Live Blog: Dallas Mavericks vs. Portland Trailblazers

On the road, second night of a back-to-back, the Mavs should lose by 20. Let’s do this:

• We’re live, with my new 13-inch aluminum MacBook and a glass of Evan Williams. With that combo, expect the quality of commentary, such as it is, to decrease in quality by 19 percent a quarter.

• Always fun to watch Brandon Roy, the next great swing player in the game, if he’s not already there. Most underrated star in the game today. I know, I’m going out on a limb early.

• Confusion on the opening tip. Not a good sign. As Rick Reilly would say, I’ve seen executions start more smoothly. Rim shot!

• Steve Blake vs. J.J. Barea is like a rec-league match-up. In Frisco.

• Three-point chance by Dirk. Prediction: If they try to guard Dirk with Joel Przybilla, he will score 200. As evidenced by the fact Dallas is up 12-6 early, and Dirk has 18 points.

• Not a good sequence: fast break by Mavs ends in block ends in three-pointer for Portland. Very Clippers-y.

• Ugliest tie ever: Rick Carlisle’s tonight or Mr. Kotter’s?

• Dirk has missed two of his first three free throws. In related news, Tim just committed an act of kindness.

• The Big German is feeling it early. At the other end, we’re giving up wide open looks. Typical Mavs game so far.

• Brandon Bass just barely drew iron from four feet. Speaking of Tim…

• Dallas had a good start, played hard, had energy, got 11 points out of Dirk, and trails by one after one. This is not a good indicator, especially given the back-to-back third-quarter fade that has a 79 percent chance of occurring.

• The greatness of Zac Crain has caught wind of my live-blogging and has offered the following cogent point:

I would point out that the difference in the game so far is Portland is hot from behind the arc. Not so much elsewhere. Either they regress to the norm or they set a record. Either way, probably be entertaining.

• People want to complain about Kidd’s defense, and it’s true that quick point guard’s give him problems. But he’s great against bigger players. He just had a fantastic defensive sequence against Outlaw.

• Spanish Chocolate in the house!

• Devean George in the game. That thumping sound you hear is Zac Crain’s head against the closest solid surface.

• This just in: Jason Terry can shoot the basketball into the basket.

• ANOTHER wide-open three by Portland. Zac asks:

Do the Mavs know those count extra?

• Dirk is 8 of 11 from the floor, but, more important, his hair is the perfect length. The short-haired Dirk looks like a prisoner, the shaggy-haired Dirk looks like, well, Shaggy. But he’s at the right cut now. He’s the only person who looks good with a semi-mullet.

• Hang on. Daughter ready for bed. At least she waited for a timeout.

• Tim chimes in:

Gina Miller in 5:48 and counting … I hate waiting.

• Tim and Zac sending me posts not for publication. Tim’s:

Not for publication: the bullets suck. Time stamp that [stuff]. Next time. That’s what we’ve done in the past.

Hey, glad to see Avery’s back in town. Way to over-coach, T. Zac says:

Ortegel sure is [another word for "happy"] for Dirk’s hands. That is uncomfortable. Good point about Dirk’s hair. Looks good. Don’t want to sound like Ortegel.

• How does J. J. Barea shoot under 70 percent from the line? Isn’t he a 6-foot point guard? Discuss.

• You’re going to have to ignore the weird coding. That, plus the fact my daughter set the TiVo for an episode of Murder, She Wrote, has totally shot my wheels off.

• I come back and the Mavs are up 13. That doesn’t stop Sports Tim from making this point:

Damp is a miserable human. I don’t care if he DID take Spider Monkey on a date. How can you be 7 feet and miss an open effing dunk? Gina Miller in 1:48.

• At the half, OH, thought Terry’s three was going down. Mavs up 10. Nice energy. But, as said earlier, third quarter will be key. As will my choice of halftime bourbon.

• Wow. Purple shirt for Gina, purple tie and shirt for Derek. Are they Oompa Loompas?

• Tim makes a good sports point about Gina Miller’s purple sweater:

If I were a purple sweater sitting on a shelf at Nordstrom, I would want Gina Miller to come buy me. Then I would want her to wear me like she’s wearing that sweater tonight, as she delivers her sports points. Because then I’d be right next to Derek Harper. Wait. I got confused there at the end. Probably because I’m staring at her Spaldings while I’m typing. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T POST THAT. REALLY. I MEAN, REALLY.

• His follow-up point is also spot-on:

Evan Grant is going to be so disappointed in me.

• Question: Can J.J. Barea dunk? And how many current NBA players can NOT dunk? Craig Miller, that’s a solid segment. That one’s free.

• Tim seems to have trouble focusing on the game:

I miss Gina. And her purple sweater. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

• As long as we’re talking about J.J. Barea, that young man frustrates me. To have my speed and quickness. And yet not my outside shot (as evidenced by the hustle offensive tip for a rebound, followed by the WIDE OPEN three-pointer that just barely drew iron).

• Six in a row for the Blazers, forcing the Mavs to take a timeout. Which brings Tim to this point:

You know how Cuban called out the broadcast guys, just like he did the team? Okay, here’s a suggestion: Gina Miller in a little picture in picture action, doing sexy sign language translation of Ortegal and Followill. In!

• LaMarcus Aldridge (what’s up, Dallas?) just changed this game with a huge dunk over Damp (and one). The Portland crowd is taking interest in the game. Not good. At all.

• Tim says:

Okay, was that the most foolish dunk ever by a Mav? What was Damp doing? Forget the obvious hanging on the rim that should have been whistled. What was that follow-through move at the end where he low-fived the floor? I can’t believe Spider Monkey actually went on a date with that guy.

• Love the quick time out. Simmons’ column on ESPN.com today talks about how Mike Dunleavy let’s the other team’s run go on too long, and how good coaches (Pops, Jackson) make quick time outs after one or two quick baskets, BEFORE the comeback gets into full swing.

• Zac is back. I think his wife took over the TV for the third quarter, or, as they call it in the Crain household, Chelsea Lately time.

• LaMarcus Aldridge may or not be a beast. Go with “may.” He’ll never be a superstar, but if he’s the second-best player on your team, you can win a championship.

• And, Dirk answers. All some people do in this town is point out the man’s flaws. He’s money most of the time.

• Two things about shooting form: Brandon Bass jumps as HIGH as he can on his jump shot, and all but tucks his legs under himself. It’s odd, but effective. And Steve Blake has some weird push follow-through that works, but makes it look like he’s a fourth-grader just trying to get it to the rim.

• Zac informs me they were watching Damages. Fair enough.

• Quick points: Zac wants to reiterate that Devean George is awful, and Tim wants to know three things about Greg Oden (in street clothes):

1. Why has Tim played in almost as many NBA games as Oden?
2. Why does he always look angry?
3. Why doesn’t he own gregoden.com?

• Here’s where the back-to-back could make the next seven minutes ugly. Like that block on Barea, and Blake almost tying it. Nervous.

• I’d like to point out to the Mavericks that it’s not a rule that you must take only three-pointers.

• Bob Ortegel: “You just hope Devean George [grabbing his knee] is okay.” Do you?

• Tim is complaining about my formatting being ugly. I just want to prepare everyone (all four people) for an avalanche of intentionally poor post formatting. [Update: wow, that was ugly.]

• Big shot by Terry. Look, I love watching the Mavs when they hit shots. But they get no easy buckets in crunch time. No layups, no post-ups. Everything is a tough jumper or a three-pointer. That won’t work in the playoffs, and we all know this. [Update: Dirk just missed a three. Portland hit one. Two point game. See?]

• I’m drinking a Diet Dr Pepper. And I just saw the Dr Pepper ad on the site? Good sign? Is the fact that I have bourbon in my Dr Pepper also a good sign? (Trick question.)

• Zac wonders why Carlisle is keeping such a crazy tight rotation on second night of a back-to-back. I don’t know. Does this game count as three wins?

• I SEE YOU BIG GERMAN!

• I SEE YOU BIG AGGIE!

• DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRK!

• Wow. Dirk hits a big three, Antoine Wright with the re-steal after Kidd gave up the ball, then Dirk with a dagger. That’s good stuff. Zac says he may have to change his pants.

• Both Adam (chest bump!) and Tim (double finger guns) are pointing out to me that when Dirk hit the shot and Ortegel was asked, “Can you say ‘dagger’?” he responded, “Yes! Capital D, Capital A, Capital G, g,e,r.” Adam texts “DAGger looks weird.” (I MISS YOU BIG ADAM!)

• Post-game show: Zac points out that Dirk, in two games in 24 hours, was 26-51, two double-doubles, huge in the fourth. Or, as he puts it, “[Expletive deleted] everyone.”

• Tim puts it like this: “GO MAVS! GO DR PEPPER!”

• Love that I was wrong about this game. And this was no small win. Portland hammered the Lakers the other night at home. They’re very tough in that arena. This was a meaningful win.

• And now: random internet Gina Miller hotness!