We didn’t know then, but 11 years ago, two of the greatest to ever wear a Trail Blazers uniform put on an unforgettable Christmas duel. Here, we reminisce on Brandon Roy and Carmelo Anthony’s battle.
For a team sporting a near-flawless 14-4 record on Christmas Day — and the NBA’s second-best Christmas win percentage — it’s been quite a while since the Portland Trail Blazers have been able to create a Yuletide moment.
Tomorrow’s schedule ensures that for a second consecutive year, the Trail Blazers won’t be on the holiday slate. So, what better time than now to reminisce on their last Christmas Day win, over a decade ago?
The Dec. 25, 2009 game between the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers holds some special significance, mostly because of what we couldn’t have known at the time.
It pitted three of (arguably) the ten greatest players to ever put on a Trail Blazers uniform in LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, and Carmelo Anthony, and a storybook duel between the latter two. It also proved to be the second-to-last 40-point game of Roy’s career.
The final score — a 107-96 win for Portland — doesn’t quite do it justice. Portland needed a fourth quarter flurry from Roy and Blake, who combined for 24 points in the fourth quarter alone to pull away after trailing for most of the game.
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Perhaps what ages best about this game is just how differently the mentalities were from just ten years ago. Carmelo Anthony and Brandon Roy, black shoulder brace strapped on and all, relied almost exclusively on the midrange game and physicality in getting to the rim for their points.
And score they did. By the end of the night, here were their respective stat lines.
Roy: 41 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists | 16-of-26 FG, 3-of-6 3P, 6-of-6 FT (25 in the second half)
Anthony: 32 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists | 11-of-23 FG, 1-of-2 3P, 9-of-10 FT
The two generational scorers had 13 head-to-head duels, Carmelo Anthony often getting the better of it, averaging 29.2 points and eight wins.
But while this proved to be the peak of a potentially legendary Northwest Division duel, it sent a message: the Trail Blazers weren’t too far behind their big brothers (Denver and Utah). And if health had permitted, they would have likely been poised to build upon their 54-win season in 2009.
It was a win in front of a primetime audience that couldn’t be ignored, and the great Mike Rice perhaps said it best:
"“Well, if there’s anybody left that didn’t know Brandon Roy was a superstar … they found out tonight on Christmas, on a big stage.”"
Wiser words likely weren’t spoken on that night.