MLB Front Page
NBA Front Page
NHL Front Page
NFL Front Page
Portland Trailblazers
Returning to Dallas, where the Portland Trail Blazers lost their last center, Joel Przybilla, Andre Miller put together one of the best performances in team history.
Coming off a three game stretch in which he scored a grand-total of 15 points on 4-25 shooting, Miller pulled out all the stops. He tormented Jason Terry, Jose Juan Barea, and Jason Kidd for 17 first-half points, posting all three up on multiple occasions, making layups, turnarounds, fades, and face-up jumpers. This was only the beginning.
The contest was close throughout the first half and remained tight-knit into the third, primarily because of the play of Miller. After losing the ball in the lane, he tracked down Kidd, picked his pocket, and drove in for a layup. He was not only in a give-me-the-ball mode, but also, as this instance illustrated, in a “wait, that’s mine, Jason…thank you!” zone. He was simply amazing. Prior to that theft, he had scored 6 of the Blazers first 10 points in the third. And there was many more points left to score.
He didn’t add to his point total over the final 8:10 of the third quarter, which made his overall accomplishment that much more remarkable. Then came the fourth, when he etched his name into Blazers lore with one of the best quarters by any player in NBA history.
Portland led by four heading into the final frame, but it wouldn’t have been larger if not for a chucked buzzer-beating three by Barea at the horn. It appeared Dallas had all the momentum, but the Blazers started strong in the fourth. LaMarcus Aldridge pulled off a nice up-and-under move around Drew Gooden, maneuvering in for a layup. After Miller embarrassed Barea early in the third, it was then Steve Blake’s turn to torture the 5′8″ blur. He pulled up for a mid-range two, and then, following a steal by Dante Cunningham, Barea left Blake wide-open for three to give the Blazers a 80-73 lead. After that, it was all Miller.
Miller dribbled into the lane against Terry, took a handcheck, and drained a foul-line jumper. With the defense shading towards Miller on their next possession, he passed out to Blake, who canned just the second three by the Blazers for a seven-point advantage. Dallas followed with five straight, but Miller was there with a resounding answer. A jumper over seven-footer Dirk Nowitzki gave him 32 points. A driving layup around every Maverick gave him 34 points. Another on their next “give it to Miller” set play gave him 36, one shy of his career-high. At this point, with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Miller had already set a career high for field goals, so why not set a career-high in points? He did, swooping in for his millionth hard-earned layup of the evening, helping the Blazers to a 96-94 lead.
After the Mavericks re-gained the lead, he took it right back, slicing through the defense (if it could be called that) for contact, a layup, and a free-throw. This three-point play tallied his 39th, 40th, and 41st points. And, running on pure adrenaline, he wasn’t done.
Terry hit two free throws, and then, after Aldridge clanged two free-throws, Nowitzki hit a jumper. Portland now needed a basket down two with 41 seconds left. Who else would they go to than Miller? Dallas knew the ball would be in his hands, but they still couldn’t stop him from tying the game. Shawn Marion helped Miller’s cause, hip-checking the guard as he began his move into the middle. Miller showed Aldridge how to play in the clutch, hitting two free-throws to tie the score once more. Aldridge committed a silly foul on Nowitzki on the other end, resulting in two free-throws, but Miller bailed him out with one of the more memorable shots I have seen.
For his 45 points so far there had been countless layups, a plethora of mid-range jumpers, both of the pull-up and crossover variety, but nothing like what transpired next. Down by two, 103-101, Miller pulled another rabbit out of the hat, fighting through the middle before tossing up the unlikeliest of shots. No one expected it, but everyone expected it to go in. From seven-feet out, he did his best Kareem impersonation, imitating his sky-hook to perfect. It didn’t look pretty, as it took two hops on the rim, but the shot dropped just like his previous 17 field goals. Words couldn’t describe the feeling felt by myself, the Blazers announcers, and all other Blazers fans everywhere. Simply put now, it was remarkable.
Aldridge completed his nightmarish final minute, barely missing a fade-away jumper after great defense by Nicolas Batum on Nowitzki and strong rebound by Juwan Howard. Coming in, the Blazers were winless in overtime games this season, but with Miller, it was a safe bet that this streak would end.
Miller began the extra session with the one shot he hadn’t already made. A horrid three-pointer shooter, Miller sized up his defender on the right wing, looked at a basket that was as big as could be, and took a “why not?’ 25-footer and, not surprisingly, drained it. This gave him 48 points, and by this time all I could do was shake my head in disbelief.
Next, I was negatively shaking my head, as Terry and Nowitzki hit jumpers, then after a positive shake as Miller became the fifth in team history to drop 50, two more disappointing shakes as Terry hit a three and Kidd made a tip-in. Portland was suddenly behind by four, but luckily for them, Miller was ready to add to his legend. Following two clutch free-throws by Jerryd Bayless, he matriculated in for a layup, his eighth of the game.
After he couldn’t get the ball to Miller on their ensuing possession, Howard dribbled to his left and pulled up for his usual jumper over Nowitzki, turning what was once a deficit into a lead. That lead would remain theirs, as Batum blanketed Nowitzki on Dallas’s last chance, getting a hand in his face to force a miss at the buzzer. With that excellent defensive play by the Frenchman, the Blazers snuck by the Mavericks for by far their best win of the season. Not only did it end their three-game losing streak, but the victory was made possible by Miller, who had a mind-blowing 52 points, fifty more than he tallied against the Houston Rockets.
——————————————————————————–
Game Notes:
Miller made 22-31 field goals, notching a franchise record for field goals made. He had 19 points in the fourth quarter and 6 more in overtime. His previous career high of 37 was set eight years ago. He became the third player in NBA history to score 50 more points than his previous game. He was incredible.
After the game, Miller sad he’s “had a few heated nights in my career, but this was one of those where I just didn’t stop shooting.” It was a good thing he didn’t, too.
Describing Miller’s hook shot at the end of regulation, Dallas forward Shawn Marion said, “I played him pretty well, but once he’s got it going like that, what am I gonna do? He could have thrown a hook shot from halfcourt and it would have gone in.”
Aldridge added 21 points and Bayless contributed 17 points.
The Blazers had only 9 assists on their 46 field goals. Nearly all of Miller’s makes were in one-on one offensive sets. None of his 22 field goals were assisted, amazingly enough.
Howard grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds and Batum did much more than his two points would indicate.
Nowitzki led Dallas with 28 points. Terry added 18 points and Barea chipped in 17.
Worth noting: In a great article by The Oregonian’s Jason Quick, Miller’s teammates laugh at Miller’s ho-hum reaction to scoring 52 points. Batum said, “He never jumped once,” poking fun at Miller’s lack of a vertical leap, getting a laugh out of a nearby Aldridge and Martell Webster.
Boxscore:
Watch all 52 points. Blazers announcers Mike Barrett and Mike Rice with the call:
Miller’s shot-chart:
Loading ...
