.<font color=red>Blazers</font> move up a notch with overtime win
Portland stays within a half-game of Utah in the chase for the West's final playoff spot but moves past Denver into ninth
Ray Allen looks for daylight trying to shoot over Theo Ratliff.
03/28/04 Jason Quick
In yet another tension-filled and nail-biting game, the Trail Blazers' push for the playoffs continued forward Saturday night with a 115-108 overtime win over the streaking Seattle SuperSonics in a game that left a Rose Garden crowd of 18,554 exhausted.
This time, it was Derek Anderson who made the big plays, getting a key steal in regulation that tied the score and a three-pointer with 38.8 seconds left to again tie the score. In overtime, Anderson hit a crucial jumper with 59.9 seconds left that gave the Blazers a 111-108 lead, then hit three free throws down the stretch to carry the Blazers to their seventh win in nine games.
"A heck of a game," Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "Both teams were up and down, hitting shot after shot."
The Blazers ended Seattle's seven-game winning streak, despite what Cheeks called a "sensational" effort by Seattle's Ray Allen, who had 32 points on 13 of 20 shooting, including 6 of 8 on three-pointers.
The Blazers (37-35) leapfrogged Denver into ninth place and are a half-game behind Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 10 games remaining. Utah plays at the Los Angeles Lakers today.
The win also capped a 3-1 homestand, during which the last three included an overtime loss, a fourth-quarter comeback and Saturday's overtime win.
"Well, we won three of four, and that was something we had to do to stay in the race," Cheeks said. "Had we not, we could have been out of it."
The last two Blazers victories have come in dramatic fashion, and they have helped soothe Monday's stinging overtime loss to Houston, when the Blazers lost a six-point lead in the final four minutes. The defeat was magnified by two bungled plays at the end of regulation.
One game after Damon Stoudamire scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Blazers past the Los Angeles Clippers, the Blazers got an overtime-forcing hook shot from Zach Randolph with 6.9 seconds left that helped negate Seattle's comeback from an eight-point deficit in the quarter.
Anderson, who finished with 22 points and seven assists, had the headlining plays, but Theo Ratliff (18 points, nine rebounds, six blocks) was equally big, including a three-point play with 1:45 left in overtime that gave the Blazers a 109-105 lead.
Randolph, who had 25 points and nine rebounds, added the crucial shot in overtime. Plus, Stoudamire again added to his reputation as a fourth-quarter scorer with two three-pointers. The Blazers scored on their final 13 possessions of the game.
"It just seemed like we made all the plays down the stretch," Stoudamire said. "It was like we weren't going to lose that game."
Anderson said the Blazers pose a dilemma for opponents late in games because they don't know who is going to take the big shot.
"Teams have to make adjustments down the stretch, but when there is me, Damon and Zach, where are you going to make the adjustment?" Anderson said. "Tonight, I just took it upon myself to make the plays. I was mad at myself after the Houston game because I didn't do that, so tonight I knew I wasn't going to sit back and let someone else do it."
Lost in Anderson's two shots down the stretch was his steal from Brent Barry in backcourt, which led to his dunk that made the score 93-93 with 1:40 left.
"D.A. made some big plays, but the steal was probably the biggest play he made all night," Stoudamire said. "We needed that because if they would have come down and scored, we could have buckled. But we need Derek to score, because that takes the pressure off me."
With the loss, Seattle (34-39) fell four games out of the eighth spot in the West. Meanwhile, the Blazers' late-season surge continued to gather steam, complete with intriguing and suspense-filled finishes.
"This is exciting," Stoudamire said. "With all the trades and the new faces, there has been a lot going on around here, and if we somehow find a way to make the playoffs it will be very gratifying."
Notes:
The Blazers are 6-3 in overtime games, and the ninth overtime game of the season is a franchise record. . . . The Blazers have won 37 or more games for 30 consecutive full-length seasons.
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