The absence of Brandon Roy mattered none in the first game of the Phoenix-Portland playoff series. The Trail Blazers scored 105 against a hot Suns team, including a 35-point fourth quarter that put them on top. The size of the Blazers was too much for the Suns, who are missing an injured Robin Lopez.
Andre Miller led all scorers with 31 and added eight assists in the win. The game was fairly unorthodox for both teams.
Portland surpassed the century mark in points by trading baskets with the Suns. Phoenix didn't go on huge scoring tears, but rather only scoring enough to keep the game close. The Suns had a good third quarter, but could never break away from the Blazers due to Portland's excellent defense and coach Nate McMillan's excellent utilization of timeouts. Phoenix went dry late in the fourth and Portland stayed efficient.
Why did Portland win?
Portland won because they shot the ball extremely well. The Suns have the most efficient offense in the NBA, but the Blazers managed to dominate offensively, notably in the first and fourth quarter. They worked the ball around very well getting easy shots in the paint, and hitting open ju ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Joe Barton
Portland Trail Blazers Burn Phoenix Suns in the Desert in Game One
April 19th, 2010 by Joe Barton Leave a reply »
Advertisement