April 12, 1977
PORTLAND — A crowd of 12,774, some paying as much as $25 for a scalped ticket, were witness to the first Blazer playoff game and they were not disappointed as Portland, led by Maurice Lucas, pulled out a tough 96-83 victory over the Chicago Bulls, to gain a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-three opening playoff series. “Luke was tremendous,” said Blazer coach Jack Ramsey. “He carried us over the rough spots.” Lucas took the compliment in stride saying, “I was getting the ball where I wanted it. They were just going in.”
Lucas started the game hitting the Blazers first shot on their first possession after his 15-footer hit the rim, jumped high into the air before falling through the net. The crowd held their breath before erupting. The Blazers quickly jumped on the Bulls 10-2 before the Bulls pulled even at 17-17 and 19-19, before Bob Gross and Dave Twardzik led the Blazers to a 29-19 first quarter lead. The Bulls coach Ed Badger had openly talked of “inviting” Lucas to shoot from the outside prior to the series start, said afterwards “The matchup I was really afraid of hurt us. He just handled us.” The matchup Badger referred to was Mickey Johnson, an ex-Blazer, holding his own against Lucas. “A couple of those long shots I was right on him.” said Johnson. “There isn’t much you can do about that. Lucas re-injured his left-hamstring with 9:04 remain in the second quarter and went to the locker room with trainer Ron Culp to be re-taped. The Blazers maintained their 10 point first quarter advantage and closed the first half leading 52-42. Johnson and Wilbur Holland kept the Bulls close and helped fuel a late third quarter and early fourth quarter rally to tie the score at 77-77. Lucas, with his leg heavily taped, was able to a jumper with 6:44 remaining to break the tie as well as another shot off a Bill Walton pick to make the score 83-79 with 5:12 to go. Lucas, who hit 10 straight shots during the game, hit one more jumper with 1:51 remaining to push the Blazers to 91-83, basically closing the door on the Bulls. |
Lucas was lucky to be around at the end of game. With the Bulls on their comeback, Lucas was called for a foul with 9:36 in the fourth and the score 75-70. Lucas protested and was called for a technical foul by referee Mike Eggers. Lucas walked over to Eggers and yanked the whistle out of his mouth as it appeared he was going to call a second technical, reportedly saying to Eggers “You don’t want to do that.” Bulls coach Badger was not happy that Lucas wasn’t tossed. “He should have been thrown out of the game. He should have been gone for that.”
The game was refereed by substitute referees Eggers and Paul Wilson, who do Pac-8 college games and high school games in the San Francisco area, as the regular NBA referees are on strike. Both coaches had issues with calls, especially in the first quarter. Ramsey drew first blood when Walton was called for his third foul halfway thru the first quarter. “I thought Walton only should have one of those three fouls,” said Ramsey after the game but let the referees know what he was thinking at the time. “I thought they did a decent job after the first five or six minutes.” Badger felt the “inexperience of the officials” hurt his team’s chance but “it didn’t cost us the game. Our not moving (on defense) cost us the game.”
The game was refereed by substitute referees Eggers and Paul Wilson, who do Pac-8 college games and high school games in the San Francisco area, as the regular NBA referees are on strike. Both coaches had issues with calls, especially in the first quarter. Ramsey drew first blood when Walton was called for his third foul halfway thru the first quarter. “I thought Walton only should have one of those three fouls,” said Ramsey after the game but let the referees know what he was thinking at the time. “I thought they did a decent job after the first five or six minutes.” Badger felt the “inexperience of the officials” hurt his team’s chance but “it didn’t cost us the game. Our not moving (on defense) cost us the game.”
Mickey Johnson, despite shooting 8 for 25 from the field, led the Bulls with 22 points. Johnson also grabbed 10 rebounds before fouling out, felt the “intensity” building during the pre-game routine. “I told Norm (Van Lier) that I was trying to keep myself calm.” Johnson was a fourth round draft pick by the Blazers in 1974 before being traded to Chicago before the start of the 1974/75 season. Bill Walton was the Blazers first pick that year and Johnson said, “I still think about it. I feel they didn’t give me a real good chance. But I’m glad to be in Chicago.”
Rookie Scott May, who led Indiana University to an NCAA championship last year and the US to a Gold Medal in the Montreal Olympics last summer, said the pressure was no different. “It’s all the same. It’s do or die.” May scored 15 points but only grabbed three rebounds. Holland added 18 points and Artis Gilmore, who also had foul trouble with the referees, scored 13 points and garnered 14 rebounds and finished with five fouls. Norm Van Lier, playing his 36th playoff game with the Bulls, scored 12 points, grabbed nine rebounds, handed eight assists, and grabbed five steals while playing a game high 46 minutes. |
Lucas, originally a first round pick in 1974 by the Chicago Bulls before going to the ABA, led Portland with 29 points shooting 14-17 from the field, grab seven rebounds and blocked four shots as well as being called for five fouls. Dave Twardzik scored 18 points, 14 in the first half, passed for four assists and was credited with three steals, also was blown for five fouls. “The final score certainly wasn’t indicative of how tough the game was,” said Twardzik. “I expect it will be even tougher Friday night. They’ll probably have 22,000 fans yelling for them and they’ll be ready for us.”
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Bill Walton was another member of the five foul club, scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds and passed for six assists. Lionel Hollins struggled from the field, making only six of his 21 attempts, but scored 12 points and passed for five assists. Bob Gross added 14 points and Herm Gilliam, the only Blazer with significant playoff experience, added 10 points off the bench. “As a team we were tight,” said Gilliam, who had played in 18 playoff games prior to this evening. “In a game like that you pick up experience in a hurry or you’ll get blown off the floor. We didn’t bend, but we learned quickly that we were in a dog fight.”
Despite only having four less fouls, the Bulls went to the free throw line 27 times compared to the Blazers 10, converting 23. However the Bulls only scored 30 baskets compared to the Blazers 44. The Blazers had 28 assists on their 44 field goals. Game two will be played three days from now, with a scheduled tip at 5:30 pm on April 15 in Chicago and will be televised by KPTV (Channel 12). If the Bulls win, the teams will return to Portland for the final game on Sunday, April 17, scheduled to tip at 12:45 pm. That game will be televised by CBS as part of a regional broadcast along with any other game threes that need to be played. If the game is sold out, the NBA could lift the blackout rule, allowing fans in Oregon to watch the game, making it the first home game to be televised locally.
Despite only having four less fouls, the Bulls went to the free throw line 27 times compared to the Blazers 10, converting 23. However the Bulls only scored 30 baskets compared to the Blazers 44. The Blazers had 28 assists on their 44 field goals. Game two will be played three days from now, with a scheduled tip at 5:30 pm on April 15 in Chicago and will be televised by KPTV (Channel 12). If the Bulls win, the teams will return to Portland for the final game on Sunday, April 17, scheduled to tip at 12:45 pm. That game will be televised by CBS as part of a regional broadcast along with any other game threes that need to be played. If the game is sold out, the NBA could lift the blackout rule, allowing fans in Oregon to watch the game, making it the first home game to be televised locally.
April 15, 1977
Only three Bulls players finished in double figures in scoring with Mickey Johnson leading the way with 29 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Gilmore was a basket behind, settling for 27 points and 11 rebounds, blocking five shots while only acquiring one foul. Wilbur Holland scored 26 points and was a perfect 8 for 8 from the free throw line. Norm Van Lier was 0-6 from the field but passed for 11 assists. Gilmore refused to accept any accolades after the game, insisting on saying, “Everyone contributed. Wilbur hit a lot of big baskets. Norm passed the ball well. Mickey Johnson did it all.” His teammates though spoke highly of the 7-2” center. “He was fantastic. He really came through for us tonight,” said Johnson.
The Blazers were led by Bill Walton and his 24 points, 17 rebounds, six blocks while being whistled for five fouls. Hollins scored 21 points and six assists before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Twardzik had 19 points before he too fouled out in the fourth quarter. The two other Blazer starters, Bob Gross and Maurice Lucas each had five fouls, with Lucas scoring 17 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing six assists. Gross added 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Similar to Game 1, the Bulls went to the free throw line 17 more times than the Blazers (36 to 19 this evening; 27 to 10in Game 1) though this evening, Portland was whistled for 15 more fouls unlike Game 1 where the teams were only four fouls different. The Bulls converted 19 more free throws while the Blazers made eight more field goals. Chicago again out rebounded the Blazers.
Game 3 will be on April 17 with the tip-off scheduled for 12:30 pm. All of the first round series will be played the same day with each series needing a third game to decide the winners.
Blazers - Bulls Game 2 April 15, 1977
https://soundcloud.com/ooduys951/blazers-bulls-game-2-april-15-1977
Game 2 highlights, from the KPTV telecast to Portland, can be seen at this link ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt0QhHvJUAo
The Blazers were led by Bill Walton and his 24 points, 17 rebounds, six blocks while being whistled for five fouls. Hollins scored 21 points and six assists before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Twardzik had 19 points before he too fouled out in the fourth quarter. The two other Blazer starters, Bob Gross and Maurice Lucas each had five fouls, with Lucas scoring 17 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing six assists. Gross added 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Similar to Game 1, the Bulls went to the free throw line 17 more times than the Blazers (36 to 19 this evening; 27 to 10in Game 1) though this evening, Portland was whistled for 15 more fouls unlike Game 1 where the teams were only four fouls different. The Bulls converted 19 more free throws while the Blazers made eight more field goals. Chicago again out rebounded the Blazers.
Game 3 will be on April 17 with the tip-off scheduled for 12:30 pm. All of the first round series will be played the same day with each series needing a third game to decide the winners.
Blazers - Bulls Game 2 April 15, 1977
https://soundcloud.com/ooduys951/blazers-bulls-game-2-april-15-1977
Game 2 highlights, from the KPTV telecast to Portland, can be seen at this link ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt0QhHvJUAo
April 17, 1977
PORTLAND — With three starters on the bench due to fouling out, the Blazers appeared to be in jeopardy of losing Game 3 at home to the Chicago Bulls before Lionel Hollins hit a 20-footer with 15 seconds remaining to stop the Bulls rally leading to a 106-98 Blazer victory. “When I released it, the shot felt good,” Hollins said. “I would have been shocked if the ball had come back out.” Chicago called timeout after the basket and Hollins was mobbed by his teammates when he arrived at the bench, including coach Jack Ramsey. “Lionel hit a great pressure shot. With the problems we had with fouls, I thought our whole team showed great poise.”
The teams traded baskets for the first eight minutes of the game. When the Bulls Mickey Johnson hit a jumper, the game was tied at 12-12, but the Blazers ran off 11 straight points with a pressure defense pushing the score to 23-12 before the Bulls were able to score. John Mengelt came off the bench to fill in for the Bulls Game 2 hero Wilbur Holland, and did his best to keep the Bulls in the game, scoring 14 points in the first half but the Blazers were able to get to a to a 57-46 halftime lead.
After Artis Gilmore hit the opening basket, the third and fourth quarters were a string of runs by both teams with the Blazers starting with a 14-4 run, getting to a 77-61 margin before the Bulls regrouped during a timeout and came up with their own 14-0 run to pull within 77-75 with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter. Portland returned the favor with a 15-2 run to jump to a 92-77 halfway through the final quarter before Chicago started another run of their own. Over the next three minutes, the Bulls went on a 15-4 run, ending as Mickey Johnson hit a jumper to cut the lead to 96-92, but more importantly, he went to the free throw line after Bill Walton was called for his sixth foul. Johnson hit the free throw and with 3:11 remaining the score was 96-93 and Portland called timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Blazers worked the ball low to Maurice Lucas who stopped the Bulls run and pushed the Blazers lead to 98-93. After Norm Van Lier was called for an offensive foul, Robin Jones substituting for Walton, hit a shot making the score 100-93 with 1:10 left. Mengelt made two free throws to cut the score to 100-95 before Lucas committed his sixth foul with 58-seconds, allowing Gilmore to make it 100-96 after hitting one of two free throws. Hollins committed an offensive foul with 43 seconds left and on the next possession Jack Marin hit a 15-footer with 35 seconds left pulling Chicago to within two points at |
100-98 and the Blazers called another timeout, leading to Hollins game winning shot. “It was a pick and roll play with a couple of options, but Artis dropped back to cut off the center (Robin Jones) in the lane,” said Hollins. “I had to shoot because we were almost out of time. As soon as it got up in the air, I knew it was good." After the Hollins shot,with the score was 102-98, Mengelt was called for traveling and the Bulls quickly fouled Bob Gross who made two free throws to push the lead to 104-98 with 10-seconds left and the Bulls called their own timeout. Inbounding from mid-court after the timeout, the Bulls worked a play at the hoop to an awaiting Mickey Johnson. Instead of Johnson scoring the basket off the lob, Mengelt’s pass went directly into the basket and the Blazers took over off the turnover. Hollins was fouled immediately and made two free throws to set the final margin.
Johnson led all scorers with 34 points and 14 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds. Mengelt added 28 points and passed off six assists. Both players were 8-9 from the free throw line. Gilmore scored 16 points and tied Johnson with 14 rebounds. Van Lier, who was unable to score in 45 minutes, passed for 10 assists before fouling out . “Nobody has anything to be ashamed of,” Van Lier said softly in the Bulls locker room after the game. “I had a terrible game. I’m a tired young man, because the way Portland swarms all over you, it’s a chore just to bring the ball up the floor.” Jack Marin, who had already decided to retire during the season, added 12 points in his last game and said afterwards “It’s nice to know we didn’t fold up, but we’ll look at the paper tomorrow and it’ll say the same thing. We still lost.”
Ed Badger, the first year coach of the Bulls was disappointed in the outcome but proud of the Bulls season. “I think possibly the two best teams in the NBA may have played here. I feel really proud of my team.” Badger thinks the Blazers will beat Denver and move on to the Western Conference finals. “They (the Blazers) are at the top of their game. I think we were the only team in the conference that could beat them.” |
Bob Gross led the Blazers with a career-high 26 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Lucas ended the game with 21 points, six rebounds and eight assists before fouling out. Walton added 17 points and 11 rebounds before he also fouled out. Dave Twardzik was the third Blazer to foul out but added 14 points and Hollins ended the game with 16 points and passed for nine assists.
For the third game in a row the Bulls outscored the Blazers at the free throw line but today the gap was only four points with only one more attempt by Chicago. Portland was again out-rebounded by the Bulls 42-27 but Chicago was hurt with 36 turnovers to the Blazers 19. |
Portland moves on to play the Midwest Division Champion Denver Nuggets in Denver in three days, April 20. The game will be televised by KPTV (Channel 12) to Portland. The second game will be played on April 22. The teams will return to Portland for games 3 and 4 on April 24 and 26. Tickets for those games will go on sale tomorrow at usual ticket outlets.
Game 3 Highlights on youtube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjWCZ0WvPDY&t=9s
Game 3 Highlights on youtube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjWCZ0WvPDY&t=9s