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It was 5:15 p.m. Saturday and life couldn't have been much better for LaMarcus Aldridge.

It was one of those days where everything was going right. He had a great nap. Rick Ross was bumping on his stereo in his "baby" -- a 2009 black Ferrari -- and he was on his way to the Rose Garden, where he and the Trail Blazers play so well.

"I was feeling good, feeling great," Aldridge said. "It felt like it was going to be one of those nights where I didn't miss. I felt really rested, had good music going, just in a really good mood. It was like, it couldn't be any better."

Then disaster struck.

He was on Broadway, a couple of blocks away from the Rose Garden, when a 2003 Toyota in front of him moved into the left lane. It was like the lane had opened and he had a clear path to the hoop. So he drove.

But the driver of the Toyota changed his mind. He wanted back in the right lane, and veered in without signaling. The cars collided, with Aldridge's Ferrari ending up beached on the curb, interlocked with the Toyota.

"I thought why? Why now?" Aldridge said.

It was 5:15. Aldridge usually likes to report to the locker room by 5:30. The game was at 7.

But instead of lacing up his Nikes, Aldridge was getting insurance information, gathering witnesses, and asking people to stop taking pictures.

The night he thought was going to be so perfect was suddenly in chaos.

"I've never been in a wreck before. I didn't know what to do," Aldridge, 26, said.

When he did reach the Rose Garden, he was jittery and shaken.

"I was really, really stressed about it," Aldridge said.

So what did Aldridge go and do?

He nearly had that perfect night he envisioned, hitting 13-of-18 shots, finishing with 29 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a block to help

.

Of course, it helped that Nicolas Batum hit a franchise record nine three-pointers, helping take the double-team pressure off Aldridge, and it helped that Nick West, the Blazers' director of basketball operations jumped on the details of the accident report once Aldridge got to the arena.

But more than anything, it showed just how much Aldridge has matured and grown into what more and more people are saying should be an All-Star player.

We've seen Aldridge in the past get distracted by double teams. Or fatigue. Or by opponents.

But on Saturday, as the tipoff neared, he found himself still rattled by the accident. He realized he needed to block it out. So he went to the place he always goes when he seeks peace: His faith.

So when did he finally let it go?

"When (public address announcer Mark) Mason called my name in introductions, I prayed real quick, closed my eyes and said 'I gotta let it go,'" Aldridge said.

He let it go, and then played like an All-Star.

Before Saturday's game, Denver coach George Karl said he will vote for Aldridge. Then during the second half of the game, LeBron James tweeted this: "Man LaMarcus Aldridge aka LA got so much game!! Smooth out there."

"That's respect. That's big," Aldridge said of James' tweet. "When a person of his stature says that, it means a lot."

Aldridge says he thinks he has been more consistent this season, but after last season's snub, he is not ready to accept the idea that he will get enough votes from the league coaches.

"I'm on the edge, that yeah, I might make it," Aldridge said. "But after last year, it's kind of hard to believe it. But I feel like I should have George Karl's vote now."

But maybe he should start believing. After all, not even a car accident can wreck his night these days.

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