them in the fourth period. They led 105-102 with 12 seconds left in regulation. That meant they had a foul to give with no free throw penalty before even having to make the decision about intentionally fouling the hot-three-point-shooting Warriors to prevent the tying shot. But the Blazers didn't even take the first foul...the freebie. By the time the clock would down to 4-5 seconds you'd think they'd corral somebody, make the Warriors take it out again, make them waste more time, open up the possibility of that intentional foul with not enough time on the clock to matter. Instead they watched Curry pass to Green and Green hit a three to send the game into overtime.
--The Blazers led by 1 and had possession with 26 seconds left in overtime. Golden State made an interesting decision not to foul, leaving themselves a narrow, 2-second margin to call timeout and get a final shot should they force a Portland miss. Lillard bailed them out of their time problem by starting his drive with 11 seconds on the clock. This is understandable if you're tied or down, as you want the first good shot available plus enough time left for a potential offensive rebound put-back. But when you're up a forced, long jumper at the end of the clock might be better than a drive into traffic with 10 seconds left. The ball's going to take a second to get to the rim plus the opponent has to secure the rebound. Even if they get the board cleanly the 2-second margin has dwindled to less than 1. At the very least you want to hold and bleed the clock down to 4-5 seconds before making your move. Instead Lillard left the opponent 9 seconds to operate and compounded the issue by missing 1 of the free throws, keeping the margin at 2. As I mentioned above, the foul that put him at the line, though totally understandable and even normal for the NBA under those circumstances, was also questionable. Had the refs not blown that whistle, Golden State gets the ball with 8 seconds left down by only 1 with the full range of offensive options for the win.
--On their final offensive possession the Warriors sent Curry into the lane to draw attention. Portland responded with a double, Lopez rotating over to take him and Lillard shadowing. This was totally understandable considering the hash Curry had carved them into, inside and out, for the last 29 minutes. Less understandable: Nicolas Batum also caved in to make it a triple-team on Curry. In doing so, Lillard and Batum abandoned Iguodala, leaving him wide-open at the arc for the winning three. Had Iggy's shot been an inch and a half shorter or had Thompson been on the receiving end of that pass, the result of this game would have been different. That the Blazers would intentionally leave an opponent open for a game-winning shot is inconceivable. That means somebody--Lillard or Batum--misread the situation, blew the scheme, and/or failed to communicate on the most important possession of the season...though this is not the first time we've seen it happen.
If this were Game 53 and months of playoff preparation lay ahead, we'd walk off with a standing ovation ringing in our ears and ignore the rest of this stuff. But it's not. This was Game 81, a week from the start of the post-season, and Portland's most critical moment of the year. You cannot credit Portland's never-say-die attitude and ability to pull off the narrow victory like this without also acknowledging that they are still making critical mistakes in recognition, communication, and coverage that shrink the margin enough to make that perseverance (and narrow-shave luck) necessary.
Cinderella's clock reads 11:58 right now. One more game and the coach turns into a pumpkin. I was watching an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary last night on the Knicks-Pacers Eastern Conference matchup in 1995, the one where Reggie Miller erupted for 8 points in 9 seconds to steal Game 1. Both of those teams were masterful, carrying Hall-of-Famers and heralded veterans. The series ended up going to 7 games. It was the archetype of playoff basketball. Time after time we see that even for the most solid and talented of squads, playoff series are won and lost by small mistakes: a blown rotation, a missed inbounds play...none as obvious as the ones we just laid out. Perseverance and luck only work when the field is level. The first step in benefiting from them is making sure you don't need them. The Blazers aren't there yet. Fundamental flaws and incidental--mostly unforced--errors give even their best games a, "Whew!" factor that won't translate well when games get serious. Give your playoff opponent that many opportunities to get off the hook and you're going to find 4 wins well beyond your grasp.
Asking whether they can handle the Rockets or any potential second-round opponent is secondary at this point. The more pressing question: How will they handle themselves?
Fortunately that's a matter for another night. For now, this was a memorable win in a game well-worth preserving on your DVR. The Blazers did what they have to do tonight. Now they hope that the Rockets lose to San Antonio tomorrow, setting up a Wednesday-night finale where a Portland victory over the Clippers combined with a Houston loss to New Orleans would yield homecourt advantage in the first round.
Timmay's Instant Recap and Gameday Thread Review
Quotes from Neil Olshey on the Season and the Draft
Golden State Of Mind will be calling this a classic as well, I'll wager.
Your Jersey Contest Scores and the form for the final game of the season can be found HERE.
--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)
一场季后赛激烈程度的比赛开始于chippy，变成了一场疯狂的第四节枪战。然后，这场比赛变成了一场疯狂的加时赛，两队都以更大的射门互相攻击。这场比赛点燃了今晚的社交媒体，疯狂的消息像野火一样传开。
开拓者队的领头羊是拉马库斯·奥尔德里奇（26分，7个篮板，2次助攻）、韦斯利·马修斯（24分，大部分都是迟到的）、尼古拉斯·巴图姆（18分，12个篮板）和莫·威廉姆斯（18分）。斯蒂芬·库里当晚大部分时间都在球场上昏迷不醒，以47分结束比赛。
这场胜利，开拓者队在西部季后赛中至少获得了5号种子。如果休斯顿输掉剩下的两场比赛，波特兰队周三击败快船队，他们仍有机会晋级4号种子队。
对于开拓者队球迷来说，这是一个艰难的半场。身体游戏被允许了，战士们都很激动。波特兰队早早就领先了9分，但金州勇士队紧随其后。勇士队的防守有效地压制了利拉德，因为他是职业球员中最糟糕的半场之一。与此同时，斯蒂芬·库里在对开拓者队的防守上没有遇到这样的麻烦。波特兰队在最后时刻保持领先，但在中场休息前几分钟就分崩离析，在短短几分钟内放弃了14-2的成绩，落后8分，然后前往更衣室寻找答案。
他们在下半场的开局与勇士队的上篮很相似，他们立即换人。最终，开拓者队活跃起来，在25-8的比赛中获得了灵感，以10分的领先优势。但就这样，勇士们发疯了，比赛变成了一场烧谷仓的比赛。他们在四次连续控球中命中三分，在六次控球中得到16分，以4:30的比分与比赛持平。如果不是莫威廉姆斯的连胜反击，情况可能会更糟。在还剩两分钟的时候，开拓者队仍然领先1分，当时金州勇士队的一场出界比赛就要开始了。
库里几乎是一整晚都自动出局，很快让勇士队领先，但马修斯用两次罚球恢复了开拓者队的领先优势。库里最终错过了三分，但波特兰在还剩54秒的时候犯下了一个可怕的越界失误。克莱·汤普森用跳投让开拓者为失误付出了代价。阿尔德里奇在另一端没有射中，但自己抢篮板，被犯规。在还剩24.7秒的时候，他冷静地投进了两个罚球，勇士队控制了球，有机会获胜。他们去了库里，库里开车上篮失误，马修斯在还剩12.5秒的时候在篮板上被犯规。他两次都命中，但德雷蒙德·格林在还剩3秒的时候命中一个三分，扳平了比分。波特兰队还有最后一次机会，马修斯在蜂鸣器上丢了一个三分球。
在加时赛中，巴图姆立即打出一个三分球，并将球锁定。勇士队罚球命中后，洛佩兹跳投使开拓者队领先4分。汤普森上篮将球一分为二，奥尔德里奇严重错过了一次跳投。但是战士们把它翻过来作为回应。加时赛只过了90秒，因为动作很快。巴图姆丢了两个罚球，马修斯在进攻篮板上丢了一个三分球，观众都在呻吟。汤普森错过了另一端，但它神奇地反弹到咖喱三。嗖嗖一声，勇士队在还剩2:30时领先。
在另一端，巴图姆在罚球区向马修斯漂亮地传球，马修斯被犯规，并在马修斯摔倒时将球扔向篮筐。。。并把它存入银行。一次罚球使波特兰队领先2分。在另一端，汤普森又打了三分，勇士队在还剩2分钟的时候重新取得领先。开拓者队将球翻转过来，里拉德挡住了汤普森的跳投。奥尔德里奇丢了球，拿回来，把球传给了马修斯，三次。。。。砖直冲云霄。。。它嗖嗖地一声冲进了铁环。哇！开拓者队领先1分。金州勇士队在另一端的汤普森那里花了三年时间。。。沙沙声。他们夺回了领先地位。所以开拓者队在剩下40秒的时候去阿尔德里奇跳远。。。沙沙声！波特兰队在还剩39秒的时候领先1分，还有4分21秒的疯狂状态。
在暂停后，库里在奥尔德里奇身上逐渐消失。。。在还剩27秒的时候，他就错过了比赛。波特兰队放慢了比赛节奏，里拉德把球打到了中路。。。上篮得分，但裁判对他的第六个对手汤普森犯规。利拉德只打了两个球中的一个，勇士队在还剩7.5秒的时候控制了两个。但是汤普森犯规了。他们把它给了咖喱，咖喱把它交给了安德烈·伊戈达拉。。。谁错过了三分球！开拓者队抢到了篮板和凯尔ebrated one of the biggest victories of their season!
What's Next
Two full days off for the Blazers, and their final game of the regular season, a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers that may not matter for either team.
Gameday Thread Comments of the Night!
欢迎来到Blazer边缘的游戏日开放线程！这是一个和你的粉丝们一起出去玩和享受今晚庆祝活动的地方。把它当作你在当地的水坑看比赛，但希望没有语言。预计会有一些分歧，以及相当数量的情绪变化。但是我们会一起度过难关的。
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受伤情况：乔尔·弗里兰（膝盖）今晚已激活，但尚未播放。
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通常的游戏日线程规则适用：
1.禁止咒骂
2.禁止图片
3.禁止讨论未经许可的互联网流媒体
4.彼此保持冷静！
出去玩游戏吧！-蒂姆
欢迎来到Blazer边缘的游戏日开放线程！这是一个和你的粉丝们一起出去玩和享受今晚庆祝活动的地方。把它当作你在当地的水坑看比赛，但希望没有语言。预计会有一些分歧，以及相当数量的情绪变化。但我们会一起度过难关。