Millsap Channels Tracy McGrady in Iconic One-Man Comeback
Back on December 9th, 2004, Tracy McGrady did the impossible. With the Rockets trailing 76-68 with under 36 seconds left in the game, McGrady hit four baskets, including a 4-point play, to shock everyone and come away with an 81-80 iconic win. What made it even more incredible is that this comeback came against the eventual NBA Champions, the San Antonio Spurs. In this forgotten box score series however, we will be focusing on a one-man comeback that does not get nearly the attention that Tracy McGrady receives; Paul Millsap’s 11 points in the final 28.7 seconds.
Much like the Spurs-Rockets McGrady game, the Utah Jazz were also facing a historic team in the 2010-2011 Miami Heat Big 3 team and also trailed by 8 points before the legendary comeback. In a game that featured a LeBron James 20/14/11 triple-double, a Deron Williams efficient 21-point and 14-assist outing, and a Dwayne Wade 39-point performance, it was actually Paul Millsap who shined brightest in Miami that night with 46 points and 9 rebounds. The Jazz entered this game losing the previous 7 games they played in Miami, trailed by as many as 22 points, and Millsap was averaging just 6.9 points per game the previous 8 games he faced the Heat. None of this mattered on his career night.
11 Points in the Last 28.7 Seconds (Including a Career-High 46 points) and 9 rebounds
When players have a career high in points, generally that is the main talking point of the night. On November 9th, 2010 this was not the case however, with Paul Millsap’s career-high 46 points arguably being a bronze medalist for his performance. Two even greater improbable feats were more impressive on this night, and it starts with the three-point shooting from Millsap. Prior to this game against Miami, Paul Millsap was not known as a deep threat at all, making just 2/20 total attempts from beyond the arc in his NBA career. In fact, until this game he had not made (or even attempted) a three-pointer all season. Furthermore, Millsap connected on just 6 other three-pointers that entire season, but for thirty seconds, some Millsap magic took place and he shot a perfect 3/3 from deep.
The other more impressive feat than the 46 total points, is obviously the 11 points in 28.7 seconds. After Dwayne Wade made two free throws to put the Heat up 98-90, Millsap hit a 25-footer which started the comeback. Deron Williams then scored the only non-Millsap bucket in the last minute and we saw an excess of Carlos Arroyo free throws. With only 12.1 seconds left in regulation Millsap drilled his 2nd three-pointer, making it a two-point game. After more Arroyo free throws, Millsap made the trifecta three with 4.3 seconds left, cutting the lead to one single point. Following missed free throws from Arroyo and Dwayne Wade, the Utah Jazz had a mere 3.4 seconds to go for the tie or win. C.J. Miles launched a three pointer from the corner and missed, but once again Millsap came to save the day, banking in a 6-foot put-back as regulation was expiring to send it to overtime. The Jazz went on to win 116-114 in OT and the comeback was complete. Millsap became McGrady 2.0.
