This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Portland, Ore. • C.J. Miles had no idea about what he had just done.
Walking out of the Jazz's locker room after yet another come-from-behind victory — this one a 103-94 defeat of the Portland Trail Blazers — the Utah reserve forward was asked by a team representative if he was aware that he had set a career high in made 3-pointers.
Walking with two knees thickly wrapped and iced, Miles softly replied, "How many did I make?"
Told that he had knocked down seven — including five during a fourth quarter that saw the Jazz outscore the Blazers 38-20 — Miles simply shook his head, laughed and kept moving forward.
As does Utah (9-5).
The indefatigable Jazz rallied to life again Saturday night at the Rose Garden, turning an 11-point second-quarter deficit into the team's sixth comeback win in 14 games. All of Utah's turnarounds have seen the team find life after trailing by at least 11 points. And the Jazz have now clipped Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Charlotte and Portland — all of whom made the playoffs in 2009-10 — with unexpected, thrilling recoveries.
"We believe in each other," said Miles, who finished with a game-high 25 points and hit 7 of his 10 3-point attempts. "We believe we've got a lot of guys with a lot of talent that can play hard. We know that any group that is out there is capable of playing well and hard.
"That's what we've been doing. No matter how the lineup's changed, we've found ways to make it work. And that's because we believe in each other. And everybody looks and holds everybody accountable."
Miles has also held himself up to the mirror. He acknowledged struggling, trying too hard and thinking too much from training camp to the 13th game of the regular season. He spoke about his low shooting percentage, doubters and gut checks. But as a member of a Jazz team that features every player being held responsible for their own actions and production, Miles said he has had no choice but to lock in and go to work.
"I was never going to stop being aggressive," said Miles, who began to find his touch Wednesday during a home win over New Jersey.
He is also never going to stop shooting.
During a game in which Utah's offense constantly dipped and plateaued, and the team again was badly beat up on the boards — the Jazz were outrebounded 48-38 — Miles came to life, spotted up and fired away.
"We lost him in transition," Blazers (8-6) coach Nate McMillan said. "We lost him a lot tonight. He just let it fly."
It was lift off for Miles — an inconsistent but at times deadly reserve forward who was in career-defining form Saturday as he gave Utah new life during the second quarter after sinking back-to-back 3s. Then he single-handedly resurrected the Jazz during the fourth period, nailing five 3s that were shot from a combined 132 feet away from the basket. Miles scored 17 points during the quarter.
"It felt that good that I could shoot the ball and start backpedaling," Miles said.
Al Jefferson added 20 points and a team-high 14 rebounds for a Jazz team guided by acting head coach Phil Johnson, who filled in for an absent Jerry Sloan.
"Al played tremendous tonight, coming back after a tough night last night," Johnson said.
LaMarcus Aldridge's 24 points and 11 rebounds topped a Blazers team playing without injured All-Star guard Brandon Roy.
The Jazz outscored the Blazers 38-20 during the final quarter. Utah was buoyed by a 52.6 percent (10 of 19) shooting percentage beyond the arc, 100 percent (21 of 21) from the foul line and 48 percent (36 of 75) overall from the field.
"It was great," Johnson said. "We were hanging in there. And at halftime, I felt like we had a chance if we just played strong."
bsmith@sltrib.comTwitter: tribjazz —
Storylines Comeback kids strike again
R IN SHORT • The Jazz rally to down the Portland Trail Blazers 103-94 Saturday night at the Rose Garden.
Key stat • Jazz forward C.J. Miles sets a career high with seven made 3-pointers, including five during the fourth quarter.
Key moment • Utah outscored the Blazers 38-20 during the final period.