Tribute to Andre Miller

Andre Miller was the first NBA player I ever saw play the game live and in  person (I'm choosing to ignore the actual first instance--but he wasn't NBA material). It was the first game of the 1998-99 season between the University of Utah and Utah State, in Logan. The Utes last competition was the national championship game the previous season, so it was huge to see them play in Logan. The Aggies won. I don't remember being excited to see Andre play, but I had heard of him and thought he would be a good player at the next level.

Fast forward 10 years and Andre Miller signs with the Trailblazers, my favorite team. The team foolishly tried to make him the back-up point guard behind all-world talent, Steve Blake. That didn't last long, fortunately, and 'Dre proved his worth time and time again, to the point you could argue he was one of the team's top overall players and most valuable pieces. He had also won me over as my favorite Blazer (and this was before we knew Roy had no knees). Even though he and I are the same age, he really hasn't shown any signs of slowing down and losing his edge.

But apparently Andre was a tasty trade target, as his contract wasn't guaranteed for the next year, and sure enough he was gone on draft day. I had heard rumors throughout the day, but I hoped they would all fizzle out. I was watching the draft at home when I heard the final news. I pounded my fists into the couch, semi-screaming for it not to be true. Ian, the only other one at home, stood behind me and laughed uncontrollably. Ian is mostly a social laugher, getting in his giggles only when those around him do, so this tells you how low I had sunk. I've never been this attached to a player before--not even my beloved Dodgers back in the 80's (I'm not really a fan of them anymore). I still don't understand why I responded with such emotion. At least he will be playing for Denver--the same division as Portland--so I should see him as much as any other opposing player, assuming the lockout doesn't kill all of next season. Best of luck, Andre--I'll miss seeing you lead the Blazers to victory.

My favorite memories of 'Dre are as follows:

Andre Miller Dunks
'Dre plays low to the ground, which probably fuels his longevity for the game. But I couldn't believe what happened on this--his one and only dunk as a Blazer. I think his son was attending the game and had teased him before the game about never dunking.



Andre Miller Lobs to Batum for the Last-Second Winning Shot
Aaron and I were at the Rose Garden for what most fans consider the most incredible game of the season. I will cherish this always. Aaron called me "crazy" after seeing me celebrate.


Andre Drops 52 on Dallas
Nobody could stop 'Dre this night, as his points came from everywhere, including from behind the 3-point arc.


'Dre for 3
Andre is one of the worst 3-point shooters in the league. Most cringe when they see him take one from behind the arc. I love it when he does, however, because it means he's wide open and has all the time to face the basket, set his feet, and launch it. It's never pretty, but it's one of the most exciting sights when it does go down.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Partied Like It's 1999

Image
1999 symbolizes my "freedom" time: I was a college graduate, gainfully-employed, virtually debt-free, and single/childless. I pretty much did what I wanted and didn't have to report to anyone or commit to any thing. This past week felt like I had stepped backwards in time, as Meg decided, on a whim, to drive to Salt Lake City--with kids in tow--and stay with my parents for a week. Since I wasn't part of the road trip, you'll have to encourage her to share any stories , although she has confessed to me that she's done with blogging. Here are the highlights of the back-in-time party that was this week: Exercise : Besides my daily 11-mile round trip commute by bike to the office, I went on three other bike rides around Clackanomah County, swam at the pool twice, and ran once. Cleaning : Organized some of our outdoor living space, cleaned the house from top-to-bottom, washed the G20, cleaned my bike, and manicured the outside landscape. Sleep : Every night wa...
Read more

Hiking the Timberline Trail

Image
I don't think I've been on a true backpacking trip before. Back in high school, my friend Bart and I planned a multi-day trip to Carl Lake, but we ended up turning around after one night of camping at Cabot Lake because it was raining so much and we'd rather stay at his family's cabin instead. I also hiked up to Moraine Lake as a scout leader, on the way to South Sister, where we camped in preparation to summit Oregon's third tallest peak, but we left all of our gear at the lake on the second leg of our climb. That was back in 2001. I first learned of the Timberline Trail by reading a brief summary of it in, of all places, Portland Monthly. Sure, it was 35 miles farther than I had ever backpacked before, and it involved two more days and nights, and I would be going solo. But the summer of 2016 is all about change and new beginnings for me. Day 1: Timberline Lodge to Ramona Falls I slept in Tuesday morning, as I was up late Monday night making my final preparat...
Read more

A Wild Black Sheep Chase

Image
It all started with a tweet. The tweet guided me to a blog. The blog inspired me to craft an e-mail. The e-mail led to a phone call. And the phone call led to my agreeing to trade my 1993.5 Infiniti G20 for a 2010 Black Sheep commuter bike (1 of only 13 in existence). All of this happened within 24 hours. From New Bike An informal part of our agreement to move to Portland was for me to get rid of my car, since I had committed to biking or riding the bus to work--and I never did drive the G20 once we moved to Portland, except once every other week or so to keep the fluids moving through the car. I had posted my car for sale at the G20 enthusiasts' site , but I didn't get any substantial bites, nor did I do much to promote its sale (Meg would like me to remind you that I took a year to sell my del Sol after buying the Maxima ). So when I saw a blog post about New Belgium's car swap at the Tour de Fat , I called Meg and proposed the idea to her. She thought it sounde...
Read more