Blazers History: Brandon Roy Makes Valiant Return To Beat Suns, Even Playoff Series

Brandon Roy’s career was often defined by injuries during his short but magical Portland Trail Blazers tenure.

But perhaps the most magical of them all was one of his last big moments.

On this day 12 years ago, Roy returned to the Blazers facing a 2-1 deficit in the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns just eight days after arthroscopic knee surgery.

Roy tore his meniscus, yet was able to come in clutch in major playoff minutes to save the Blazers’ season from the brink of elimination.

Roy played 27 minutes off the bench and scored 10 points in the team’s 96-87 win.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game-high 31 points to lead the team, while Andre Miller, Jerryd Bayless and Nicolas Batum all scored in double figures.

This moment didn’t exactly make Roy a Blazers legend, he achieved that status earlier, but this certainly cemented his identity as one of the Portland greats.