So does good ball movement and the Phoenix Suns’ inability to make shots. But also give full credit to LaMarcus Aldridge — who seems to need the whole town jumping on his case in order to get himself going. And of course, credit the presence of Brandon Roy for opening the court up for everyone.

It was a bit of a weird game. Portland once again won the battle of fast break points, by a whopping 16-4. The Suns quit making open outside shots all of a sudden. The Blazers once went about eight minutes without a field goal. The Suns opened the game with an avalanche of backdoor cuts for dunks. Portland failed for almost the entire fourth quarter to take advantage of Steve Nash defending Nic Batum — I mean, call a timeout, run Batum down the the low post and throw him the ball. He wouldn’t need any post moves — just turn and throw it down in the little man’s grill. Man, a coach like Mike Dunleavy would have made sure whoever Nash tried to guard he’d have a long day — especially if it’s a guy who stands 6-8.

But anyway, it was great to see Roy back on the floor, just eight days after his knee surgery. Among other weirdness, by the way — Rudy Fernandez didn’t play in the second half, Martell Webster played only 12:42 in spite of giving his usual consistent, solid effort, Batum was called for retaliating to a nasty elbow to his right shoulder delivered by Amare Stoudemire that ought to earn Stoudemire a fine, Channing Frye and Jerryd Bayless were both called for flagrant fouls that weren’t all that flagrant and the Blazers outscored the Suns 17-5 in second-chance points. And oh yes, I continue to be amazed that Nate McMillan insists he’s telling his defenders not to switch on pick-and-rolls and they continue to do it time after time. It put them in so many vulnerable situations that it was amazing they overcame it to win.

This is why I love the NBA playoffs. Stuff happens — stuff you don’t expect. This was the kind of effort from Portland I wish we’d seen on Thursday night. Even if the team loses after giving this kind of effort, you can’t complain.

I do believe it’s anybody’s series if Roy is back to stay and can quickly round into shape. If he can bring his game up a little more, move just a hair better and stay safe, the Blazers have a shot at this thing. And oh yeah, Aldridge has to keep rolling those big numbers, too.

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The Portland Trail Blazers were terrific for the most part Sunday night. But no look back at the game would be complete without a nod to how bad the Phoenix Suns were.

The Blazers missed six foul shots and a wide-open dunk in the final two minutes of the game and still scored 35 points in the fourth quarter! I mean, wow. That’s not the kind of defense you win with in the postseason. But in spite of all the hype, the Phoenix Suns are still the Phoenix Suns — an offensive circus but not good enough defensively to be taken seriously in the poseason.

The Blazers outplayed the Suns at both ends of the floor all night and the game should not have been as close as it was. If LaMarcus Aldridge had made the shots he usually hits, it could have been a rout.

Now do you see why Phoenix is such a great first-round matchup for Portland?

Meanwhile, the Blazers put together a very good defensive game plan. Without Robin Lopez in the middle, Marcus Camby can cover Amare Stoudemire — which means real trouble for the Suns. Stoudemire is almost forced outside because he can’t get to the shots he wants against Camby’s length. It’s a real quandry for Phoenix, because it cannot win without a big contribution from Stoudemire. And it’s doing to be a problem for the Suns as long as Camby stays healthy and out of foul trouble.

As I said last night on television after the game, I have very few rules for the playoffs but one of them is that when Andre Miller hits a three-pointer — particularly in the fourth quarter — you should win the game. (Man, what a pro Miller is — his basketball IQ is off the charts and at times he seems to be able to get to anywhere on the court he wants to go).

You can add to that, when Jerryd Bayless goes 6-for-10 from the field, you should also win. Bayless shooting well from the outside is a rarity and a bit of a scary proposition long term, because he’s not going to do it often — which means you are inevitably going to have to live with some ugly misses in the next game or two while he adjusts to the fact that he’s really not much of a shooter.

But by that game, Aldridge will probably be making shots, or Rudy Fernandez, or Martell Webster.

I cannot make this point often enough — and I feel like I’ve made it for weeks now about the Trail Blazers: It’s not who is missing from your lineup, it’s who is playing for you. And the Blazers still have a bevy of talented players. And that’s something a good many people haven’t caught onto yet.

Look, Nic Batum is one of the best 20-year-old players in the world. Andre Miller is still a terrific point guard. Camby is a center worthy of defensive player of the year honors year in and year out, when healthy, during his career. Martell Webster and Rudy Fernandez are guys who could start — and maybe even star — for a good many NBA teams. Aldridge is going to be an all-star some day.

Folks, even with Brandon Roy on the sidelines, this is a very talented collection of players. And right now, it’s a very comfortable situation for them, flying under the radar as underdogs against a team from Phoenix that’s still, after all these years, not made for playoff success.

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It’s as if the Western Conference powers are sitting around a poker table and each one, in turn, keeps upping the ante. The Blazers might just as well swoop in and pluck Steve Nash from the dead carcass that was once the Phoenix Suns.

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As we near Thursday’s big day, let me reiterate what lies ahead for the Trail Blazers. This year the deadline offers a unique opportunity for Portland, in that so many owners are experiencing financial hardships both in their primary businesses and their NBA teams.

That leads to teams making deals merely to reduce payroll — which is very often a bad way to run a team. And it’s something that leads to some very unbalanced trades. The Blazers, sitting on RLEC (you know, Raef’s expiring contract) and a couple of players of value — Travis Outlaw and Sergio Rodriguez — they’re willing to deal, may have an opportunity to make a franchise-changing trade.

Or not.

Kevin Pritchard is being very picky here, which he should be. There isn’t going to be a deal made wherein the Blazers surrender that contract and a few players for just anyone. I think KP will pull the trigger for the player of his dreams, but otherwise, well, he’ll do nothing.

Dealing the RLEC would likely cause Portland to take back a nasty contract, one with long-term implications. The Blazers will soon have to extend the Roy and Aldridge deals and don’t want to get themselves fenced in by a nasty salary cap situation.

Paul Allen has been a great owner when it comes to taking on salaries if he sees a championship in the future. But it’s not fair to ask him to start going $80 million to $100 million in debt each season, either.

So with all that in mind, here are some odds to play around with on what’s likely to happen. And really, all we can do is throw a few names at the wall and see if anything sticks. Remember, too, this is for entertainment purposes only — please NO WAGERING!:

Even money: The Trail Blazers don’t find the deal they want and decide, for now, to hold onto RLEC. If they don’t move the contract, you could still see a minor move made but nothing that’s going to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. I think this option is more likely than you might imagine. There is nothing wrong with saving that final bullet in your gun for a better shot later on.

2-1: A player you’ve never seen or heard in a previous trade conversation arrives. Come on, there’s no way any of us know what’s really out there for the Trail Blazers. Some organizations keep things quiet, you know. They’re not all the Phoenix Suns. These are the most fun deals. You acquire a player who you never thought would be available to you. Kind of like Pau Gasol going to the Lakers last season for practically nothing. That’s become the new gold standard for mid-season deals.

3-1: Richard Jefferson. This is the name that keeps coming up. He makes a lot of sense because he’s a team-oriented small forward who can do a little bit of everything and has deep playoff experience.

8-1: Kirk Hinrich. Makes a lot of sense if you want to shore up the perimeter defense. Reliable shooter who can defend. And he’s available. A Kansas guy, too. Problem is, I don’t see the point of investing in a long-term point-guard option if the team thinks Bayless is their guy.

10-1: Andre Miller. It seems likely he’ll be traded and the Blazers have always liked him.

10-1: John Salmons. A player who could help but who isn’t going to be a game changer. His name won’t send shockwaves through the city, either.

20-1: Jason Kidd. I know, a long shot. But there’s just something in the back of my mind about the guy coming here for a season or two and mentoring Jerryd Bayless while teaching this team the value of getting the ball into the post.

100-1: Amare Stoudemire. No chance, really. I don’t really believe Portland wants this player. Particularly not at the price being asked.

OK, that’s just a list of names. I don’t pretend to know any secrets at this point. I will say this, too: Don’t forget, if the Blazers go out and get a player, he’s got to be able to fit in — not only with the “culture” of the team, but the personalities and talent. The first question you want to ask about any new player of significance is this: Can he play with Brandon Roy? How does he fit with Brandon Roy?

I’m sure before any major deal is made that question will be asked to Brandon Roy, too.

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This story says that Portland is in the thick of the chase for Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire. I don’t really believe it’s true, at least if the deal is constituted the way it’s reported. In the last two days I think I’ve read stories in the hometown papers of about half the teams in the league saying their team was chasing Stoudemire.

This report says that the Blazers are offering LaMarcus Aldridge, Jerryd Bayless and Raef’s super-expiring contract for Stoudemire.

First off, I don’t see Portland giving up Bayless. Or Aldridge, for that matter. And I’m not sure where Stoudemire fits as a Blazer. He’s an extremely talented offensive player — but this team is already one of the most efficient offensive teams in the league. He’s a rebounder, but the Blazers are the best rebounding team in the league already.

He’s also a very disinterested defender, and the Blazers are already pretty mediocre on defense. He’s also a guy who needs to run — and Portland plays at the slowest pace in the league. He just doesn’t strike me as enough of the missing piece for the Blazers to basically push so many of its chips onto the table and go “all in” for him.

I’m also convinced if this report is true, and the Blazers did, indeed, make that offer, Stoudemire is going to be a Blazer. It’s a great offer because the Suns get two terrific young players and also the massive salary cap relief they’re looking for. In fact, I’d say if Portland really made that offer, the deal would be done already.

I mean, the Suns not only get the cap relief they’re seeking by dumping Amare’s contract (which is probably the biggest thing they’re seeking), they get TWO great young players? Nobody else is offering anywhere near that much.

(Sidebar — Steve Kerr is a very smart guy. And a nice guy. But has he taken leave of his senses? Trade the 26-year-old superstar and keep the elderly Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal and Grant Hill? In a year, Phoenix will be so far from the playoffs it will need a telescope to see them.)

Everyone likes trades. At least that’s my experience. At the very least they like talking about them. There are a good many players out there who would really help the Blazers, but I’m not sure Stoudemire fits as well as a lot of them.

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