TUALATIN, Ore. — First inspiration, then deflation, and now — one game from elimination.
The euphoria following the Trail Blazers’ miraculous Game 4 victory was matched with equal parts lethargy during Portland’s Game 5 defeat Monday that put Dallas up three games to two in the first-round playoff series.
Stat sheets rarely tell the entire story, but this one was especially well-narrated — particularly the chapter on offensive rebounding.
The Mavericks had 20 boards on offense compared to the Blazers’ nine. Dallas center Tyson Chandler had 13 offensive rebounds alone.
Granted, Blazers coach Nate McMillan did opt to go to a smaller lineup when Portland fell behind, figuring that was the group more capable of scoring quick baskets and narrowing the lead. But even so, he would argue that aspects such as the rebounding disparity had less to do with height and more to do with the Blazers inability to stand tall.
“I thought they outworked us,” McMillan said. “We got to get energy in that game, the hustle game, we gotta win, that scrappy game, playing with that sense of urgency, we gotta have that. Right now, they seem to be the aggressors. They’re dominating the boards. They’re dominating the free-throw line. When we turn the ball over, they’ve been able to turn the turnovers into points. So the hustle game, the energy game — we gotta win that.”
Tuesday was a maintenance day for the Blazers and only McMillan was made available to the media. He expressed surprise in his team’s depleted energy levels as well as the absent sense of urgency.
He lamented the Blazers’ inability to push the ball up the court, even off of made baskets, as Portland often wouldn’t initiate an offensive set until nine seconds or so had ticked off the shot clock.
He said there was a temptation to insert a bigger lineup down the stretch but he opted instead for the smaller group thinking they could score points.
And if you watched Game 5 and thought “LaMarcus Aldridge looks tired,” McMillan wouldn’t protest.
“I agree. I totally agree,” McMillan said. “Hey, we got a game to play. We have to suck it up. That’s part of the playoffs, that’s part of what you go through.”
Outside of that, McMillan wasn’t particularly revealing or emotional — and certainly not panicked.
He preached the significance of defending home court, and said that much of the Mavericks success Monday hinged off of the fan support. He hopes that his team can feed off of similar energy in Game 6 — support in which Brandon Roy appears to have been the greatest beneficiary so far.
Roy’s fourth quarter in Game 4 is among the most productive in NBA playoff history. And in his two home games this postseason, Roy is averaging 20 points in 24 minutes while shooting 15 of 23 from the field. In his three games on the road, however, he is posting a paltry 2.3 points per game while shooting a combined 3 of 15.
Tuesday, McMillan was asked if he has any particular expectations when Roy is on the court.
“Well, we’re hoping he can deliver,” he said. “He has been really good, or hasn’t had his rhythm. Last night was one of those games where he didn’t have his rhythm. But we’ve seen when he’s good what he can do for this team.”
Patty’s pick
One of the more lasting images from the end of Game 5 took place when Dallas bench-warmer Brian Cardinal set a particularly hard pick on Blazers point guard Patty Mills with four seconds left in the game and the win secure.
Wesley Matthews appeared to have some choice words for Cardinal following the screen, and after the game, he told the Oregonian “I’m not going to forget it, that’s for sure.”
McMillan, meanwhile, looked as though he was protesting the play. Tuesday, however, he didn’t seem so up in arms.
“There’s a lot of screens where guys were getting hit. Your bigs need to up to communicate on pick and roll defense,” McMillan said. “I think that’s more on us than it is on Dallas. We gotta be up there talking to our teammates.”
Even with four seconds left in the game?
“There’s still time on the clock.”
Matt Calkins can be contacted at 360-735-4528 or matt.calkins@columbian.com
