Brandon Roy and the Portland Trail Blazers Tie Series Against the Phoenix Suns

Guess who’s back?

Yeah, that’s right Blazers fans, Brandon Roy is back on the court playing basketball just eight days after having surgery on his knee.

Not only did Roy make his return, but the Trail Blazers returned to playing playoff basketball after appearing to take Game Two and Game Three off.

Portland needed a spark to get back into this series and they got just that as Roy made a surprising return to the lineup.

The rejuvenated Blazers played solid team basketball to even up the series against the Phoenix Suns with a 96-87 victory in Game Four.

The series now heads back to Phoenix tied up 2-2.

The atmosphere was electric in the Rose Garden from the opening tip as Portland fans realized that their star was back in the lineup.

Roy mainly impacted the game with the emotional spark he gave his teammates and the fans by making his unexpected return, but he also added 10 points including a clutch three-pointer in the fourth quarter.

For the Blazers, the man who led the way was LaMarcus Aldridge.

After a 22-point performance in Game One, Aldridge was held quiet in Games Two and Three, but he exploded in Game Four against the Suns.

LaMarcus scorched Phoenix with 31 points on 11-19 shooting and also grabbed 11 rebounds while dishing out three assists.

This game played right into Portland’s tempo and style.

It was physical, defense dominated, and Phoenix was unable to run the ball on the fast break.

There were two flagrant fouls during the game, one on Jerryd Bayless and one on Channing Frye.

As the series continues it should be interesting to see if the tension grows between the teams, as each game as been more heated than the one before it.

Andre Miller chipped in 15 points but he was once again held under his Game One productivity because of the defense of the bigger, taller Grant Hill.

The Suns were led by Amare Stoudamire who had 26 points and Grant Hill who grabbed 12 rebounds.

A big story for the Suns in this game was Steve Nash’s uncharacteristic six turnovers which cancelled out his eight assists.

The Suns’ players were getting really frustrated with the refs as the game when on especially in the fourth quarter.

As the TNT slogan for the NBA playoffs says, “Win or Go Home”, the Blazers needed to win on their home court or face a 3-1 deficit and the possibility of being eliminated in Game Five in Phoenix.

The Blazers manned up and won this crucial game in the series.

This victory for Portland guarantees one more home game for them in Game Six.

So Rip City, get ready.

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