Upset in Phoenix

Just when you thought all of the higher seeded teams who have home court advantage would be able to capitalize on their chances of taking a 1-0 lead in their respective series, Portland, yes the injury depleted, Roy-less Blazers have again defied odds to take one for the road against Phoenix in a big 105-100 win today. They were able to get a mighty contribution from Andre Miller, a preseason acquisition that brought in an experienced and stable point guard. Pitting up against none other than Steve Nash, he was able to deliver 31 points on a 10-17 shooting. He also posted 8 dimes and 3 steals.

Another huge factor in the game 1 upset was mid- season acquisition, Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Camby who was able to hold down Amar'e Stoudemire to a measley 8-19 shooting and ended up with 18 points. He also put up a superb 17 rebound and 3 block effort. After losing Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla to injury, the Blazers made a trade for Camby that sent Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake to the Clippers.

This is still a long series and the Suns were clearly caught off guard by the upstart Blazers. "We might not have taken them as seriously as we should have," admitted Stoudemire, speaking of a Blazers' team that is going without their biggest star, the injured Brandon Roy. The Suns which usually play an uptempo game scored only 4 fast break points. "We have to create a faster tempo," Stoudemire said.

It was a close game until the dying minutes when the Blazers pulled away although there were chances for the Suns late in the game to pull out the win. Jared Dudley and Jason Richardson both got good looks but missed the shots that might have pulled the Suns closer.

The Blazers had gone only 8-9 in games without Roy, who is out of the post-season with a knee injury.