| 24 April 2010
(Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
"It was a long, sleepless night," said Portland Trailblazers coach Nate McMillan on bringing back Brandon Roy after missing time due to a torn meniscus.
On Saturday afternoon, Roy made his return to the floor for the Trailblazers with 4:05 left in the first quarter, and made his first shot one minute later, and the Rose Garden exploded. Roy played 27 minutes of solid basketball. He had 10 points on four for 10 shooting with an assist and a rebound. He played within the flow of the game in his return and didn’t force anything. McMillan didn’t call his number too many times as we saw several possessions where Roy was hid within the offense, being used as a decoy. When Roy did get touches, he gladly accepted the double teams that came and moved the ball. He played a vital role in slowing down the game and hit a huge three pointer down the stretch late in the fourth.
But on the afternoon of Roy’s return, LaMarcus Aldridge stole the show scoring a career playoff high 31 points to go along with his 11 rebounds. In the previous two games, Aldridge seemed flustered when the double-teams were thrown at him, forcing him to take some bad shots that brought him out of rhythm. In the previous two games, he shot eight for 22, in Game 4, Aldridge was 11 for 19, cool under pressure and clutch in the fourth.
For the Suns, they were never able to go on one of their signature runs because the Blazers kept the pace of the game relatively slow, especially in the second half. Amaré Stoudemire got his 26 and Steve Nash finished with 15 and eight, but outside of that, no one else was able to get going. In the Suns’ two wins this series, they’ve averaged 23.5 team assists and 14 fast break points. In Game 4, the Suns had 17 team assists and only four fast break points. In both games that the Suns have lost, they’ve really struggled in half-court sets, and it really showed in the fourth quarter.
In the final four minutes of the game, the Suns spent every single one of their final possessions in half court sets, which resulted in two Steve Nash field goals, a Steve Nash technical free throw and Grant Hill making the front end of a trip to the line for two free throws. On their other possessions? Three turnovers, three missed layups, three missed three-pointers and two missed jumpers. Not exactly the execution you’d like your team to have down the stretch.
Why Portland Won This Game
They quite simply won the pace battle. When you can limit a Steve Nash run team to only four fast break points and 87 points over all, you have a damn good chance at winning the game. Aldridge’s big game was also huge for Portland. They’ve been needing him to step up and he finally did with his 31 and 11 double-double. Portland really concentrated on not letting other guys get their numbers. Guys like Jason Richardson scoring 42 is utterly unacceptable – and not letting that happen is going to be key for them for the remainder of this series.
Why Phoenix Lost This Game
You can blame this game on the referees (that just wasn’t a flagrant foul on Frye), but the fact of the matter is this was the lowest scoring game the Suns have had since January of 2009. They weren’t moving the ball, and only shot 26 percent from the three-point line. Defensively, they didn’t force turnovers or contest shots to get them out on the break. They also let the Blazers get to the line 28 times. For a team that likes to get out and run, keep the tempo high, you can’t let your opponent get 28 opportunities to score a point with the clock stopped.
Looking Ahead To Game 5
The Suns going to continue to struggle in the half court, and if they can’t force Portland into bad shots to create transition opportunities, it’s going to be a long series for Phoenix. They’re going to have to shoot better than 26 percent from the three point line, they’re going to have to have more than 17 team assists and they’re going to have to work harder on the boards. If they hope to go home with a 3-2 series lead, they’re going to have to play exactly how they did tonight: slow the game down, run their offense and close out on shooters. Also, they’re going to need more production from Roy. Andre Miller and Jarred Bayless took 23 shots, Roy is going to have to take some of that load.
Prediction: The Suns take care of business at home, go up 3-2
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