Trail Blazers vs. Mavericks Game Thread
Although the Trail Blazers are 0-2 against the Mavericks so far this year (dropping a 98-103 affair on Dec. 15th & losing a heartbreaker 81-84 on Jan. 4th in Dallas) and coming off of two, difficult losses, I'm excited that we have a quality opponent in the Rose Garden Tuesday night. The guys will be energized to play against one of the Top 5 teams in the league and always seem to play their best when challenged against a an elite team. Also, Caron Butler was involved in both contests earlier this year and without him, it takes away another weapon for Dallas to use.
For Portland to win, they need to play energized, bottom line. Against Charlotte & Atlanta, it was evident that the usual spark wasn't there. Teague and Dante were out-working us in both games and when your shots aren't hitting, the winner of the game will usually be the team who's being more active. Get off to a quick start and allow the 6th man to push the team over the top. Finally, stop the ball. Kidd, Terry & Barea all love to penetrate and either create for others or take it all the way themselves.
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