Grant Hill Hits Game Winner
posted: 12/1/2006 at 9:35 PM
Following his game-winning shot with three-tenths of a second left at the Rose Garden on Friday night, Grant Hill said, "we got lucky." He went on to talk about the effort by the Trail Blazers, the incredible second half by Zach Randolph, and his own huge plays in the final seconds of the game.
Orlando conntinues to roll, as they've now won six straight games, including five straight on the road. They also made history with the win over the Blazers. They've played the Sonics and Trail Blazers on back-to-back nights, on the road, 15 times in their history. This is the first time they've come away with victories in both games. They also now share the NBA's best record, with Utah, who is also 13 and 4.
Hill, the classy veteran, who has been better known for his injury-plagued career in Orlando than his play on the court, had the two biggest plays of the night. First, he picked off a Sergio Rodriguez pass with 30 seconds left, and then tied the game with two free throws. Then, with just 1.2 seconds left and the game tied, received a lob pass from Hedo Turkoglu, and put in the game-winner. The Blazers didn't have any time outs left, and the Magic won the game, 91-89.
Hill's clutch plays ruined what was a great come-back effort by the Trail Blazers, who didn't take their first lead in the game until the 1:04 mark of the fourth quarter. Orlando led by as many as 9 points in the game, and repeatedly turned back Portland's attempts to get over the hump.
The Blazers had pulled to within one of Orlando, five different times before finally taking the lead. Then, with Travis Outlaw's jumper, went up 89-87 with 1:04 to play. Following a Hill miss, the Blazers had the ball back, with a two-point lead, with 30 seconds to play. Sergio Rodriguez, who otherwise had an outstanding game, floated a pass out top that was picked off by Hill, who made the tying free throws. Portland still had a possession to try and tie, and when nothing else developed, Sergio drove down the right side of the lane and missed a bank shot with 1.2 left.
The game-winning play was a beauty, designed by Magic coach Brian Hill. The Blazers were most likely thinking Hedo Turkoglu would pass the ball in, and then get it back, with a chance to go for the winner. Instead, Jameer Nelson set a back pick for Hill at the foul line. Jarrett Jack and Ime Udoka, who had been switching on picks all night, got caught in the switch, and Turkoglu's pass was caught by a wide-open Hill, who flipped it in.
The Trail Blazers will be looking at this game as a big missed opportunity to beat one of the hottest teams in the NBA. As several of the players said after the game, the Blazers didn't make the most of several big possessions down the stretch, and missed some key free throws, that would have put them in a much better position. They're beyond searching for moral victories, so no one was happy with just a good effort.
Zach Randolph, who was the focus of Orlando's defense, struggled in the first half against a big Magic frontline, and had just 4 points. But, he came alive in the second half, scoring 24 of his 28 in the final two quarters. He had 16 in the third quarter alone, to get Portland to within striking distance. Zach ended with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Jarrett Jack had 14 points, and Travis Outlaw had 13 off the bench, including the big shot to give the Blazers their first lead with just over a minute left. LaMarcus Aldridge had a solid game, with 10 points off the bench.
By the way, the Blazers have been terrific in late-game pressure so far this season. They had been 4 and 0 in games decided by 4 points or less. It looked as though they'd be playing their first overtime game of the season, until Hill ended the suspense.
There's just one game left on this homestand, and then we're off for a six-game road trip. Atlanta will visit the Rose Garden on Sunday night. We leave early Monday morning for Detroit, Milwaukee, Indiana, Toronto, Philadelphia, and Memphis.
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Hey Mike!
I think the Blazers are as frustrated as the fans. Let's not pick apart what the blazers could've done better in this game. Everyone could think of one, two, or maybe three things that would've made this go more smoothly.
Anyways, Orlando is #1 in the SE division for a reason. It was not a blowout, it was a good game. At times I felt like pulling my hair out, just because our team would get so close and then get behind by 9. I had a great time tonight in the Rose Garden!
I think the Blazers will be in better shape when Brandon Roy is put into the rotation. What I mean by that is they'll have much more confidence. For those who where at the game tonight, the Blazers announce that Brandons boot came off. How the Fans responded! Wow! That made me feel good. The Fans know what they have in Brandon, And Brandon knows what he has in the fans. If you missed it, it was about the Noise (cheer) and the smile on that young mans face! Priceless! Till Next time!
Hi all! from Barcelona, Spain. I've been reading all the comments about Sergio Rodriguez and I can understand both opinions. I understand the ones that thought he's too young and unexperienced to be the starting PG in the NBA, and I understand the ones that claims for more minutes and a more important role in the team.
I'm an Estudiantes fan (the team where Sergio comes) and I've seen him in so many games. I can affirm that he is totally capable of taking the chief role in any team, he has show it in so many games. Be sure of that!
Ther's only one thing we should take care of: he needs to feel that the team, the coach and all the staff, believes in him. If we are patient with him, don't worry about an struggling game, in the next one, he will do better than ever. He loves to take an important role and he could do it right now!. But remember, he's 20 and he needs affection and confidence. Trust in him, he won't dissapoint you.
Someone that knows what is talking about.
Go Blazers!!
aitor14vn Ill setle for sergio making wide open layups
So was there a team meeting to decide that Sergio is the new go-to guy in clutch situations, or how was this decided? Will Sergio be getting the ball on ALL big plays from now on, or will other players sometimes be involved near the end of games as well? I hope we don't get too predictable to other teams with our new game-closing "always get it to Sergio" strategy.
I hope Jarrett, as the team's starting point guard, will accept his new "get out of the way and let Sergio go to work" role at the end of games.
By the way, this is NOT a knock on Sergio. His fans could tone it down, though - aitor14vn, did you see the game??? Sergio will be fine, but some of the rest of us need to view him and where he is in this stage of his career with a bit more clarity.
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