The Portland Trail Blazers were down and out as the fourth quarter began on Saturday afternoon at the Rose Garden. The Dallas Mavericks had an 18-point lead after making a swift run in the third quarter and the Blazers offense had gone stagnant. Portland was staring down the barrel of a 3-1 series deficit as the Mavericks took complete control. Enter Brandon Roy. All he did was score 18 points in the fourth quarter, carrying the Blazers all the way back and giving them the lead with 39 seconds to go. It was truly a sight to behold.
↵Roy's performance was the ultimate display of ability on the basketball court. He was unstoppable throughout the fourth quarter as the Blazers rallied with big stops, capitalizing on Roy's offensive outburst. Down four with just over a minute to go, Roy drilled a three and was fouled, converting the free throw to tie the game. After another stop on the defensive end, Portland finally had a chance to retake the lead.
↵And the man who had been relegated to a bench role, and much fewer minutes in the playoffs, came up big again. There was Roy, driving the lane and draining a floater to give the Blazers the lead for good. When it was all over, Portland had an 84-82 win and the series was even at two.
↵After all the adversity -- the knee surgeries, the diminished playing time -- Roy came up big when it mattered most. Be proud of your boy, Seattle. He put on a show on Saturday.