"It was tough to tell which team had the Most Valuable Player-caliber point guard Sunday night in Game 1 of the Trail Blazers playoff series at Phoenix.

But it wasn't difficult to tell which team now has control of the best-of-seven series: the Blazers.

Despite trying every which way imaginable to give the game away in the final minutes -- missing free throws and a breakaway dunk -- the Blazers stunned a red-hot Phoenix team 105-100 behind a determined and dynamic performance from Andre Miller.

Miller had 31points, 8assists, 5rebounds and drew a huge charge on Amare Stoudemire late as the Blazers ended the Suns' eight-game home winning streak despite 25points and 9assists from his counterpart, MVP candidate Steve Nash.

"Andre was tremendous. He is like our quiet assassin, our quiet leader out there," said Marcus Camby. "He just goes about his business and seems to rise to the occasion at the right time."

It was Miller's two free throws with 3.7 seconds left that put an end to a crazy close of the game, when the Blazers went 8 for 14 from the free-throw line in the final two minutes and Camby missed a breakaway dunk with 51 seconds left to give the Suns hope.

"Game 1 is always the most important game," said Miller, who tied his career playoff high for points. "We did almost everything right."

The Blazers also got a huge performance off the bench from Phoenix-native Jerryd Bayless, who scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.

It ended a string of 18 consecutive Game 1 road losses by the Blazers dating back to 1983, and established the Blazers as the only road team to win in the NBA's opening playoff games.

It also slowed down one of the NBA's hottest teams. Phoenix entered the playoffs winning 14 of 16 while boasting the NBA's second-best record since the February All-Star Break (23-6)."