Herzlich Willkommen » Howard went over to congratulate his friend and told

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damian Lillard couldnt believe when he got a clear look at the rim. With the final buzzer about to sound, he took his shot. "I got my feet squared up and it felt real good leaving my hands," Portlands point guard said. "Once I saw it on line, I said, Thats got a chance." Lillards shot fell and the Trail Blazers stunned the Houston Rockets 99-98 to take their playoff series in six games and advance to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time in 14 years. In the frenzied postgame celebration, Lillard took the public address microphone and shouted "Rip City!" The hometown crowd roared. Portland, making its first playoff appearance since 2011, had been eliminated in the first round in its last six trips, and hadnt advanced to the second round since 2000. "Its a great feeling," said fellow guard Wesley Matthews. "Im excited for Portland, of course excited for us. The grind of the season: Youre a competitor, you want to win, you want to play, you want to advance, you want to be a champion. ... Its unbelievable." Dwight Howard made four consecutive free throws to tie the game at 91 before making a bank shot that put Houston ahead with 3:04 to go. Robin Lopez scored on a tip shot to give the Blazers a 94-93 lead with 2:15 left, setting up a wild finish. Howards layup and foul shot put the Rockets back up 96-94 before Nicolas Batums fadeaway jumper tied it again with 39.9 seconds left. Chandler Parsons scored on a reverse layup with 0.9 seconds left to give Houston the lead. Lillard prevented the series from going back to Houston with his 3-pointer as time ran out. He finished with 25 points. The Trail Blazers said Lillard is the first player to make a buzzer-beating shot to win a playoff series since John Stocktons 3 that led Utah over Houston in 1997s Western Conference finals, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. "He made a hell of a shot," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said of Lillard. Portland will face the winner of the series between San Antonio and Dallas. The Mavericks forced a deciding Game 7 with a 113-111 victory over the Spurs on Friday night. There are five first-round playoff series that have gone to seven games. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers with 30 points and 13 rebounds. He averaged 29.8 points during the series. After losing the opening two games in Houston, then claiming one of a pair in Portland, the Rockets staved off elimination with a 108-98 victory on Wednesday night to narrow Portlands advantage in the series to 3-2. Howard had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Jeremy Lin redeemed himself from a poor performance in Game 4 with 21 points off the bench. James Harden led the Rockets on Friday night with 34 points. Howard had 26 points and 11 rebounds as Houston -- which earned the nickname "Clutch City" back in the mid-1990s when the team won back-to-back NBA championships -- failed to become the ninth team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series and advance. "It hurts," Howard said. "When you put everything youve got on the floor and somebody hits you with a dagger like that, its a tough pill to swallow." After Lillards 3, Howard went over to congratulate his friend and told him he was proud of him and to go win the title. Aldridge helped the Blazers steal the first two games in Houston, scoring 46 points in a 122-120 overtime Game 1 win, then 43 in a 112-105 victory. The Rockets claimed the first of two in Portland, 121-116 in overtime, led by Harden with 37 points. The series third OT game ended in a 123-120 Blazers win. Aldridge gave the Rockets credit for making the Blazers better. "We felt like they definitely helped us grow. Were so young in the playoffs, but they definitely helped us grow and we feel we should be better for the next round," Aldridge said. "Were happy now, but were not satisfied." NOTES: The Blazers honoured former coach Jack Ramsay, who led the team to its lone NBA championship in 1977, in a moving pregame ceremony. Ramsay died Monday after a long battle with cancer in Florida. ... A fan at the game held a sign reading: "Play like its 1977." ... Lillard has multiple 3-pointers in six straight playoff games, a franchise record. ... It was the first time that the Blazers had defeated Houston in the post-season after three previous meetings. Telvin Smith Sr. Jersey . Peter Dawson took his long before he started the job. "I was playing an American one year at Oxford Golf Club, and he introduced me to this travelling mulligan," Dawson said. Michael Hughes Jersey .A. Happ. The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to improve the starting rotation ahead of next season and pitchers like Happ have a chance to show they belong as the disastrous 2013 campaign draws to a close. http://www.cheapjaguarsjerseysauthentic.com/. Once again, the third baseman delivered in a big spot. Ramirez kept up his torrid hitting with a two-run homer to help back Wily Peraltas solid start, and the Brewers extended their winning streak to seven with a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. Thomas Rawls Jersey . JOHNS, N. Raphael Leonard Jersey .com) - Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 12 points in the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats 70-55 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.TSN rocks the house from March 1-9 to deliver all the action from Canadas national mens curling championship, the 2014 Tim Hortons Brier, live from Kamloops, B.C. In total, Canadas Sports Leader delivers 70-plus hours of exclusive live coverage, all the way from Draw 1 (Saturday, March 1) at 4:30 p.m. ET to the Final on Sunday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET. In addition, French-language coverage of the Brier is available on RDS2, with live coverage of the Final airing on RDS. Once the preliminary draws have been played, TSN revisits the tournament highlights and previews the Final during the 30-minute Tim Hortons Championship Preview Special on Sunday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET. TSNs esteemed broadcast team will be at the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops, B.C. to call the action. The team is led by Canadas preeminent curling voice Vic Rauter, Olympic gold medallist Linda Moore, and two-time Brier champion and Olympic gold medallist Russ Howard, as well as TSNs Bryan Mudryk and three-time Scotties winner Cathy Gauthier. This years Brier field is highlighted by 2011 World Champion Jeff Stoughton (Team Manitoba), who is looking to add to his three career titles. Former Brier winneer and 2010 World Champion Kevin Koe (Team Alberta) returns to the tournament to compete against his brother Jamie Koe (Team Northwest Territories/Yukon).dddddddddddd Rounding out the field are 2006 Brier champ Jean-Michel Ménard (Team Québec); 11-time provincial champion Brad Gushue (Team Newfoundland and Labrador); John Morris (Team British Columbia); Jamie Murphy (Team Nova Scotia); James Grattan (Team New Brunswick); Jeff Currie (Team Northern Ontario); Eddie MacKenzie (Team Prince Edward Island); Steve Laycock (Team Saskatchewan); and Greg Balsdon (Team Ontario). Fans can visit TSN Digital platforms to keep up to date with all the latest scores, news, video highlights, and tweets from the 2014 Tim Hortons Brier. Fans can also join the conversation by visiting Facebook.com/TSNCurling, following @TSNCurling, @TSNVicRauter and @BryanMudryk, and by using the hashtags #Brier and #TSN on Twitter. Following the Brier, TSN heads to Saint John, N.B. to deliver exclusive live coverage of the 2014 Ford World Womens Curling Championship, running March 15-23