Blazers 10-2011 Season Comes To A End.

By HD.

The Portland Trail Blazers were looking to force a Game 7 with the Dallas Mavericks last night. Instead, the Dallas Mavericks played like it was Game 7, but it was only Game 6.

The Blazers Lost in Game 6 last night, 103-96. The Blazers had as much as a 31-19 lead in the 1st quarter. But shutdown the rest of the way giving the Mavericks a 52-43 lead at the half.

LaMarcus Aldridge's amazing season comes to a end. He carried the Trail Blazers team this season. Everybody's gonna remember him from that 2010-2011 season. The Season were he became a leader. Next year Aldridge, next year.

Gerald Wallace finished with 32 points last night. This pick up became a very good one. He will be with us next season too.

Wesley Matthews, the best 3-point shooter on the team will be with us next season also.

Brandon Roy finished with 9 also.

Well, how about some flash backs to remember this 2010-2011 season? Shall we?

Blazers get off to a bad start now 12-14, Blazers on a hot streak, now 20-17, blazers lose 3 straight, now 20-20. Blazers win 5 straight, now 25-20. Blazers give OT win to the Lakers after being up 10 with 1:00 left, Blazers shock the Nuggets, Brandon Roy tied the game with 3, win by 1 in OT. Blazers win 4 straight, including wins over the Magic, and the Heat! Blazers win their 40th game 110-101 over Philadelphia. Nicolas Batum tips in Game winner vs. the Spurs! Blazers cap season 48-34. Blazers shock Mavericks with 23 point comeback to win Game 4. Blazers season Now over with loss in Game 6.

The Blazers a memorable season. More news will be here on OMOC Sports. GO BLAZERS!

Trail Blazers-Mavericks Game 6 NBA Playoffs Preview.

By HD.

If the Trail Blazers demonstrated anything this season, it's that they're not about to let a little challenge throw them off.

Portland has become adept at surpassing expectations.

But the ultimate test of the team's resolve will come Thursday night, when the Trail Blazers face elimination trailing 3-2 in their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks.

"When you get in these loser-out games, sometimes everybody tries to do it all, and then you get out of character," guard Brandon Roy said on Wednesday. "So the biggest thing tomorrow is that we stay in character and don't panic if they get up two points or we're up two. We need to play within our game plan like we've done all season, and we can beat this team."

Perhaps nothing demonstrates the Blazers' ability to deal with adversity more than their last win in the series. Down 67-44 in the third quarter, Roy led his team on a stunning comeback for an 84-82 Game 4 victory on Saturday.

Roy, a three-time All-Star who had been troubled by his knees all season and came on as a reserve, finished with 24 points -- 18 in the fourth quarter.

For Roy, there was satisfaction in the performance given what he had gone through.

In early December, it became apparent that something was amiss for Roy, the face of the franchise. It was later learned that the cartilage in both of his knees was so depleted that he was nearly playing bone-on-bone.

While the condition is something that will likely dog him for the rest of his career, Roy opted to have arthroscopic surgery on both knees in January. All told, he missed 35 regular-season games.

When Roy returned from surgery, LaMarcus Aldridge had taken over as the team's top playmaker, and second-year guard Wesley Matthews had taken his spot in the starting rotation. Roy's minutes were tightly controlled off the bench.

As they had with other key injuries -- most notably to centers Greg Oden and Marcus Camby -- the Blazers picked themselves up and moved on. They made the necessarily adjustments, and helped themselves by adding forward Gerald Wallace from Charlotte at the trade deadline, to wind up the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Blazers Lose Game 5, Now Just Loss Away From The Season Being Over.

By HD.

The Portland Trail Blazers are in some trouble, some big trouble.

The Trail Blazers failed to win Game 5 last night, 93-82, with 18 points from Andre Miller.

The Blazers need to win Game 6 and 7 to win the series, and they have their hands full.

If Dallas Win another game, they win the series and will face either the Lakers or the Hornets in the next round.

But the series is not over yet. Portland will come back home and face Dallas in Game 6, if they can win that, maybe they have enough power to pull off a shocker in Game 7.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 12 points, Gerald Wallace had 16, and Nicolas Batum had 12.

Brandon Roy, who scored 18 points in the 4th quarter in Game 4 to pull off a huge upset only scored 5 points today.

Anyways, the Series is not over, but the Blazers are on Losing Alert.

Trail Blazers-Mavericks Game 5 NBA Playoffs Preview.

By HD.

Dirk Nowitzki was a free agent last summer, unshackled from the Dallas Mavericks for the first time in his career. It was his chance to escape a franchise with a long track record of winning big in the regular season and losing painfully in the postseason.

The former MVP signed up for four more years because he wanted to turn around that reputation.

Just a week into the playoffs, the Mavs are in jeopardy of adding to it.

Dallas went to Portland with the chance to pull off a sweep, but returned home licking its wounds following one of the most humiliating losses of the NBA's shot-clock era. The Mavericks spit up a 23-point lead with 13 minutes left to lose Game 4 and knot the series at 2-2.

Game 5 is in Dallas on Monday night. A return trip to Portland is already set for Game 6 on Thursday night.

"Frustration is definitely at a high level," Nowitzki said. "There is a huge difference from being up 3-1 and 2-2. This is definitely up there with the most frustrating losses.

Up 2-0 for the first time since that infamous series, the Mavericks were halfway to only their second series win since then. They had the chance to sweep the Trail Blazers, or to return home with a chance to knock 'em out. By losing both games, this title-starved collection of veterans in their 30s guaranteed themselves at least two more games in a series that keeps getting more physical, plus another round-trip flight to the Pacific Northwest.

And, of course, the immediate concern is getting over what Jason Kidd called "one of the toughest losses I've ever been involved in."

"But we can still win the series, and that's where our focus has to be," Kidd said. "We have to stay together and get home and come out Monday with the same focus and intensity as we did today. Then we just have to finish."

The Mavs flew home after Game 4 on Saturday. They didn't practice Sunday.

The biggest thing going for them is that Game 5 is in Dallas, and so would a Game 7. The home team has won all four games this series -- just like the home team won all four games during the regular-season series.

"Game 5 is the pivotal game," Blazers forward Gerald Wallace said. "The advantage is tilted their way because they're at home. But we've got the momentum on the court."

Portland's momentum includes a rejuvenated Brandon Roy.

Roy left Dallas wondering about his career and his role on the Blazers. He hardly played in Game 2 and didn't score. He was so low in the rotation that he said he was nearly in tears on the bench. He picked things up in Game 3, then was the star of Game 4, scoring 18 points in the series-shifting fourth quarter, including the winning basket in the final minute.

"He helped us in Game 3, and people doubted if he could do it again," Portland center Marcus Camby said. "He proved a lot of people wrong. He's got a lot of game left."

Maybe there's a lesson there for Dallas.

Roy said he regained his confidence and his shooting touch with the support of friends and family. He won the fans back with a few more jumpers. If the Mavericks can get the same kind of backing, maybe they can turn things back in their favor.

After all, they did dominate the first three quarters of Game 4. It's just the last one they need to clean up.

"We just have to stay positive," Nowitzki said. "Two out of three we're at home, where our crowd has really carried us, especially in the fourth quarter in the two wins that we got. This is going to sting; this is going to hurt, but we worked hard all through the regular season to get those two at home."

Amazing Comeback By The Blazers Ties The Playoff Series.

By HD.

The Portland Trail Blazers threw 4 quarters yesterday were terrible, but finally, the Blazers went wild in the 4th to get a amazing 23 point comeback win. Here's what happened.....

The Trail Blazers were down as much as 23 today in a terrible 3rd quarter, being out scored 30-14.

Brandon Roy finished with 25 points, scoring 18 of those points in the 4th quarter.

In the 1st, a very interesting event happened. Tyson Chandler made LaMarcus Aldridge mad, which made Aldridge push him.

The Blazers got off to a big start to start the 4th, out scoring the Mavericks in the quarter, 35-15.

Lets go late into the 4th, the Trail Blazers trailing 75-64 after a LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy hit a 17 footer making it a 9 point game.

Later, after some Dirk Nowitzki free throw, Andre Miller hit a 13 footer, then Brandon Roy also hit a 13 footer to get it to just 7 points.

But, Jason Terry drained a 3-pointer, no timeout, down by 10, Wesley Matthews drives to the basket and lays it in. Brandon Roy ended up getting a driving lay-up. LaMarcus Aldridge would however hit a another jumper, making it just a 4 point game!

Roy hit a jumper, then Shawn Marion hit a J, but Brandon Roy a.k.a. the Natural, was not done.

Brandon Roy drove the court, drilling a 3 pointer and catching Marion in the air and drawing the foul. Roy tied it with a sensational 4-point play.

With just 39 seconds left, Roy drove on Marion, hitting a bank shot off the glass, and it gives the Trail Blazers a 84-82 lead and that does it.

Jason Terry missed a Game winning 3 pointer, and the Blazers tied the Best of 7 series at 2 and will head back to Dallas for game 5 on Monday.

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 18 Points, Gerald Wallace had 10, Miller had 14, and Wesley Matthews had 11.

Roy said after the game, "I've been in some pretty good zones before, But nothing like tonight.

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=47d85cf7-3eec-4e92-8692-745f0aff087c" target="_new" title="">Portland shocks Dallas</a>

Blazers Get First Win Of 2011 Playoffs.

By HD.

The Portland Trail Blazers were in a Huge 2-0 hole vs. the Mavericks here in the 2011 Playoffs. They were looking to get their first win of the 2011 Playoff, they did, winning 97-95. Here's what happened....

The Trail Blazers got off to a good start, leading 16-7 and Wesley Matthews at that point had 14 points including 4 3-pointers.

Matthews finished with 25 points, he had 20 at the half, but Wesley also helped the Blazers take a 54-52 lead at the end of the 1st half.

The Blazers got down as much as 5 in the 3rd, but the Blazers put a couple men in that helped the Blazers win. Rudy Fernandez, Brandon Roy, Gerald Wallace and Chris Johnson came in and gave the Blazers a 13 point lead opening up the 4th.

Chris Johnson had a sensational block on Dirk Nowitzki in the 4th, one that you would just go, oh my goodness. He played Great defense, and the Blazers made stops and they got the 13 point lead.

But here come the Mavericks, Nowitzki made 1 free throw with 42.8 seconds left in the game, and then the Blazers couldn't responded, and gave it back to the Mavericks.

Jason Kidd drilled a 3-pointer, but the Refs reviewed it and changed it to a 2, and even he traveled trying to draw a foul. Now 95-92.

Andre Miller made 2 free throws, and the Blazers never looked back, making the series, 2-1 Dallas.

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 20 points and Miller had 16. Brandon Roy had a huge game after a sluggish Game 2, scoring 16 points.

The Blazers will play on Saturday next, they will look to tie the series at 2-2. GO BLAZERS!!!!!!!

Trail Blazers-Mavericks Game 3 NBA Playoffs Preview.

By HD.

The Dallas Mavericks keep catching the Trail Blazers off guard.

First it was Jason Kidd, then it was Peja Stojakovic -- as if defending Dirk Nowitzki wasn't enough.

The surprising success of those two veterans has put the Mavs in control as they head to Portland with a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series against the Blazers.

So it begs the question, who will break out for Dallas in Game 3 Thursday night at the Rose Garden? Jason Terry? Shawn Marion? Nowitzki said the Mavs have been trying to spread it around all season.

"We've been doing that second scorer by committee. Marion had a great finish to the season, Jet (Terry) has been there all season long and Peja was a great addition at the trade deadline because he's still a great knockdown shooter," Nowitzki said.

But even collectively, visiting the Rose Garden could pose a challenge for the Mavs. They split the regular season series against the Blazers, with each team winning on their home court twice.

Portland is 30-11 this season at the Rose Garden, winning 10 of their last 11. Overall against Dallas, the Blazers have a 46-18 advantage at home in the regular season, and they're 6-1 in playoff games.

"We know that they (Portland) are a very good home team so we wanted to hold home court here and go up there with a 2-0 lead but this series is far from over," Nowitzki said. "They play well at home, they make shots, and they play tough D so we've got to be prepared for a tough game on Thursday."

Dallas is 2-1 overall when they've opened 2-0 in 15 previous best-of-7 series. The exception was the 2006 NBA Finals when the Miami Heat defeated the Mavericks in six games. The Heat were just the third team to claim a championship after trailing 0-2.

The last time Dallas and Portland met in the playoffs was 2003. The Mavs claimed the first three games before the Blazers won the next three. The Mavericks took the deciding game in Dallas.

The third-seeded Mavericks opened this year's series with an 89-81 victory. Kidd had 24 points, including a playoff career-best six 3-pointers. Nowitzki had 28 points -- 18 in the fourth quarter alone -- and 10 rebounds.

In a 101-89 Game 2 victory, Stojakovic tied his career playoff best with five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points, while Kidd pitched in 18. Nowitzki, showing more resolve than in the opener, finished with 33.

Dallas signed Stojakovic in January after he was waived by Toronto. He'd hardly played because of injuries.

"His shot-making was great and very timely, but his defense was better," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "He just was really solid. He didn't let anybody drive by him all night, which was huge, and he just played a terrific all-around game."

Dallas is shooting 47 percent from 3-point range in the playoffs, as opposed to 36 percent in the regular season.

Obviously Portland will need to do a better job with perimeter defense in Game 3.

"We've got to do a better job of getting first control of the ball. The basketball is getting to the paint, which is forcing the defense to collapse, and we're losing these guys on the three point line -- Jason Kidd, Stojakovic," coach Nate McMillan said.

And Portland needs to get more production out of their reserves. In Game 2, the Mavs' backups outscored Portland's 39-11. Nicolas Batum had 10 of those points, Rudy Fernandez had 1, and Brandon Roy and Patty Mills both went scoreless.

Roy's role in particular was becoming something of an issue for the Blazers.

The three-time All-Star struggled during the regular season with knee issues, finally undergoing arthroscopic surgery on both knees in mid-January.

Upon his return, Roy struggled to find his place with the Blazers, who had moved on without him. The playoffs have intensified that problem. In Game 2 he played just eight minutes, missing his lone shot.

McMillan said he limited both Roy and Fernandez because Dallas was successful in defending them.

But Roy sparked controversy Wednesday in Portland with comments he made to The Oregonian newspaper after the game.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little hurt or disappointed," Roy told the paper. "I just always thought I would be treated a little better. That was a little disappointing for me."

The Blazers could do without the distraction as they prepare for Game 3. McMillan gave the team a break with a maintenance day on Wednesday.

"We will protect home! We know yall are with us," Wesley Matthews posted on Twitter.

It certainly wasn't all bad for the Blazers, who are getting production from their starting five. Dallas native LaMarcus Aldridge is averaging 25.5 points and eight rebounds in the first two games. Matthews and Gerald Wallace were solid in Game 2 after both had a shaky opener, and Andre Miller has been dependably solid with 18 points in each of the two games.

"We've got to win the two on our home court and get this thing back to an even ballgame," Wallace said.

Blazers Drop Game 2, Now In Huge Hole.

By HD.

The Portland Trail Blazers are in a Huge hole.

First beaten by Jason Kidd, then beat by Peja Stojakovic.

The Blazers fell on the road again last night, 101-89. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points, and added 10 rebounds.

2 guys that really stepped up after a weak Game 1, were Wesley Matthews, who scored 13 points, and Gerald Wallace who added 18.

Nicolas Batum had 10 and Andre Miller scored 18 for the Blazers

Well, the first 2 games are over, and its time to go back to Portland.

Game 3 will be on Thursday. Make sure to watch. We need this one.

Trail Blazers-Mavericks Game 2 NBA Playoffs Preview.

By HD.

As the highest-seeded Western Conference team to win its playoff opener, the Dallas Mavericks should be feeling pretty good about themselves.

They don't.

Sure, the Mavs are happy to be up 1-0 on the Portland Trail Blazers going into Game 2 on Tuesday night, and happier still to have won with their defense.

But they also remember what happened last year, when they got giddy about winning a grind-it-out opener at home against San Antonio. Dallas got smacked around in Game 2 and wound up also losing Games 3 and 4 on the way to being eliminated in six games.

"They really came out smoking in Game 2 and were all over us," Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki said Monday. "They were just more ready, I felt like, and then we had to react, and it was kind of too late. That's what the Blazers are going to do tomorrow, they're going to leave it all out there. We've got to be ready for the first hit and be aggressive also, and just go from there."

Last year's Game 2 meltdown was no isolated incident. It continued a trend that stretches back to the high point in franchise history, when Dallas took a 2-0 lead on Miami in the 2006 NBA finals.

The Mavs followed that win with a loss and eventually lost the series. Starting there, they've followed eight of their last 10 postseason victories with a loss. Both exceptions came in a 2009 first-round series against the Spurs, which happens to be the only series they've won since reaching the '06 finals.

It's a bad habit they know they have to break.

"It starts in practice," said guard Jason Terry, who along with Nowitzki are the only players left from the '06 club. "If you've watched us the last two days, we're treating this as Game 1 all over again. I mean, we came in, we prepared, we went at each other hard. Everybody was pretty in-tune about the game plan. It's all about focusing in on the task. Nothing else matters."

A lot of strange things happened in the opener of this series, from Dallas'Jason Kidd scoring 24 points -- three more than he had in any game this season -- to Portland center Marcus Camby having more assists than Kidd.

Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan found it especially curious that the Mavericks took 29 free throws while his team took only 13. The disparity was even more mind-boggling considering Dallas scored only one basket in the paint in the second half. He voiced his complaints about the officiating, and on Monday was fined $35,000 by the league office.

McMillan also was perturbed by his club's wayward 3-point shooting (2 of 16) and the poor production from Gerald Wallace (4 of 13, eight points) and Brandon Roy (1 of 7, two points).

"For the most part, we had open looks," McMillan said. "We're going to get open looks the way their defense plays. We've got to knock those shots down."

The Blazers lost out on hustle plays, too, things that don't always show up in the stat sheet but are glaring on tape. That tape was rolling before they hit the practice court Monday.

"It just looked like they wanted it more than we did," McMillan said. "Those are plays that you must make in playoff games to give yourself a chance to win."

The flip side to all this is that despite doing so many things wrong, Portland was within a basket in the final minutes and only lost 89-81. The Blazers figure that if they can clean up even only a few of these trouble spots then they can be headed home with a split.

For Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge, Dallas actually is home. He went to his mom's place for a home-cooked meal Sunday night, and has enjoyed being around friends and family. It certainly hasn't detracted from his focus because he scored 27 points in the opener. He also helped pester Nowitzki into making only 7 of 20 shots, a ratio Portland would gladly take again.

"Being at home hasn't really been an issue for LaMarcus," McMillan said. "He's focused on what he needs to do."

Nate Mcmillan Fined For Officiating Comments.

By HD.

Nate Mcmillan has been fined today, due to public comments on the offciating of Saturdays loss to the Mavericks in Game 1.

During his postgame press conference, McMillan questioned why there was such a large free throw disparity in Dallas' favor. The Mavericks shot 29 free throws, compared to 13 for the Trail Blazers. Dallas had a 19-2 edge in free throws during the fourth quarter, when Dirk Nowitzki was 13-of-13 from the line.

"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; 19 to two in the fourth quarter. And I felt like we were attacking, and guys really didn't know how to play with the fouls that were being called. A lot of touch fouls. I thought that took the momentum away and pretty much gave them control in the game."

"There were no calls in some situations," McMillan said. "But I thought we were being aggressive."

McMillan did not back away from his critical comments the next day, when he acknowledged that he wouldn't be surprised to get fined.

"I'm not hoping to get fined," McMillan said, flashing a brief grin. "You know, I don't even want to discuss it.

"I said what I said. We have to make adjustments to the situation and the officiating, but our guys have to continue to be aggressive and keep a calm head. I thought we got out of character because of not getting calls."

McMillan indicated that he didn't have a problem with the fouls that were called against the Trail Blazers, saying Portland "didn't play smartly" after the Mavericks got into the penalty. His frustration was due to the fact that Portland's aggressiveness on offense wasn't rewarded with trips to the free throw line.

"We'll continue to do what we were doing, continue to be aggressive and attack the basket," McMillan said Sunday. "That's the game plan for us and for Dallas. They were rewarded with getting to the free throw line. Hopefully on Tuesday, we'll get there."

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle scoffed at the suggestion that McMillan's comments could affect the officiating for the rest of the series.

"You're asking me if I think the coach's comments are going to influence the officials?" Carlisle said. "I believe the officials are going to make every effort to make the calls that are there. I said it the other day, our officials are the best officials in sports and they have the toughest job. Our job is to make sure we're as aggressive as possible and that we play our game as well as we can.

"If you want to get in a debate about officiating, there's plenty of calls that could have gone the other way as well."

Blazers Drop Game 1 To Dallas, Refs Fault?

By HD.

On Saturday, the Mavericks had a lot of Buzz around them, and today, they proved, that he do belong in the Playoffs.

The Dallas Mavericks dropped the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Opening Round of the Western Confrence Playoffs.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 Points, adding 6 rebounds, and the he helped the Trail Blazers take a 6 point lead midway through the 4th.

The Blazers had a 6 point lead in the 4th, when Nicolas Batum had a slam dunk, but Dallas came back.

The Mavericks took the lead on a 75-74 lead when Dirk Nowitzki hit a 3 pointer and the Mavs never looked back.

Andre Miller had 18 points, Nicolas Batum added 14 and Rudy Fernandez had just 6, but was a huge part to that late surge when the Blazers took a 6 point lead.

Another Problem that could have been blamed for todays game 1 loss was the Refs. They were bad, they could have done much better, but that's how Nowitzki scores 25 points every time he plays.

Dirk went to the line 13 TIMES! 13!!! He made them all of course. Jason Kidd added 24 points for the Mavericks.

Well, Portland's game 1 loss isn't a terrible thing, there his still at least 3 more games left, and if Portland can just get 1 from the Mavericks in Dallas, the Blazers can win this series still.

So Dallas will be up 1-0 in the series, next game will be on Tuesday. GO BLAZERS!!!!

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=267fd38f-826d-4cd9-9651-78bf0567a24a" target="_new" title="">Playoff Preview: POR/DAL</a>

Blazers-Mavericks First Round Playoffs Game 1 Preview.

By HD.

Game 1. Excitement in the air. NBA Playoff time is back.

This series includes 2 teams that fought their way into the Western Confrence playoffs. The Portland Trail Blazers vs. the Dallas Mavericks.

Tonight, Game 1, in Dallas kicks off, it will be a a battle of big men down low, including LaMarcus Aldridge and Dirk Nowitzki.

Portland's starting lineup will look like this

PG: Andre Miller

SG: Wesley Matthews

SF: Gerald Wallace

PF: LaMarcus Aldridge

C: Marcus Camby

Here's Dallas'

PG: Jason Kidd

SG: Rodrigue Beaubois

SF: Shawn Marion

PF: Dirk Nowitzki

C: Tyson Chandler

The Match-up everbody is going to watch is Aldridge vs. Nowitzki. If Portland can take game 1, Portland can easily win the series in possibly 6, and how they are gonna do that, they need help from Aldridge, can, the bench.

Dallas' bench is pretty good, but if Portland's bench can come out first and score more, then can win game 1, Brandon Roy will have to be that guy to score, and Nicolas Batum.

A lot of heat is around Dallas because everybody is saying, "Dallas is on Upset alert", don't give up on the Mavericks. They are 57-25, and 3rd in the West, and to make it 3 and up in the West, you are a good team. The West is tough, and so is the teams that didn't make the Playoffs.

So thats it for the Game 1 Preview. Enjoy Game 1. GO BLAZERS!!!!!

NBA Playoff Predictions Today.

1. Chicago Bulls 106 vs. 8. Indiana Pacers 83.

2. Miami Heat 94 vs. 7. Philadelphia 76er's 78

4. Orlando Magic 86 vs. Atlanta Hawks 85

WEST

3. Dallas Mavericks 96 vs. 6. Portland Trail Blazers 102

Blazers Will Play Dallas In The First Round.

By HD.

The Portland Trail Blazers were pounded last night, but there was 2 other games that really counted last night.

The Dallas Mavericks beat New Orleans last night, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings. What does this mean? The Blazers will play the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

AUTHORS NOTE: I will have a preview of every game up this series.

The Blazers and the Mavs split the season series at 2-2 this season. It's looking like Upset Alert time.

Anyways, last night, LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace and Brandon Roy sat out, and watched the young guns play.

Patty Mills finished with 23 points, he had became a pretty good back up PG.

So here is the Current Standings.

EAST

1. Chicago Bulls 62-20

2. Miami Heat 58-24

3. Boston Celtics 56-26

4. Orlando Magic 52-30

5. Atlanta Hawks 44-38

6. New York Knicks 42-40

7. Philadelphia 76er's 41-41

8. Indiana Pacers 37-45

WEST

1. San Antonio Spurs 61-21

2. Los Angeles Lakers 57-25

3. Dallas Mavericks 57-25

4. Oklahoma City Thunder 55-27

5. Denver Nuggets 50-32

6. Portland Trail Blazers 48-34

7. New Orleans Hornets 46-36

8. Memphis Grizzlies 46-36

Blazers Win Last Home Regular Season Game.

By HD.

The Portland Trail Blazers were looking to win the season series vs. the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, but more important, were looking to wrap up the 6th seed in the West and win their last home game. They did, 102-89. Here's what happened......

LaMarcus Aldridge was a part of the win tonight, having 22 Points, 11 Rebounds and 2 AST.

The Blazers were tied with the Grizz at the half at 45, but It was all Trail Blazers in the 2nd half.

The Blazers outscored the Memphis in the 3rd, 29-21, then, outscored them again in the 4th, 28-23.

Gerald Wallace, a huge spark to this Portland Offense, and will be heading into the Playoffs, had 14 Points, 4 Rebounds and 2 Steals.

Nicolas Batum added 16 points, and Rudy Fernandez had 18 points. The Trail Blazers scoring has been on a roll lately, its looking good heading into the 2011 Playoffs.

The Blazers finished 30-11 at home this season, and will end their regular season tomorrow vs. Golden State.

Trail Blazers Sign Earl Barron For Remainder Of The Season.

By HD.

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed Center Earl Barron for the remainder of the season.

Barron is 29 has played parts of 5 seasons with the Miami Heat (2005-08), the New York Knicks (2009-10), Phoenix Suns (2010-11) and Milwaukee Bucks, (2010-11).

Earl Barron was in Florida for a wedding Friday night when he received a call from his agent with the news that the Trail Blazers wanted him to visit for a workout that could potentially land him a playoff roster spot.

Less than 48 hours later, he was saying goodbye to his girlfriend as he hastily boarded a plane bound for Portland.

“I told her if I don’t come back, it’s for a good cause,” Barron said, laughing, at the Blazers’ Tuesday morning shootaround. “She was really excited.”

Barron never made it back. The Blazers signed the 29-year old, 7-foot center Tuesday morning to bolster their front court depth for the playoffs and he will be in uniform tonight when they host the Memphis Grizzlies at the Rose Garden with the sixth seed in the Western Conference at stake.

Barron, who has played parts of five NBA seasons with four different teams, earned the Blazers’ final roster spot after excelling during a three player workout Monday that also featured Robert Swift and Dwyane Jones.

We like Earl Barron and we hope he can possibly help the Blazers win in the 1st round.

OMOC Sports NBA Power Rankings FINAL WEEK.

1. Chicago Bulls

2. Los Angeles Lakers

3. San Antonio Spurs

4. Miami Heat

5. Oklahoma City Thunder

6. Boston Celtics

7. Portland Trail Blazers

8. Denver Nuggets

9. Dallas Mavericks

10. Orlando Magic

11. New Orleans Hornets

12. Memphis Grizzlies

13. Philadelphia 76er's

14. New York Knicks

15. Houston Rockets

16. Atlanta Hawks

17. Phoenix Suns

18. Golden State Warriors

19. Indiana Pacers

20. Los Angeles Clippers

21. Milwaukee Bucks

22. Charlotte Bobcats

23. Sacramento Kings

24. Utah Jazz

25. Detroit Pistons

26. Toronto Raptors

27. New Jersey Nets

28. Washington Wizards

29. Minnesota Timberwolves

30. Cleveland Cavaliers

Blazers Outlast Jazz, 98-87.

By HD.

The Portland Trail Blazers coming into today was currently sitting in the 7th in the West behind the Hornets. The Blazers got back into 6th tonight, with a 98-87 win over divisional foe, the Utah Jazz. Here's what happened....

The Portland Trail Blazers just had 4 games left coming into todays game, and today was a huge win.

The Blazers led the whole game, the Jazz never led in the game they were tied at 2-2, but that was the only time the Jazz were really close.

Gerald Wallace finished with 29 points, 8 Rebounds and 2 AST. Gerald had huge game for the fact that the Trail Blazers have the Playoffs coming up.

Nicolas Batum started at PF, due to the injury from Marcus Camby, he added 21 points tonight with 3 rebounds.

Wesley Matthews had 18 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 12 and Brandon Roy had 11 off the bench.

The Blazers will go to 46-33, and will be back into 6th place and will face the Lakers tomorrow back at home at the Rose Garden.

The Jazz, however, will be not going to the playoffs this year, at 37-42.

Here's some Highlights.

OMOC Sports NBA Awards Predictions.

By HD.

I have already done this before, at the halfway mark of the season, but now that their is 4 or 5 games left in the season, maybe I should do a predictions for the last 1/4 of the season. Here it is...

MVP- Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls. 2nd Place-LeBron James, Miami Heat.

Coach of the Year- Nate McMillan- Portland Trail Blazers. 2nd Place- Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls.

Most Improved Player- LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers. 2nd Place- Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves.

6th Man of the year- Jason Terry, Dallas Mavericks. 2nd Place- Glen Davis, Boston Celtics.

Defensive player of the year- Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic. 2nd Place- Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics.

Rookie of the year- Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers. 2nd Place- Greg Monroe, Detroit Pistons.

Thats it for the NBA Awards this year. Thanks for reading.

Blazers lose, But Clinch a Playoff Spot.

By HD.

The Portland Trail Blazers lost last night for their worst home loss of the season. But, with this loss, the Houston Rockets lost, putting Portland in the Playoffs for the 3rd straight year.

2 years ago, the Blazers lost in the first round to Houston 4-2, then last year lost to Phoenix 4-2. So can the Blazers pass the first round this year?

LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double. He was 1 of 4 players in double figures, Gerald Wallace (pictured left) had 10 points, Andre Miller had 12, and Wesley Matthews had 17.

In the 1st quarter, Marcus Camby hit his head on the court and did not return to the game. It's serious to lose any players before the Playoffs start. Fans started to shout, "Mar-cus Cam-by", as he walked into the locker room.

Afterwards, Andre Miller said, "It doesn't seem to serious."

FUNS FACTS: Former Oregon State Beaver running back Stephen Jackson attended the game. Andre Miller has 2 more ast. until he is 14th all time in AST.

The Blazers go to 45-33 and will play in Utah to face the Jazz next.