Brandon Roy rose up to the occasion when all the chips were down as he led the Portland Trail Blazers to a thrilling come from behind victory against the Dallas Mavericks to tie their 1st round series; 2-2.

Coming back from a 23 point deficit the Blazers leaned on their hobbled All-star. Roy struggled all season long, as the former go to guy adjusted to his diminished role as a player off the bench because of injuries.

Roy hit rock bottom after game 2 in the same series when he almost cried in the press conference after failing to score a single point.

The media and fans had mixed reactions to the sudden outburst of complains from the good natured Roy, as he was crucified asking for playing time instead of earning it while also commended for wanting to help his team.

Roy was considered not too long ago as the best shooting guard in the western conference next to Kobe Bryant. For the fans of Oregon to see this man reduced to begging for playing time is heart breaking to them.

Brandon was a complete player just ask the mercurial Kobe Bryant as he was interviewed in the John Thompson Show who was the hardest player to guard in the western conference, Kobe answered:

“Roy 365 days, seven days a week. Roy has no weaknesses in his game.”

To get such high praise from Black Mamba who is no slouch himself in presiding over extra ordinary performances, is the ultimate compliment for a young player coming into the league.

Watching him go for 18 points in the fourth quarter of game 4, Roy reminded the world why the Blazers was the team of the future, he took on the cudgels and took the Blazers on his back to salvage a 2-2 series before going back to American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Roy scored on a variety of ways, he made driving layups, fade away jumpers, step back jumpers, a four point play, and a bank shot in the middle for the go ahead basket with 39.2 seconds remaining.

Flashing back to the comments of Bryant he was like a messiah in describing Roy’s game.

“Roy has no weakness in his game”

Lemarcus Aldridge has emerged as the lead guy in Roy’s absence the 2006 batch mates needs to reacquaint themselves and play off each other’s strength to pull off an upset in their 1st round duel against the Mavericks.

The Blazers need Roy and Roy needs them to believe in him.

Head Coach Nate Mcmillan’s reaction in the press conference after the game was surely music to the ears of Roy:

"We here in Portland know what he is capable of doing. Tonight was the Brandon Roy of old. He took the game on his shoulders and carried the team, willed the team to win. There were possessions earlier where he was doing a good job of setting guys up and kicking it, but in the fourth quarter, he wasn't passing the ball. He was going to take the shot, and live with the result."

Live with the results they did. Now it’s a best of three affair.

Aldo Avinante, Manila Bulletin