Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone thinks Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Rodney Hood was the real MVP of their Game 6 win, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.
The long lefty scored 25 points off the bench, giving the Blazers the firepower their starting lineup clearly lacked besides the star backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, who combined for 62 points.
Hood did it all offensively, canning eight of his 12 shots, including 3-of-4 from deep and 6-of-9 from the foul line — threatening the Nuggets defense in every dimension of the floor.
The crowd constantly cheered for Hood, a redemption story as he once failed to reach his full potential in Utah, saw his time undermined in Cleveland, but is now coming into his own after being acquired by the Blazers:
“It’s some of the most fun basketball you’ll play,” said Hood, as his team gets ready for a crucial win-or-go-home Game 7 on the road. “There’s nothing like going into somebody’s building in Game 7 and winning. That’s a memory that will last a very long time. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be intense.”
Hood has had a rousing turnaround in the span of a year, going from being buried on the Cavs' bench in last year's playoffs to being an important contributor for the Blazers:
“I’m just grateful that I didn’t give up on myself and I just kept plugging at it,” Hood said, adding later, “Things always flip around. This time last year, it was one of my lowest. And now it’s my brightest. That’s God working hard. Keep believing and it always turns around.”
Hood has scored in double figures in five of the six games against the Nuggets this series, putting up a serious 16.2 points per game and helping the Blazers with some much-needed scoring off the bench.
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