If NBA fans didn't appreciate Terry Porter before, they should now.
The Portland playmaker orchestrated one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history Wednesday night as the Trail Blazers beat Phoenix 108-107 to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.The six-year pro from tiny Wisconsin-Stevens Point sank the two biggest shots of the game - a 3-pointer with 28.4 seconds to go and the game-winning 13-footer with 12.7 seconds to play.
"Terry Porter's been doing that for years," Portland coach Rick Adelman said. "The only difference is he's never had national TV exposure to show it. He's been our game-winner all along. I can't tell you how many games he's won like that."
Porter is Portland's leading scorer in the playoffs and he relishes the chance to shoot in clutch situations.
"I've been shooting extremely well in the playoffs," he said. "Whenever I'm open, there's no hesitation."
Porter scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half after Portland fell behind by 18 at intermission.
It equaled the second-biggest comeback from a halftime deficit in NBA playoff history. The only one that was bigger occurred 42 years ago, when Baltimore trailed Philadelphia 41-20 at the half but rallied to win 66-63.
"I can't think of another win that's as satisfying as this one," Adelman said.
"It's a tough loss for us but it's not going to be the end of the world for this team," Phoenix coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said. "I have a lot of confidence in this team and our team will bounce back."
Games 3 and 4 are set for Friday and Sunday in Phoenix, and Porter isn't sure how much Wednesday night's collapse will affect the Suns.
"I don't think it buries them without a doubt," he said. "They're a very good ball club and they're going to come back strong. They've got two games at home and they play very well at home. But it definitely is going to leave a bad taste in their mouth."
Phoenix led by 12 at the end of the second period and boosted the margin to 22 before settling for a 59-41 halftime lead.
The Suns still led 79-62 with 41/2 minutes left in the third quarter when Porter, Jerome Kersey and Clyde Drexler began to lead the rally.
Kersey scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, including six straight Portland points as the Blazers narrowed the Phoenix lead to 104-103 with 1:37 to play.
Kersey blocked Tom Chambers' shot with just over a minute to play. But after Kevin Duckworth missed, Kersey was called for a foul on the rebound and Chambers made a pair of free throws with 50.1 seconds to play to put the Suns ahead 106-103.
Porter's 3-pointer, his third of the second half, tied the score at 106-all with 28.4 seconds to go. The crowd, silent for most of the first half, was roaring.
Kevin Johnson made one of two free throws with 27.2 seconds to go. After a timeout, Portland got the ball to Porter, who drove toward the basket and sank a running jumper over the arms of Johnson for the game winner.