Blazers-Suns: Andre Miller Indispensable in Game One of Series

Box Score

Andre Miller and Marcus Camby proved their worth to Portland once again last night, leading the Blazers to an improbable Game One victory over the Suns in Phoenix. With the mix of savvy veterans like Miller and Camby and the outstanding youth of Jerryd Bayless and Nicolas Batum, this team is at least temporarily filling the void left by Brandon Roy.

Before I go any further in this recap, I feel I must mention this one more time. We have to fully appreciate the incredible things Miller has done for this team.

His welcome was pathetic, the treatment by fans and media early was embarrassing, but he fought through it all season and became the hero and MVP of Game One.

One of the biggest Andre haters, and a guy who TMZ'ed every situation relating to Miller, is John Canzano. Read this article—again if you have to. It completely blows away any trust or credibility whatsoever. Miller doesn't fit and never will fit? Wrong.

Okay, my frustrations are vented; back to the good stuff.

Portland proved last night that teams can survive without their No. 1 offensive option if they play as a team and play top notch defense. Sure, they had momentary lapses on both ends, especially considering that Phoenix made 11 three-pointers. The near meltdown at the end reminded me that no lead is safe and the Blazers will have to work on closing out games without Brandon Roy.

Part of me is worried that karma wanted Portland to lose that game last night, and since I'm a LOST degenerate, I'm pretty sure karma was aggravated that the Blazers still won. Now the smoke monster is going to take over Steve Nash's body and he'll destroy all of us. I really hope it doesn't happen. Perhaps Andre Miller is the candidate that can stop him? Okay, I'll stop.

Basically for me, this was a three-hour stress fest. It's tough to watch Portland play so well and Phoenix continue to hang around by hitting threes. Leandro Barbosa hitting set shots in the half court? Richardson getting fouled on a three-pointer by Rudy? Missed free throws, poor shot selection?

So many things made this an emotionally up and down game, but the outcome is all that matters and now Portland has a chance to truly compete in this series. It will still be an incredibly tough road, even the two games in Portland are far from gimmies. The intensity, the hustle, the teamwork from Game One must be carried over for 48 minutes in every game of the series.

Obviously there were many contributors to this victory for Portland. But no one was a bigger alpha dog than Miller when we needed him the most. Miller's relentless pounding of the Suns defense was truly amazing. He began the game finding open teammates and then when things got tighter down the stretch he took matters into his own hands.

For a guy with below average athletic ability, he baffled the Suns in every way. My favorite had to be when Phoenix dared him to shoot a three and he canned it, leaving his follow-through up for a good three to five seconds afterward. Don't mess with Andre; he'll getcha. Then of course Andre had to pick up for Bayless by hitting the game sealing free throws in the fourth quarter.

Marcus Camby also showed us exactly why he was brought in, crashing the boards, defending, blocking shots, and just being that presence in the middle. Nicolas Batum was perfect in this game. He spread the floor, hit some open looks, and ended with an efficient 18 points and five rebounds.

Once Bayless realized his best asset was attacking the basket, he went on a little tear in the third quarter that really helped get Portland to this win. Then despite his struggles early on, LaMarcus Aldridge fought off double teams in the second half and finished with a respectable 22 points on eight of 20 shooting. It wasn't the best day for Aldridge but he took some of the heat off of his teammates, freeing them up for opportunities to score.

Game One is in the books. It was a tremendous morale boost for a team that has been beaten down by injuries and was given no chance to win in this series by almost everyone outside of Portland. The question now becomes, can the Blazers actually keep this up without Roy? It's one thing to steal the first game, but if Phoenix figures out what Portland is doing, it could shift momentum back to Phoenix.

For now, I'm stoked about the win and cannot wait to see a couple games this week in person. I love the playoffs.