Dallas celebrates Mavericks' first NBA championship (Photos)

Cheered on by thousands of happy fans, Dirk Nowitzki, Mark Cuban and the NBA champion Mavericks rolled through the streets of downtown Dallas on Thursday in a parade celebrating the club's first NBA championship. "It's unbelievable," Nowitzki said before boarding his float. "If it hasn't sunk in yet, it will now. ... We're on the top of the world now so it feels amazing. For 13 years I've waited for this moment." After the parade, the celebration moved inside American Airlines Arena for a ceremony with

10,000 season-ticket holders. (AP) UNC players racked up $13,000 in parking tickets • North Carolina has released documents showing a group of Tar Heel football players accumulated 395 parking citations worth more than $13,000 between March 2007 and August 2010. The school released the documents Thursday, a day after the state Court of Appeals denied the school's request to delay the release of those records pending an appeal. A Wake County Superior Court judge had ruled in April that the school withheld documents it should have provided to requesting media outlets covering the NCAA investigation into the football program. (AP) Wild name new coach • The Minnesota Wild will announce today that they have made Mike Yeo their new head coach, a source said. Yeo, who coached the Wild's top farm club in Houston to the AHL finals this season, replaces the fired Todd Richards. (AP) Charges against Britt downgraded • A New Jersey judge downgraded three charges against Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt for offenses stemming from his second recent arrest in the state. Britt was charged June 8 with resisting arrest and related offenses after being confronted by Hoboken detectives who suspected he was carrying a marijuana cigar. But the charges were downgraded to disorderly persons offenses. (AP) Animal Kingdom has minor injury • Animal Kingdom has a small fracture to the cannon bone in his left hind leg that will keep the Kentucky Derby winner out of action for several weeks, the colt's owners said. (AP) UMSL student wins golf tourney • University of Missouri-St. Louis standout Shweta Galande fired a 1-under par 71 to come from behind and finish at 145 to capture the Metropolitan Women's Amateur Championship at Winghaven Country Club. Missouri State University's Catherine Dolan (Parkway West) finished second, 5 shots off the pace. (Dan O'Neill)

NBA NOTES -Title gives Dallas a reason to cheer

The Dallas Mavericks returned home in triumph Monday, cheered by hundreds of fans celebrating the franchise's first NBA title and the first professional championship of any type in the area in more than a decade. Owner Mark Cuban walked off the plane at Love Field carrying the championship trophy he was handed after Sunday's Game 6 win over the Miami Heat. Next came forward Dirk Nowitzki with hardware of his own: the NBA Finals MVP trophy that was awarded after he overcame a finger injury,

illness and smothering defense from the Heat to power fourth-quarter comeback wins. Cuban, the Dallas billionaire who bought the team in 2000, had the championship trophy in a seat next to him on the plane, and he apparently kept it close throughout the Sunday night celebration. "This will sound weird," he wrote on Twitter. "I'm laying in bed. With the trophy next (to) me." Cuban will keep the party going at least through Thursday morning, the date set for the team's victory parade through the streets of downtown Dallas. Cuban has said that he will pick up the tab for the city's parade costs. The championship is the first in the 31-year history of the Mavericks and the city's first since the Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999. And it comes four months after the Super Bowl in suburban Arlington included not the hometown Cowboys but Green Bay and Pittsburgh along with a spate of bad weather. The Texas Rangers advanced to the last World Series, but lost to the Giants. Cho to Charlotte: The Bobcats have hired former Portland general manager Rich Cho for the same job and are promoting Rod Higgins to president of basketball operations. Cho, who was fired by the Trail Blazers three weeks ago, will assist Higgins and owner Michael Jordan in the operations of a franchise that has made the playoffs once in seven seasons. Cho became the NBA's first Asian American GM last year when he was hired away from Oklahoma City's front office. Newspaper's turnover: The Mavericks' win over the Heat is a huge upset for fans in Miami. Making matters worse, an ad in the local paper mistakenly congratulated the Heat on winning. A full-page ad that ran in Monday's Miami Herald reads "Congratulations Miami" next to photos of Heat championship T-shirts and hats from Macy's. The newspaper issued a correction and an apology, and a Macy's spokeswoman called it an unfortunate error.

Mavs beat the Heat to win NBA championship(Video)

One of the many storylines in the NBA Finals won by the Dallas Mavericks Sunday night was Terry's bold tattoo. Terry said he had the Larry O'Brien championship trophy tattooed on his right bicep before the season began because he was confident the Mavs would clinch the title. Losing would've been painful for Terry, literally, as he said he would have the tattoo removed. The 105-95 victory was sweet for many Mavericks, especially Terry, who led the team in scoring with 27 points. "When you did something as crazy

as I did, you have to back it up," Terry said, showing his tattoo to the television cameras. "This team never gave up when faced with adversity. We never gave up. Tonight we got vindication." The Mavs used furious scoring barrages by Terry and weathered an uneven game by star forward Dirk Nowitzki to win the game. "I still really can't believe it. The team worked so long and so hard. The team deserves this. The Mavs nation deserves this," Nowitzki said. "I could not get in a rhythm today but the team carried me to this win." Despite a poor shooting night Nowitzki still had 21 points. The Mavs held a slim 53-51 lead at halftime and was able to grow the lead. They led by 9 at the end of the third quarter. They pulled away in the fourth quarter helped by Miami's sloppy play and turnovers. The loss was devastating for Miami, a team that seemed to be put together for a championship. Before the season the Heat added perennial all-star forward Chris Bosh and superstar forward LeBron James to a team that was headed by talented guard Dwayne Wade. The win earns the first championship for star power forward Nowitzki. It also means his Mavericks avenged their crushing loss against the Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals.

Strong three-point shooting sparks Miami Heat

That’s five in a row for the Heat against the Mavericks in the NBA Finals. The Heat won four in a row against Dallas to win the 2006 Finals. Five years later, the Heat began the rematch with a 92-84 victory on Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. The Heat is 9-0 at home this postseason and plays again at AmericanAirlines Arena on Thursday before traveling to Dallas for Games 3, 4 and 5 of the 2011 Finals. After struggling against the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals,

Dwyane Wade returned to his more familiar postseason form Tuesday. He had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in his first NBA Finals game since winning the 2006 Finals MVP. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 27 points on 7-of-18 shooting. Wade’s fifth assist of the night led to a dunk by Chris Bosh with 1:08 to play to give the Heat a 10-point lead. Assist No. 6 for Wade came less than a minute later when he found LeBron James for an alley-oop. James, who needs three more victories for his first NBA championship, screamed to the crowd and slammed his left fist against his chest. He scored a team-high 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Wade put the Heat ahead by nine points with 3:06 to play when he swished his second three-pointer of the game. Moments earlier, Wade blocked Shawn Marion’s midrange attempt to trigger a fast break. Wade’s three in transition was the Heat’s 11th of the game. Entering the Finals, conventional wisdom said the Mavericks’ stable of sharpshooters gave Dallas a distinct advantage from three-point range. That was not the case in Game 1. The Heat was 45.8 percent from three-point range compared to 40.9 percent for the Mavericks. James’ first exclamation point on the 1-0 Finals lead came after a powerful crossover against Shawn Marion. James followed with a driving dunk and was fouled by Marion. He converted the free throw to give the Heat an 85-75 lead with 2:48 to play. With three seven-footers in its rotation, Dallas entered Tuesday’s series opener with plans of dominating the glass. Instead, the shorter and quicker Eastern Conference champions consistently beat the Mavericks to loose balls and missed shots. Miami outrebounded Dallas 46-36, including 16 in offensive rebounds. Dallas had six. Mike Miller, playing with a protective sleeve over his left arm, pulled down a key offensive rebound with less than seven minutes in the game. The second-chance situation gave Udonis Haslem a clear path to the rim, which he converted into a three-point play to put the Heat ahead by six points with 6:36 to play. Haslem finished with seven points and six rebounds in 28 minutes. The Heat trailed the entire third quarter until James drained a three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:09 left in the period. The shot gave the Heat a 60-59 lead after trailing by nine points early the second half. Dallas began the third quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 51-43 lead. Juwan Howard, who returned to the postseason rotation to play important minutes against the Mavs’ large frontcourt, made a pair of free throws with 32.1 seconds left in the third quarter, setting the stage for James’ buzzer-beating skills. Howard logged eight minutes Tuesday and had three rebounds. James has performed well in the clutch throughout the playoffs and did so again at the end of the quarter when he nailed a turnaround three-pointer with time expiring to give the Heat a four-point lead to begin the fourth quarter. James was 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range in the third quarter, which was the continuation of a trend for the Heat. The first 36 minutes of Game 1 offered one of Miami’s best three-point shooting efforts of the postseason (9 of 21 for 42.9 percent). James entered the fourth quarter 4 of 4 from behind the arc, and reserve Mario Chalmers went 3 of 3 from that distance in the second quarter. Miller made his second three-pointer of the game to begin the Heat’s fourth quarter scoring. It gave the Heat a 68-63 lead with 11 minutes to play. It was just enough of a cushion to hold off the Mavericks, who cut the Heat’s lead to three points with less than four minutes remaining but never got any closer.

Mavs sweep, Lakers' Jackson exits

Phil Jackson walked off the court with a tight smile, shaking hands and accepting congratulations as he has after so many series-ending playoff games.

Never like this, though.

His team didn't win; it was crushed, swept.

And he wasn't just heading to the offseason - he's calling it a career, ending the most successful run by any coach in NBA history.

Jason Terry and the Dallas Mavericks ended Jackson's tenure, and the Los Angeles Lakers' reign as two-time champions, with a 122-86 victory Sunday. After two tight finishes and another game that was relatively close, the Mavs turned this one into a rout in the second quarter.

With Terry leading the way, Dallas hit a barrage of three-pointers to go ahead by 24 points at halftime. When Terry made treys on consecutive possessions early in the third quarter, Los Angeles knew it wasn't going to come back in this game or the series.

Things got ugly early in the fourth quarter, with vicious, frustration-fueled cheap shots by Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum getting them ejected 45 seconds apart. But at game's end, Dallas coaches, players and team owner Mark Cuban lined up to bid farewell to the coach they call the Zen Master.

"It's been a wonderful run," Jackson said.

The 65-year-old Jackson has retired before, but he insists it's for good this time. While he goes out with the sour taste of his first sweep in 21 postseasons, and his second-widest margin of defeat, it can't override all the sweet days.

A Hall of Famer since 2007, he leaves with a record 11 titles, and only 10 series losses. Take away Red Auerbach, who won nine championships, and Jackson won more titles than any two coaches combined. He won six championships with Michael Jordan, three with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, and the last two with Bryant leading the way.

"I grew up under him" Bryant said. "The way I approach things, the way I think about things - not only basketball, life in general - comes from him. It's a little weird for me to think of what next year is going to be like."

Assistant Brian Shaw, a former Lakers player, is considered likely to take over.

"We all know they always come back and get themselves back in the race," Jackson said. "The Lakers are going to survive."

For Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs, clearing this hurdle sets them up for a chance to redeem themselves for flopping during the 2006 NBA Finals and for flaming out in every postseason since.

"The job is not finished," said Terry, who tied a playoff record with nine three-pointers. Dallas matched NBA postseason marks with 11 treys in the first half and 20 for the game.

"We've been doing it by committee all year long," said Nowitzki, who scored 17 points, his fewest this postseason.

Nowitzki was still in the game in the fourth quarter and took the blindside blow that led to Odom's ejection. Then J.J. Barea took a Bynum elbow after releasing a layup. Fans threw things toward the court as Bynum took off his jersey and was escorted to the locker room by Ron Artest.

Hochman: Even Zen might not help L.A. Lakers

How crazy is it that Marc Gasol might be in the Western Conference finals but Pau Gasol probably won't be?

Such is the reality in this madcap and maddening NBA postseason. With the Lakers down 3-0 to Dallas, the dynasty is on life support.

Now, the Lakers struggled down the stretch in the regular season, but we dismissed it: "Surely they'll toughen up come the playoffs (. . . it's the Lakers!)" Then L.A. got smacked around a little by the New Orleans Hornets, whose post players included Aaron Gray and a guy from a Tulane intramural team. But we dismissed that too: "Surely they'll toughen up come the next round (. . . it's the Lakers!)"

But here we are. No NBA team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. Give the Mavericks credit. Dirk Nowitzki is playing with, well, a Kobe Bryant-like hunger. The Mavericks, yes, were wimpy down the stretch — before beating the Hornets in the final game of the season, they had lost their previous nine games against Western Conference playoff teams. But now the Mavericks might be the best Western Conference playoff team.

I will say this: You'd have to think if there was ever an NBA team to blow a 3-0 lead, it would be a Dirk-led team (with memories, of course, of the 2006 NBA Finals, in which Dallas lost after leading 2-0). And you'd have to think if there was ever an NBA team to overcome a 3-0 deficit, it would be a Kobe-led team.

"You don't ever want to give a champion life," Nowitzki told reporters after Game 3.

The Lakers do have some confidence. They didn't play that bad in Game 3 at Dallas and would host Games 5 and 7. Andrew Bynum is playing at a frighteningly high level. And Ron Artest, suspended for Game 3, will be back today.

And then there's Phil Jackson, the Zen master who went from namaste to nasty in Game 3, screaming at Pau Gasol like Bobby Knight would at some turnover-prone sixth man. Everything seemed so fitting this season — Jackson would win his third consecutive title (his fourth three-peat) and ride off into the sunset on Sunset with L.A. girlfriend Jeanie Buss. We know Jackson is a brilliant coach. Or is it now past tense? We'll see if he can stir up some old magic today and revitalize his troops.

Pau has been a problem. He worked so hard the past couple years to swat away the "soft-Euro" label, which has been reapplied this month. Meanwhile, little brother Marc has been a menace for Memphis, which took a 2-1 series lead Saturday against Oklahoma City.

After Game 2, Bynum said the Lakers were having "trust issues." There was a moment in the fourth quarter that was indicative of Bynum's revelation. The shot clock was about to expire and the ball-handler, Bryant, was smothered on the perimeter. To his right, Lamar Odom was wide open, but Bryant instead launched some off-balanced fadeaway thing that put the ill in ill-advised.

Even now, it's hard to fully believe that this Lakers team — Kobe, Pau, Bynum, Lamar, Artest, Phil — might not even crack the conference finals. But just because it's the same guys from the 2010 Lakers team doesn't mean they are the 2010 Lakers. And right now, they're looking like the 2010 Nuggets.

Who wins, advances to NBA Finals?

The Lakers are still 12 wins from another Phil Jackson three-peat, but the Mavericks are just two wins from sending the Zen Master into an early retirement. Who saw that coming?

And the Dallas domination in L.A. is hardly the only major storyline -- not with the Heat blitzing the Celtics, the Bulls starting slowly and the Thunder and Grizzlies duking it out.

So where do things stand after eight wild games in the second round of the playoffs? We asked five writers to weigh in:

1. True or False: Game 2 foretold the rest of the Celtics-Heat series.

 Phillip Barnett, Forum Blue & Gold: True. The Celtics haven't shown any sign of being able to stop both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James or the ability to get points when they need them. Boston is shooting 51.4 percent from behind the arc, but still lost both games by at least three possessions. This suggests Miami's interior defense will carry them to the conference finals.

Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live: True. While I think the Celtics can still pull it together and make a series out of this, how do they stop LeBron and Wade? The Celtics haven't shown any game plan to get either out of his comfort zone, other than praying for missed jumpers. Not exactly championship ball.

John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: True. The Celtics have too much experience, talent and pride to go down without a fight, but they don't appear to have an answer for the one-two punch of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James or Miami's swarming defense. If the Heat can continue to keep Rondo and Garnett under control and get contributions from Bosh and the supporting cast, they'll win at least one of two in Boston and control the series.

Michael Schwartz, Valley of the Suns: False. The Celtics have never gone away quietly in the Big Three era. With three days off to rest their creaky limbs and sharpen their game plan against LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the Celtics will make this the hard-fought series we all expected in Boston.

Ethan Sherwood Strauss, HoopSpeak: True. The Celtics' offense is insipid in a way that speaks to an athleticism chasm -- not getting to the line, not converting close shots. And for all our precious analysis: Boston's problem is that they're much worse than Miami.

2. True or False: Game 2 foretold the rest of the Grizzlies-Thunder series.

 Phillip Barnett, Forum Blue & Gold: False. Oklahoma City came out fired up in Game 2 with the home crowd behind them. They concentrated their efforts on stopping Zach Randolph, and got a whopping 48 points from their bench. It's hard to imagine the Memphis bench being outplayed to that extent at home.

Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live: True. I don't expect Zach Randolph to miss every field goal in three out of four quarters again, but the Thunder figured out how to be physical against the bully in the yard. Now it's up to Memphis to figure out how to keep up with Durant and his immense scoring help.

John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: False. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph destroyed the Thunder in Game 1, then laid complete eggs in Game 2. The Thunder's offense should continue to roll, but Gasol and Randolph will give them much more trouble in the remaining games.

Michael Schwartz, Valley of the Suns: False. As good as Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol have been all postseason, I find it hard to believe they will shoot anywhere near as poorly in future games as they did in their 5-for-22 effort in Game 2. As Memphis' interior game returns, so will the Grizzlies' chances in this series.

Ethan Sherwood Strauss, HoopSpeak: True. I write that with a heavy heart, since Memphis is a lovable gate-crasher. But the blue bear just doesn't have the same size advantage as last series.

3. True or False: Game 2 foretold the rest of the Hawks-Bulls series.

Phillip Barnett, Forum Blue & Gold: True. Joe Johnson was fantastic in Game 1, shooting 5-for-5 from behind the arc. In Game 2, the Bulls increased their defensive intensity and completely dominated on the boards. I like the Bulls' defense to stay one step ahead of the Hawks' offense for the remainder of this series.

Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live: True. We saw what happens when the Hawks aren't hitting improbable shots against the Bulls; they get lost in a catacomb of apathetic effort. I don't think the Bulls will really have a hard time keeping Atlanta from getting a comfortable rhythm on offense. If they can figure out Rose's shooting slump, this should be over.

John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: True. Even if the Hawks can continue to make Derrick Rose work for his points and assists, they'll have to figure out a way to score on Chicago's defense. Their only path to victory is to make enough tough long-range jumpers to overcome Chicago's underwhelming offense three more times, and I don't think they'll do it. Then again, people said the same thing after Game 2 of the Orlando series.

Michael Schwartz, Valley of the Suns: True. There's a reason Tom Thibodeau earned Coach of the Year honors: The man knows how to coach defense. The Hawks managed a mere 96.6 points per 100 possessions in their series win over the Magic, so it should not be a surprise when their offense continues to sputter against Thibs' Bulls the way it did in Game 2.

Ethan Sherwood Strauss, HoopSpeak: True. Though gravity eludes actual hawks, it sometimes drags their human avatars into the dirt. Atlanta's strategy of heaving contested moonballs just isn't sustainable.

4. True or False: Game 2 foretold the rest of the Mavs-Lakers series.

Phillip Barnett, Forum Blue & Gold: True. The Lakers haven't found a way to get their bigs going in either second-round game, leading to way more jumpers than they'd like. Dirk Nowitzki is unstoppable, and other Mavs are benefiting from Laker double-teams. There are lots of questions about the Lakers, and I'm not sure if they have the answers.

Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live: False. I'm not saying the Lakers will come back and win this series. But we're done seeing Kobe defer and not force up 25 or more shots each game. If the bench is going to be afraid to step up and Gasol continues to forget he's really tall, it will be on Kobe's shoulders.

John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: False. While the Lakers probably won't win both games in Dallas to tie the series, I expect that their front line, particularly Pau Gasol, will look better in Games 3 and 4. And while the Lakers weren't built to shoot 3-pointers, they will shoot better than Wednesday's 2-for-20 from deep in the next couple of games.

Michael Schwartz, Valley of the Suns: False. Even after dropping a pair at home, it's hard to count the Lakers out the way they have run through the Western Conference the past three postseasons. After missing 18-of-20 3-pointers in Game 2, the Lakers will get back in this series once their long-range shooting regresses to the mean.

Ethan Sherwood Strauss, HoopSpeak: True. When Dirk takes one-legged shots, his foot is planted on L.A.'s collective throat. Phil's guys languish in the shadow of immensely bad odds. Down 2-0, with three of the five remaining games in Dallas, the Lakers are trapped with no way out.

5. Which two teams should be favored now to meet in the NBA Finals?

Phillip Barnett, Forum Blue & Gold: After tonight, I'm inclined to say we're going to see a Mavericks-Heat series. I can't say that I'd be shocked if either the Lakers or Celtics come out of their series and go on to the Finals, but the Thunder and Bulls are looking like better second options in their respective conferences.

Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live: I'd really like to pick the Mavs for one last hurrah in the West, but I think we're going to get to see a Thunder-Heat Finals. It will be the first time in NBA history we've had a non-pluralized NBA Finals matchup. Could be revolutionary.

John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: It's wide open, but I like the Mavericks and the Heat. (I know, they're the only two teams with 2-0 leads. I'm bold like that.) They look like the only teams executing consistently on both ends of the court, and both teams have enough experience and star power to make it to the Finals.

Michael Schwartz, Valley of the Suns: Miami has the two best players in the conference (sorry, D-Rose) and a 2-0 series lead while the Bulls have looked shaky most of the playoffs. The Mavericks seem to possess a mental toughness they lacked during previous fruitless playoff runs and have the champs in a 0-2 hole. It's looking like a rematch of the 2006 Finals.

Ethan Sherwood Strauss, HoopSpeak: Thunder-Heat is my Finals pick. Oklahoma City claims the most complete roster, Miami boasts basketball's two best players. Look for pervasive "good vs. evil" narratives to garnish fantastic games.

Lakers on the ropes against Mavericks after 93-81 loss

First there was disbelief. Then came the anger.

Neither emotion had appeared much at Staples Center in recent years, but they each made up for lost time Wednesday, as boos followed Pau Gasol around the court and the Lakers staggered stunningly close to an early playoff flameout.

Lakers fans turned their backs on their team with two minutes to play, heading for the exits for possibly the last time at home in the Phil Jackson era.

Those that stayed until the smoldering end looked up at the scoreboard, took in the Lakers' 93-81 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, and donated more boos.

The Mavericks lead the Western Conference semifinals, 2-0, and they're headed home for Games 3 and 4 in the best-of-seven series.

The Lakers lost the first two games of a series 19 times since moving to Los Angeles and came back to win it only once, in the 1969 West semifinals against Golden State.

Somewhere, Mark Cuban is smiling. Actually, he was behind the Mavericks' bench, smiling.

Where to begin? With Gasol, for sure.

He continued his wilted postseason with 13 points and 10 rebounds, making five of 12 shots and three of six from the free-throw line.

The third quarter, when the Lakers scored only 13 points, marked a new low for him. Lakers fans let him have it.

DeShawn Stevenson blocked his shot from behind, and then Gasol missed badly on a mid-range jumper up top, leading to a host of boos.

This was the guy with 19 points and 18 rebounds in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against Boston? The one who reinvigorated a franchise after being acquired from Memphis? The player who was the 1B to Kobe Bryant's 1A on two championship runs?

Yes, yes and yes.

Jackson said there were "weird things" and "gremlins" in Gasol's game.

"Wish I could have been more productive," Gasol said. "Wish I could have been more effective. Some plays I should have finished better, but I tried my best."

With Gasol a non-factor and atrocious three-point shooting , the Lakers had few options beyond Bryant and Andrew Bynum. Bryant had 23 points on nine-for-20 shooting. Bynum had 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Bynum apparently wanted the ball more often, ominously referring to "trust issues." He made eight of 11 shots.

"We have to come out and discuss them or things won't change," Bynum said. "It's quite obvious if you watch the game. Hesitation on passes, defensively not being there for a teammate because he wasn't there for you before. Little things."

The Lakers made only two of 20 three-point tries. Steve Blake was 0 for 5, all from long distance.

We've been playing with fire for the last three years, dropping games on our own home floor," Bryant said. "We finally got what we deserved. Dropped two."

The Lakers couldn't even lament a lost 16-point lead. Their biggest edge in Game 2 was only four points.

"I plan on flogging them [Thursday]," Jackson said.

The only memorable part of Ron Artest's night was getting ejected after picking up his second technical foul with 24.4 seconds left. In a play that will be carefully reviewed by the NBA office, Artest smacked Jose Barea across the face with his forearm as the diminutive guard dribbled upcourt.

Jackson acknowledged there was a "good chance" Artest would be suspended.

Meanwhile, Dirk Nowitzki continued to drill holes in the Lakers, scoring 24 points on nine-for-16 shooting.

"Dirk's one of the hardest guys to guard in the history of basketball," Dallas Coach Rick Carlisle said.

Jackson has been chronologically working his way through his championship ring collection, wearing a different one each game. On Wednesday, he put on the one from 2000, his first title with the Lakers.

At this rate, he might not even get past the 2002 ring.

Bryant tried to sound optimistic.

"If you want to make history," he said, "you have to do historic things."

NBA Playoffs: Roy Lifts Blazers to Game 4 Comeback

As comebacks go, this one was epic.

In more ways than one.

Brandon Roy(notes) bounced back from a rough start to Portland's first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks with 24 points, and the Trail Blazers rallied from a 23-point third-quarter deficit to tie the series at two games apiece with a thrilling 84-82 victory over the Mavs on Saturday in Portland.

The series shifts back to Dallas for Game 5, which tips off at 8:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 25.

Portland's shooting was miserable in the third quarter, as the Blazers failed to hit a field goal until LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) connected on a hook shot with 1:31 left.

Portland trailed 67-44 after Peja Stojakovic's(notes) 3-pointer with 1:15 left in the third, but the Blazers cut the deficit to 18 entering the fourth, Roy's 3-pointer with 1 second left in the quarter making the score 67-49.

Roy was just getting started at that point.

The guard, who struggled mightily in the first two games of the series and voiced his frustration after playing less than eight minutes in Game 2, scored 18 points in the fourth quarter to lead Portland's comeback.

Roy scored Portland's final eight points of the game, converting a 4-point play after he was fouled by Shawn Marion(notes) on a 3-pointer with 1:06 remaining. He hit the free throw to tie the score at 82, and after Jason Terry(notes) missed a 3-point attempt at the other end, Roy drove to the hoop, pulled up over Marion and banked in a shot off the glass from just inside the free-throw line for the game-winning basket with 39.2 seconds left.

Jason Kidd(notes) and Terry each had 3-point attempts for Dallas in the final 30 seconds, Terry's shot at the buzzer just missing to preserve the win for Portland.

After Terry's miss, Roy was swarmed by his teammates and cheered loudly by the Rose Garden crowd. He's battled an up-and-down stretch since returning to the team on February 23 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on both knees in January, his struggles coming to a head after Game 2 in Dallas, when Roy logged less than eight minutes of playing time and went 0-for-1 from the field and 0-for-2 from the free-throw line in the Mavericks' 101-89 victory.

A frustrated Roy said afterward he was hurt and disappointed over not being used more in the game. The next day, he apologized to teammates for putting himself ahead of the team, and Roy went out and scored 16 points in 24 minutes off the bench to help Portland win Game 3, 97-92.

If his performance in Game 3 seemed to be a comeback of sorts for Roy, it was nothing compared with what he did in Game 4.

Roy's late outburst Saturday helped the Blazers become just the third team since the shot clock was introduced in 1954 to win a playoff game after trailing by 18 points or more entering the fourth quarter.

The Blazers had hit just three field goals in the third quarter, as Dallas took what appeared to be an insurmountable lead by starting the second half with a 27-6 run. The Rose Garden crowd, loud and boisterous throughout the first half, was virtually silent at that point, but after missing their first 15 field-goal attempts and scoring just seven points in the first 10:30 of the quarter, the Blazers tallied seven more points in the final 1:30, showing a little bit of life heading into the fourth.

A 10-2 Portland run got the Blazers within nine at 75-66 with 5:39 remaining, and after a pair of Dirk Nowitzki(notes) free throws, Portland rattled off a 12-2 run to make it 80-78 Dallas with 1:36 left on a jump shot by Roy.

Marion scored at the other end to put the Mavericks back up by four at 82-78, then Roy scored the game's final six points to give Portland the victory.

Roy went 9-for-13 from the field, and also had four rebounds and five assists for the Blazers. After going a combined 1-for-8 from the field in the first two games of the series, Roy has hit 65 percent (15-for-23) from the field combined in Games 3 and 4.

Aldridge had 18 points, Andre Miller(notes) scored 14 and Gerald Wallace(notes) had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Nowitzki led Dallas with 20 points, as the Mavericks went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line compared with 22-for-23 by the Blazers. Terry had 13 points and Marion 12 for the Mavs.

(3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers

(All times Eastern)

Game 1: Dallas 89, Portland 81

Game 2: Dallas 101, Portland 89

Game 3: Portland 97, Dallas 92

Game 4: Portland 84, Dallas 82

Game 5: Monday, April 25 — Portland at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. (NBA TV)

Game 6: Thursday, April 28 — Dallas at Portland, 10 p.m.

Game 7: Saturday, April 30 — Portland at Dallas*, TBD

Mavs can't answer Blazers' 4th-quarter surge in 97-92 Game 3 loss

The Mavericks knew this wasn’t going to be easy, and Game 3 left no doubt about just how tough this first-round playoff series will be.

They lost a rugged, foul-filled game, 97-92, Thursday night at the Rose Garden, reducing their lead in the best-of-7 first-round series to 2-1.

The Mavericks had been neck-and-neck with the Blazers throughout until a 21-5 Portland spree bridging the third and fourth quarters put the Blazers in control.

The Mavericks were trying to take a commanding 3-0 lead but couldn’t contain an array of Blazers, including reserve Brandon Roy, who had been a forgotten man in the series but had 16 crucial points.

The Mavericks’ problems started late in the third quarter when they saw a three-point lead turn into a three-point deficit in the last 2:05.

The Blazers then started the fourth quarter with a 12-2 sprint that put them ahead, 87-74, with less than eight minutes to go.

Shortly after the time that the Mavericks were getting hit with the Blazers’ best shot, owner Mark Cuban got into it with some Portland fans seated near the Mavericks’ bench during a timeout with 6:56 left.

The incident did not appear to be serious.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks fought back slowly and when J.J. Barea scooped in a layup with 2:35 to go, the Mavericks were within 93-87.

But LaMarcus Aldridge, who had another strong game, hit a jumper with 2:20 showing to push the Blazers’ lead back to eight.

The Mavericks still made the Blazers sweat down the stretch. Jason Kidd hit a jumper that was ruled a 2-pointer because his toe was a fraction of an inch on the 3-point arc with 12.9 seconds to go.

That shot made it 95-92, and after the Blazers had trouble getting the ball in and had to call two timeouts, they finally inbounded and Andre Miller hit two free throws with 9.6 seconds left to clinch it.

It ended what had been a thrilling game with neither team ever gaining a real foothold until the Blazers inched out early in the fourth quarter.

Jason Terry helped keep the Mavericks in striking distance with 29 points. Dirk Nowitzki had 25, but no other Maverick was in double figures.

The Blazers had a few more helpers than the Mavericks did. The Mavericks had the score tied in the early going. The only problem is that they were tied with Wesley Matthews, 16-16.

The rest of the Blazers had added just six points at that stage.

The Mavericks were fighting some foul trouble in the first half. Tyson Chandler had missed the Mavericks’ last game at the Rose Garden, which came late in the regular season, with a sore back.

He missed most of the first half in this one, too, with three fouls. He played less than nine first-half minutes.

The Mavericks trailed by as many as nine points in the first quarter, largely because their turnover bug resurfaced. They had six giveaways in the first quarter.

Their rally came courtesy of their bench. Terry had 17 first-half points and Peja Stojakovic and Brendan Haywood — who did a nice job filling in for Chandler — also had solid contributions.

The Mavericks shot 60 percent in the first half and were only down, 54-52, at halftime.

Both teams seemed to know that the 24 minutes after halftime were going to determine whether this series was effectively over or whether it was going to be time to get the hard hats.

The Mavericks got a break when Aldridge knocked down a shot that cut the Mavericks’ lead to 57-56 less than three minutes into the third frame.

At the next timeout, which wasn’t until under three minutes remained in the quarter, the referees reviewed the shot and ruled that it came after the shot clock.

Even so, the Mavericks lost some momentum late in the quarter. Up 69-66, they were outscored 9-3 in the final 2:05 of the third to fall behind 75-72 going into the final 12 minutes.

Tough spots

Eddie Sefko ranks the toughest places to play in the NBA for visiting teams.

Team Comment

Utah Even when the Jazz is bad, the fans are good.

Denver Not the loudest place, but the altitude always is a factor.

Boston Lots of history and the ghosts seem to steal rebounds.

Golden State That fan base doesn’t need much to get wild and crazy.

Portland Loud and exuberant, they also usually keep things classy.