Blazers All-Star guard Brandon Roy had a major breakthrough in Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round series against the Mavericks. (US PRESSWIRE)

Just a few days removed from his postgame meltdown in which he questioned his coach for not giving him enough minutes, Brandon Roy is officially back as an NBA superstar.

With his surgically repaired knees holding up just fine, Roy delivered one of the greatest fourth-quarter performances in playoff history when he carried the Trail Blazers to a come-from-behind win against the shell-shocked Mavericks, 84-82.

Roy, who was 9-of-13 from the field in 24 minutes, scored 18 of his 24 points in the fourth, a quarter in which the Blazers – who trailed by as much as 23 points in the second – outscored the Mavs 40-15.

“After what I’ve been through this year, there were times when I didn’t know if I’d ever play basketball again,” Roy said after the game. “When we were down 20 points, I had to step up my play. I had nothing to lose. It was a special night, and I’ll remember it forever.”

With 39.2 seconds left, Roy made a go-ahead bank shot over Shawn Marion that gave the Trail Blazers an 84-82 lead. Dallas had an opportunity regain the lead, but Jason Kidd’s wide-open 3-pointer sailed wide right and didn’t draw iron. Portland became the third NBA team in the shot clock era to win a playoff game when trailing by 18 points or more heading into the fourth quarter. The series is now tied at 2 apiece.

“Brandon just did a great job of being poised,” said Blazers coach Nate McMillan. “There is nobody, including Brandon Roy, that wants to see him on the floor as much as I do. We all up here in Portland know what he’s capable of doing, and tonight was the Brandon Roy of old. I mean he took the game on his shoulders and carried the team, willed the team, to a win.

“In the fourth quarter, I saw the Brandon of old. I mean he wasn’t passing the ball. He was gonna take the shot and he was gonna live with the result.”

McMillan added: “You could just see it in his eyes that he was going to take control of this game.”

Roy’s incredible performance wasn’t lost on his peers.

Chris Paul posted on his Twitter page: “Too happy for B.Roy! Really good dude and unstoppable when he’s feeling good… He deserves the spotlight. True Leader!”

Quentin Richardson tweeted: “S/O to B-Roy!! Dude did his thing out there tonite. Especially after what he’s gone thru wit the injuries. He was amazing out there tonite!

Eight days after undergoing knee surgery to fix a torn meniscus on his right knee, Roy returned to the basketball court and played in a pivotal playoff game at the Rose Garden.

OK, maybe it wasn’t quite as dramatic as the Willis Reed moment at Madison Square Garden and Roy wasn’t dragging his leg around the court. However, Roy’s miraculous return was a moment Blazers fans won’t soon forget.

Roy scored just 10 points in the game, but the 26 minutes he spent on the court gave the Blazers a huge emotional boost, carrying them to a 96-87 victory over the Phoenix Suns and tying the series at 2.

Portland didn’t expect Roy to return so quickly and were prepared to go without him in the first round. But he jogged on the court with his teammates for warmups after getting cleared by his doctors. He then entered the game with 4:06 left in the first quarter and the Blazers seem to feed off the crowd’s excitement.

“We got our main guy back. Knowing that he was out there, I thought our guys were calm. I thought we played the game that we needed to play,” said Portland coach Nate McMillan, whose team has been besieged by injuries all season long, but Roy’s amazing recovery has given the Blazers a shot in the arm – or leg.

“I just didn’t feel right, you know, sitting in the training room knowing that I could contribute. So I just had to keep getting back at Coach,” said Roy, who played the entire fourth quarter.

“I was going to do everything to get out there on the court. I felt good out there on the floor, making some moves and just trying to get my rhythm back. I was just happy we got a big win. LaMarcus did a good job of carrying us.”

Roy’s presence certainly helped LaMarcus Aldridge, who hit 11 of 19 shots from the field and scored a game-high 31 points.

“As soon as he checked in the game and made his first open shot I said, ‘Thank God he’s back.’ Just having him out there is so big for us because any second he could get going,” said Aldridge, who added 11 rebounds.

Though Roy should be commended for even braving through a painful injury such as this one, the Blazers’ management and coaching staff should overrule their star player and tell him to shut it down for the rest of the season. It’s the smart thing to do and the right thing to do.

“I want to play,” Roy told the Associated Press. “It’s the playoffs. You play 82 games and take a beating just to get to this point.”

Roy, the franchise player for a franchise that has been ravaged by injuries this season, suffered a similar injury while at the University of Washington. The injury will require surgery, which will sideline him for four to six weeks.

Roy’s knee trouble is the latest in a long line of Blazer bad luck this season.

Starting center Greg Oden and his backup Joel Pryzbilla were lost for the season because of serious knee problems, and there is no certainty that both will be ready next season. Forward Nicholas Batum missed a great portion of the regular season with a shoulder injury and guard Rudy Fernandez has been nursing a tender back.

The injury bug also hit Blazers coach Nate McMillan, who ruptured his Achilles’ tendon during practice earlier in the year. 

Thirteen different Blazers have missed a combined 305 games because of injuries this season, second in the league only to the Warriors.

Even though the doctors have said that Roy cannot do more damage to his knee, which he injured last Sunday against the Lakers, the injury is serious enough that it will handicap him and the Blazers when he’s on the court. He won’t be able to jump, cut or change direction with the same speed and it could also put added pressure on his other knee if he tries to compensate.

So, the best strategy here is to play the healthy guys and hope for the best. Roy’s health should be the top priority and the Blazers shouldn’t risk the rest of his career for one postseason run.

Maybe next season the Blazers should hire a witch doctor to eliminate all the bad omen.

Kevin Durant should be a lock to make the U.S. men's basketball team that will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championships. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

USA Basketball recently finished a mini-camp in Las Vegas – what better place to hold a mini-camp than the entertainment capital of the world – and the system that Jerry Colangelo put in place four years ago seems to be working like a charm.

Mike Krzyzewski is back as head coach of Team USA and the coaching staff he brought to Beijing is also committed to serving another term with Coach K.

More importantly, the core of the team – Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul and Deron Williams – all have verbally committed to play for Team USA and make a run at the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey.

Barring injury or some unforeseen engagement, the eight studs who led the United States to a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics are back on board, which means only four roster spots remain unfilled.

But unlike in years past when USA Basketball would just take the next available player on the chart, the Colangelo-Coach K way is to find players who will fill a role and complement the rest of the squad.

With apologies to Vincent Thomas of NBA.com, here are four suggestions to start with:

KEVIN DURANT, Oklahoma City Thunder: The second overall pick in the 2007 put on a impressive workout during the mini-camp and is a lock to be the ninth player on the roster. Durant, a big guard (6-10) who can also play small forward, is already considered one of the top shooters in the league even though the former Texas Longhorn is only entering his third season as a pro. He averaged 25 points per game last year and shot an incredible 42% from 3-point range. Having a good perimeter game is paramount in the FIBA game and Durant can definitely fill the role of “Sniper.”

LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE, Portland Trail Blazers: Aldridge is perfect for the international game. He’s a big man (6-11) who can face up and shoot from mid-range. Versatility is really important in FIBA competition. Past Team USA failures can be traced to the inability of its bigs to defend quick centers and forwards. During the 2008 Olympics, Howard and Bosh complemented each because they have contrasting styles. Aldridge is cut from the same cloth as Bosh, and has the game and the demeanor to compete in the big stage.

Portland's Brandon Roy should be a good fit for Team USA. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

BRANDON ROY, Portland Trail Blazers: Instead of going with a traditional point guard, such as Rajon Rondo or Derrick Rose, Roy would be better suited on this team. At 6-5, Roy can play either guard position and is saavy enough to find his shots within the team concept. Rose and Rondo need the ball to be effective neither one has a consistent jump shot to run teams out of their zones. With Paul and Williams playing the bulk of the minutes, Roy is basically just insurance policy in case either PG gets hurt and gets into foul trouble. He is a good enough ball handler to handle the point and, when Kobe or D-Wade start isolating defenders, Roy can easily slide into the SG spot and play off the ball.

BLAKE GRIFFIN, Los Angeles Clippers: To be a good 12th Man on the Redeem Team, you need to have a pair of good, strong shoulders to carry all the luggages for Mr. Bryant, Mr. James and Mr. Wade. Griffin is the man for the job. He’s 6-10, 250 pounds, has super-strong arms and has the Body by Jake. Christian Laettner perfected the role of 12th Man back in 1992 for the original Dream Team. Laettner’s biggest contribution to the team was hauling the bags from the hotel lobby to the team bus.