Inside Report: No. 6 Blazers (0-2) vs. No. 3 Mavericks (2-0) — Game 3 preview

Earl K. Sneed previews Thursday night's Game 3 between the Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers, as the Dallas team tries to build off its regular-season success on the road with a chance to take a 3-0 series lead.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Just like last season the Dallas Mavericks head into the playoffs after seeing the most success of any team on the road in the regular season.

But unlike last year’s playoff run, when the Mavericks failed to secure at least one win on the road during their first-round series defeat to San Antonio, the squad from Dallas intends to use that regular-season success away from the American Airlines Center as a blueprint to similar success in the postseason.

The chance to do so comes on Thursday night.

The Mavericks, who finished tied with the Miami Heat this season with the NBA’s best road record of 28-13, saw the same amount of success during the 2009-10 campaign, when Dallas’ 27-14 mark was also tops in the league. But after dropping all three of their attempts to win in San Antonio and eventually falling in six games, the Mavs confess that they can’t suffer through the same hardships away from Big D during this year’s championship chase, heading into Portland’s Rose Garden and looking to build on their 2-0 edge in the team’s first-round series with the Trail Blazers.

“We’ve been a good road team, but your record during the regular season doesn’t guarantee you anything during the playoffs. We found that out last year,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “And so, it’s gonna be staying on task, making sure we’re focused on the things that are the keys for our success, both at the defensive end and offensive end. And we’ve just gotta make plays.”

However, the Mavs admit that they will have to do much more than just talk about winning in the Blazers’ hostile arena, after falling in both trips to the Pacific Northwest during the regular season.

“We know this series is far from over. They’re a very, very good home team. Their energy is great, they make shots and the atmosphere in that building is great. So, they’re gonna come out swinging on Thursday,” forward Dirk Nowitzki explained.

“It’s gonna be a lot tougher when we go there,” Carlisle added. “They’ve got a very wild, loud building, and they play great there. And it’s been a tough place for us to play all year, so we know our game is gonna have to be great.”

Now, with their team set to battle both the Blazers and a jam-packed arena, the Mavericks head into an all-important Game 3 matchup knowing that they very easily could put a stranglehold on the series or allow Portland to creep back in should the home team feed off its chaotic crowd. With that said, Carlisle believes that the third showdown will likely go to the team that makes the best adjustments after two hard-fought games back in Dallas.

After winning a slugfest in Game 1, 89-81, the Mavericks successfully increased the tempo in Game 2, speeding to a 101-89 win in the process. Still, that quick tempo could just as easily play into the Blazers’ hands, according to Carlisle, despite Portland’s routine and mundane halfcourt offense.

Thursday night, the Mavericks will still look to run behind veteran point guard Jason Kidd, but the team will also have a challenge on its hands, trying to keep the Blazers from coming right back with fast-breaking scores at the other end of the floor. And as the Mavs try to continue their triple-digit offensive scoring attack from Game 2, they also hope to once again keep their turnover total low.

In the second showdown the Mavericks surrendered a playoff franchise record-tying six turnovers en route to the win. And after seeing how well it worked for them in the second game, a low number of giveaways coupled with complementary scoring around Nowitzki, who has averaged 30.5 points through the first two games, could be the formula for a third Mavs’ victory, even despite playing in the Blazers’ backyard.

“[A low number of turnovers] certainly helps, and it helps our game a lot. Our history here, and this goes back to before I was here, this has been a low-turnover team. But Portland’s a low-turnover team as well, and that’s another area where there’s a direct battle statistically. And you want to be discrete with the ball, but you don’t want to be careful with the ball and get tentative. That’s really what’s important. So, we’ve gotta keep our aggression and keep taking good care of it,” Carlisle concluded.

Note: Game 3 of the opening-round matchup will tip off on Thursday night at 9:30 p.m. CT, airing nationally on TNT and locally on TXA 21.

The first-round series between the two teams continues as follows:
Game 3 - Thurs. April 21 Dallas at Portland 9:30 p.m. CT TXA 21/TNT
Game 4 - Sat. April 23 Dallas at Portland 4:00 p.m. CT TXA 21/ TNT
Game 5 * Mon April 25 Portland at Dallas TBD TBD TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28 Dallas at Portland TBD TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30 Portland at Dallas TBD TBD TNT

Visit mavs.com for up-to-date playoff coverage and ticket on-sales. Individual game tickets are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the American Airlines Center box office, on Mavs.com or by calling 214-747-MAVS (6287). Get in on the action and be there for all the thrills!

The Mavs will host FREE watch parties for fans at Hard Rock Cafe for the away games during the First Round of the 2011 Playoffs. Fans can join Mavs ManiAACs, Street Team. Fans will also have the chance to win Mavs autographed gear and Mavs playoff tickets. The first two watch parties are scheduled for Thursday, April 21st and Saturday, April 23rd with festivities kicking off an hour prior to tipoff. Tipoffs are at 9:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.