Down 23 points late in Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks, the Blazers turned to Brandon Roy in hopes of something magical.

Magical is the only way to describe the sequence of events that followed.

Lets first rewind to the fallout after the Blazers’ Game 2 loss and the postgame comments.

Roy was upset after playing only eight minutes in the defeat, and gave the following quote to Jason Quick of the Oregonian:

“There was a point in the first half, and I was thinking ‘you better not cry,’ I mean, serious. I mean, there was a moment where I felt really sorry for myself. Then I was like, ‘nah, you can’t be sorry for yourself.’ I’m a grown man, but there was a moment there that I felt sorry for myself. Especially when I think I can still help.”

This represented rock bottom for Brandon Roy, the once-proud superstar who was grounded earlier in the year by a double knee surgery. He had been largely ineffective in the 21 games of action he saw before the playoffs, averaging eight points a game. This is coming from a former All-Star with a career average of 19 points a game.

Then came Game 4, and the fourth quarter Brandon Roy will never forget. Roy scored 18 points in the fourth quarter off an astonishing array of fadeaway jumpers, 3-pointers and layups. The culmination of his attack was a 3-point field goal where he was fouled, then sunk the free throw to tie the game.

With the team on his back, Brandon Roy willed the Trail Blazers to the greatest comeback NBA playoff victory since the 2008 Finals.

An emotional Roy was almost brought to tears as he spoke to the TNT reporter on the court following the game.

“It was amazing man, I don’t know what to say. It’s just unbelievable,” Roy exclaimed. He went on to say, “I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to play basketball at a high level again. To play the way I did tonight is special, it means a lot to me.”

This is quite the turnaround since Game 2 of the series. Hopefully, Brandon will ride this success and resurrect his once promising career.