Brandon Roy Fuels 4th-Quarter Surge to Lead Portland to Tie Series with Dallas

Even I had to take part in the laughs spreading about Brandon Roy's tearful complaints about bench treatment he received in the Game 2 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

He answered every critic with 16 points in Game 3 to help Portland overtake Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks in their first 2011 playoff game at home. The crowd assisted in the efforts of the team, but Roy’s resurgence as a viable athlete was a bigger part.

He had something to prove after making the comments to the press about not having much playing time and sustaining ill treatment as a part of the Portland athletic family.

Tears were wiped away and grown-man shoes were placed back on tonight as he salvaged the hometown victory that Dallas threatened to swipe right in front of Roy’s eyes.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Trailblazers were down 18 points, until a bad pass from Jason Terry prompted a steal by LaMarcus Aldridge and a bucket for Gerald Wallace.

Yet, there was something missing. Even with the roar from the crowd that Wallace received after the shot, a fraction of the postseason pie was left untouched. That was until Roy decided it was time to play like they had home-court advantage and stop slumping their shoulders.

Down by 15 points, with only about 10 minutes left in the game, Brandon Roy burst into the game as the conceivable reason why Portland was able to walk away with their heads held high and a reason to play hard in Game 4.

Roy scored 18 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, one of which was a three-pointer, and allowed his team to rally back for a two-point win over the higher-seeded Mavericks.

What does this prove? Well, unfortunately, Roy still does not hold the responsibility for carrying the team.

LaMarcus Aldridge is still the driving force behind the mechanics of how Portland operates. Aldridge was the reason why the Trailblazers were able to still claim a postseason berth, after the team sustained all the injuries that would count them out.

LA put the team on his back; therefore, it is only ethical that he remain the team’s go-to guy.

However, this does prove that the team everyone seems to underestimate has the deepest roster in the league. There is no man on the bench or in a starting position that will be ineffective at any moment in a game, let alone a game for all the marbles.

Whether their contributions are defensive or offensive, each player gives off an X-factor feeling that never allows their opponent to get comfortable, no matter how wide the lead may be in their favor.

The Dallas Mavericks went cold the moment Portland began to take over. You can credit the Trailblazers with immaculate defense, or you could give the nod to Terry and Kidd’s lack of perimeter accuracy, with a combined six missed shots to widen the lead in Oregon.

In any event, the win is all that counts, and the team closing in on Brandon Roy as a tick was added to the Trailblazers win column shows the restored faith that the franchise has in him.