Last night, collapsed on the glider with a Manhattan after an interesting re-entry week, we happened upon the end of the Blazer game. They were in Dallas, playing the world champions. There was some golf and baseball on as well, but the score in the hoops game was close enough to make us stay there.

We turned the sound off immediately, as the Blazer TV announcers are insufferable, but the game itself was fascinating. Dallas has so much talent -- their third or fourth option on offense, Shawn Marion, was doing his usual great job of driving Portland nuts. And yet the Blazers took the Mavericks to overtime. And in the extra period, at the very end, Blazer big man LaMarcus Aldridge took and made the game-winning shot. The buzzer went off as the shot was on its way.

Well, hurray for Aldridge. He's never been the go-to guy at the end of games, but with the ragtag collection of players he has around him now, he hasn't much choice. Being the hero in Dallas is particularly sweet for him, because he's from down there and his peeps show up to see him play there. Whatever else happens at the end of this dismal NBA season, he'll have that moment. Nice going.