Lob / Kritik / Wünsche » art regularly in Boston over the next couple

The Portland Trail Blazers will try to win a playoff series for the first time since 2000 on Wednesday night when they visit the Houston Rockets for Game 5 at the Toyota Center. Portland won Game 4 Sunday night at the Moda Center and are now up 3-1. The last time the Blazers won a playoff series came in the 2000 Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz. They fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games in the Conference Finals, but since, Portland has lost six times in the first round. That could all change on Wednesday. The Trail Blazers won the first two games in Houston, then fell in Game 3 at home. Portland is on the precipice of advancement, but its been a tough trek to get to this point. Three of the first four game went to overtime, including Game 4, which the Blazers won 123-120. "Its not exhausting if you win, its exhausting if you lose," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said of the series three overtime games. "And weve lost two of the three." LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game-high 29 points for the fifth-seeded Blazers, followed by 25 from Nicolas Batum. Damian Lillard had 23 and Wesley Matthews added 21. James Harden had 28 points to lead the Rockets, Chandler Parsons scored 26 -- but just seven after halftime -- and Dwight Howard ended with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Portland took its first lead since 6-5 when Batum spun Parsons around with a crossover dribble and knocked down a 3-pointer from the high right side to make it 99-97 with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Later, Howards only two blocks of the game came before Harden made four foul shots in a row to give Houston a 104-102 edge with 50.9 seconds on the clock. After Batum missed a 3, Jeremy Lin rebounded the ball for the Rockets but was stripped by Mo Williams. Matthews missed a layup, but Lillard got the rebound and kicked it to Williams, who knocked down a 3 to give Portland a one-point lead with 18.9 seconds left in the fourth. Howards game-tying dunk came after Dorell Wright missed one of two foul shots for the Blazers, and Williams missed a 3-point try at the buzzer for Portland. Matthews opened overtime by wrestling the ball away from Howard and called a timeout, Parsons smacked Aldridge across the face at the other end for a Flagrant 1 foul and Aldridge made his free throws for the first points of overtime. Still, the game was tied until Batum scored five straight to spark a 7-0 run that gave the Blazers the lead for good. He made a 3-pointer after Aldridge stripped Howard under the Rockets basket, then found Lillard in transition for a layup and 117-110 lead with 2:19 to play. Troy Daniels, the former D-League player and unexpected hero for the Rockets in Game 3 when he hit the winning 3 in the closing seconds of overtime, made his first three NBA foul shots to get them within a point with 8.9 seconds left. After Williams made two free throws at the other end, Matthews stepped in front of Patrick Beverley just beyond midcourt and knocked the ball loose, sealing the win -- Portlands second in overtime in the series. "It was another terrific game and I think its obvious that both teams are pretty evenly matched," said Portland coach Terry Stotts. "I was really proud of the way we played in the second half. I thought we showed a lot of heart and determination to get back into the game." If needed, Game 6 will be Friday night in Portland. Custom Atletico Madrid Jerseys .C., has been named Canadas top female official, winning the 2014 SOC Award of Excellence. Cranes career as a figure skating judge has spanned over 40 years. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Saul-Niguez-Jersey/ . Colton Sissons also scored for Milwaukee (19-12-8), which went ahead with a two-goal third period. Wade MacLeod and Greg McKegg replied for Toronto (23-12-4). http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Koke-Jersey/. -- David Freese is starting to pick up his run production, which is something the Los Angeles Angels have been waiting half a season to see. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Rodri-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Diego-Costa-Jersey/ . Louis still looking for a way out of Tampa Bay, the 38-year-old NHL veteran isnt showing his cards.The St. Louis Cardinals added two starting pitchers in the last two days, bringing in John Lackey and Justin Masterson. Numbers Game looks at two trades that improve the Cardinals chances of returning to the postseason for the fourth straight season. The Cardinals Get: RHP John Lackey and RHP Justin Masterson. Lackey, 35, has been a solid starter for the Red Sox, particularly in the past two seasons since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2012. After a year off for recovery, Lackey has gone 21-20 with a 3.55 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 50 starts. Not dominant, but good enough to rank 24th among starting pitchers in Fan Graphs WAR over the past two seasons and rank 49th among starting pitchers in the TSN.ca Player Rankings this year. Hes relying more on his fastball, throwing it 65.6% of the time, his highest percentage since 2003, and his average velocity (92.1 MPH) is the best of his career. The Cardinals add a steady veteran pitcher, with postseason experience (3.03 ERA, 1.30 WHIP in 19 postseason appearances), one that can easily fit in the middle of the rotation for a St. Louis team that, one game out of a wild card spot, justifiably has playoff aspirations. While those numbers paint a picture of a nice addition to the Cardinals rotation, there is a definite cherry on top of the sundae and that is that Lackeys contract. While it pays him $15.25-million this year, there is a 2015 club option at league minimum salary because Lackey missed the entire 2012 season (a clause in the contract acknowledging Lackeys previous elbow troubles). Provided that Lackey still intends to pitch next season, he would provide exceptional value to the Cardinals. Masterson is a 29-year-old who has had some good seasons with the Indians, but is undeniably struggling this year, posting a career-worst 5.51 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 19 starts. Hes recently spent time on the DL with a knee injury, but Mastersons bigger issue is that hes lost some velocity. In 2011, his fastball was clocked, on average, at 92.7 MPH. This year, its down to 89.1 MPH, and for a guy who throws such a high percentage of fastballs, thats a killer. According to Fan Graphs, Mastersons fastball has been the least effective in the majors this season. He has been somewhat unlucky with a career-worst .350 batting average on balls in play, but some of that is simply a reflection of Masterson getting hit hard this season. However, if Masterson fills the fifth spot in the Cardinals rotation --behind Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Lackey and Shelby Miller -- then thats an adequate contribution for the last couple months of this season. He would have to dramatically improve his performance to qualify as a starter for the postseason, but he may be a viable bullpen arm to face right-handed hitters (getting rocked to the tune of a .935 OPS by left-handed batters this season). Earning $9.7625-million this season, Masterson will be eligible for arbitration at seasons end and can be a free agent after the 2015 season. This is an opportunity for the Cardinals to buy low and see if they can get Masterson back on track, while hopefully helping their chances to get into the playoffs this season. The Red Sox Get: RHP Joe Kellly and RF/1B Allen Craig.dddddddddddd A 26-year-old righthander, Kelly has made 38 starts (and 30 relief appearances) for the Cardinals over the past three seasons. As a starter, hes 15-11, with a 3.25 ERA and 1.39 WHIP, with 130 strikeouts in 213 1/3 IP. His ERA is the same, but Kellys strikeout rate is dramatically higher coming out of the bullpen (49 K in 52 2/3 IP). Kelly throws hard (average fastball speed of 94.7 MPH) and has cut back on his ineffective slider, having more success in this seasons small sample, with his curve ball. He should have a great opportunity to start regularly in Boston over the next couple months, in an effort to establish that he can be a rotation regular next season. This early in his career, Kelly is an inexpensive option, making $523,000 this year, and not arbitration eligible until 2016 at the earliest. Craig is a 30-year-old who was a productive hitter before suffering a foot injury last season. He still has an .803 OPS for his career, but has struggled this year, posting seven homers and a .237 batting average, with a .638 OPS. There has to be some expectation on the Red Sox part that they can get Craig back on track. He simply hasnt made as much solid contact this season, with a career-high 56.5% groundball rate. Presuming that Craig can get healthy and bounce back to his previous levels, hes a potential middle of the order bat for the Red Sox who is signed through 2017. Craig is making $2.75-million this year and his contract will pay $26.5-million over the next three seasons, with a club option for 2018. Craig should get a look in left field with the Red Sox, effectively taking over for Jonny Gomes, who was traded to Oakland earlier in the day. Of Craigs 117 career starts in the outfield, 35 have been in left. With Craig leaving St. Louis, that leaves an everyday job for top Cardinals prospect Oscar Taveras. The 22-year-old has struggled (hitting .208 with a .508 OPS in 32 games) this season, but hes the top prospect in the organization, so hell get a crack at the everyday job. If he cant hack it, Jon Jay can handle right field for the Cardinals, with Peter Bourjos in centre, if need be. Lackeys contract situation obviously helped the Red Sox secure real value in return and they got two pieces that could be part of a contending club in 2015. The Indians Get: OF James Ramsey. A first-round pick by the Cardinals in 2012, 24-year-old James Ramsey is an outfielder that is having a pretty strong showing at Double-A, hitting 13 home runs, and hitting .300 with a .916 OPS in 67 games. Ranked by Baseball America as the Cardinals No. 8 prospect in the offseason, Ramsey is likely not too far away from getting his shot in the big leagues. Considering how the season was going for Masterson, thats not a bad move for the Tribe. They get a prospect who will have a chance to play in their outfield in the not-too-distant future, and they can keep young righthanders Trevor Bauer and Danny Salazar in the rotation for the rest of the season. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. 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