April 1
Happy Birthday to former Blazers Kevin Duckworth and Robin Lopez.
Duckworth was the 9th pick in the 2nd round of the 1986 NBA draft, chosen by the San Antonio Spurs. but was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for rookie Walter Berry half-way thru his rookie season. With Portland, Duckworth came off the bench to back up center Steve Johnson However, the next season Johnson went down with an injury, Duckworth was pushed into the starting role, from where he averaged 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game which earned him the 1988 NBA Most Improved Player Award. The following season, Duckworth improved his averages to 18.1 points and 8.0 rebounds, and was named to the Western Conference All-Star team. After the 1988–89 campaign, Sam Bowie was traded to the New Jersey Nets for Buck Williams and Steve Johnson was left unprotected in the 1989 expansion draft, allowing Duckworth to become the starting center. The 1990 and 1991 seasons were also successful for Duckworth and the Blazers. Although 1988–89 was statistically Duckworth's best season, the team enjoyed greater success in the following years — advancing to the NBA Finals in 1990, and posting a 63–19 record in 1990–91. The presence of Williams as the starting power forward, with rebounding as his main assignment, allowed Duckworth to concentrate on scoring and defense. In 1991 Duckworth was selected as an NBA All-Star for a second time. Duckworth's production began to slip in 1991–92, he was outplayed at times in the 1992 NBA Finals and was even less productive throughout the following season. At the end of 1992–93, Duckworth was traded to the Washington Bullets for forward Harvey Grant. |
Duckworth passed away of heart failure on August 25, 2008 in Gleneden Beach, Oregon. Duckworth was in town as part of a Trail Blazers group hosting a free children's basketball clinic. He was 44. Following his death, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Oregon Community Foundation established a memorial scholarship in Duckworth's name for college and professional training for students in Oregon and Southwest Washington, the Portland Trail Blazers wore a memorial stripe on their jerseys and a patch on their warmups stitched with Duckworth's number ('00') during the 2008–09 season, and the Portland City Council renamed the L-shaped dock adjacent to the floating portion of Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade after Duckworth, calling it the Kevin J. Duckworth Memorial Dock.
Lopez came to the Portland Trail Blazers from the New Orleans Hornets as a part of a three-way trade that also involved the Sacramento Kings. Heading into his first season in Portland, Lopez had a reputation of just dunks and short-range jumpers and zero-dribble moves but that soon changed as he became as Lopez became acclimated with Damian Lillard. When opponents left to double team or didn’t move against screens, Lopez learned to make them pay. In his first season with the Trail Blazers, he recorded 29 double-doubles and set the franchise single season record for offensive rebounds. Soon a fan favorite due to his presence in the Portland community, as well as his consistent and blue-collar style of play, he was honored with the Maurice Lucas Award in March 2014 for his efforts in his "Read Big" literacy campaign with Portland Public Schools. Lopez left the Blazers when he signed with the New York Knicks
1977
The @trailblazers clinch their first playoff berth when they defeated the @warriors behind #BillWalton scoring 30 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. This is the #Blazers 45th win, the goal that coach #JackRamsay had set for the team in training camp.
The @trailblazers clinch their first playoff berth when they defeated the @warriors behind #BillWalton scoring 30 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. This is the #Blazers 45th win, the goal that coach #JackRamsay had set for the team in training camp.
1981
Despite holding the Kansas City Kings to just 8 Free Throw Attempts - and only 4 connected! - the Blazers lost the home court advantage in the 1st game of the 1981 best-of-three series. The Free Throws marks are still All-Time lows for a Portland opponent in a playoff game
Despite holding the Kansas City Kings to just 8 Free Throw Attempts - and only 4 connected! - the Blazers lost the home court advantage in the 1st game of the 1981 best-of-three series. The Free Throws marks are still All-Time lows for a Portland opponent in a playoff game
2019
Evan Turner becomes the first Blazer to record a triple-double as a reserve since Rod Strickland in 1992. It is the third triple-double of his career. Turner, CJ McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic, became the first trio of Portland teammates to have triple-doubles in the same season since 1988-89 (Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey, Terry Porter). Turner also became the first player in NBA history to come of the bench and shoot a perfect game -- he was 5-for-5 from the field -- while also recording a triple-double. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5de40evuuEU |
April 2
#HBD to former @WeberStateMBB great & former @trailblazers player #BobDavis Davis was drafted by #Blazers in 1972 Draft in the 14th slot, the highest pick ever for a player from Weber St. until @Dame_Lillard was drafted 6th in 2013. Davis avg 20 pts & 10.7 rebs w/ @WeberStateMBB & made 1st team All-@BigSkyConf in 1971 & 72 as well as the All-Region Team for 1972 @MarchMadnessMBB Tourney
After he was waived, Davis sued the Blazers regarding his "no-cut" contract. I've been unable to locate a conclusion to the suit.
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/381/1/2005868/
After he was waived, Davis sued the Blazers regarding his "no-cut" contract. I've been unable to locate a conclusion to the suit.
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/381/1/2005868/
1980
Billy Ray Bates, appearing in his 1st NBA Playoff game and his 17th game overall, scored a team-high 29 points in the Blazers 120-110 loss to the defending NBA Champion Seattle SuperSonics. Bates previous high was 26 points
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFsVHUFwy9M
Billy Ray Bates, appearing in his 1st NBA Playoff game and his 17th game overall, scored a team-high 29 points in the Blazers 120-110 loss to the defending NBA Champion Seattle SuperSonics. Bates previous high was 26 points
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFsVHUFwy9M
2006
Joel Przybilla tied the Blazers record with 9 blocked shots in the 122-83 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics. He is the 4th Blazer to block that many shots in a game Przybilla blocked 623 shots in his 8 seasons with the Blazers (422 games) for a 1.5 average. Twice as a Blazer he was ranked in the Top-10 for Blocks per game, and three times he was in Top-20 Total Blocks |
April 3
1981
Mychal Thompson scores a career-high 40 points in the Blazers 124-119 over the Kansas City Kings. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked 5 shots
Thompson was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the first overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, making him the first foreign-born player to be selected first. Thompson played for 8 years with Portland, where he started at both power forward and center positions. He was named to the 1979 All-Rookie team after averaging 14.7 points and 8.3 rebounds. He broke his leg in the summer of 1979 and missed all of the 2nd year with the Blazers, the 1979/80 season. During this season, the 1980/81 season to 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds
Mychal Thompson scores a career-high 40 points in the Blazers 124-119 over the Kansas City Kings. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked 5 shots
Thompson was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the first overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, making him the first foreign-born player to be selected first. Thompson played for 8 years with Portland, where he started at both power forward and center positions. He was named to the 1979 All-Rookie team after averaging 14.7 points and 8.3 rebounds. He broke his leg in the summer of 1979 and missed all of the 2nd year with the Blazers, the 1979/80 season. During this season, the 1980/81 season to 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds
1987
@Kareem Abdul-Jabbar blocked 2 shots in @Lakers 127-121 victory vs @trailblazers and becomes 1st @NBA player to officially record 3K Blocked Shots in his career. The @NBA did not officially count blocks until 1973-74 season. In addition, Jabbar also recorded his 4,194 career foul in the @NBA. He was reported to have said, "Half of them were bad calls."
@champagnennuts made his 1st return to Portland as a @Lakers in the @trailblazers loss. Thompson scored 22 pts in 28 mins of action.
@Kareem Abdul-Jabbar blocked 2 shots in @Lakers 127-121 victory vs @trailblazers and becomes 1st @NBA player to officially record 3K Blocked Shots in his career. The @NBA did not officially count blocks until 1973-74 season. In addition, Jabbar also recorded his 4,194 career foul in the @NBA. He was reported to have said, "Half of them were bad calls."
@champagnennuts made his 1st return to Portland as a @Lakers in the @trailblazers loss. Thompson scored 22 pts in 28 mins of action.
1998
Brian Grant literally records a 20/20 game when he scores 20 points and grabs 20 rebounds in the Blazers 109-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. It is the 33rd time in franchise history that a player records this feat. He would record one more 20/20 game when he was a member of the Miami Heat in November of 2000.
Grant joined the Blazers before the 1997/98 season as a Free Agent. In his first year with the Trail Blazers he started in 49 of 61 games as the team made the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers 3 games to 1. Grant averaged 13.2 points and 10.7 rebounds a game for the series. The 1998–1999 season was shortened to 50 games because of a league lockout, and Grant started 46 of 48 games with a scoring average of 11.5 points a game and a team high 9.8 rebounds per game. The Trail Blazers won the Pacific Division, swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs and defeated the previous Western Conference Champion Utah Jazz in six games in the second round. In the Western Conference Finals, the Trail Blazers were swept by the league-leading San Antonio Spurs. Grant started all 13 playoff games and averaged 13.2 points with 9.2 rebounds.
Brian Grant literally records a 20/20 game when he scores 20 points and grabs 20 rebounds in the Blazers 109-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. It is the 33rd time in franchise history that a player records this feat. He would record one more 20/20 game when he was a member of the Miami Heat in November of 2000.
Grant joined the Blazers before the 1997/98 season as a Free Agent. In his first year with the Trail Blazers he started in 49 of 61 games as the team made the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers 3 games to 1. Grant averaged 13.2 points and 10.7 rebounds a game for the series. The 1998–1999 season was shortened to 50 games because of a league lockout, and Grant started 46 of 48 games with a scoring average of 11.5 points a game and a team high 9.8 rebounds per game. The Trail Blazers won the Pacific Division, swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs and defeated the previous Western Conference Champion Utah Jazz in six games in the second round. In the Western Conference Finals, the Trail Blazers were swept by the league-leading San Antonio Spurs. Grant started all 13 playoff games and averaged 13.2 points with 9.2 rebounds.
Turner tied Clyde Drexler as the only other Blazer to record back-to-back triple-doubles; Drexler did his feat in February of 1989. “It’s cool. Once again I did something Dame (Lillard) hasn’t done," Turner said with a smirk. “Anytime you get a triple-double, play a great game it’s a blessing. And to have this as a memory is even cooler.” The win marked the team's 50th of the season, the 14th time the franchise has reached the 50-win mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYTzR27RPww |
April 4
1975
John Johnson records his 2nd triple double as a Blazer in the 116-110 victory over the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. Johnson finished with 23 points as well as 11 rebounds and assists.
John Johnson records his 2nd triple double as a Blazer in the 116-110 victory over the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. Johnson finished with 23 points as well as 11 rebounds and assists.
1978
A depleted Blazer team lost to the Houston Rocket 101-89 behind Kevin Kunnert's 20 points and 23 rebounds. The Blazers were missing Bill Walton, Bobby Gross, and Lloyd Neal while the Rockets had Moses Malone, Rudy Tomjanovich, and Mike Newlin on the bench. Larry Steele had just returned from the injured list and Maurice Lucas was playing with tendon issues in his wrist.
A depleted Blazer team lost to the Houston Rocket 101-89 behind Kevin Kunnert's 20 points and 23 rebounds. The Blazers were missing Bill Walton, Bobby Gross, and Lloyd Neal while the Rockets had Moses Malone, Rudy Tomjanovich, and Mike Newlin on the bench. Larry Steele had just returned from the injured list and Maurice Lucas was playing with tendon issues in his wrist.
1980
Billy Ray Bates continued his rise in Blazer lore as he led the Blazers to a 105-95 overtime victory against the Seattle SuperSonics. The defending champion Sonics were heavily favored to sweep the 38-44 Blazers but the addition of Bates six weeks previous breathed new life into the moribund team. By chance, the Pulitzer Prize author David Halberstam was following the Blazers the 1979/80 season for a book idea, which turned into the classic The Breaks Of The Game. Halberstam wrote about Bates' poor upbringing in Mississippi and about the tremendous athletic ability that coach Jack Ramsay couldn't quite harness into his team concept that won the championship only 3 short years ago. |
Bates went from a player that could barely get minutes for Ramsay to becoming the 1st Blazer to not only win the NBA Player of the Week Award, but the first Blazer to win it twice. He amused his new teammates when he arrived to his first pro game dressed under his clothes. By the time this playoff game came around, CBS changed game time in order to televise this nationwide in order to have Bates on display.
The Blazers would be eliminated in 3 games but Bates set a franchise record when he averaged 25.o per game. That record would be broken the next year when he averaged 28.3 points. That record, plus his playoff career average of 26.7 still stand as the franchise best.
Game highlites are here ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji7PzjJWe_U
The Blazers would be eliminated in 3 games but Bates set a franchise record when he averaged 25.o per game. That record would be broken the next year when he averaged 28.3 points. That record, plus his playoff career average of 26.7 still stand as the franchise best.
Game highlites are here ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji7PzjJWe_U
1989
Clyde Drexler recorded his 13th triple-double with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Blazers 118-110 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Clyde Drexler recorded his 13th triple-double with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Blazers 118-110 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
2011
Arvydas Sabonis is elected to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame
Arvydas Sabonis is elected to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame
April 5
Happy Birthday in Heaven to former @trailblazers guard #HermGilliam
Rightly remembered for Game 2 heroics in 77 WCF vs @Lakers, Gilliam played a single season with the Blazers, earning a ring in his final season in the NBA. Gilliam was drafted by @chicagobulls in 13th RD of 1969 Draft from @BoilerBall but started his career with the Cincinnati Royals before moving on to the Buffalo Braves, Atlanta Hawks and the Seattle Supersonics before going Portland. |
1977
The Blazers and the Detroit Pistons faced off with 12,359 fans in attendance the Memorial Coliseum, it was 307 fans under the capacity crowd of 12,666.
It would be the last game not sold-out until November 16, 1995, a streak of 814 games, 810 of which were at the Coliseum. It was the longest streak of all the major sports leagues until the Boston Red Sox broke it in April, 2013 though the Sox streak stopped at 820 games.
The Blazers moved in to the Rose Garden to start the 1995/96 season and sold out the first 4 games before the streak ended. In 2007, the Blazers again started a streak of sellouts, reaching 195 games in the Rose Garden. That streak stretched from Dec 21, 2007 until January 10, 2019.
The Blazers and the Detroit Pistons faced off with 12,359 fans in attendance the Memorial Coliseum, it was 307 fans under the capacity crowd of 12,666.
It would be the last game not sold-out until November 16, 1995, a streak of 814 games, 810 of which were at the Coliseum. It was the longest streak of all the major sports leagues until the Boston Red Sox broke it in April, 2013 though the Sox streak stopped at 820 games.
The Blazers moved in to the Rose Garden to start the 1995/96 season and sold out the first 4 games before the streak ended. In 2007, the Blazers again started a streak of sellouts, reaching 195 games in the Rose Garden. That streak stretched from Dec 21, 2007 until January 10, 2019.
1983
Mychal Thompson has his first triple-double with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in the Blazers 107-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson had 2 triple-doubles in his career with the Blazers
Magic Johnson of the Lakers had his 26th triple in a losing effort with 11 points, 16 rebounds, and 13 assists.
Mychal Thompson has his first triple-double with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in the Blazers 107-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson had 2 triple-doubles in his career with the Blazers
Magic Johnson of the Lakers had his 26th triple in a losing effort with 11 points, 16 rebounds, and 13 assists.
1994
Rod Strickland sets the Blazer franchise record with 20 assists in the Blazers 135-113 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Strickland broke the record of 19 assists set by Terry Porter in 1988. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryBkFVjlmLo The screen shot below is the pass to Clyde Drexler that set the record |
April 6
After 15 years #LennyWilkens played in his 1,077th and final game. At the time, that was 2nd most games played, behind @sixers great #HalGreer, who played 1,122 games. As of 2023, Wilkens ranks 98th in games played. As well, Wilkens scored 17,771 pts, ranked 11th then, 84th now. As for assists, Wilkens had the 2nd most assists in @NBA with 7,211, behind #OscarRobertson, who had 9,887. Wilkens has 16th most thru 2023
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2001
Damon Stoudamire records his 1st triple-double in the 122-91 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Stoudamire finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. 2005
No, you aren't seeing double ... Damon Stoudamire records his 2nd triple-double of his Blazer career. Four years to the day of his first one when he scored 13 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and passed for 10 assists in the Blazers 104-102 loss to the Golden State Warriors. The loss was the Blazers 50th for the season, the first time they lost 50 games since 1974 |
April 7
1978
The @trailblazers are secured of best record in @NBA w/victory vs @nuggets. This is their 57th win & they would finish w/58-24 Injuries sidelined
@BillWalton #LloydNeal & #BobGross over the last month of season after they had a record of 50-10
The @trailblazers are secured of best record in @NBA w/victory vs @nuggets. This is their 57th win & they would finish w/58-24 Injuries sidelined
@BillWalton #LloydNeal & #BobGross over the last month of season after they had a record of 50-10
1985
@trailblazers rookie center #SamBowie recorded his 1st 20/20 game but it wasn't enough as the #Blazers fall in OT to the @Lakers as @MagicJohnson scored 39 points and passed for 11 assists. #Portland had 4 players topping the 20 point mark for the 17th time in their 15 year history. @KikiVanDeWeghe scored 24 points and #ClydeDrexler added 23 points and passed for 13 assists. Besides tying his then career-best 20 rebounds, Bowie scored 21 points as did @champagnennuts. The Blazers forced OT despite being down by as much as 19 points in the 1st half and 11 mid-way through the final quarter. Bowie scored a FT and then a FG off a #JimPaxson rebound tap with 12 seconds remaining to force the OT. All 5 #Lakers starters reached double-digits in scoring, with @official_bscott scoring 25 points with @kaj33 and @JamesWorthy42 each getting 21. #KurtRambis scored 14 and grabbed led #LosAngeles with 15 rebounds. Johnson, who has recorded 70 triple-doubles by this time, nearly had another, as he grabbed 9 rebounds. |
Bowie, infamously known as the player chosen before Michael Jordan, would finish his rookie season averaging 10 points in 29 minutes of action. He would pull down 8.6 rebounds per game, ranking 16th in the league. He blocked 2.7 shots per game which ranked him 3rd in the league. For his play he would make the NBA All-Rookie team.
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April 8
Happy Birthday to former Blazer Terry Porter
Porter was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and played High School ball at Milwaukee's South Division High School. Porter attended college at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (The Pointers), a Division III school. In four seasons, Porter averaged 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, and shot 58.9 percent from the floor. As a junior, he averaged 18.8 points while shooting over 65 percent from the floor. Twice with the Pointers, as both a junior and a senior, he was named an NAIA First-Team All-American. As a junior, he was named the NAIA "Player of the Year", and in the 1984 NAIA tournament, he was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player even though the Pointers lost the national championship to Fort Hays State.
Game is on youtube at .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJko3VnjyoI
Porter was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and played High School ball at Milwaukee's South Division High School. Porter attended college at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (The Pointers), a Division III school. In four seasons, Porter averaged 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, and shot 58.9 percent from the floor. As a junior, he averaged 18.8 points while shooting over 65 percent from the floor. Twice with the Pointers, as both a junior and a senior, he was named an NAIA First-Team All-American. As a junior, he was named the NAIA "Player of the Year", and in the 1984 NAIA tournament, he was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player even though the Pointers lost the national championship to Fort Hays State.
Game is on youtube at .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJko3VnjyoI
After the 1984 tournament, Porter was the only NAIA player to be invited to the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team trials—the team included Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, Wayman Tisdale, Chris Mullin, and Steve Alford—72 players were invited to the trials, led by head coach Bob Knight. At the trials he said: "I'm sure a lot of guys might have been surprised to see me here, I didn't even expect to get invited. This competition is a whole notch up from what I'm used to. I feel kind of in awe". Porter made it to the final 20 (even though he had the chicken pox, but on a team that was heavy on guards (Jordan, Alford, Vern Fleming, Alvin Robertson, and Leon Wood), Porter was cut on May 13, 1984 along with Charles Barkley and John Stockton.
After the Olympic trials NBA scouts began to notice Porter for his "tight defensive play, nonstop hustle and deft shooting touch". He commented: "I wasn't much good in high school, so the big schools didn't come after me. But I guess I've improved a lot at Point". After three seasons at shooting guard, he moved to the point guard position. Porter he averaged 19.7 points and 4.3 assists per-game as a senior, he was the only Division III player named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches-Valvoline All-America Game. He was also the only NAIA player named to the Aloha Basketball All-Star Classic, where he was named to the all-tournament team (along with Detlef Schrempf, Harold Keeling, Xavier McDaniel, and Joe Dumars), and as "top defensive player" and co-MVP. |
Going into the 1985 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs, all looked to draft Porter. Most pundits, including Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe, projected him going to the Houston Rockets with the 19th pick in the draft, while Jan Hubbard of the Dallas Morning News had him going to the Detroit Pistons with the number 18 pick. And he was considered the second-best choice at point guard, behind Sam Vincent, out of Michigan State.
On June 18, 1985 the Portland Trail Blazers selected Porter with the 24th overall pick in the NBA draft. Porter slipped from the projected 18th or 19th pick while other guards, Joe Dumars (18th by the Pistons), Steve Harris (19th by the Rockets), and Sam Vincent (20th by the Celtics), went ahead of him. |
During his 10 yers in Portland, Porter went to the NBA Finals twice, in 1990 and 1992. He was the recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1993, and remains as the Trail Blazers' all-time assists leader with 5,319. Porter played 17 season in the NBA and finished with 7,160 assists total, which ranks 17th All-Time. He also ranks 35th All-Time in steals.
Porter and his wife Susie have three children and the family resides in the Portland area. Throughout his career, Porter has been active with the Boys and Girls Club and is a member of the organization's Hall of Fame. In 1994, he created the Milwaukee Scholars Fund, which provides scholarships to minority students in Milwaukee to attend schools in the University of Wisconsin System.
Porter and his wife Susie have three children and the family resides in the Portland area. Throughout his career, Porter has been active with the Boys and Girls Club and is a member of the organization's Hall of Fame. In 1994, he created the Milwaukee Scholars Fund, which provides scholarships to minority students in Milwaukee to attend schools in the University of Wisconsin System.
2017
Damian Lillard scored a career-high 59 points in the Blazers 101-86 victory against the Utah Jazz. It was Lillard's 27th game with 30 or more points this season, a franchise high. Damon Stoudamire had set the previous franchise record for points on Jan. 14, 2005, at New Orleans with 54 points. It is the 13th time Lillard has scored 40 or more, tying the franchise record with Geoff Petrie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaKQ-1JuZC4
Damian Lillard scored a career-high 59 points in the Blazers 101-86 victory against the Utah Jazz. It was Lillard's 27th game with 30 or more points this season, a franchise high. Damon Stoudamire had set the previous franchise record for points on Jan. 14, 2005, at New Orleans with 54 points. It is the 13th time Lillard has scored 40 or more, tying the franchise record with Geoff Petrie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaKQ-1JuZC4
April 9
1977
The Blazers finally defeat the Los Angeles Lakers after losing the first 3 matchups of the 1976/77 season.
The Blazers finally defeat the Los Angeles Lakers after losing the first 3 matchups of the 1976/77 season.
1979
The Blazers are featured in recent Sports Illustrated. Rookies Mychal Thompson and Ron Brewer have developed due to injuries to Maurice Lucas, Lloyd Neal, Lionel Hollins, Dave Twardzik, and Larry Steele. As stated the article, by the 4th game of the young season, only 16 months removed from a championship, the 5 players above, along with Bill Walton (injured) and Johnny Davis (traded) the top 7 players from that team were not in the lineup. |
1995
Jerome Kersey scored his 10,000th point of his career in the final minute of the Nationally Televised 104-94 loss to the Phoenix Suns and accepted congratulations from Charles Barkley on the free-throw line. Kersey is one of only four players who have scored more than 10,000 points in a Portland uniform and he received a standing ovation. NBC did not allow the Blazers to stop the game for a brief ceremony, something that left Kersey a little miffed."It's only me," he said.
Kersey took pride in scoring more than 10,000 points -- he now has 10,004, one more than Jim Paxson -- without ever being a go-to guy on offense.
"I haven't ever been the focal point of the offense," Kersey said. "I've had to work and scrap for those points. I had to do a lot of dirty work to get to 10,000." Kersey played 11 seasons with the Blazers after being drafted in the 2nd round of the 1984 Draft out of Longwood University.
Jerome Kersey scored his 10,000th point of his career in the final minute of the Nationally Televised 104-94 loss to the Phoenix Suns and accepted congratulations from Charles Barkley on the free-throw line. Kersey is one of only four players who have scored more than 10,000 points in a Portland uniform and he received a standing ovation. NBC did not allow the Blazers to stop the game for a brief ceremony, something that left Kersey a little miffed."It's only me," he said.
Kersey took pride in scoring more than 10,000 points -- he now has 10,004, one more than Jim Paxson -- without ever being a go-to guy on offense.
"I haven't ever been the focal point of the offense," Kersey said. "I've had to work and scrap for those points. I had to do a lot of dirty work to get to 10,000." Kersey played 11 seasons with the Blazers after being drafted in the 2nd round of the 1984 Draft out of Longwood University.
The Blazers left Kersey unprotected in the 1995 expansion draft and he was selected by the Toronto Raptors though he was waived before the season began. He signed with the Golden State Warriors, where he started 58 games, and had an altercation with Latrell Sprewell, which resulted in the latter threatening to bring a gun to practice. For the 1996–97 season Kersey signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent, and he had a quite productive year, logging his most playing time in five seasons, because trades and injuries had left the Lakers thin. The 1997–98 season saw him go to his fourth team in four years, but injuries kept him out of the Seattle SuperSonics' lineup for most of the season. For the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season, Kersey found himself on the San Antonio Spurs.
The team won the 1999 NBA championship. Kersey provided front-court depth and experience off the bench in the team's title run, although his scoring, rebounding, and minutes played were all career lows. He stayed with the Spurs for another season and then spent one final season in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks, who fell short in the Eastern Conference Finals. He retired at the conclusion of the 2000–01 season |
When he retired, Kersey was near the top in many of Blazer career categories at the time of his leaving, including games played (second), minutes played (third), scoring (third), rebounding (second), assists (sixth), steals (third), field goals made (fourth), and blocked shots (second). Entering the 50th season of the Blazers, Kersey still ranks in the Top-10 of 15 separate categories.
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April 10
1972
The Blazers select LaRue Martin with the # 1 pick in the NBA Draft. Unable to secure Bob McAdoo signature on a contract, the Blazers selected Martin based on his back-to-back games against Bill Walton and Jim Chones. From this draft, Martin, Bob Davis, Lloyd Neal, Ollie Johnson all played the 1972/73 season, with Davis the only player who did not play beyond.. Martin played with Portland thru the 1975/76 season. Johnson played 2 seasons with Portland and 10 seasons total in the NBA. Neal played 7 season with the Blazers. Dave Twardzik played in the ABA before signing with Portland prior to the 1976/77 season. He then played 4 seasons before retiring. Both Neal and Twardzik have their numbers retired with Portland. |
Kresimir Cosic is the missing wonder of the 1972 draft. Born in Croatia in 1948, Ćosić made his national team debut for Yugoslavia, at the age of 17, after being called up to the senior team by head coach Ranko Žeravica. He won a silver medal at the 1967 FIBA World Championship. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, he won another silver medal.
In the summer of 1968, Ćosić was in a European team with Finnish player Veikko Vainio. Vainio, a student at Brigham Young University, told him about life in college, and invited him to play for the BYU Cougars. Ćosić accepted this invitation, and moved to the United States, in 1969. In his freshman year, he played in 12 games for the freshman team, averaging 17.4 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. In his sophomore year, he averaged 15.1 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, leading BYU to the 1971 WAC Championship.
Cosic was 24 years of age entering his junior year at Brigham Young, where he led his team to the WAC Championship, averaging 22.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, and being awarded All-American honors by the United Press International, making him the first non-American player to achieve that. In the 1972 NBA Draft, he was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers, in the 10th round (144th overall), but he opted to stay with BYU. As a senior, he averaged 20.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, and again was given All-American honors, by the United Press International.[7] His career college basketball averages were 18.9 points, and 11.8 rebounds per game.
At the 1973 NBA Draft, Ćosić was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers, in the 5th round (84th overall). He rejected several professional offers from the NBA and ABA, and returned home to Croatia, where he played with KK Zadar, from 1973 to 1976. After that, he played with AŠK Olimpija (1976–1978), with Virtus Bologna (1978–1980), and with Cibona Zagreb (1980–1983).
In total, Ćosić played in four Summer Olympic Games: 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980 in Moscow, when he led his team to the gold medal.[9][10] He previously had led Yugoslavia to a pair of FIBA World Cup gold medals, at the 1970 FIBA World Championship, and at the 1978 FIBA World Championship.
In the summer of 1968, Ćosić was in a European team with Finnish player Veikko Vainio. Vainio, a student at Brigham Young University, told him about life in college, and invited him to play for the BYU Cougars. Ćosić accepted this invitation, and moved to the United States, in 1969. In his freshman year, he played in 12 games for the freshman team, averaging 17.4 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. In his sophomore year, he averaged 15.1 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, leading BYU to the 1971 WAC Championship.
Cosic was 24 years of age entering his junior year at Brigham Young, where he led his team to the WAC Championship, averaging 22.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, and being awarded All-American honors by the United Press International, making him the first non-American player to achieve that. In the 1972 NBA Draft, he was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers, in the 10th round (144th overall), but he opted to stay with BYU. As a senior, he averaged 20.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, and again was given All-American honors, by the United Press International.[7] His career college basketball averages were 18.9 points, and 11.8 rebounds per game.
At the 1973 NBA Draft, Ćosić was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers, in the 5th round (84th overall). He rejected several professional offers from the NBA and ABA, and returned home to Croatia, where he played with KK Zadar, from 1973 to 1976. After that, he played with AŠK Olimpija (1976–1978), with Virtus Bologna (1978–1980), and with Cibona Zagreb (1980–1983).
In total, Ćosić played in four Summer Olympic Games: 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980 in Moscow, when he led his team to the gold medal.[9][10] He previously had led Yugoslavia to a pair of FIBA World Cup gold medals, at the 1970 FIBA World Championship, and at the 1978 FIBA World Championship.
Following his playing days, Ćosić turned to coaching, and he led the senior Yugoslav national team to a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, and to bronze medals at the 1986 FIBA World Championship, and the 1987 EuroBasket.
Ćosić was a notable church leader and missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the deputy ambassador of Croatia to the U.S., in Washington, D.C. In the years following his career in basketball, Ćosić worked in the United States, as a Croatian diplomat, at the embassy in Washington, D.C., having helped secure the land where the embassy now stands. Ćosić died in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1995, of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was survived by his wife, Ljerka, his two daughters, and his son, Krešimir.
In 1996, Ćosić became only the second international player ever elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also an inaugural member of the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Croatian Basketball Cup, and KK Zadar's home arena, are named after him.
Ćosić was a notable church leader and missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the deputy ambassador of Croatia to the U.S., in Washington, D.C. In the years following his career in basketball, Ćosić worked in the United States, as a Croatian diplomat, at the embassy in Washington, D.C., having helped secure the land where the embassy now stands. Ćosić died in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1995, of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was survived by his wife, Ljerka, his two daughters, and his son, Krešimir.
In 1996, Ćosić became only the second international player ever elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also an inaugural member of the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Croatian Basketball Cup, and KK Zadar's home arena, are named after him.
2021
Excerpts from the Oregonlive.com The apex of Enes Kanter’s joy produced from grabbing his 30th rebound during the Portland Trail Blazers’ 118-103 win Saturday night over Detroit didn’t come from his personal accomplishment of rewriting a 46-year-old team record. Kanter’s happiness came from when he looked over at the Blazers’ bench and saw the joy on the faces of his teammates as they celebrated his accomplishment of making history at the Moda Center. “That’s what we are all about,” Kanter said. “That’s what Blazers’ basketball is all about, just supporting each other." Kanter had 10 rebounds in the first quarter, six in the second quarter and seven in both the third and fourth quarters, with 12 coming on the offensive end. Kanter has now surpassed 20 rebounds four times this season with a previous season-high of 23 against Oklahoma City on Jan. 25. |
Kanter, who also scored 24 points, broke the Blazers previous single-game rebounding record of 27 set by Sidney Wicks in 1975 in a double OverTime game against the Los Angeles Lakers. LeRoy Ellis grabbed 26 rebounds in the Blazers 7th game to set the record for regulation play, which has been tied four times since before being set today. |
April 11
1989
@terryporter30 records his 7th triple-double in the @trailblazers 126-102 victory vs @LAClippers Porter finished the game with 10 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. It is his last triple of @NBA career |
2003
Zach Randolph had 31 points and 20 rebounds in the Blazers 96-93 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. It is the first 30/20 game by a Blazer since Jerome Kersey had 34 points and 20 rebounds in 1988.Randolph's previous career highs were 21 points and 12 rebounds against Atlanta on Jan. 22. There have been 7 #Blazers to have 30/20 games in 53 years with @aldridge_12 recording 4 of the 11 total games |
2021
It has been a busy few days for Damian Lillard. For the third game in a row, Lillard has moved up a spot on the NBA's all-time made 3-pointers made list. Against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, he passed LeBron James for 13th all-time. Against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, he moved up to 12th place, passing Joe Johnson. On Sunday against the Miami Heat, he did it again. At the 8:58 mark of the third quarter, Lillard drained his third three of the night. The made three was the 1,983rd of his career, passing Dirk Nowitzki's mark of 1,982 for 11th all-time in NBA history. With Steph Curry (2,709 made) and James Harden (2,441), Lillard is third among active players and is the Blazers all-time leader in made threes. |
April 12
1977
The day before the Blazers first playoff game, much was made about whether or not Bill Walton would cross the picket line of the NBA referees. Walton responded by saying he was a member of the players union, and if the vote was to play, he would as well.
The day before the Blazers first playoff game, much was made about whether or not Bill Walton would cross the picket line of the NBA referees. Walton responded by saying he was a member of the players union, and if the vote was to play, he would as well.
The morning/afternoon of the game, as anticipation mounted, fans would read George Pasero as well as a few bits of news, like how Clyde Frazier is looking to the Blazers to win it all. As well, local referee and HS teacher Terry Durham, was called up to referee NBA games. Durham would ref in. the NBA for the next 24 years.
The fans would also learn that Walton led the league in rebounds and blocks, and was in top-10 in FG% as was Bobby Gross. Dave Twardzik would have led the league in FG% but a player must have made 300 shots and Twardzik only made263. |
... and finally the game!
April 13
1991
Clyde Drexler led the way as Portland grabbed its 60th win of the season as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 118-113. With the win, the Blazers wrapped up their first NBA Pacific Division championship since the 1977-78 season and only their second ever.
Getting 31 points and what Portland coach Rick Adelman called "a monster game" from guard Clyde Drexler, the Blazers held together down the stretch after frittering away a 20-point, third-quarter lead to post their 13th straight and club-record 60th win of the season. "This is the way to win the division," Portland forward Jerome Kersey said. "Beating the Lakers is the dramatic way. And the biggest thing is we accepted the challenge after they came back."
Drexler was everywhere. He made 14 of 20 shots and finished with 31 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. The man Drexler guarded all day, Magic Johnson had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 15 assists and 7 turnovers. With Most Valuable Player ballots due in a week, Drexler's game made a dramatic national statement about his value to the Blazers. "If people don't know what kind of player he is, they found out today," Adelman said. "He was everywhere. I was so glad it was on national TV so everyone could see it."
``We knew it was going to be a good game,'' said Terry Porter, who made 8 of his 12 shots, had 23 points and tied his season high with 16 assists. ``We didn't expect to blow them out. When they came back, we just tried to stay in there -- to maintain our poise."
Clyde Drexler led the way as Portland grabbed its 60th win of the season as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 118-113. With the win, the Blazers wrapped up their first NBA Pacific Division championship since the 1977-78 season and only their second ever.
Getting 31 points and what Portland coach Rick Adelman called "a monster game" from guard Clyde Drexler, the Blazers held together down the stretch after frittering away a 20-point, third-quarter lead to post their 13th straight and club-record 60th win of the season. "This is the way to win the division," Portland forward Jerome Kersey said. "Beating the Lakers is the dramatic way. And the biggest thing is we accepted the challenge after they came back."
Drexler was everywhere. He made 14 of 20 shots and finished with 31 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. The man Drexler guarded all day, Magic Johnson had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 15 assists and 7 turnovers. With Most Valuable Player ballots due in a week, Drexler's game made a dramatic national statement about his value to the Blazers. "If people don't know what kind of player he is, they found out today," Adelman said. "He was everywhere. I was so glad it was on national TV so everyone could see it."
``We knew it was going to be a good game,'' said Terry Porter, who made 8 of his 12 shots, had 23 points and tied his season high with 16 assists. ``We didn't expect to blow them out. When they came back, we just tried to stay in there -- to maintain our poise."
April 14
1977
#KPTV Channel 12, now known as @fox12oregon, announces it will televise Game 2 of @trailblazers / @chicagobulls series from #Chicago. Sports Director #JimmyJones, who works #Blazers broadcasts & doubles as PA for home games, will do play-by-play. |
1988
The Blazers pulled out a 128-123 road victory over the Utah Jazz. It is the Blazers first victory in Salt Lake since 1983, a span of 12 games. Clyde Drexler led all scorers with 42 points with Karl Malone doing his best for Utah, scoring 39 points but the Blazers were very impressed with John C. Allen.
Allen is the man who keeps track of the assists for the Jazz. And was he ever a busy man as Terry Porter passed for a career-high 19, but the Jazz John Stockton chalked up a whopping 26 - the 5th-highest total in the history of the NBA and just three away from Kevin Porter's league record of 29. Porter added 26 points with Stockton scoring 17 points. When Allen appeared in the Portland locker room, Porter reached into his bag and handed the stat man his game shoes. "Here," he said, "take these. Anything else you want, it's yours." Afterwards Porter added, "I'm flying that guy to Portland -- first class. I love that guy. I'm not kidding. We need that guy doing our stats."
Maurice Lucas summed up the Blazer opinion of the assist totals with just two words. "That's criminal," Lucas said with a smile.
Game highlights at ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYE5lfzxvRQ
The Blazers pulled out a 128-123 road victory over the Utah Jazz. It is the Blazers first victory in Salt Lake since 1983, a span of 12 games. Clyde Drexler led all scorers with 42 points with Karl Malone doing his best for Utah, scoring 39 points but the Blazers were very impressed with John C. Allen.
Allen is the man who keeps track of the assists for the Jazz. And was he ever a busy man as Terry Porter passed for a career-high 19, but the Jazz John Stockton chalked up a whopping 26 - the 5th-highest total in the history of the NBA and just three away from Kevin Porter's league record of 29. Porter added 26 points with Stockton scoring 17 points. When Allen appeared in the Portland locker room, Porter reached into his bag and handed the stat man his game shoes. "Here," he said, "take these. Anything else you want, it's yours." Afterwards Porter added, "I'm flying that guy to Portland -- first class. I love that guy. I'm not kidding. We need that guy doing our stats."
Maurice Lucas summed up the Blazer opinion of the assist totals with just two words. "That's criminal," Lucas said with a smile.
Game highlights at ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYE5lfzxvRQ
2006
Kobe Bryant entered tonights game with the Blazers with 2,704 points for the season, 16 points shy of the teams record set in the 1962/63 season by Hall-of-Fame player Elgin Baylor. When Bryant hit a 3-pointer with 9:06 remaining in the 3rd quarter, the 43-year old mark was moved aside. "It means a lot to me because we're playing well and we're in a position where we can get into the playoffs and make some noise," Bryant said. "We've achieved everything we have as a team, and the individual stuff just makes for a more pleasant journey."
Bryant is closing in on his first NBA scoring title of his 10th year in the NBA, reached the 50-point mark for the sixth time this season and 11th time in his career. The Lakers are 8-3 in those games. He eclipsed two other franchise records earlier this season that Baylor held - most points in a game and most 40-point games in a season. Lamar Odom recorded his second straight triple-double. He finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds and tied a career high with 12 assists, after going 15-13-10 against Golden State on Tuesday for his first triple-double with the Lakers. He is the first player on the team with consecutive triple-doubles since December 2004, when Bryant did it against Golden State and Phoenix.
Bryant is closing in on his first NBA scoring title of his 10th year in the NBA, reached the 50-point mark for the sixth time this season and 11th time in his career. The Lakers are 8-3 in those games. He eclipsed two other franchise records earlier this season that Baylor held - most points in a game and most 40-point games in a season. Lamar Odom recorded his second straight triple-double. He finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds and tied a career high with 12 assists, after going 15-13-10 against Golden State on Tuesday for his first triple-double with the Lakers. He is the first player on the team with consecutive triple-doubles since December 2004, when Bryant did it against Golden State and Phoenix.
The Blazers have won only 15 of 81 road games over the last two seasons. They are a league-worst 6-34 this season away from the Rose Garden, and are assured of finishing with their worst road record since going 5-36 in 1973-74.
Bryant has played 35 games vs the Blazers by this point in his career and has had 3 games with 40 or more points, and 13 with 30 or more points. When he retired he had played 62 regular season games against Portland, scoring 40 or more points 6 times with a high of 65 on March 16, 2007 |
https://hashtagbasketball.com/portland-trail-blazers/content/20-years-of-kobe-vs-the-blazers
Los Angeles Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant scores 2 of his game high 50 points during second half action of their NBA basketball game with the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center in Los Angeles on April 14, 2006. Bryant broke the Lakers' single-season scoring record to eclipse Elgin Baylor's long-standing record. The Lakers defeated the Blazers 110-99. (UPI Photo/Jim Ruymen)
|
2008
2019
Enes Kanter stamped his name into the Blazers record book in his first playoff game when he opened with 20 points and a career playoff-high 18 rebounds as Portland topped Oklahoma City, 104-99, in the first game in the best-of-seven series. Kanter became only the 3rd player in Blazers' playoff history to record 20 points and 18 rebounds. Bill Walton (3 times) and LaMarcus Aldridge (once) had been the only players to do so before.
Kanter, who played for the Thunder from 2014 until being traded in 2017 to the Knicks in the Carmelo Anthony trade, redirected his focus toward those Knicks, who bought out his contract during a miserable season, allowing the Blazers to acquire him in February of 2019. “I was on the worst team in the league, and I wasn’t even playing because they thought I was too old to play,” Kanter told reporters after Game 1. “… It was so frustrating because I just wanted to go out there and win."
Enes Kanter stamped his name into the Blazers record book in his first playoff game when he opened with 20 points and a career playoff-high 18 rebounds as Portland topped Oklahoma City, 104-99, in the first game in the best-of-seven series. Kanter became only the 3rd player in Blazers' playoff history to record 20 points and 18 rebounds. Bill Walton (3 times) and LaMarcus Aldridge (once) had been the only players to do so before.
Kanter, who played for the Thunder from 2014 until being traded in 2017 to the Knicks in the Carmelo Anthony trade, redirected his focus toward those Knicks, who bought out his contract during a miserable season, allowing the Blazers to acquire him in February of 2019. “I was on the worst team in the league, and I wasn’t even playing because they thought I was too old to play,” Kanter told reporters after Game 1. “… It was so frustrating because I just wanted to go out there and win."
Damian Lillard led the Blazers, scoring 30 points with CJ McCollum adding 24 points as the Blazers won their 1st playoff game in 3 years, a streak of 10 games.. They had been swept the last 2 years; by the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2018. The teams last victory was Game 3 of the SemiFinals vs the Warriors on May 7, 2016
Russell Westbrook had 24 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his ninth career postseason triple-double. Paul George, who was a game-time decision because of a sore shoulder, added 26 points and 10 rebounds despite a rough shooting night. Westbrook appeared to hurt his right ankle in the final quarter and grimaced while trying to walk it off. Trainers attended to him on the bench at the next timeout but he returned and his layup closed the gap to 91-87 with just under 4 minutes left. Asked about it afterward, Westbrook said: "We'll see."
Kanter was profiled by NY Magazine here .... https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/04/enes-kanter-is-at-the-center-of-it-all.html
Game Highlights ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijDrX_nMrNA
Russell Westbrook had 24 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his ninth career postseason triple-double. Paul George, who was a game-time decision because of a sore shoulder, added 26 points and 10 rebounds despite a rough shooting night. Westbrook appeared to hurt his right ankle in the final quarter and grimaced while trying to walk it off. Trainers attended to him on the bench at the next timeout but he returned and his layup closed the gap to 91-87 with just under 4 minutes left. Asked about it afterward, Westbrook said: "We'll see."
Kanter was profiled by NY Magazine here .... https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/04/enes-kanter-is-at-the-center-of-it-all.html
Game Highlights ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijDrX_nMrNA
April 15
1977
The Blazers play their first road playoff game.
Game Highlites at ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt0QhHvJUAo
The Blazers play their first road playoff game.
Game Highlites at ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt0QhHvJUAo
1993
Cliff Robinson scored 40 points for the first time in his career but it wasn't enough as the Blazers fall 122-117 to the Utah Jazz, snapping a 5-game winning streak. Robinson, who played 47 minutes with Clyde Drexler and Jerome Kersey out of the lineup, hit 13 of 14 free throws. He also grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 5 shots. "I tried to be aggressive going in," Robinson said. "It's an easier transition starting with this group than when I start with Clyde and Jerome because there aren't as many guys looking for their shot. I haven't been able to get in the flow starting before because so many different guys are looking to score."
Karl Malone scored 38 points and grabbed 11 rebounds with JohnStockton adding 12 assists and 15 points.
Game Highlights at ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSEOjuMbAZw
Cliff Robinson scored 40 points for the first time in his career but it wasn't enough as the Blazers fall 122-117 to the Utah Jazz, snapping a 5-game winning streak. Robinson, who played 47 minutes with Clyde Drexler and Jerome Kersey out of the lineup, hit 13 of 14 free throws. He also grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 5 shots. "I tried to be aggressive going in," Robinson said. "It's an easier transition starting with this group than when I start with Clyde and Jerome because there aren't as many guys looking for their shot. I haven't been able to get in the flow starting before because so many different guys are looking to score."
Karl Malone scored 38 points and grabbed 11 rebounds with JohnStockton adding 12 assists and 15 points.
Game Highlights at ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSEOjuMbAZw
2005
Damon Stoudamire gave a surprised shrug when he learned he had just set the NBA record for 3-point attempts while racking up his 6th career triple-double. Stoudamire took 21 3-pointers, breaking the record with 22.9 seconds left. With the Blazers down to 8 players, Stoudamire played all 48 minutes and had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his second triple-double against Golden State in 10 days. He broke the NBA record set by Michael Adams of the Denver Nuggets in 1991 and tied by Dallas Mavericks player George McCloud in 1996 |
2009
Blazer rookie Rudy Fernandez scored 18 points, going 6-for-9 from 3-point range. The rookie from Spain has hit 159 3-pointers, surpassing the rookie record for 3s held by Kerry Kittles (158). "It was important. Everybody in Spain talked about the record," he said. "I think it's great a Spanish guy takes the record. It's good for the team, good for Spain and great for me." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzwZyIMrXO8 |
April 16
2007
#TravisOutlaw tied a then @trailblazers record by hitting 18 FT in loss to @utahjazz.
Outlaw, who played 7 seasons w/#Blazers, was 18 of 20 from FT line.
#TravisOutlaw tied a then @trailblazers record by hitting 18 FT in loss to @utahjazz.
Outlaw, who played 7 seasons w/#Blazers, was 18 of 20 from FT line.
2017
CJ McCollum scored a playoff career-best 41 points, and Damian Lillard had 34, but the Golden State Warriors made the crucial big plays on both ends down the stretch with Portland missing injured center Jusuf Nurkic the Blazers lost 121-109 in the first game of the best of seven series.
McCollum shot 11 of 15 from the field in the first half and finished 16 of 28, while Lillard went 12 for 26. McCollum's 27 first-half points matched a Portland playoff record for a half and he and Lillard had 48 of their team's 56 at the break.
McCollum is the 8th Portland player with 40 or more points in a playoff series, the second ever of his career. Lillard and McCollum are the first Blazers teammates to score 34 or more points in a playoff game since Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter on May 19, 1992. ... Their 75 points were two off the franchise playoff record by teammates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6-t24MFle8
CJ McCollum scored a playoff career-best 41 points, and Damian Lillard had 34, but the Golden State Warriors made the crucial big plays on both ends down the stretch with Portland missing injured center Jusuf Nurkic the Blazers lost 121-109 in the first game of the best of seven series.
McCollum shot 11 of 15 from the field in the first half and finished 16 of 28, while Lillard went 12 for 26. McCollum's 27 first-half points matched a Portland playoff record for a half and he and Lillard had 48 of their team's 56 at the break.
McCollum is the 8th Portland player with 40 or more points in a playoff series, the second ever of his career. Lillard and McCollum are the first Blazers teammates to score 34 or more points in a playoff game since Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter on May 19, 1992. ... Their 75 points were two off the franchise playoff record by teammates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6-t24MFle8
April 17
Happy Birthday to the Original Blazer Geoff Petrie
Born in Darby, Pennsylvania, in 1948, Petrie attended Springfield High School, in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and played collegiate ball at Princeton University. Petrie scored 1321 points in college, which stood 3rd in school history at the end of his career in 1970, but now now stands as the 6th most. Drafted by the Blazers despite the fact that chief scout Stu Inman had never seen him play when he selected the 6'-4" guard with the franchise’s first-ever draft pick back in 1970, Petrie's selection wasn't met with great local fanfare, but the NBA experts liked the selection.
Petrie joined the expansion Blazers and proved the experts correct from the beginning as he scored 22 points in his professional debut. He finished the 1970/71 season with 2,031 points, becoming the 7th rookie to top 2000 points. He was co-winner of the Rookie-of-the-Year with Dave Cowens of the Boston Celtics. Petrie topped the 40 point mark 6 times as a rookie, with 46 points being his high, a record that still stands for a rookie with Portland.
Born in Darby, Pennsylvania, in 1948, Petrie attended Springfield High School, in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and played collegiate ball at Princeton University. Petrie scored 1321 points in college, which stood 3rd in school history at the end of his career in 1970, but now now stands as the 6th most. Drafted by the Blazers despite the fact that chief scout Stu Inman had never seen him play when he selected the 6'-4" guard with the franchise’s first-ever draft pick back in 1970, Petrie's selection wasn't met with great local fanfare, but the NBA experts liked the selection.
Petrie joined the expansion Blazers and proved the experts correct from the beginning as he scored 22 points in his professional debut. He finished the 1970/71 season with 2,031 points, becoming the 7th rookie to top 2000 points. He was co-winner of the Rookie-of-the-Year with Dave Cowens of the Boston Celtics. Petrie topped the 40 point mark 6 times as a rookie, with 46 points being his high, a record that still stands for a rookie with Portland.
Anticipating a better sophomore season with the addition of Sidney Wicks, Petrie suffered a knee injury prior to the season, forcing him to miss the first 20 games of the season. The knee would never be the same, plaguing him for the remainder of his career with Portland.
Twice selected to the All-Star game, Petrie would top 40 points in his career 13 times including a pair of 51 point games in 1973. That would be the highest output until Damon Stoudamire scored 54 points 32 years later. Since then, Brandon Roy and Andre Miller ( once each with 52 points) and Damian Lillard (4 times with 61 as a high) have topped Petrie's best. |
Traded prior to the 1976/77 season to Atlanta Hawks, Petrie finished his Portland career with 9,732 points for a 21.8 point average. He is still ranked in the Top-10 for Blazer records in Points, Field Goals Made and Attempted, Free Throws Made and Attempted, and Assists. Once traded, Petrie never donned a Hawk uniform to play and retired due to knee injuries. After a few years in the private sector, Petrie rejoined the Blazers as a radio announcer in 1984, working with Bill Schonely.. He went on to serve in a variety of roles in the organization before becoming the team’s general manager in 1990. The Blazers twice reached the NBA Finals during his four years as general manager before resigning in 1994.
Petrie was hired by the Sacramento Kings as President of Basketball Operations, hiring former teammate and Blazer coach Rick Adelman. The former backcourt mates guided the Kings to their most successful run between 1999 to 2005. Petrie won NBA Executive of the Year Award twice with the Kings, first in 1999 and again in 2001. He stayed with the Kings until retiring in 2013
Petrie was hired by the Sacramento Kings as President of Basketball Operations, hiring former teammate and Blazer coach Rick Adelman. The former backcourt mates guided the Kings to their most successful run between 1999 to 2005. Petrie won NBA Executive of the Year Award twice with the Kings, first in 1999 and again in 2001. He stayed with the Kings until retiring in 2013
1987
Clyde Drexler records his 7th triple-double of his career in the Blazers 111-101 victory over the Utah Jazz. He had 29 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists.
Clyde Drexler records his 7th triple-double of his career in the Blazers 111-101 victory over the Utah Jazz. He had 29 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists.
1995
Buck Williams rebounded Rod Strickland's missed shot and passed it to Clifford Robinson, who controlled it and was fouled by the SuperSonics' Detlef Schrempf. That rebound gave Williams his 12,000th of his career, making him only the 8th player in NBA history with more than 15,000 points and 12,000 rebounds.
It was Williams who put the win in perspective, too. The 14-year veteran said he didn't remember which rebound was his 12,000th ( it came with four minutes left in the first half) and wasn't aware the victory clinched a playoff spot for the Blazers. "Where's the champagne?" Williams said. "There's no champagne? That's the problem with this league .. you never get the opportunity to bask in your glory. You just have to go out and play the next night. What this win does show is that when we're on our game, we can beat anybody in the playoffs. It's interesting that we can beat San Antonio and Seattle on the road, then lose to Dallas at home."
Buck Williams rebounded Rod Strickland's missed shot and passed it to Clifford Robinson, who controlled it and was fouled by the SuperSonics' Detlef Schrempf. That rebound gave Williams his 12,000th of his career, making him only the 8th player in NBA history with more than 15,000 points and 12,000 rebounds.
It was Williams who put the win in perspective, too. The 14-year veteran said he didn't remember which rebound was his 12,000th ( it came with four minutes left in the first half) and wasn't aware the victory clinched a playoff spot for the Blazers. "Where's the champagne?" Williams said. "There's no champagne? That's the problem with this league .. you never get the opportunity to bask in your glory. You just have to go out and play the next night. What this win does show is that when we're on our game, we can beat anybody in the playoffs. It's interesting that we can beat San Antonio and Seattle on the road, then lose to Dallas at home."
2013
LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and a season-high 21 rebounds for Portland (33-49), which lost its 13th straight game to equal the franchise record set in the 1971-72 season, as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 99-88 in the regular season finale for both teams. It was the Blazers' eighth straight loss at home, a franchise record. "We started out the season doing better that everyone thought. We kind of stalled there at the end with injuries and guys being out, but I thought throughout the whole year guys tried to get better and worked hard every day," Aldridge said after the Blazers thanked their fans in a postgame T-shirt giveaway. "The young guys came in and they tried to learn the game. That's all you can ask right now." |
Blazers owner Paul Allen presented Damion Lillard his Rookie of the Month award for March. Lillard has won all five of the rookie awards this season. Allen met with reporters before the game on Wednesday night to assess the season. "It's painful to be on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs," Allen acknowledged, but noted that he is encouraged for the future by Portland's young talent. Chuck Charnquist, the Blazers' media room manager and team historian, worked his final game after 43 years with the team.
Stephen Curry broke the NBA single-season mark for 3-pointers with 272. Curry surpassed Ray Allen's 3-point total of 269 set in 2005-06. Needing two for the record, Curry opened the game with two straight misses from beyond the arc, but hit his first midway through the first quarter before making the record-breaker with 6:49 to go in the second. "I was nervous to be honest with you. I had butterflies," Curry said. "It was like the elephant in the room." The feat accomplished, Curry was able to help the Warriors get the win and secure the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
Chuck Charnquist, the Blazers' media room manager and team historian, worked his final game after 43 years with the team. He's worked for the Blazers as a statistician, archivist, historian and media relations representative since 1970, initially starting with the rookie camp the summer, months before the team played a game. Charnquist worked 1,902 games for the Blazers, including 103 playoff games.
https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/chuck-charnquist-answer-man
Stephen Curry broke the NBA single-season mark for 3-pointers with 272. Curry surpassed Ray Allen's 3-point total of 269 set in 2005-06. Needing two for the record, Curry opened the game with two straight misses from beyond the arc, but hit his first midway through the first quarter before making the record-breaker with 6:49 to go in the second. "I was nervous to be honest with you. I had butterflies," Curry said. "It was like the elephant in the room." The feat accomplished, Curry was able to help the Warriors get the win and secure the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
Chuck Charnquist, the Blazers' media room manager and team historian, worked his final game after 43 years with the team. He's worked for the Blazers as a statistician, archivist, historian and media relations representative since 1970, initially starting with the rookie camp the summer, months before the team played a game. Charnquist worked 1,902 games for the Blazers, including 103 playoff games.
https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/chuck-charnquist-answer-man
April 18
1978
Bill Walton and Lloyd Neal made their return to the Blazers lineup after missing a combined 45 games but that wasn't enough as the Blazers suffer their 1st home playoff loss after winning 10 straight games.
Bill Walton and Lloyd Neal made their return to the Blazers lineup after missing a combined 45 games but that wasn't enough as the Blazers suffer their 1st home playoff loss after winning 10 straight games.
1984
Maurice Lucas faces the Blazers in the playoffs for the 1st time, leads the Suns to victory over the Blazers
Maurice Lucas faces the Blazers in the playoffs for the 1st time, leads the Suns to victory over the Blazers
2007
The Blazers paid special tribute to the 1977 NBA World Champions at Portland's final regular season game against the Golden State Warriors, highlighted by the retiring of the No. 14 jersey worn by former Blazers Lionel Hollins. "The 1977 team set the bar by which all other Trail Blazers teams are judged," said Mike Golub, Trail Blazers executive vice president. "It was a very special team and a very special time for the franchise, its fans and the City of Portland."
"We wanted to make the reunion very special for this team and the consensus among the alumni, coaches and organization was that retiring Lionel Hollins' jersey was long overdue and the right thing to do, so this seemed the perfect opportunity," added Golub. "We couldn't be more excited to raise the `Train's' jersey to the rafters to join the other Trail Blazer greats."
Hollins joined fellow 1977 champion teammates Dave Twardzik (#13), Larry Steele (#15), Maurice Lucas (#20), Bill Walton (#32), and Lloyd Neal (#36) to have their jerseys retired. The only other Trail Blazers to have their jerseys retired are Geoff Petrie (#45) and Clyde Drexler (#22).
The Blazers paid special tribute to the 1977 NBA World Champions at Portland's final regular season game against the Golden State Warriors, highlighted by the retiring of the No. 14 jersey worn by former Blazers Lionel Hollins. "The 1977 team set the bar by which all other Trail Blazers teams are judged," said Mike Golub, Trail Blazers executive vice president. "It was a very special team and a very special time for the franchise, its fans and the City of Portland."
"We wanted to make the reunion very special for this team and the consensus among the alumni, coaches and organization was that retiring Lionel Hollins' jersey was long overdue and the right thing to do, so this seemed the perfect opportunity," added Golub. "We couldn't be more excited to raise the `Train's' jersey to the rafters to join the other Trail Blazer greats."
Hollins joined fellow 1977 champion teammates Dave Twardzik (#13), Larry Steele (#15), Maurice Lucas (#20), Bill Walton (#32), and Lloyd Neal (#36) to have their jerseys retired. The only other Trail Blazers to have their jerseys retired are Geoff Petrie (#45) and Clyde Drexler (#22).
Hollins played at Arizona State Univ. where he was a first-team All-American by The Sporting News and Converse Yearbook and earned third-team honors by the Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)
A two-time All-Western Athletic Conference first-team selection, he led ASU to the NCAA Tournament in 1975, as ASU beat No. 10 Alabama (97-94 in Tempe in front of a building-record crowd of 14,733) and 16th-ranked UNLV (84-81 in Portland) before falling to top-ranked UCLA 89-75 in Portland. He led ASU in assists and minutes per game in both his seasons with 3.1 assists in 31.1 minutes per game in 1973-74 and 5.1 and 31.4 in 1974-75. He was the ASU Holiday Tournament Most Valuable Player in 1974, as ASU beat Montana and Nebraska. ASU went 14-0 in his senior year (1974-75) at home in the newly-opened University Activity Center. |
A 6-3 guard, Hollins played two years at Dixie Community College in St. George, Utah, before his stellar Sun Devil career. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the sixth pick overall in the 1975 NBA draft. He earned All-Rookie honors in 1975-76 and one year later, Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas and Hollins led the Blazers to their first and only NBA championship and. In his five years as a Trail Blazer, he was a three-time All-Defensive team pick and played in the 1978 NBA All-Star Game. After a decade in the NBA that included three NBA Final appearance and stints with Philadelphia (1980-82), San Diego (1982-83), Detroit (1983-84) and Houston (1984-85), Hollins returned to Arizona State as an assistant coach for the 1985-86 and 1987-88 seasons. He has more than a dozen years of coaching experience at the NBA level, serving as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns (1988-95) and Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-1999), helping the Suns to a 394-180 overall record as they posted at least 50 wins and reaching the playoffs in seven straight seasons. The Suns reached the 1993 NBA Finals and won Pacific Division titles in 1993 and 1995. Hollins also served as the Grizzlies interim head coach during the 1999-2000 season. He also was the head coach of the St. Louis SkyHawks of the USBL and assisted with the Harlem Globetrotters during their 2001 Fall College Exhibition Series. He also served as head coach of the Las Vegas Bandits of the International Basketball League (2000-01), leading the team to a 20-11 record. Twice he has served on the staff of winning NBA All-Star teams, both in Phoenix (1995) and in Salt Lake City (1993). |
From the Oregonian ....
Lionel Hollins has his jersey retired as team and fans are returned to 'Rip City forever'
With members of the 1977 Trail Blazers team gathered around him, Lionel Hollins watched and smiled as his No. 14 jersey was raised to the Rose Garden rafters Wednesday night during a celebration of Portland's only NBA championship. "I'm very humbled and honored to have this privilege bestowed upon me," Hollins said. "The championship was the ultimate moment in my life. Blazermania and Rip City forever."
It was the culmination of a two-day reunion event that featured everything from a Tuesday night "Champions Dinner" to a Wednesday afternoon re-creation of the wild 1977 victory parade that engulfed downtown Portland. Coaches, key executives and most of the players from the championship team were in town for the celebration, which offered a chance for the Blazers to reconnect with their past and, they hope, offer a glimpse into their future. The Blazers' season came to another discouraging and lackluster conclusion during their 120-98 loss to Golden State, but some of the 1977 champions say they see a little of themselves in the current group of Blazers. "They have some pieces to add to this team, same as we did (in 1977), but they also have some very good talent," said Jack Ramsay, coach of the 1977 Blazers. "I think this team is going to (win). It's a given."
Lionel Hollins has his jersey retired as team and fans are returned to 'Rip City forever'
With members of the 1977 Trail Blazers team gathered around him, Lionel Hollins watched and smiled as his No. 14 jersey was raised to the Rose Garden rafters Wednesday night during a celebration of Portland's only NBA championship. "I'm very humbled and honored to have this privilege bestowed upon me," Hollins said. "The championship was the ultimate moment in my life. Blazermania and Rip City forever."
It was the culmination of a two-day reunion event that featured everything from a Tuesday night "Champions Dinner" to a Wednesday afternoon re-creation of the wild 1977 victory parade that engulfed downtown Portland. Coaches, key executives and most of the players from the championship team were in town for the celebration, which offered a chance for the Blazers to reconnect with their past and, they hope, offer a glimpse into their future. The Blazers' season came to another discouraging and lackluster conclusion during their 120-98 loss to Golden State, but some of the 1977 champions say they see a little of themselves in the current group of Blazers. "They have some pieces to add to this team, same as we did (in 1977), but they also have some very good talent," said Jack Ramsay, coach of the 1977 Blazers. "I think this team is going to (win). It's a given."
One by one Tuesday evening, the old Blazers arrived at the Rose Garden to reunite. Corky Calhoun and Robin Jones, key reserves from the title team, were the first. Original Blazers owner Larry Weinberg was next. Before long, most of the team --Maurice Lucas, Hollins, Bob Gross, Larry Steele, Dave Twardzik, Lloyd Neal and Ramsay --stood on the arena floor. Eventually, the place was transformed into a throwback Memorial Coliseum locker room. The guys told jokes and slapped each others' backs. They played pranks. And they shared old stories, most of which surrounded the most memorable season in Blazers history. "There were lots of characters on that team, so we have lots of fun when we get together," said Gross, the starting small forward on the title team. "And everyone has a story to tell. I think as we get older, the stories keep getting bigger and bigger. Either that or my memory is shrinking."
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In the middle of everything was Lucas, the "Enforcer" on the title team and a current Blazers assistant coach, yucking it up. One moment, he hunched down, said, "What, Luke never practiced?" and pretended to do defensive slides as Twardzik, Steele and Jones laughed. Later, when Lucas noticed that Weinberg and Ramsay were chatting, Lucas pulled out his cell phone, snapped a couple of pictures and deadpanned, "Man, that's classic. I'll never see that again. Gotta get proof."
"Maurice is eating this up," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said before Wednesday's game. "People have been calling his name and he's walking in, strutting his stuff like he's going through a starting lineup. Maurice loves this stuff." Ramsay and the players routinely dissected the incredible camaraderie and selfless attitude of the championship team. They talked about how thousands of fans crammed into Portland International Airport concourses to greet the team after road playoff games. And, as much as anything, they reminisced about the downtown victory parade that took place the day after Portland clinched the championship in six games against Philadelphia. Approximately 250,000 people lined Broadway and surrounding streets in what the players called a surreal and unforgettable event.
Fans hung from windows and light posts and swarmed cars that carried the players. It took an hour and half for the caravan to travel south down Broadway and reach what was then Federal Plaza, where a rally was held. The parade and rally were re-created Wednesday at noon. "I vividly remember the parade because it was so much fun," said Linda Adams of Portland on Wednesday, wearing a '77 championship shirt. "It was on a weekday and I thought, 'Oh my goodness, I better go because everyone else has to work.' How little I knew. It was bigger than anyone ever dreamed. It was amazing. Just really, really special."
But what would make the reunion most special for Blazers fans is if it stamped a positive impression on the current team. With rookie of the year shoo-in Brandon Roy, first-year standout LaMarcus Aldridge and a slew of other young, talented players, the Blazers are assembling some pieces that could equate to success in similar fashion, Ramsay said, to the way the '77 championship team was constructed. The championship team featured eight new players, a fresh coaching staff and was the youngest winner in NBA history. "Winning the championship was the best thing that ever happened to me in basketball and my professional life," Ramsay said. "And I think it will happen here again."
As memorable as the previous two days were for Hollins and the rest of the champions, it could have had a more lasting impression on this young Blazers team. "Anytime you get compared with a championship team, it's a good thing to hear," Freddie Jones said. "We just have to take that as motivation and go into the offseason with a little edge. We need to make the guys look like they're prophets."
Fans hung from windows and light posts and swarmed cars that carried the players. It took an hour and half for the caravan to travel south down Broadway and reach what was then Federal Plaza, where a rally was held. The parade and rally were re-created Wednesday at noon. "I vividly remember the parade because it was so much fun," said Linda Adams of Portland on Wednesday, wearing a '77 championship shirt. "It was on a weekday and I thought, 'Oh my goodness, I better go because everyone else has to work.' How little I knew. It was bigger than anyone ever dreamed. It was amazing. Just really, really special."
But what would make the reunion most special for Blazers fans is if it stamped a positive impression on the current team. With rookie of the year shoo-in Brandon Roy, first-year standout LaMarcus Aldridge and a slew of other young, talented players, the Blazers are assembling some pieces that could equate to success in similar fashion, Ramsay said, to the way the '77 championship team was constructed. The championship team featured eight new players, a fresh coaching staff and was the youngest winner in NBA history. "Winning the championship was the best thing that ever happened to me in basketball and my professional life," Ramsay said. "And I think it will happen here again."
As memorable as the previous two days were for Hollins and the rest of the champions, it could have had a more lasting impression on this young Blazers team. "Anytime you get compared with a championship team, it's a good thing to hear," Freddie Jones said. "We just have to take that as motivation and go into the offseason with a little edge. We need to make the guys look like they're prophets."
April 19
2005
Darius Miles had a career-high 47 points off the bench in the Blazers 119-115 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
The Blazers are the 3rd team Miles has played for since he was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 3rd pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. Miles made the All-Rookie team and played 1 more year with the Clippers, averaging 9.4 points and 5.7 rebounds before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Halfway through his 2nd season in Cleveland, the Blazers acquired Miles and he jumped his averages to 12.6 points. Miles averaged 13.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in 145 for the Blazers before severely injuring his right knee late in the 2005/06 season. Microfracture surgery caused him to miss the 2006/07 and 2007/08 seasons.
Darius Miles had a career-high 47 points off the bench in the Blazers 119-115 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
The Blazers are the 3rd team Miles has played for since he was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 3rd pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. Miles made the All-Rookie team and played 1 more year with the Clippers, averaging 9.4 points and 5.7 rebounds before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Halfway through his 2nd season in Cleveland, the Blazers acquired Miles and he jumped his averages to 12.6 points. Miles averaged 13.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in 145 for the Blazers before severely injuring his right knee late in the 2005/06 season. Microfracture surgery caused him to miss the 2006/07 and 2007/08 seasons.
In an effort to shed Miles's $18 million contract, the Blazers petitioned the NBA and the NBA Players Association in March 2008 to provide an independent doctor to decide whether Miles could play again. The examination determined that Miles' knee injury was severe enough to be career-ending, prompting the Blazers to request waivers for his release on April 14, 2008. However, Miles had the option to sign on with another team if offered a contract, potentially reverting the $18 million savings the Blazers hoped to gain if Miles played in 10 games in 2008. The Boston Celtics signed Miles prior to the 2008/09 season but waived him before the regular season began. Under NBA rules, if a team is granted salary-cap relief for a career-ending injury to a player who thereafter participates in at least ten games the next season, the salary cap relief is terminated and the amount is added back to the team's salary cap ceiling. |
On January 8, 2009, after Miles played six pre-season season games with the Celtics and two before being released from a non-guaranteed contract by the Grizzlies, the Portland Trail Blazers threatened to sue any of the other 29 NBA teams that picked up Miles and played him specifically to adversely impact their salary cap and tax positions. In response, the NBA players' association threatened to file a grievance against the Trail Blazers. After a directive from the NBA Commissioner's office the next day declaring that any team could sign Miles and the League would approve the contract, the Memphis Grizzlies re-signed Miles on January 10, 2009 to a 10-day non-guaranteed contract. Miles then played the two games necessary to trigger re-addition of the $18 million to Portland's cap amount. Miles then re-signed two more 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies before being signed for the rest of the 2008–09 season on January 30, 2009.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8yFXsyGafI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8yFXsyGafI
2021
Shaler Halimon, the first player the Blazers ever acquired in an in-season trade, passed away at the age of 76. Halimon played just one season with Portland but played five years overall in the NBA and ABA, earning the nickname “Houdini” during a stint with the Chicago Bulls, and was referred to as "Super Shay" by Journal writer George Pasero. After playing college basketball at Utah State, Halimon was selected No. 14 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1968 NBA draft. He played in 50 games with the 76ers as a rookie, but was traded to the Bulls the following season and went on to play 40 games over two seasons. It was in Chicago, on Jan. 17, 1970 against rookie Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Milwaukee Bucks, where Halimon had perhaps the most memorable performance of his career. He scored three baskets in the final eight seconds of regulation to dramatically force overtime, and the Bulls went on to win 132-130. The late-game scoring flurry remains one of the most celebrated in franchise history — the Bulls team website once ranked it ninth on a “10 Greatest Bulls Shots” list — and earned Halimon the nickname “Houdini.” |
The Blazers acquired Halimon from the Bulls, two games into their inaugural season for a future second-round draft pick. He would go on to average 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 79 games. This link has a 15 minute conversation with Halimon, Geoff Petrie, Jim Barnett, coach Rolland Todd and Bill Schonely
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z__ibfh1XH0 Halimon was waived prior to the 1971/72 season, but he played two more years with the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Chaparrals of the ABA, before leaving the game at age 27. After his playing career, Halimon initially landed a job as a social worker in San Antonio, where he ran a halfway house among other things, but soon returned to Oregon and settled into a decorated career with TriMet that spanned parts of four decades. In 2002, Halimon earned the title of Master Operator after netting TriMet’s “Superior Performance Award” 10 times. Eight years later, in 2010, TriMet named him its bus operator of the year. Halimon was infamously mentioned in David Halberstams book about the Blazers, "The breaks of the Game", when he approached Asst. Coach Bucky Buckwalter in 1979 asking if there was any chance to tryout for the Blazers. Buckwalter was noted to have appeared "shaken" by the request. |
All the while, he was a routine visitor to Blazers games and made regular appearances for the team as part of its alumni program, most recently on Oct. 9, 2019, when the Blazers kicked off a yearlong celebration of their 50th anniversary with an exhibition game at Memorial Coliseum.
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April 20
1977
1983
The Blazers win the 1st game of a playoff series since 1977 when the defeat the Seattle SuperSonics 108-97
The Blazers win the 1st game of a playoff series since 1977 when the defeat the Seattle SuperSonics 108-97
1985
Sam Bowie grabs 20 rebounds and blocks 5 shots in the Portland Trail Blazers 124-121 overtime victory against the Dallas Mavericks despite Rolando Blackman scoring 41 points for the home team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzg-oNJIVtE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo1u1dps3N0
Sam Bowie grabs 20 rebounds and blocks 5 shots in the Portland Trail Blazers 124-121 overtime victory against the Dallas Mavericks despite Rolando Blackman scoring 41 points for the home team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzg-oNJIVtE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo1u1dps3N0
2014
LaMarcus Aldridge scored a franchise playoff-record 46 points and Damian Lillard added 31, including the go-ahead free throws in overtime, to lift the Portland Trail Blazers to a 122-120 victory over theHouston Rockets. The previous high of 45 points by Bonzi Wells was set April 23, 2003 in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Aldridge fouled out with about a minute left in overtime and Lillard, who was making his playoff debut, took over. He scored the next five points for Portland and put the Trail Blazers on top by one point with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FKcDQLC7dM
LaMarcus Aldridge scored a franchise playoff-record 46 points and Damian Lillard added 31, including the go-ahead free throws in overtime, to lift the Portland Trail Blazers to a 122-120 victory over theHouston Rockets. The previous high of 45 points by Bonzi Wells was set April 23, 2003 in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Aldridge fouled out with about a minute left in overtime and Lillard, who was making his playoff debut, took over. He scored the next five points for Portland and put the Trail Blazers on top by one point with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FKcDQLC7dM
April 21
1970
Rolland Todd is named the 1st Blazer coach
Rolland Todd is named the 1st Blazer coach
1978
The Blazers win the 2nd game against the Seattle SuperSonics. It is the last game Bill Walton appears in a Blazer uniform.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsEhyl960io
The Blazers win the 2nd game against the Seattle SuperSonics. It is the last game Bill Walton appears in a Blazer uniform.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsEhyl960io
1989
Clyde Drexler scores 43 points but it wasn't enough to send the Los Angeles Lakers packing in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last regular season game at the Memorial Coliseum. Jabbar played 100 regular season games against the Blazers and 17 playoff games. In the regular season, Jabbar was on the winning side of the game 69 times of the 100, 21 as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks and 48 as a Laker. He scored 2538 points, grabbed 1058 rebounds, passed for 346 assists. He also blocked 211 shots in 85 games as blocks were not an official stat until 1973 . Seven times he hit for more than 40 points with his best being 50 points in 1975. He hit for 20 or more 75 times and was in double figures for 94 of the games. In 17 playoff games, despite the 4-0 Blazers sweep in 1977, Jabbar was on the winning side 11 times and scored 426 points, 170 rebounds, 53 assists, 57 blocks. His gift from the Blazers can be seen here at this link .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY7OIqWue3o Walton's dunk over Jabbar in the 1977 playoffs can be seen here ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS9hEXZkyJI Jabbar graced the cover of Sports Illustrated 24 times, twice with Bill Walton as the Blazer center and once with Wayne Cooper attempting to block the sky-hook. |
Jim Marsh attempts to block Jabbar
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2009
Brandon Roy hit for 42 points, helping the Portland Trail Blazers win their first playoff game in 6 years, defeating the Houston Rockets 107-103. Roy's 42 points are tied for second most by a Blazers in the playoffs with Bonzi Wells getting 45 points in a game against Dallas in 2003, the last time Portland went to the postseason. LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and 12 rebounds for Trail Blazers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzEWKGW1W6w
Brandon Roy hit for 42 points, helping the Portland Trail Blazers win their first playoff game in 6 years, defeating the Houston Rockets 107-103. Roy's 42 points are tied for second most by a Blazers in the playoffs with Bonzi Wells getting 45 points in a game against Dallas in 2003, the last time Portland went to the postseason. LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and 12 rebounds for Trail Blazers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzEWKGW1W6w
2018
Anthony Davis scored 47 points as the New Orleans Pelicans completed a first-round playoff sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers with a 131-123 victory.
“It was fun,” Davis said. “It was an amazing feeling for me to go out and sweep these guys and play the way that I played.” When Davis wasn’t devastating the Blazers, Jrue Holiday scored 41-points, creating a first in Blazer history with 2 opponents scoring more than 40 in the same game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlWPRuVptio
Anthony Davis scored 47 points as the New Orleans Pelicans completed a first-round playoff sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers with a 131-123 victory.
“It was fun,” Davis said. “It was an amazing feeling for me to go out and sweep these guys and play the way that I played.” When Davis wasn’t devastating the Blazers, Jrue Holiday scored 41-points, creating a first in Blazer history with 2 opponents scoring more than 40 in the same game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlWPRuVptio
April 22
1977
Bill Walton records his first, and only, playoff triple-double with 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists but the Blazers fall to the Denver Nuggets.
Bill Walton records his first, and only, playoff triple-double with 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists but the Blazers fall to the Denver Nuggets.
1984
1986
Blair Rasmussen, a rookie from the University of Oregon who averaged 7 minutes of playing time during the regular season, played 31 minutes and scored 26 points and led the Denver Nuggets to a road victory over the Blazers.
Rasmussen, who grew up in Auburn Washington, averaged 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds at the University of Oregon. He was 1st team All Pac-10 in 1983, 1984, and 1985 and was the 15th pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. A 7'0" center, Rasmussen played eight seasons in the NBA from 1985 to 1993. He played for the Nuggets from 1985 to 1991 and for the Atlanta Hawksfrom 1991 to 1993. Rasmussen's best year as a pro came during the 1990–91 season as a member of the Nuggets, when he appeared in 70 games (69 starts), and averaged 12.5 points per game and 1.9 blocks per game.
Blair Rasmussen, a rookie from the University of Oregon who averaged 7 minutes of playing time during the regular season, played 31 minutes and scored 26 points and led the Denver Nuggets to a road victory over the Blazers.
Rasmussen, who grew up in Auburn Washington, averaged 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds at the University of Oregon. He was 1st team All Pac-10 in 1983, 1984, and 1985 and was the 15th pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. A 7'0" center, Rasmussen played eight seasons in the NBA from 1985 to 1993. He played for the Nuggets from 1985 to 1991 and for the Atlanta Hawksfrom 1991 to 1993. Rasmussen's best year as a pro came during the 1990–91 season as a member of the Nuggets, when he appeared in 70 games (69 starts), and averaged 12.5 points per game and 1.9 blocks per game.
1990
From the Oregonian ...
Summary: Los Angeles plays without four starters and Portland sets a franchise record by concluding the regular season with 59 victories.
The Los Angeles Lakers proved something beyond a shadow of a doubt Sunday night in Memorial Coliseum: A.C. Green and four reserves aren't the ticket to ride in the upcoming National Basketball Association playoffs. Los Angeles coach Pat Riley gave starters Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Mychal Thompson the night off, and the Portland Trail Blazers made the view from the Laker bench a sorry sight with a 130-88 wipeout in the regular-season finale for both teams.
The victory allowed the Trail Blazers, 59-23, to accomplish two goals they wanted to take into the NBA playoffs, which begin in the coliseum Thursday night against Dallas:
* They established a franchise record for wins in a season. The old mark was set by the 1977-78 club, which finished 58-24.
* They won the regular-season series with the Lakers for the first time in 10 years, 3-2, and for the first time ever gained at least a split in their series with every team in the league.
From the Oregonian ...
Summary: Los Angeles plays without four starters and Portland sets a franchise record by concluding the regular season with 59 victories.
The Los Angeles Lakers proved something beyond a shadow of a doubt Sunday night in Memorial Coliseum: A.C. Green and four reserves aren't the ticket to ride in the upcoming National Basketball Association playoffs. Los Angeles coach Pat Riley gave starters Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Mychal Thompson the night off, and the Portland Trail Blazers made the view from the Laker bench a sorry sight with a 130-88 wipeout in the regular-season finale for both teams.
The victory allowed the Trail Blazers, 59-23, to accomplish two goals they wanted to take into the NBA playoffs, which begin in the coliseum Thursday night against Dallas:
* They established a franchise record for wins in a season. The old mark was set by the 1977-78 club, which finished 58-24.
* They won the regular-season series with the Lakers for the first time in 10 years, 3-2, and for the first time ever gained at least a split in their series with every team in the league.
The Lakers, 63-19, came into the game having already clinched the best record in the league, which guarantees them homecourt advantage in any playoff series they play. In Coach Pat Riley's mind, that was license to declare the game ``insignificant.'' With starting guard Byron Scott back home to nurse an ankle sprain, Riley chose to keep Johnson, Worthy and Thompson alongside him on the Lakers' bench. Joining regular Green in the makeshift starting five were Jay Vincent, Vlade Divac, Larry Drew and Orlando Woolridge.
Portland coach Rick Adelman went with his regular rotation, and the result was a couple of records the Blazers weren't going after:
* The most one-sided defeat ever -- that's right, ever -- for the Lakers. The previous low point was a 39-point loss to San Francisco in 1966.
* The Blazers' biggest margin of victory ever over Los Angeles. They had won twice previously by 29 points.
The Blazers seemed unperturbed, if a bit puzzled, at Riley's strategy. ``I didn't understand it,'' Portland center Kevin Duckworth said. ``I thought he might rest them the first half and then play them in the second, but he didn't. That totally tripped me out.'' ``Maybe he was trying to rest his guys,'' said guard Clyde Drexler, who set the tone by beating Woolridge for 15 of his 21 points in the first quarter. ``It was kind of a letdown, but the team responded really well. ``We wanted this game. Whatever they were doing, we had to take care of business. We wanted the best record in franchise history, we wanted to win our series with the Lakers, and we got the job done.''
The Blazers did more than that, of course. They rubbed the Lakers' noses in the Coliseum floor all night.
Portland coach Rick Adelman went with his regular rotation, and the result was a couple of records the Blazers weren't going after:
* The most one-sided defeat ever -- that's right, ever -- for the Lakers. The previous low point was a 39-point loss to San Francisco in 1966.
* The Blazers' biggest margin of victory ever over Los Angeles. They had won twice previously by 29 points.
The Blazers seemed unperturbed, if a bit puzzled, at Riley's strategy. ``I didn't understand it,'' Portland center Kevin Duckworth said. ``I thought he might rest them the first half and then play them in the second, but he didn't. That totally tripped me out.'' ``Maybe he was trying to rest his guys,'' said guard Clyde Drexler, who set the tone by beating Woolridge for 15 of his 21 points in the first quarter. ``It was kind of a letdown, but the team responded really well. ``We wanted this game. Whatever they were doing, we had to take care of business. We wanted the best record in franchise history, we wanted to win our series with the Lakers, and we got the job done.''
The Blazers did more than that, of course. They rubbed the Lakers' noses in the Coliseum floor all night.
2001
Shaquille O’Neal had 24 points and 20 rebounds, Kobe Bryant had 28 points and 7 assists in victory over the Blazers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEoop8gEFW8
Shaquille O’Neal had 24 points and 20 rebounds, Kobe Bryant had 28 points and 7 assists in victory over the Blazers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEoop8gEFW8
2010
Jason Richardson drops 42 points in the Suns victory over the Blazers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMvCubCnUjQ
Jason Richardson drops 42 points in the Suns victory over the Blazers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMvCubCnUjQ
April 23
1978
1985
Clyde Drexler records his 1st playoff triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and assists in the Blazers 122-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks
Clyde Drexler records his 1st playoff triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and assists in the Blazers 122-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks
1989
Clyde Drexler's 40 points in the season finale set a couple franchise records. It was the 7th time Drexler hit for 40 or more during the season, breaking the record of 6 games, held by Geoff Petrie. Petrie set the record in his rookie season of 1970/71. Damian Lillard would tie Drexler during the 2019/20 season It was also the first time any Blazer had back-to-back 40 point efforts. Portlands last game was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last regular season visit and Drexler recorded 43 points then. Previously Petrie and Drexler shared the distinction of scoring 40 or more twice within 3-games, another feat that Lillard tied in the 2019/20 season. |
2003
Bonzi Wells set the Blazer Playoff high with 45 points in the 103-99 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Wells is only the 4th Blazer to hit for for than 40 points in the playoffs, with the previous high of 42 points set by Clyde Drexler in 1992.
The 45 points high would last until broken by LaMarcus Aldridge (46) in 2014 and then by Damian Lillard, who hit for 50 points in 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odRRUHWyLH0
Bonzi Wells set the Blazer Playoff high with 45 points in the 103-99 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Wells is only the 4th Blazer to hit for for than 40 points in the playoffs, with the previous high of 42 points set by Clyde Drexler in 1992.
The 45 points high would last until broken by LaMarcus Aldridge (46) in 2014 and then by Damian Lillard, who hit for 50 points in 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odRRUHWyLH0
2011
Brandon Roy scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter - including a 10-foot bank shot with 39.2 seconds left for the game's final points - to lift the Blazers to an improbable 84-82 first-round playoff victory over the Dallas Mavericks Saturday at the Rose Garden. Portland trailed 64-41 late in third quarter after missing its first 15 shots of the third quarter. The Blazers trailed 67-49 entering the final period. It was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise playoff history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJjeZ4Scm9E
Brandon Roy scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter - including a 10-foot bank shot with 39.2 seconds left for the game's final points - to lift the Blazers to an improbable 84-82 first-round playoff victory over the Dallas Mavericks Saturday at the Rose Garden. Portland trailed 64-41 late in third quarter after missing its first 15 shots of the third quarter. The Blazers trailed 67-49 entering the final period. It was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise playoff history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJjeZ4Scm9E
2014
LaMarcus Aldridge drops 43 points on the Houston Rockets, becoming the first Blazer to have back-to-back playoff games of 40 or more points. Aldridge had 46 points in Game 1 of the series, a franchise record and he becomes the third active NBA player to score 40 points in consecutive playoff games, joining Kobe Bryant in 2001 and LeBron James in 2009.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdfAP8K4lvg
LaMarcus Aldridge drops 43 points on the Houston Rockets, becoming the first Blazer to have back-to-back playoff games of 40 or more points. Aldridge had 46 points in Game 1 of the series, a franchise record and he becomes the third active NBA player to score 40 points in consecutive playoff games, joining Kobe Bryant in 2001 and LeBron James in 2009.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdfAP8K4lvg
2016
Damian Lillard finished with 32 points and the Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 96-88. The NBA newly crowned Most Improved Player, CJ McCollum added 27 points, helping Portland to snap a 5-game losing streak to the Clippers going back to the regular season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3-TA6_c1CY
Damian Lillard finished with 32 points and the Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 96-88. The NBA newly crowned Most Improved Player, CJ McCollum added 27 points, helping Portland to snap a 5-game losing streak to the Clippers going back to the regular season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3-TA6_c1CY
Going into Saturday's night's Round One, Game Three matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, down 2-0, Plumlee's complete skillset shone when Portland needed it most. Though Blazer guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined to score 59 points, it was Plumlee's line of six points, 21 rebounds and nine assists that was a major difference in a 96-88 victory at Moda Center to bring the series to 2-1.
“You know, he obviously had a lot of bounce," head coach Terry Stotts said of Plumlee's performance. "Obviously the rebounds speak for themselves. His playmaking, his running into screens – he had an exceptional game. The rebounding was the biggest thing because that’s been kind of a weak point for us in the series, but his passing, he’s been doing that all year for us.”
Plumlee finished the game with the same amount of assists as LA point guard Chris Paul, and five more rebounds than Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, both of whom ranked in the top five in the NBA for each category during the regular season. “Probably an awkward stat line," Plumlee joked of his stats. "The guys on the bench were giving me a hard time for not getting ten points. The game is different through adjustments and stuff, they leave certain things open and they take other things away. So really, they put me in a good position by them trapping the guards, really I have an advantage every time I catch the ball so then it’s just making the right play.”
Plumlee's 21 rebounds are the most by a Trail Blazer since Sam Bowie's big night on the glass on April 20, 1985. What's more, the Duke product also became the first player to grab 20 rebounds in the 2016 NBA Playoffs and is the first player in 12 years to record 20+ rebounds and at least nine assists in a playoff game after Kevin Garnett did so on April 21, 2004 for the Minnesota Timberwolves versus the Denver Nuggets. Plumlee, who served as Garnett's protégé of sorts during his rookie season in Brooklyn, laughed when told of the feat to match his former teammate. "Maybe I should text him," Plumlee joked. "That's good company, man. He was a great teammate to me, so to do something that he did is something to be proud of."
Plumlee became just the fourth player in the past 30 years to grab 20-plus rebounds and dish nine-plus assists in a playoff game, joining Garnett, Tim Duncan (2x) and Shaquille O'Neal.
“You know, he obviously had a lot of bounce," head coach Terry Stotts said of Plumlee's performance. "Obviously the rebounds speak for themselves. His playmaking, his running into screens – he had an exceptional game. The rebounding was the biggest thing because that’s been kind of a weak point for us in the series, but his passing, he’s been doing that all year for us.”
Plumlee finished the game with the same amount of assists as LA point guard Chris Paul, and five more rebounds than Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, both of whom ranked in the top five in the NBA for each category during the regular season. “Probably an awkward stat line," Plumlee joked of his stats. "The guys on the bench were giving me a hard time for not getting ten points. The game is different through adjustments and stuff, they leave certain things open and they take other things away. So really, they put me in a good position by them trapping the guards, really I have an advantage every time I catch the ball so then it’s just making the right play.”
Plumlee's 21 rebounds are the most by a Trail Blazer since Sam Bowie's big night on the glass on April 20, 1985. What's more, the Duke product also became the first player to grab 20 rebounds in the 2016 NBA Playoffs and is the first player in 12 years to record 20+ rebounds and at least nine assists in a playoff game after Kevin Garnett did so on April 21, 2004 for the Minnesota Timberwolves versus the Denver Nuggets. Plumlee, who served as Garnett's protégé of sorts during his rookie season in Brooklyn, laughed when told of the feat to match his former teammate. "Maybe I should text him," Plumlee joked. "That's good company, man. He was a great teammate to me, so to do something that he did is something to be proud of."
Plumlee became just the fourth player in the past 30 years to grab 20-plus rebounds and dish nine-plus assists in a playoff game, joining Garnett, Tim Duncan (2x) and Shaquille O'Neal.
2019
(Just next to Paul George's left arm, sitting down while all around are standing, is Blazer Founder Harry Glickman)
- From Associated Press
(Just next to Paul George's left arm, sitting down while all around are standing, is Blazer Founder Harry Glickman)
Lillard waved goodbye to the Thunder bench after nailing the shot, then was promptly mobbed by his teammates. As the Thunder left the floor, Lillard circled the court, high-fiving fans. The crowd chanted, "MVP! MVP!" Lillard had 10 3-pointers, breaking the franchise record. Portland advances to the Western Conference semifinals to face the winner of the series between the Nuggets and San Antonio. Denver won 108-90 earlier Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in that series. It was the 12th straight road playoff loss for the Thunder, who have been eliminated in the opening round for three straight seasons.
Russell Westbrook had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists for his 10th career playoff triple-double and his second of the series. Paul George added 36 points. Lillard had 34 points in the first half alone -- more than Westbrook and George had combined (32) for the Thunder -- but the Blazers had just a 61-60 edge going into the second half. The Thunder led 90-88 going into the final quarter. Westbrook hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead while Lillard took a break on the bench. Oklahoma City went up 105-90 with 7:45 left on Dennis Schroder's pull-up jumper as Portland struggled.
Lillard's 3-pointer pulled the Blazers within 108-103, but Westbrook answered with his own 3-pointer. CJ McCollum's bank shot cut Oklahoma City's lead to 113-109 with 1:39 left. Maurice Harkless added free throws to get the Blazers within two. McCollum tied it with a jumper with just under a minute left, but George scored on the other end. Lillard's layup re-tied it before he hit his epic 3-pointer. McCollum finished with 17 for the Blazers and Enes Kanter had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Portland was swept in the first round of the playoffs for the past two seasons, last year by New Orleans and the previous year by Golden State. The Blazers last trip to the Western Conference semifinals came in 2016, when they beat the Clippers in the opening round before falling to the Warriors in five games.
https://www.nba.com/amp/blazers/forwardcenter/fourth-quarter-game-5-oral-history
Lillard's 3-pointer pulled the Blazers within 108-103, but Westbrook answered with his own 3-pointer. CJ McCollum's bank shot cut Oklahoma City's lead to 113-109 with 1:39 left. Maurice Harkless added free throws to get the Blazers within two. McCollum tied it with a jumper with just under a minute left, but George scored on the other end. Lillard's layup re-tied it before he hit his epic 3-pointer. McCollum finished with 17 for the Blazers and Enes Kanter had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Portland was swept in the first round of the playoffs for the past two seasons, last year by New Orleans and the previous year by Golden State. The Blazers last trip to the Western Conference semifinals came in 2016, when they beat the Clippers in the opening round before falling to the Warriors in five games.
https://www.nba.com/amp/blazers/forwardcenter/fourth-quarter-game-5-oral-history
April 24
1973
The Blazers had lost the rights to the 1st pick in the 1973 NBA Draft in the coin flip with the Philadelphia 76ers, ending up with the 2nd pick. Instead of picking from a relatively weak incoming class, the Blazers traded the pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with their 3rd round pick, for the John Johnson, Rick Roberson and the Cavs pick at #15 which they used to select Barry Parkhill, a shooting guard from the Univ.of Virginia. Parkhill elected to play in the American Basketball Association (ABA) instead, where he played three seasons for two different teams, the Virginia Squires and the Spirits of St. Louis. In 2001, Parkhill was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
The only other name player selected by Portland was William "Bird" Averitt from Pepperdine University. Averitt played for the San Antonio Spurs (1973–74) and Kentucky Colonels (1974–76) in the American Basketball Association for 236 games, winning the 1975 ABA championship with the Colonels. After the Colonels were disbanded as part of the ABA–NBA merger, Averitt joined the Buffalo Braves through the 1976 ABA dispersal draft, playing with that team for the 1976–77 season until joining the New Jersey Nets for the 1977–78 season, playing 130 games in the NBA with those two teams.
No player the Blazers selected played for Portland and only Averitt played in the NBA after the merger in 1976.
The Blazers had lost the rights to the 1st pick in the 1973 NBA Draft in the coin flip with the Philadelphia 76ers, ending up with the 2nd pick. Instead of picking from a relatively weak incoming class, the Blazers traded the pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with their 3rd round pick, for the John Johnson, Rick Roberson and the Cavs pick at #15 which they used to select Barry Parkhill, a shooting guard from the Univ.of Virginia. Parkhill elected to play in the American Basketball Association (ABA) instead, where he played three seasons for two different teams, the Virginia Squires and the Spirits of St. Louis. In 2001, Parkhill was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
The only other name player selected by Portland was William "Bird" Averitt from Pepperdine University. Averitt played for the San Antonio Spurs (1973–74) and Kentucky Colonels (1974–76) in the American Basketball Association for 236 games, winning the 1975 ABA championship with the Colonels. After the Colonels were disbanded as part of the ABA–NBA merger, Averitt joined the Buffalo Braves through the 1976 ABA dispersal draft, playing with that team for the 1976–77 season until joining the New Jersey Nets for the 1977–78 season, playing 130 games in the NBA with those two teams.
No player the Blazers selected played for Portland and only Averitt played in the NBA after the merger in 1976.
1977
Denver Nuggets star player David Thompson scored 40 points but the Blazers were able to pull out the win to go up 2 games to 1 against the Nuggets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZLEYmneUVo
Denver Nuggets star player David Thompson scored 40 points but the Blazers were able to pull out the win to go up 2 games to 1 against the Nuggets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZLEYmneUVo
1983
Magic Johnson has 18 assists
Magic Johnson has 18 assists
1987
Mike Schuler, in his first year as coach, led the Blazers to a 49–33 record, was announced as the NBA Coach of the Year Award, the 1st Blazer coach to win the award. The ceremony can be seen at this link ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj8d8oh7yxw
Schuler replaced Jack Ramsay, who coached the Blazers for 10 years, in May of 1986. When Schuler was introduced as the coach of the Blazers by Harry Glickman, the two men each slid to their left so Schuler would be seated in front of the microphones. While sliding, Schuler missed the chair and fell to the floor. The footage was seen often on American television in the following days, and Schuler termed it "my instant claim to fame." Link below ...
The Blazers improved to a 53-29 record in Schuler's 2nd season but again failed to advance beyond the 1st round of the playoffs. In his third season with the Blazers, the team was racked with dissension and posted a 25–22 record before Schuler was fired in mid-February. Assistant coach Rick Adelman was promoted to replace him on an interim basis. After the Blazers reached the 1989 NBA Playoffs, Adelman was made the head coach on a full-time basis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcxt49bS2uI
Mike Schuler, in his first year as coach, led the Blazers to a 49–33 record, was announced as the NBA Coach of the Year Award, the 1st Blazer coach to win the award. The ceremony can be seen at this link ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj8d8oh7yxw
Schuler replaced Jack Ramsay, who coached the Blazers for 10 years, in May of 1986. When Schuler was introduced as the coach of the Blazers by Harry Glickman, the two men each slid to their left so Schuler would be seated in front of the microphones. While sliding, Schuler missed the chair and fell to the floor. The footage was seen often on American television in the following days, and Schuler termed it "my instant claim to fame." Link below ...
The Blazers improved to a 53-29 record in Schuler's 2nd season but again failed to advance beyond the 1st round of the playoffs. In his third season with the Blazers, the team was racked with dissension and posted a 25–22 record before Schuler was fired in mid-February. Assistant coach Rick Adelman was promoted to replace him on an interim basis. After the Blazers reached the 1989 NBA Playoffs, Adelman was made the head coach on a full-time basis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcxt49bS2uI
1998
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES: For three quarters, Kobe Bryant played like a 19-year-old youngster, which he is. In the final period, he performed like an All-Star, which he also is. Bryant scored 11 of his 15 points in the last eight and a half minutes and Shaquille O'Neal had 18 of his 30 points in the second half as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied last night for a 104-102 victory over visiting Portland in the opener of their playoff series. The Lakers went ahead for good by scoring 9 straight points to turn a 3-point deficit into a 93-87 lead with a little over three minutes remaining.
Arvydas Sabonis made two free throws with 1 minute 19 seconds left to draw the Trail Blazers within a point, but that's as close as they would get. Bryant made a foul shot with 1:06 to go, and after Rasheed Wallace missed a jumper that could have tied the score, Nick Van Exel made a 3-point shot with 31.1 seconds left. Gary Grant's 3-point shot with 4.7 seconds left made it 102-100 before Eddie Jones made two free throws to clinch the victory.
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES: For three quarters, Kobe Bryant played like a 19-year-old youngster, which he is. In the final period, he performed like an All-Star, which he also is. Bryant scored 11 of his 15 points in the last eight and a half minutes and Shaquille O'Neal had 18 of his 30 points in the second half as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied last night for a 104-102 victory over visiting Portland in the opener of their playoff series. The Lakers went ahead for good by scoring 9 straight points to turn a 3-point deficit into a 93-87 lead with a little over three minutes remaining.
Arvydas Sabonis made two free throws with 1 minute 19 seconds left to draw the Trail Blazers within a point, but that's as close as they would get. Bryant made a foul shot with 1:06 to go, and after Rasheed Wallace missed a jumper that could have tied the score, Nick Van Exel made a 3-point shot with 31.1 seconds left. Gary Grant's 3-point shot with 4.7 seconds left made it 102-100 before Eddie Jones made two free throws to clinch the victory.
1998 Western Conference Quarterfinals, Game One: Portland Trail Blazers v Los Angeles Lakers. INGLEWOOD, CA - APRIL 24: Shaquille O'Neal #34 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterifinals as part of the 1998 NBA Playoffs, played on April 24, 1998 at the Great Western Forum Inglewood, California.
|
Before the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty of the early 2000s reached their pinnacle of success, they went through trials and tribulations that helped shape the mold of championship chemistry. The 1997-98 teamfeatured a youthful roster headlined by Shaquille O’Neal, with a mix of players beginning their NBA careers and those in their prime. By the end of the season, head coach Del Harris and the Lakers concluded with a 61-21 record, good enough for third in their conference. They were slotted against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs, a team with which they would go through quite the battles with.
Harris methodically constructed his starting lineups, electing to bring scorers like Nick Van Exel, Elden Campbell and Kobe Bryant off the bench. His starting five of Derek Fisher, Eddie Jones, Rick Fox, Robert Horry and O’Neal went up against Damon Stoudamire, Isaiah Rider, Rasheed Wallace, Brian Grant, and Arvydas Sabonis. Game 1, played April 24, 1998, at The Forum, provided an electric atmosphere to play in, as 17,505 fans witnessed a grueling back-and-forth affair. The Lakers youth would show early on, starting out a little nervous. Rider provided the scoring punch for Portland, while Sabonis and Wallace also were consistent threats on the court. Los Angeles needed to make constant defensive adjustments throughout the game, which would allow them to counter with runs of their own.
In fact, they limited the Trail Blazers to seven less points in the second quarter, but trailed 53-47 going into halftime. Although Fisher received the start and made an impact defensively (two steals), Van Exel received 33 minutes at the point guard position and made his presence felt. He tallied 14 points, three rebounds and a steal off the bench. At the same time, a sophomore Bryant started to show flashes of brilliance in the NBA. The first-time All-Star contributed 15 off the bench, to go with four assists and two blocks. Along with Campbell (14 points), these three set the stage for an outburst in the second half. The Lakers outscored the Trail Blazers 27-21 in the third, leaving the game at 74-74 going into the final quarter.
The O’Neal and Bryant dynasty faced many bumps along the road, but also progressed into what Jerry West and Jim Buss envisioned all along. Although Sabonis banged around with O’Neal for three quarters, doing it for all of O’Neal’s 41 minutes is another challenge in itself. He capped off his 30-point performance by shooting 13-for-20 from the field, to go with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks. O’Neal was quite the force in the paint, but he did need some help from his fellow starters. That would come from Jones, a high-flyer that provided an all-around performance. Along with his 14 points, he added seven rebounds, three steals and six blocks. With Jones and O’Neal leading the charge, the Lakers stamped a 104-102 victory in Game 1. The Lakers went on to eliminate the Trail Blazers in four games but ultimately fell to the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Finals.
Harris methodically constructed his starting lineups, electing to bring scorers like Nick Van Exel, Elden Campbell and Kobe Bryant off the bench. His starting five of Derek Fisher, Eddie Jones, Rick Fox, Robert Horry and O’Neal went up against Damon Stoudamire, Isaiah Rider, Rasheed Wallace, Brian Grant, and Arvydas Sabonis. Game 1, played April 24, 1998, at The Forum, provided an electric atmosphere to play in, as 17,505 fans witnessed a grueling back-and-forth affair. The Lakers youth would show early on, starting out a little nervous. Rider provided the scoring punch for Portland, while Sabonis and Wallace also were consistent threats on the court. Los Angeles needed to make constant defensive adjustments throughout the game, which would allow them to counter with runs of their own.
In fact, they limited the Trail Blazers to seven less points in the second quarter, but trailed 53-47 going into halftime. Although Fisher received the start and made an impact defensively (two steals), Van Exel received 33 minutes at the point guard position and made his presence felt. He tallied 14 points, three rebounds and a steal off the bench. At the same time, a sophomore Bryant started to show flashes of brilliance in the NBA. The first-time All-Star contributed 15 off the bench, to go with four assists and two blocks. Along with Campbell (14 points), these three set the stage for an outburst in the second half. The Lakers outscored the Trail Blazers 27-21 in the third, leaving the game at 74-74 going into the final quarter.
The O’Neal and Bryant dynasty faced many bumps along the road, but also progressed into what Jerry West and Jim Buss envisioned all along. Although Sabonis banged around with O’Neal for three quarters, doing it for all of O’Neal’s 41 minutes is another challenge in itself. He capped off his 30-point performance by shooting 13-for-20 from the field, to go with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks. O’Neal was quite the force in the paint, but he did need some help from his fellow starters. That would come from Jones, a high-flyer that provided an all-around performance. Along with his 14 points, he added seven rebounds, three steals and six blocks. With Jones and O’Neal leading the charge, the Lakers stamped a 104-102 victory in Game 1. The Lakers went on to eliminate the Trail Blazers in four games but ultimately fell to the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Finals.
April 25
1985
Audie Norris made his mark in Blazer history today, when he hit a jumper with 1 second remaining to seal the series victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Nicknamed "The Atomic Dog" by teammate Mychal Thompson, because of his brutal dunks, Norris played for 3 seasons for Portland averaging 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds in 13.8 minutes of action.
After his NBA career finished, Norris played two years in Treviso, Italy, with Benetton Treviso, six years in Barcelona, Spain with FC Barcelona, finishing his career with Nikas Peristeri in Athens, Greece. Norris spent 13 years as a professional basketball player, winning numerous championships, including three league titles in Spain, and a host of other personal awards.
The excitement shown by Norris, jumping up and down, was captured in the Dire Straits video for the song Walk of Life. Initially the video shows sports bloopers inter-spliced with the band singing and playing the song before changing and showing athletic feats and accomplishments. Norris can be seen at approximately 3:23 seconds into the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd9TlGDZGkI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xypbeZIp4JU
Audie Norris made his mark in Blazer history today, when he hit a jumper with 1 second remaining to seal the series victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Nicknamed "The Atomic Dog" by teammate Mychal Thompson, because of his brutal dunks, Norris played for 3 seasons for Portland averaging 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds in 13.8 minutes of action.
After his NBA career finished, Norris played two years in Treviso, Italy, with Benetton Treviso, six years in Barcelona, Spain with FC Barcelona, finishing his career with Nikas Peristeri in Athens, Greece. Norris spent 13 years as a professional basketball player, winning numerous championships, including three league titles in Spain, and a host of other personal awards.
The excitement shown by Norris, jumping up and down, was captured in the Dire Straits video for the song Walk of Life. Initially the video shows sports bloopers inter-spliced with the band singing and playing the song before changing and showing athletic feats and accomplishments. Norris can be seen at approximately 3:23 seconds into the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd9TlGDZGkI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xypbeZIp4JU
1992
1996
Karl Malone led Utah with 33 points, and Jeff Hornacek hit for 30, mostly from outside, and John Stockton had 23 assists, just one pass shy of again tying the NBA record as the Jazz take Game 1, 110-102. Magic Johnson holds the NBA Playoff record with 24, set in 1984, and tied by Stockton in 1988. Arvydas Sabonis had 26 points and connected on 16 of 20 at the FT line, setting an NBA record for most FTM in a playoff debut. Rod Strickland scored 27 points and passed for 12 assists. Clifford Robinson finished with 21 points |
1997
Shaquille O'Neal scored 46 points in the Lakers 95-77 drubbing of the Blazers. It is O'Neal's playoff debut with the Lakers as well as rookie Kobe Bryant's 1st playoff game.
Highlights .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMbkx1bpCeI
Game .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWqb24dIDuw
Shaquille O'Neal scored 46 points in the Lakers 95-77 drubbing of the Blazers. It is O'Neal's playoff debut with the Lakers as well as rookie Kobe Bryant's 1st playoff game.
Highlights .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMbkx1bpCeI
Game .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWqb24dIDuw
2002
Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal got the ball to the left of the basket, backed his way into the lane, dropped his shoulder into Dale Davis, scored and was fouled. As Davis went ballistic, kicking the ball into the stands and drawing his second technical foul with 4:12 to play in the third quarter, O'Neal looked into the stands and playfully flexed his pectoral muscles in a bouncing motion that had the crowd behind the basket howling in approval.
That scene typified Thursday night's playoff game at the Staples Center. O'Neal did what he wanted, the Blazers wallowed in frustration, and the two-time defending champions took a convincing second step toward a possible sweep with a 103-96 victory.
Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal got the ball to the left of the basket, backed his way into the lane, dropped his shoulder into Dale Davis, scored and was fouled. As Davis went ballistic, kicking the ball into the stands and drawing his second technical foul with 4:12 to play in the third quarter, O'Neal looked into the stands and playfully flexed his pectoral muscles in a bouncing motion that had the crowd behind the basket howling in approval.
That scene typified Thursday night's playoff game at the Staples Center. O'Neal did what he wanted, the Blazers wallowed in frustration, and the two-time defending champions took a convincing second step toward a possible sweep with a 103-96 victory.
2003
If you're looking to read a sports story you won't find it in this space. This is a story about humanity. A tale of how one man, in less than two minutes, inspired millions. His name is Maurice Cheeks. He just happens to coach basketball. He was hired last summer to serve as an assistant under Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks. What he did on the night of April 25, 2003, is now remembered simply as the “Maurice Cheeks moment.” It's documented on YouTube, keeping alive the impromptu impact the man had on one teenage girl and countless others throughout the country.
The setting was the Rose Garden, home of the Portland Trail Blazers, who face the Thunder tonight inside the Ford Center. Cheeks was head coach of the Blazers, moments away from the biggest game of his coaching career: a virtual must-win playoff game against a Dallas team that already owned a 2-0 lead in the seven-game series. A 13-year-old eighth-grade winner of a promotion walked out to center court to perform the National Anthem. She woke up with the flu that day, though, and felt awful as she stood before 20,000 amped fans. But the aspiring Broadway performer knew the show had to go on.
If you're looking to read a sports story you won't find it in this space. This is a story about humanity. A tale of how one man, in less than two minutes, inspired millions. His name is Maurice Cheeks. He just happens to coach basketball. He was hired last summer to serve as an assistant under Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks. What he did on the night of April 25, 2003, is now remembered simply as the “Maurice Cheeks moment.” It's documented on YouTube, keeping alive the impromptu impact the man had on one teenage girl and countless others throughout the country.
The setting was the Rose Garden, home of the Portland Trail Blazers, who face the Thunder tonight inside the Ford Center. Cheeks was head coach of the Blazers, moments away from the biggest game of his coaching career: a virtual must-win playoff game against a Dallas team that already owned a 2-0 lead in the seven-game series. A 13-year-old eighth-grade winner of a promotion walked out to center court to perform the National Anthem. She woke up with the flu that day, though, and felt awful as she stood before 20,000 amped fans. But the aspiring Broadway performer knew the show had to go on.
“O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,” she started. “What so proudly we hailed, at the starlight's...star...” Natalie Gilbert nervously chuckled. She tossed her head from side to side, trying to shake it off. Still holding the mic, she raised her right hand and covered her face as embarrassment set in. The crowd cheered for her to continue, but the little girl was speechless. Out of ideas, she looked to her right, then behind her in search for her father Vince. “I was turning around looking for anybody to help me,” Gilbert said. “No one did anything.”
She was alone, humiliated. Until Cheeks walked over. The coach put his arm around her, assured her, “It's all right.” He raised the mic to her mouth and helped her remember the words. Gilbert's confidence slowly returned. The crowd joined in. “O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming,” sang 20,000 strong, players and coaches included. All together, they finished with a bang. “It was like a guardian angel had come and put his arm around my shoulder and helped me get through one of the most difficult experiences I've ever had,” said Gilbert.
She was alone, humiliated. Until Cheeks walked over. The coach put his arm around her, assured her, “It's all right.” He raised the mic to her mouth and helped her remember the words. Gilbert's confidence slowly returned. The crowd joined in. “O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming,” sang 20,000 strong, players and coaches included. All together, they finished with a bang. “It was like a guardian angel had come and put his arm around my shoulder and helped me get through one of the most difficult experiences I've ever had,” said Gilbert.
Cheeks had no idea the impact his actions would have. But the then 46-year-old coach had a daughter, Maura, just two years older than Gilbert. And Cheeks' heart skipped more than a few beats at the sight of what the little girl was going through. “This girl was young,” Cheeks said. “She was 13. That could have ruined her.” Instead it encouraged her. Taught her to fight. Gilbert, now 20, is a student at the American Musical Theater Workshop in Glendale, Calif. She wants to begin auditioning for Broadway shows in another year. “Just to give her another opportunity is big for me,” Cheeks said.
The gesture gained national attention. Cheeks and Gilbert appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and were interviewed by CNN. Gilbert also did interviews with Good Morning America and ESPN. To this day, Cheeks and Gilbert are still asked about it. A 40-something man approached Cheeks in the team's Memphis hotel in early October before the Thunder played a preseason game against the Grizzlies and told him he always will remember what he did for Gilbert. “It was more than just an event. It was a touching event,” said former NBA coach Del Harris, an assistant with the Mavericks that season who walked into Cheeks' office teary-eyed after the game. “Anybody that has any feelings at all had to have an emotional reaction.”
The gesture gained national attention. Cheeks and Gilbert appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and were interviewed by CNN. Gilbert also did interviews with Good Morning America and ESPN. To this day, Cheeks and Gilbert are still asked about it. A 40-something man approached Cheeks in the team's Memphis hotel in early October before the Thunder played a preseason game against the Grizzlies and told him he always will remember what he did for Gilbert. “It was more than just an event. It was a touching event,” said former NBA coach Del Harris, an assistant with the Mavericks that season who walked into Cheeks' office teary-eyed after the game. “Anybody that has any feelings at all had to have an emotional reaction.”
Ask anyone who runs in NBA circles about the moment and they'll tell you it characterizes Cheeks, the former point guard who was the calming force on a star-studded Philadelphia 76ers team that won the 1983 NBA championship. In Oklahoma City, Cheeks represents the type of people the Thunder organization targets and the kind the league alludes to with its “NBA Cares” campaign. “No question that was a special moment. But that's who he is,” said Brooks, who's known Cheeks since 1987. “He's a guy that has high character. I'm lucky that I have him.” Harris, who retired this past summer after 50 years of coaching, remembered Cheeks going out of his way to get his cell phone number from former teammate Moses Malone just so he could pay his respects.
Cheeks, a modest man who deflects credit, points to his parents for molding him into who he is today. “I was brought up the right way by my mother and my father,” Cheeks said. “We didn't have the best life. But they instilled in us to treat people the right way. That's all that is. It's no secret. It's no recipe to it. It's just treating people correctly, and if you do it correctly it'll come back to you.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhxanhF2_ks
Cheeks, a modest man who deflects credit, points to his parents for molding him into who he is today. “I was brought up the right way by my mother and my father,” Cheeks said. “We didn't have the best life. But they instilled in us to treat people the right way. That's all that is. It's no secret. It's no recipe to it. It's just treating people correctly, and if you do it correctly it'll come back to you.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhxanhF2_ks
April 26
Happy Birthday to former Blazer player Jim Marsh.
Originally drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in 1968, Marsh only played 39 games for the Blazers during the 1971/72 season, averaging 3 points and 2 rebounds in 9 minutes of action before being waived prior to the start of the next season. After his career ended, he was an assistant coach for @UtahMBB teams that won @WACsports titles in 76/77 & 80/81 before spending 12 yrs as a color analyst with the Seattle Sonics. Marsh was also an AAU coach for many years in the Seattle area with @FOHSeattle where he served as a coach and mentor to many kids over the years including future NBA stars, among others, @spencerhawes00, @JCrossover, @MrJonBrockman, @MartellWebster @nate_robinson and @isaiahthomas |
When confronted with his disease, Marsh took it in stride, saying, "The list could fill up a couple of pages of those who don't handle it or struggle with it or are depressed with it, and it's 'Woe is me,' " Marsh said. "That's not me. At USC, I played against (Lew) Alcindor and we never beat him, but every time we walked into the gym at Pauley or our place we thought we were going to beat his behind. That's the same thing with this."
Marsh, who played for USC, wasn’t a star on those teams, but he was a smooth-shooting big man who was the team captain as a junior and senior while averaging 13.3 points his final season. Two of his USC teammates, forward Tom Selleck and 7-foot center Ron Taylor, became actors. Of Selleck's game, Marsh said, "Good bounce, good shooter, non-dribbler."
Marsh was fond of recounting his first encounter with Alcindor and how he "held" him to 56 points in Alcindor's first varsity game. |
He nearly got redemption the next year against the same guy. The Trojans tried to stall the entire game, and Marsh was left with a potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation, only to have it bounce off and USC lose 40-35 in overtime. "I missed about a 15-footer from the baseline," he said. "I wasn't the guy it was set up for, but Bill Hewitt was all covered up. If I walked out there now, as a 62-year-old man, I would make it 99 out of 100 times. But when the opportunity was there, it didn't happen."
“I can’t imagine how many thousands of people are sad right now because of this news,” former Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley said after Marsh passed away.. “In a lot of ways he was my best friend. The weird thing about saying that is, he was so many people’s best friend from every possible walk of life. Not just sports, but politics, charitable work and business and nationwide. As much of a figure as he was in Seattle sports, he was beloved across the country. “Maybe the most selfless person I’ve ever met. He would do anything for anybody. … He had the biggest heart of anybody I’ve ever met. He didn’t discriminate in terms of social position or anything. He was the same to everybody. “He was almost like Forrest Gump. He knew everybody, and he witnessed everything. He had stories. … And I was lucky enough to hear so many of them.”
“His legacy is so much more than basketball,” Hawes said. “Just thinking about him brings back so many positive memories. Not just what he did for me, but what he did for so many kids and so many kids that didn’t necessarily have the opportunities that I had. Because of him and his influence and guidance and mentorship, we became better men.
“His legacy is so much more than basketball,” Hawes said. “Just thinking about him brings back so many positive memories. Not just what he did for me, but what he did for so many kids and so many kids that didn’t necessarily have the opportunities that I had. Because of him and his influence and guidance and mentorship, we became better men.
1977
The Blazers jump to a 3-1 advantage over the Denver Nuggets with a 105-96 victory
The Blazers jump to a 3-1 advantage over the Denver Nuggets with a 105-96 victory
1978
1983
1987
1991
A lot of folks who have watched Clyde Drexler play this season feel he deserves consideration in balloting for the National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player award. Friday night, he showed why. Drexler turned the Seattle SuperSonics inside-out with 39 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 110-102 victory in the opener of their first-round playoff series in Memorial Coliseum.
The 6-foot-7 guard scored 27 of his points in the second half, including 19 in an eye-popping fourth quarter as he carried the Blazers through some turbulent waters to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series, which resumes here Sunday night. Clyde was the ``Glide'' in this one, bettering his previous playoff high of 35 points, scored against San Antonio last year. It was one shy of the Portland playoff record of 40 points by Mychal Thompson in 1981, but that one was in an overtime game.
The 6-foot-7 guard scored 27 of his points in the second half, including 19 in an eye-popping fourth quarter as he carried the Blazers through some turbulent waters to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series, which resumes here Sunday night. Clyde was the ``Glide'' in this one, bettering his previous playoff high of 35 points, scored against San Antonio last year. It was one shy of the Portland playoff record of 40 points by Mychal Thompson in 1981, but that one was in an overtime game.
Drexler made 14 of 22 shots from the field and 9 of 10 from the foul line and also collected seven rebounds, nine assists and three steals in one of the great playoff performances in Blazer history. ``Spectacular,'' said teammate Jerome Kersey, who also had a terrific performance with 31 points, seven rebounds and five assists. ``That just about sums up Clyde's game tonight.'' ``Clyde was like a traffic light out there,'' said Portland center Kevin Duckworth, another solid contributor with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. ``He was directing everything out on the floor. You can't expect any more than what he gave us tonight.''
The Blazers needed every bit of Clyde's brilliance, too, because the Sonics were ready to rumble just as they'd been every time the teams met during the regular season. Portland had won all four meetings, but not without some serious rallies from both sides. Portland never did find a handle on Seattle forward Eddie Johnson, who went for 25 of his 33 points in the second half, and guards Sedale Threatt and Ricky Pierce did a lot of damage, too, from the perimeter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JVtma3DPps
The Blazers needed every bit of Clyde's brilliance, too, because the Sonics were ready to rumble just as they'd been every time the teams met during the regular season. Portland had won all four meetings, but not without some serious rallies from both sides. Portland never did find a handle on Seattle forward Eddie Johnson, who went for 25 of his 33 points in the second half, and guards Sedale Threatt and Ricky Pierce did a lot of damage, too, from the perimeter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JVtma3DPps
Sabonis had 19 points and five rebounds Wednesday night to help Portland to an 86-82 playoff victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Rose Garden, giving the Blazers a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series. Game 3 is Sunday in Minneapolis. "Arvydas was the difference in the game tonight," Blazers guard Greg Anthony said. "His ability to draw the double team, score, knock down open shots and really defend (inside) really made a big difference in the outcome of the game. We definitely needed him to step up."
It took awhile for the Lithuanian (not Russian) giant to make his way to the NBA after that literally trail blazing draft choice, and Portland never got to see him at his best --physically or competitively.
But as he reaches the twilight of his career with Portland, the measure of change is that he could be going up against another Eastern European in a playoff series, and it doesn't seem all that stunning. Minnesota's Radoslav Nesterovic is a raw second-year NBA player, a young 7-foot Slovenian who is drawing praise for his potential -- which means he is not there yet.
"He's a good player," Sabonis said of Nesterovic. "He's young, but for his first time in the playoffs, I think he plays good defense. He's caused me problems." Nesterovic, as might be expected, has been hearing about Sabonis for years. Now Nesterovic is learning that the playoffs are a different game altogether. "It's much more demanding physically," he said. "The game is much tougher in the playoffs."
And going up against Sabonis? "He is so big, and he has such good hands," he said. "You must always be alert. What is he going to do? You have to focus on trying to take away his strengths, but he can shoot from outside and he's good around the basket. "I just try to keep him away from the basket and do my work, whatever the coaches want from me. It gets pretty physical, because he's so strong. I just try to stay focused and stay in front of him wherever he wants to go."
Sabonis, who had five points in Game 1, got the ball early and often in Game 2. He took Nesterovic to the basket after the opening tip, got fouled and hit two free throws for the game's first points. Sabonis then made two outside set shots and a driving layup, giving him eight of Portland's first 10 points.
The Blazers went back to Sabonis at the start of the second half. He scored six points on a shot from the left corner, two free throws and a set shot form the top of the lane, leading a 14-7 run that extended Portland's lead to 54-48. Sabonis struggled in the fourth quarter as Minnesota mounted a furious comeback. He missed his first four shots from the field -- all of them in traffic and under the basket -- before moving outside and connecting on an 18-foot set shot that gave the Blazers an 81-77 lead with 1:45 to play.
It took awhile for the Lithuanian (not Russian) giant to make his way to the NBA after that literally trail blazing draft choice, and Portland never got to see him at his best --physically or competitively.
But as he reaches the twilight of his career with Portland, the measure of change is that he could be going up against another Eastern European in a playoff series, and it doesn't seem all that stunning. Minnesota's Radoslav Nesterovic is a raw second-year NBA player, a young 7-foot Slovenian who is drawing praise for his potential -- which means he is not there yet.
"He's a good player," Sabonis said of Nesterovic. "He's young, but for his first time in the playoffs, I think he plays good defense. He's caused me problems." Nesterovic, as might be expected, has been hearing about Sabonis for years. Now Nesterovic is learning that the playoffs are a different game altogether. "It's much more demanding physically," he said. "The game is much tougher in the playoffs."
And going up against Sabonis? "He is so big, and he has such good hands," he said. "You must always be alert. What is he going to do? You have to focus on trying to take away his strengths, but he can shoot from outside and he's good around the basket. "I just try to keep him away from the basket and do my work, whatever the coaches want from me. It gets pretty physical, because he's so strong. I just try to stay focused and stay in front of him wherever he wants to go."
Sabonis, who had five points in Game 1, got the ball early and often in Game 2. He took Nesterovic to the basket after the opening tip, got fouled and hit two free throws for the game's first points. Sabonis then made two outside set shots and a driving layup, giving him eight of Portland's first 10 points.
The Blazers went back to Sabonis at the start of the second half. He scored six points on a shot from the left corner, two free throws and a set shot form the top of the lane, leading a 14-7 run that extended Portland's lead to 54-48. Sabonis struggled in the fourth quarter as Minnesota mounted a furious comeback. He missed his first four shots from the field -- all of them in traffic and under the basket -- before moving outside and connecting on an 18-foot set shot that gave the Blazers an 81-77 lead with 1:45 to play.
2001
As they stumbled down the stretch drive and came to grips with their No. 7 seed in the playoffs, the Trail Blazers insisted they were one game away from putting their season back on track. After Thursday night's embarrassing display, one game might be all the Blazers have left.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant combined for 57 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers withstood everything the Blazers threw at them -- from verbal barbs to elbows -- in breezing to a 106-88 victory at the Staples Center in Game 2 of a first-round Western Conference series that pushed the Blazers to the edge of elimination. The Lakers can sweep the series and bring an end to the Blazers' roller coaster season in Game 3 on Sunday at the Rose Garden.
"It's a big hole, but it's one that we dug ourselves in," Blazers guard Damon Stoudamire said. "We've just got to see what we can do with it."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NlgA5x_Fq4
As they stumbled down the stretch drive and came to grips with their No. 7 seed in the playoffs, the Trail Blazers insisted they were one game away from putting their season back on track. After Thursday night's embarrassing display, one game might be all the Blazers have left.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant combined for 57 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers withstood everything the Blazers threw at them -- from verbal barbs to elbows -- in breezing to a 106-88 victory at the Staples Center in Game 2 of a first-round Western Conference series that pushed the Blazers to the edge of elimination. The Lakers can sweep the series and bring an end to the Blazers' roller coaster season in Game 3 on Sunday at the Rose Garden.
"It's a big hole, but it's one that we dug ourselves in," Blazers guard Damon Stoudamire said. "We've just got to see what we can do with it."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NlgA5x_Fq4
April 27
1989
Does anyone still wonder why Earvin is called ``Magic'' Johnson? Just watch how quickly he's going to make the Portland Trail Blazers disappear from the National Basketball Association playoffs. Johnson scored 30 points Thursday night and used 16 assists to engineer a relentless Laker attack that resulted in a 128-108 Los Angeles win over the Blazers despite 30 points from Clyde Drexler. highlights at ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Fvk4wxL1M Full Game at ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdYL42kg-us |
April 28
1988
Clyde Drexler and Jerome Kersey each scored 26 points to lead the Blazers to a game 1 victory vs Jazz. In attendance was Arvydas Sabonis, who the Blazers selected in the 1986 Draft but is still playing in the USSR, maintaining his amateur status for the Summer Olympics in Seoul. Sabonis was in Portland to meet with Blazers management as well as the training staff, to look at his Achilles injury. https://www.si.com/longform/sabonis/index.html https://vault.si.com/vault/1988/06/13/courting-a-big-red-soviet-basketball-star-arvydas-sabonis-is-visiting-portland-where-the-trail-blazers-are-assiduously-wooing-him |
1990
Bench teammates Drazen Petrovic and Danny Young combined for 26 to help @trailblazers defeat @dallasmavs 114-107 to go up 2-0 in best of 5 PO series. Petrovic had 14 points in 12 mins while Young had 12 points in 18 mins. Each player hit 2 3PT FG's. As the Blazers go up 2-0 in their series vs the Mavs, the #BlazerDancers are being received better in their 2nd season than last year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lPUJZeiOpg
Bench teammates Drazen Petrovic and Danny Young combined for 26 to help @trailblazers defeat @dallasmavs 114-107 to go up 2-0 in best of 5 PO series. Petrovic had 14 points in 12 mins while Young had 12 points in 18 mins. Each player hit 2 3PT FG's. As the Blazers go up 2-0 in their series vs the Mavs, the #BlazerDancers are being received better in their 2nd season than last year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lPUJZeiOpg
2014
By Richard Goldstein New York Times
Jack Ramsay, the Hall of Fame coach who took the Portland Trail Blazers to their only N.B.A. championship and who was regarded as one of pro basketball’s keenest coaching minds, died on Monday in Naples, Fla. He was 89. The cause was cancer, his son Chris said. Ramsay spent more than 60 years in basketball, as a player and coach at St. Joseph’s College (now University) of Philadelphia, a head coach for four N.B.A. teams and a TV and radio broadcast commentator and analyst, most recently for ESPN. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in 1992.
Jack Ramsay, the Hall of Fame coach who took the Portland Trail Blazers to their only N.B.A. championship and who was regarded as one of pro basketball’s keenest coaching minds, died on Monday in Naples, Fla. He was 89. The cause was cancer, his son Chris said. Ramsay spent more than 60 years in basketball, as a player and coach at St. Joseph’s College (now University) of Philadelphia, a head coach for four N.B.A. teams and a TV and radio broadcast commentator and analyst, most recently for ESPN. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in 1992.
He was known in the basketball world as Dr. Jack, for the doctorate in education he received from the University of Pennsylvania, but coaches and players were also paying respect to his cerebral approach. Ramsay emphasized preparation, dedication, unselfish play, a running game, tough defense and strong rebounding. He put his teams through grueling practices.
“Among players, Ramsay was the ultimate coach’s coach,” David Halberstam wrote in his book “The Breaks of the Game” (1981), a look at the pro basketball world through Ramsay’s Blazers teams. “Nothing was left to chance. His scouting and his breakdown of opponents before a game were acute, complete and prophetic. He expected certain things to happen on the court and they almost always did.” |
Lionel Hollins, a guard on the Blazers’ 1977 championship team and later a coach of the Grizzlies, first in Vancouver and then in Memphis, described Ramsay’s approach after being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1980. “Jack taught me the fundamentals,” Hollins said. “Making the right pass at the right time, defense, how to concentrate and become a more disciplined player.”
Bill Walton, the star center on the Blazers’ championship team who had played for John Wooden on N.C.A.A. championship teams at U.C.L.A., called Ramsay “the very best coach I played for, and I played for some great coaches.” Ramsay was intense, whether badgering referees or plotting strategy during timeouts, kneeling on a towel, a balding figure with bushy eyebrows and an intimidating glare. He was also a physical-fitness buff, doing daily calisthenics, jogging and swimming, even into his 80s while being treated for cancer. When he was named the Trail Blazers’ coach in 1976, replacing Lenny Wilkens, Ramsay took over a team that had not had a winning record in its six seasons in the N.B.A. But his first Portland squad, led by Walton, Hollins and Maurice Lucas at forward, captured the 1977 N.B.A. championship by defeating the 76ers and Julius Erving in a six-game playoff final. |
The Trail Blazers’ current coach, Terry Stotts, has a mural above his desk showing Ramsay in his familiar game stance, kneeling on the court, with a quotation from him below: “Teams that play together beat those teams with superior players who play more as individuals.” “I think that quote epitomizes what that team was about,” Stotts told The Oregonian newspaper, referring to Ramsay’s championship squad, before the current season began. When the Trail Blazers played at home against the Utah Jazz on Ramsay’s 89th birthday, Stotts paid tribute to him by wearing a plaid jacket and an open-collar shirt, reprising the style Ramsay favored at courtside. |
John T. Ramsay (the T stood for Travilla, evidently a family name, but he preferred using the initial, Chris Ramsay said) was born on Feb. 21, 1925, in Philadelphia and grew up in Connecticut, where his father was in the mortgage and loan business. The family returned to Philadelphia when he was in high school, and he went on to play for St. Joseph’s.
After Navy service in World War II, Ramsay graduated from St. Joseph’s in 1949. He played semipro basketball, coached in high school, and then became head coach at St. Joseph’s in 1955. He coached the Hawks to 10 postseason appearances in 11 seasons, including a berth in the N.C.A.A. tournament’s Final Four in 1961, and had an overall record of 234-72. |
He became the 76ers’ general manager in the 1966-67 season, when the Sixers, led by Wilt Chamberlain, won their first N.B.A. championship. Ramsay took on the coaching as well in July 1968 when Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. A year later, he became the first N.B.A. general manager to use computerized analysis in scouting college players for the draft.
Ramsay coached the 76ers for four seasons and the Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers) for another four before joining the Trail Blazers. His Blazers never made it to the N.B.A. finals after their championship season, but they reached the playoffs in all but one of Ramsay’s 10 seasons as their coach. |
Ramsay was fired in May 1986, after the Blazers were ousted in the first round of the playoffs, then became the Indiana Pacers’ coach in the 1986-87 season. When he resigned in November 1988, he had won more games than any other N.B.A. coach except for Red Auerbach. He had a career record of 864-783.
After his retirement from coaching, Ramsay gave basketball clinics around the world on behalf of the N.B.A., then became a broadcaster for the 76ers, the Miami Heat and ESPN. He retired from broadcasting in 2013. The St. Joseph’s University basketball center is named for him. |
In addition to his son Chris, a senior director at ESPN, Ramsay is survived by his son John; his daughters Sharon O’Brien — who is married to Jim O’Brien, the former coach of the Boston Celtics, the 76ers and the Indiana Pacers — Carolyn Ramsay and Susan Dailey; 13 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. His wife, Jean, died in 2010.
Ramsay was captivated by the beauty of basketball and the creative challenges it presented. In his book “The Coach’s Art” (1978), written with John Strawn, he called basketball “a ballet, a graceful sweep and flow of patterned movement, counterpointed by daring and imaginative flights of solitary brilliance.” He added, “It is winning; it is winning; it is winning!” |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIc4RIEcMLI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAO8LqJSJ18
https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2014/04/jack_ramsay_dies_at_89_trail_blazers_hall_of_fame.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJV_w145COU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAO8LqJSJ18
https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2014/04/jack_ramsay_dies_at_89_trail_blazers_hall_of_fame.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJV_w145COU
April 29
1983
The Blazers fall behind the Lakers 3-0 with a 115-109 overtime loss. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 30 points, including 9 in the overtime, in his 114th playoff game. The Blazer players combined have played in 105.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GycfQEggpAk
The Blazers fall behind the Lakers 3-0 with a 115-109 overtime loss. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 30 points, including 9 in the overtime, in his 114th playoff game. The Blazer players combined have played in 105.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GycfQEggpAk
1992
#ClydeDrexler nearly had a triple-double w/42 pts, 12 asts, & 9 rebs in @trailblazers game 3 OT loss vs @Lakers. The #Blazers / #Lakers were scheduled to play Game 4 on May 1 but was postponed until May 4 due to riots
#ClydeDrexler nearly had a triple-double w/42 pts, 12 asts, & 9 rebs in @trailblazers game 3 OT loss vs @Lakers. The #Blazers / #Lakers were scheduled to play Game 4 on May 1 but was postponed until May 4 due to riots
LOS ANGELES (ESPN) - As Mike Dunleavy knelt down in front of his team during a timeout in the fourth quarter of a tie game to draw up a play, he noticed his players' attention shift from his dry erase board to the scoreboard above him as the booming voice of the public address announcer was telling the crowd it would not be permitted to drive east or south after the game. "Do not go east on Manchester. You must go west on Manchester toward the beach, north on Prairie toward Culver City." |
Dunleavy finally stood up and looked up at the scoreboard as well. He had become accustomed to distractions during timeouts at the Forum as the Laker Girls performed behind him and celebrities walked to and from their courtside seats, but the reaction he heard from the crowd on April 29, 1992, was unlike anything he had ever heard before. "Typically I don't see or hear anything during a game when I'm coaching," Dunleavy said. "I'm so focused on what I'm doing, but I got up and asked what was said."
As the announcement was repeated, the reality of what was happening outside the Forum began to sink in. "When they said, 'Don't go east on Manchester,' I knew what was going on," said former Los Angeles Lakers guard Byron Scott. "The riots had pretty much started."
As the announcement was repeated, the reality of what was happening outside the Forum began to sink in. "When they said, 'Don't go east on Manchester,' I knew what was going on," said former Los Angeles Lakers guard Byron Scott. "The riots had pretty much started."
As he drove to the Forum that Wednesday afternoon, Scott heard about the acquittals of the four LAPD officers accused of beating Rodney King. The verdicts came down at 3:15 p.m., about four hours before the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers were set to tip off Game 3 of their first-round playoff series, which Portland led 2-0.
The television sets throughout the Forum were tuned to news reports of what was unfolding around Los Angeles after the verdicts were announced and as players and coaches arrived before the game. Most of the footage was of protesters in front of the Los Angeles County Courthouse and Parker Center, which was the headquarters for the LAPD. |
"The guys on the team were in disbelief," Scott said at the time. "There wasn't a lot to be said. It was just a lot of head-shaking. When it was about 6:15, I got dressed and watched tape of the Portland Trail Blazers and tried to dismiss it." None of the players, coaches or early-arriving fans could have imagined how quickly the unrest around the city would escalate and spread prior to tipoff. The turning point and seminal image of the riots occurred while fans were filing into the Forum and players were already in layup lines on the court.
Fewer than four miles away, Reginald Denny, who had loaded his red 18-wheeler with 27 tons of sand, was driving to a plant nearby the Forum in Inglewood. After entering the intersection of Florence and Normandie around 6:46 p.m., he was stopped by rioters, pulled out of his truck and brutally beaten. The jarring video of Denny's beating, which was shown live on national television and became almost as infamous as the home video of King's beating, wasn't seen by many at the Forum, as most of the televisions had already been switched to the arena feed of shootaround.
One of the few in the building who saw Denny's beating and was monitoring news reports was Claire Rothman, the general manager and vice president of the Forum at the time. With tipoff in about 30 minutes, it was clearly too late to cancel the game. The concern shifted to getting everyone home safely and fielding all the calls coming into the Forum from concerned family members of fans who were already there and unaware of what was unfolding less than 10 minutes away from the arena.
One of the few in the building who saw Denny's beating and was monitoring news reports was Claire Rothman, the general manager and vice president of the Forum at the time. With tipoff in about 30 minutes, it was clearly too late to cancel the game. The concern shifted to getting everyone home safely and fielding all the calls coming into the Forum from concerned family members of fans who were already there and unaware of what was unfolding less than 10 minutes away from the arena.
"You have to remember, this was before everyone had cellphones, so these fans are at the game, about three miles from the riots. Their families are at home watching this on television, and it was terribly frightening," Rothman said. "We received over 1,000 calls that night, and if they knew the location of the person with the seats at the game, we went down and got those people and told them they should call home. We would just say your mother or father or whoever called, they're OK, but you should call home."
Many fans were able to call home from the Forum offices while others used pay phones in the arena. There were several patches of empty seats at the Forum by halftime, and the usual sell-out crowd of 17,505 was far from capacity by the end of a playoff game that went into overtime. In the extra period the lead changed hands eight times, including on seven straight possessions, before the Lakers finally pulled out the win, 121-119, to extend the series.
During the game, Jerry West, who was the Lakers general manager at the time, was in constant communication with the Inglewood Police Department. He was just as worried about the safety of everyone in attendance as he was the outcome of the game as he heard updated reports of the unrest nearby.
"It was frankly one of the most awkward moments of my life," West said. "It was scary. It really was pretty scary. It was not only a scary time for everyone there, but I don't think unless you had been there you can fully comprehend the importance and severity of it all. It wasn't a pleasant time for the people in the city of Los Angeles. That night we were concerned about the safety of our fans and players because everyone was so angry."
Many fans were able to call home from the Forum offices while others used pay phones in the arena. There were several patches of empty seats at the Forum by halftime, and the usual sell-out crowd of 17,505 was far from capacity by the end of a playoff game that went into overtime. In the extra period the lead changed hands eight times, including on seven straight possessions, before the Lakers finally pulled out the win, 121-119, to extend the series.
During the game, Jerry West, who was the Lakers general manager at the time, was in constant communication with the Inglewood Police Department. He was just as worried about the safety of everyone in attendance as he was the outcome of the game as he heard updated reports of the unrest nearby.
"It was frankly one of the most awkward moments of my life," West said. "It was scary. It really was pretty scary. It was not only a scary time for everyone there, but I don't think unless you had been there you can fully comprehend the importance and severity of it all. It wasn't a pleasant time for the people in the city of Los Angeles. That night we were concerned about the safety of our fans and players because everyone was so angry."
Despite the win, the emotions of the Lakers players in the locker room were somewhat subdued as the reports of the riots were relayed to them. As fans headed for the exits quicker than usual, Lakers players were once again reminded of the safest routes to take home. The seriousness of the situation hit many Lakers players as they walked out of the Forum tunnel to their cars and found a deserted parking lot that would normally be filled with fans and autograph seekers after the game.
"It was pretty much a ghost town heading to my car, which was pretty alarming because that had never happened before," Lakers forward A.C. Green said. "When I finally got in my car, I wasn't more than a half a block away before I saw emergency lights and drove a few more blocks and actually heard gunfire. That's when I put the windows up, turned the radio off and tried to get out of there and off the streets as fast as I could. I didn't know what would happen next."
"It was pretty much a ghost town heading to my car, which was pretty alarming because that had never happened before," Lakers forward A.C. Green said. "When I finally got in my car, I wasn't more than a half a block away before I saw emergency lights and drove a few more blocks and actually heard gunfire. That's when I put the windows up, turned the radio off and tried to get out of there and off the streets as fast as I could. I didn't know what would happen next."
While the riots continued to rage throughout Los Angeles on Thursday and Friday, Lakers executives scrambled to figure out alternate destinations for their respective playoff games, while also working with the league on dates. "We had a lot of conversations with the league office at that time," West said. "We wanted to do something in the city and for the city, but the turmoil that was going on there -- which you could see on TV -- made it impossible. It would have been grossly unfair to jeopardize the safety of our fans and the safety of our players while the riots were going on. So our conversations with the league indicated Las Vegas would be the most viable place to go."
As much as the Lakers wanted to keep the game in Southern California, they quickly agreed that the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV, where they held annual preseason games, would be safest place for the game to be held. "If we win, great, let's go to Portland," Scott said at the time. "If we lose, then we have to go back to L.A. and live through this hell."
As much as the Lakers wanted to keep the game in Southern California, they quickly agreed that the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV, where they held annual preseason games, would be safest place for the game to be held. "If we win, great, let's go to Portland," Scott said at the time. "If we lose, then we have to go back to L.A. and live through this hell."
It was the ending of a surreal season. The Lakers started the season in Paris, endured the shocking retirement of Magic Johnson due to HIV and ended with a playoff loss in Las Vegas during the L.A. riots. "It was a year of turbulence," Green said. "It was a test of nerves, a test of character and a test of faith. Anything that could have been shaken was shaken that year. From the start to the end, you really had to expect the unexpected. It was a challenging year for all of us."
Game at ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_mjEV8xMaU (the announcement regarding where to drive can be heard at 1:33:40) Highlights at .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aluf8FquhR |
By tipoff at The Great Western Forum on April 29, 1992, Los Angeles had already erupted into a great and uncontainable furor. The news had arrived a little after 3 p.m.: Four LAPD officers had been acquitted of beating Rodney King, despite videotape evidence that caught the malicious attack in action. As the city began its descent into lawlessness, the Lakers faced the Portland Trailblazers in Game 3 of a first-round playoff series. On May 4th, five days later, in Utah, the Clippers were in the midst of their first playoff run since moving to LA in 1984. Neither team would get their Hollywood ending. In the long history of both franchises the games are mere footnotes. Their significance, though, lies in the relationship to the larger story. April 29th and May 4th hold a special place in the city's local imagination. The dates mark the beginning and end of the 1992 riot, bookending the six-day uproar.
April 29th
The day began as most spring days do in Los Angeles: cloudless and without worry. The Lakers arrived back in town down 0-2 in the best-of-five series, hoping to finally get on course. They'd been outscored by 35 points, outrebounded by 37, and physically overpowered over the course of the previous two games. Even though they were back home, Game 3 was likely to turn out the same. "All the good opportunities we get, we have to convert on. And then we've got to do the job on the boards. Until we do that, we're not going to have a chance," then-head coach Mike Dunleavy told the Los Angeles Times. It would be a day of unexpected fates—in more ways than one.
The day began as most spring days do in Los Angeles: cloudless and without worry. The Lakers arrived back in town down 0-2 in the best-of-five series, hoping to finally get on course. They'd been outscored by 35 points, outrebounded by 37, and physically overpowered over the course of the previous two games. Even though they were back home, Game 3 was likely to turn out the same. "All the good opportunities we get, we have to convert on. And then we've got to do the job on the boards. Until we do that, we're not going to have a chance," then-head coach Mike Dunleavy told the Los Angeles Times. It would be a day of unexpected fates—in more ways than one.
Over in Inglewood and minutes from the Forum, Clippers star power forward Danny Manning was having lunch with friends at a local soul-food restaurant, discussing the usual things guys in their mid-twenties talk about: women and pseudo-relationships. He'd led the Clippers to a playoff win the night before and his spirits were high going into Game 4. Then, as if out of nowhere, news of the verdict hit. Right away Manning was unsure of just how safe he and his friends would be in the area. "We need to wrap this up and start heading home," he said. When Manning reached his home he turned on the television. News images revealed a grim truth. "It was chaotic," Manning tells me over the phone from his office in Tulsa. "Seeing the images we saw on the news, it was mind-blowing. It definitely put you in a feeling of uneasiness, regardless of where you were at in the city."
Back in Inglewood, the Lakers game was underway. With Byron Scott at the helm, the team started out strong. They outrebounded the Trailblazers 27-14 in the first half, utilizing the speed of a three-guard offense to undercut the controlling physicality of players like Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey, and Buck Williams. But midway through the third quarter the Trailblazers, who'd been dominant all season, began looking like their old selves again. From that point on, as Times beat writer Mike Heisler put it, "they traded haymakers." After Terry Porter hit a baseline three-pointer (his fourth of the night) with 29 seconds left to tie the game at 102, the game went to overtime. Despite more than 10 lead changes and a career playoff high 41 points for Drexler, Divac converted a three-point play to put the Lakers ahead by one and secured a Game 4 match-up. The post season had just been saved, but celebration would be short-lived.
Outside the Forum a different story was taking shape. The streets surged with declarations of injustice from the King verdict. No more, the people protested. Rioting swelled and would worsen with each passing hour. Earlier in the day, Reginald Denny, a white truck operator, and Fidel Lopez, a Guatemalan construction worker, were attacked by a mob of protestors at the intersection of Florence and Normandie, just minutes from the Forum. The Lakers were forced to move Game 4 to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas as a result of the massive rioting (they would lose the game by more than 25 points, and the Trailblazers would advance to the next round). The night's victory was bittersweet for the Lakers—a team now home to a city on the brink.
|
The Geography of Rage A FOX 11 News camera pans out from the street—a wide stretch of Western Avenue—and reveals a maelstrom of quick-tempered bodies running in and out of Sav-On, the local convenience and drug store. "Looting has picked up as police pull out of position," announces the silver-haired news correspondent. "It's really a game of chess. Where the police are there is no looting and as soon as they pull off the looting begins. There are simply not enough of them." To further paint the unimaginable disarray—and to better frame "the debate that's going on in the community"—the newsman turns to interview a black man who looks to be in his late twenties. He is of substantial height and wears a navy-blue and orange Auburn Tigers t-shirt. "Once all this stuff stops, we need to get more stuff back into the neighborhood. It's gonna be hard to get businesses that are worthwhile and that are gonna be beneficial to the community back here." There are strains of hurt and hope in his speech. A breaking and desperate sadness even. It is April 30th and Los Angeles is burning. |
Fifty-three. Ten thousand. One billion.
That is how we measure the chaos and destruction, how we quantify the outrage. It is an ugly calculus. Fifty-three dead, more than 10,000 arrested, and nearly one billion dollars in property damage. These numbers are how we measure the looting, the assault, the arson. They are how we will forever mark the anger and unimaginable despair.
"The first time I actually drove to the Sports Arena I felt like I was in a movie, with the smoldering buildings, the glass in the street, the damage done to properties—it was just unbelievable," Manning says now. "The passion that people had, the energy—it was all just unbelievable. Just the raw energy from people's actions—it was explosive and dynamic. A lot of people got to the point where it was just like, What else?"
That is how we measure the chaos and destruction, how we quantify the outrage. It is an ugly calculus. Fifty-three dead, more than 10,000 arrested, and nearly one billion dollars in property damage. These numbers are how we measure the looting, the assault, the arson. They are how we will forever mark the anger and unimaginable despair.
"The first time I actually drove to the Sports Arena I felt like I was in a movie, with the smoldering buildings, the glass in the street, the damage done to properties—it was just unbelievable," Manning says now. "The passion that people had, the energy—it was all just unbelievable. Just the raw energy from people's actions—it was explosive and dynamic. A lot of people got to the point where it was just like, What else?"
May 4th
With help from over 4,000 law enforcement officers, the city mostly returned to order by Monday. The Clippers, too, had returned order their series. For some Angelenos, the Clippers' sudden change in course provided a much-needed escape from all the surrounding disorder. Larry Brown, who came on as coach midway through the season after being fired by the Spurs, led the Clippers to their first playoff berth since moving to LA from San Diego. The Clippers had capitalized on a significant moment in NBA history. At the start of the season Magic Johnson, who'd recently tested positive for HIV, announced his retirement from the league. For the first time since drafting Johnson in 1979, the Lakers would be without their court general. With Brown's help the Clippers filled the void. No longer were they just "the other team." It had been a hard-fought but prosperous year on all fronts: They achieved their first winning season in over a decade and finished with more regular season wins than the Lakers, who were (and still are) largely considered hometown favorites.
With help from over 4,000 law enforcement officers, the city mostly returned to order by Monday. The Clippers, too, had returned order their series. For some Angelenos, the Clippers' sudden change in course provided a much-needed escape from all the surrounding disorder. Larry Brown, who came on as coach midway through the season after being fired by the Spurs, led the Clippers to their first playoff berth since moving to LA from San Diego. The Clippers had capitalized on a significant moment in NBA history. At the start of the season Magic Johnson, who'd recently tested positive for HIV, announced his retirement from the league. For the first time since drafting Johnson in 1979, the Lakers would be without their court general. With Brown's help the Clippers filled the void. No longer were they just "the other team." It had been a hard-fought but prosperous year on all fronts: They achieved their first winning season in over a decade and finished with more regular season wins than the Lakers, who were (and still are) largely considered hometown favorites.
The No. 7 seated Clippers were considered underdogs against the No. 2 Jazz. The series played out as predicted in Games 1 and 2 with the Jazz cementing decisive wins (they'd won by more than 10 in both match-ups). Games 3 and 4 went to the Clippers, with Manning putting up 33 points in Game 4 in spite of Karl Malone's 44-point onslaught. Game 5 was set for May 4th at the Delta Center. By half-time the Clippers were in control and led the Jazz by 12. But the Jazz rallied, bringing the lead to within four by the end of the third, and by the middle of the fourth, they took a commanding lead. It was a crushing loss to a crowning season, but the team would return to LA, hopes high, and to a city that had found its way home.
"We had an opportunity and weren't able to seal the deal," Manning remembers. "That was disappointing. I knew what was going on back home, but was focused on the fact that the season had come to an end."
"We had an opportunity and weren't able to seal the deal," Manning remembers. "That was disappointing. I knew what was going on back home, but was focused on the fact that the season had come to an end."
The curfew was officially lifted on Monday. City-wide looting and arson had subdued, and life returned in slow, desperate breaths. Schools reopened and businesses called on employees to return to work. Looking back now, some 20 years later, it's hard to make complete sense of it all. I understand the anger, and the enough-is-enough mentality. But on occasion the six-year-old in me still wonders, "But why?" By which I mean: Why were the officers acquitted when it was plain as day what happened? Why had we expected the justice system to work when it had failed us time and again before? Why in our neighborhood? Why us? ... Why? Much like the Lakers and Clippers, our season, too, had ended after six relentless days. I can't say for certain we came out on top. But we had survived the worst of it. And though we didn't know what would come next, we knew this: We could begin again.
1996
Buck Williams saved the Trail Blazers' season Monday night at the Rose Garden, putting back an Arvydas Sabonis' miss with 14.1 seconds in overtime as to help Portland beat Utah 94-91 in Game 3 of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Blazers, trailing 2-1 in the series, will try to get back to even Wednesday night. Only five teams in NBA history have come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series. Williams' pressure-packed shot gave the Blazers a 93-91 lead after David Benoit had tied it 91-91 with a 20-footer from the deep corner.
It appeared that Williams, a cagy 15-year veteran, had pushed Utah's the Jazz' Karl Malone on the play. Malone nearly put the Blazers away by himself with 35 points, but he didn't get the call. ``He was flopping,'' Williams said of the Utah power forward. And his sense of the dramatic? ``I was just waiting for the opportunity,'' Williams said after the Blazers fed off a raucous crowd of 21,401.
https://www.nba.com/blazers/video/2018/5/10/tbt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqceh-0Qisk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi535YFA--o
Buck Williams saved the Trail Blazers' season Monday night at the Rose Garden, putting back an Arvydas Sabonis' miss with 14.1 seconds in overtime as to help Portland beat Utah 94-91 in Game 3 of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Blazers, trailing 2-1 in the series, will try to get back to even Wednesday night. Only five teams in NBA history have come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series. Williams' pressure-packed shot gave the Blazers a 93-91 lead after David Benoit had tied it 91-91 with a 20-footer from the deep corner.
It appeared that Williams, a cagy 15-year veteran, had pushed Utah's the Jazz' Karl Malone on the play. Malone nearly put the Blazers away by himself with 35 points, but he didn't get the call. ``He was flopping,'' Williams said of the Utah power forward. And his sense of the dramatic? ``I was just waiting for the opportunity,'' Williams said after the Blazers fed off a raucous crowd of 21,401.
https://www.nba.com/blazers/video/2018/5/10/tbt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqceh-0Qisk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi535YFA--o
2001
PORTLAND, Ore. - After dispatching Portland in three easy games, Shaquille O'Neal says the selfish, bickering Los Angeles Lakers of a month ago are long gone. And the happy bunch that replaced them is primed to continue its march toward a second straight NBA title. "Everyone is on the same page now. We have a mission," O'Neal said after the Lakers beat the Trail Blazers 99-86 Sunday to sweep their first-round series. "If we keep playing like this, it's going to be very hard to beat us," said O'Neal, who led the Lakers with 25 points and 15 rebounds. "We know what it takes to win a championship, because of the phenomenal season we had last year."
PORTLAND, Ore. - After dispatching Portland in three easy games, Shaquille O'Neal says the selfish, bickering Los Angeles Lakers of a month ago are long gone. And the happy bunch that replaced them is primed to continue its march toward a second straight NBA title. "Everyone is on the same page now. We have a mission," O'Neal said after the Lakers beat the Trail Blazers 99-86 Sunday to sweep their first-round series. "If we keep playing like this, it's going to be very hard to beat us," said O'Neal, who led the Lakers with 25 points and 15 rebounds. "We know what it takes to win a championship, because of the phenomenal season we had last year."
Portland, meanwhile, lost for the sixth straight time and 17th time in 25 games. The team with the highest payroll in NBA history - $89.7 million - faces an offseason of uncertainty. Coach Mike Dunleavy could be fired, some players could be traded, and even general manager Bob Whitsitt's job isn't safe. "I felt like we had too many challenges, too many obstacles to overcome," said Scottie Pippen, whose goal of a seventh title was thwarted by jealousies, the departure of Shawn Kemp for drug rehabilitation and a season-ending injury to Bonzi Wells.
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"This is the worst - the worst thing I have ever had to deal with throughout my career," Pippen added. "It just wasn't a fun season for us. The outcome of it was just a testament to what we had been dealing with all season." Damon Stoudamire and Steve Smith each scored 25 points to lead the Blazers, and Rasheed Wallace had 13 rebounds but was a major disappointment on offense, missing 15 of 19 shots and scoring nine points.
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1985
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But he had 13 rebounds and took shifts guarding Trail Blazers ranging from 7-foot Sam Bowie to 6-7 Clyde Drexler. He even drew the two silly, back-to-back Drexler fouls that sentenced the Blazers' top scorer to the bench for the tempo-setting, final 8:32 of the first quarter. Drexler's two blatant pushes of Green had the appearance of retaliations in the give-and-take of the inside game. But, said Green, ``nothing instigated that or anything. We were just playing. It wasn't anything aggressive, anything illegal. It was just hard-nosed basketball.''
In his workmanlike manner, then, Green helped push the Blazers within one loss of the all-too-familiar first-round playoff elimination. Although Green played high-school basketball at Benson, less than a mile from Memorial Coliseum, and was a Blazer fan in his youth, he will not have mixed feelings. Once you're getting the paychecks, the childhood loyalties end. That's true even if you can remember just being happy to find yourself with a ticket that forces you to stand on the concourse level of Memorial Coliseum, as Green did for his first live look at the Blazers. He can't even remember how old he was, or the Blazers' opponent that night. ``I just know I was the biggest guy on the wall,'' he said with a smile. ``Do they still have those tickets? Tell them not to feel bad because that's how I started out.''
In his workmanlike manner, then, Green helped push the Blazers within one loss of the all-too-familiar first-round playoff elimination. Although Green played high-school basketball at Benson, less than a mile from Memorial Coliseum, and was a Blazer fan in his youth, he will not have mixed feelings. Once you're getting the paychecks, the childhood loyalties end. That's true even if you can remember just being happy to find yourself with a ticket that forces you to stand on the concourse level of Memorial Coliseum, as Green did for his first live look at the Blazers. He can't even remember how old he was, or the Blazers' opponent that night. ``I just know I was the biggest guy on the wall,'' he said with a smile. ``Do they still have those tickets? Tell them not to feel bad because that's how I started out.''
Now he gets about 10 tickets for several Blazers' games a year -- by hook, crook and begging. ``I have it down pretty much to where if I can get enough for my family, I'm doing well,'' he said. ``There aren't many times I can get them for my friends. I'm sure I could use as many as I could get and fill it up, but I have to make all sorts of deals with my teammates to get them. I get in serious debt and I pay in all sorts of ways for getting tickets from these guys.''They owe him that much for doing the dirty work.
Clearly, the former Oregon State forward is far from a franchise-maker. He went to the right kind of team in the 1985 draft, when the Lakers took him with the 23rd choice -- just ahead of the Blazers, who then took Terry Porter. Jerry West, who approved the Green selection, was standing in a corner of the Lakers' locker room Sunday. ``He really has developed,'' said West, the Lakers' general manager -- and a man who, by contrast, was expected to score . . . and did. ``It's been a nice thing to see because he works so hard.'' Green has purchased a home ``about 10 miles'' from the Forum, and is such a Southern Californian that he probably wears his sweater tied around his neck and drives with his right arm draped on top of the passenger-side seat.
Clearly, the former Oregon State forward is far from a franchise-maker. He went to the right kind of team in the 1985 draft, when the Lakers took him with the 23rd choice -- just ahead of the Blazers, who then took Terry Porter. Jerry West, who approved the Green selection, was standing in a corner of the Lakers' locker room Sunday. ``He really has developed,'' said West, the Lakers' general manager -- and a man who, by contrast, was expected to score . . . and did. ``It's been a nice thing to see because he works so hard.'' Green has purchased a home ``about 10 miles'' from the Forum, and is such a Southern Californian that he probably wears his sweater tied around his neck and drives with his right arm draped on top of the passenger-side seat.
In other ways, though, he remains unaffected in an area where the Lakers are part of an entertainment scene that often condones excess as the eccentricities of show biz. ``God gives me the strength and sanity to keep everything in priority,'' said Green. ``My faith could have been distorted and distracted and even torn down if I wasn't as strong as I was as far as my character. You have to be pretty solid, I think, as an individual to come to a city of this nature by yourself without a family, without anyone else.
``I've seen good and I've seen bad and I've learned from it. I'm grateful for the upbringing I had at Oregon State from the coaching staff teaching me a lot of things about off-the-court living. My family always stood behind me. The third thing was knowing that the church I attended at Oregon State helped me instill those priorities I was talking about. ``I had no idea at that time that when I had a chance to test those character traits, it was going to be in L.A.''
``I've seen good and I've seen bad and I've learned from it. I'm grateful for the upbringing I had at Oregon State from the coaching staff teaching me a lot of things about off-the-court living. My family always stood behind me. The third thing was knowing that the church I attended at Oregon State helped me instill those priorities I was talking about. ``I had no idea at that time that when I had a chance to test those character traits, it was going to be in L.A.''
1998
After 28 years & 2,522 radio and TV broadcasts, from Portland's first preseason game (9/24/70) to today, Bill Schonely broadcast his last game with the @trailblazers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wna_mCmHQeI |
2009
HOUSTON-(AP) -The Houston Rockets finally advanced in the NBA playoffs. Ron Artest scored 27 points, Yao Ming had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Houston reached the second round for the first time since 1997, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 92-76 in Game 6 on Thursday night. The Rockets drafted Yao with the top overall pick in 2002, and he's played on three of the teams that lost in the opening round. He broke his foot late last season and watched from the bench as the Rockets lost again. He embraced teammates with a wide grin moments after this one ended, savoring every moment after his seven-year wait. "It's a big step for me,'' he said. "Even when the clock was running down, I'm still not believing that it's coming true. Obviously now that we know that feeling, we've got to keep moving forward.'' Aaron Brooks scored 13 points and Shane Battier tied a career playoff-high with nine rebounds as the Rockets won for the first time in their last seven first-round series. |
Houston, which lost Tracy McGrady to season-ending knee surgery in February, put this one away with a big second quarter and moves on to play the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night at the Staples Center. The Lakers won all four meetings in the regular season. Artest was shooting only 37.7 percent from the field in the series before producing his best offensive game. He was already talking about the next round. "The fans were just so happy to get out of the first round and I'm like 'I'm just not happy to just be out of the first round,''' he said. "That's just not our goal here. That's not LA's goal, that's not Boston's goal, that is not Cleveland's goal. That is not our goal.''
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points and Brandon Roy had 22 for the Blazers, who were making their first playoff appearance since 2003. But the Blazers were the youngest team in the playoffs and their inexperience showed. They lost Game 1 in Portland, then dropped all three games in Houston, going out meekly in the finale. "This is a great experience for us,'' said Roy, who averaged 26.6 points in the series. "All our guys are happy that we had a great season, but they have a bad taste in their mouth because you felt like we could have played better this series.'' The last three games had been decided by a total of eight points, but the Rockets turned this one into a rout before halftime. The Rockets led 21-19 when Yao went out for his regular rest for the start of the second quarter. Houston took control with a 13-2 run. Reserve guard Von Wafer hit a 3-pointer and grabbed a rebound during the run, showing no effects of the back spasms that bothered him on Wednesday. He was cleared to play by team doctors Thursday, less than an hour before the game. |
The Rockets outscored Portland 31-18 in the quarter and led 52-37 at halftime. "Basically, we just couldn't recover from that,'' Portland coach Nate McMillan said. The Blazers cut the lead to 13 early in the fourth quarter, but Yao muscled in a layup and Brooks hit a 3-pointer to make it 81-63. Brooks drove for a layup with 2:45 left to put Houston ahead 87-67, prompting the "Beat L.A.'' chant from the raucous capacity crowd. Yao embraced forward Brian Cook and Artest walked to the Portland bench to shake hands with McMillan as the final seconds ticked off. "It's been a long time coming,'' Battier said. "I've only been here three years, but you feel the frustrations of the fans here. They love a winner here. We're glad that we could get a win for them.''
Notes: The team leading at halftime won all nine games between Portland and Houston this season. ... Houston committed only eight turnovers, matching its series low. ... The Blazers outrebounded Houston 42-41, the first time in the series the team that won the battle of the boards lost the game. ... The Blazers have lost 13 of their last 14 games at the Toyota Center. |