March 1
1974
In a bizarre game full of twists, fights, and threats, the Blazers pulled out a 95-91 victory vs the Chicago Bulls, breaking a 9-game losing streak. Early in the second quarter, Blazers forward Sidney Wicks and Bulls guard Jerry Sloan got into heated argument regarding elbows and hard picks. “He (Wicks) just hit me in the mouth with his elbow as I went past him.” said Sloan. “He just threw a cheap shot at me. Just made sure he hit me." Wicks didn’t see it that way and said that Sloan bowled him over earlier as he was setting a screen for Geoff Petrie. “I was just protecting myself.” |
Sloan made movement towards Wicks, avoiding teammates that were trying to stop him before Blazer coach Jack McCloskey grabbed at Sloan and the two fell to the floor, thus ending any further chances for a fight. Play was resumed but soon after the fight, McCloskey called time-out and conferred with the officials Lenny Wirtz and Don Murphy, informing them that the team had a received a death threat against center Rick Roberson. The call was made to radio station KOIN, which broadcasts the Blazers, and relayed to Bill Schonely and team officials, who then informed McCloskey. Roberson was removed at that moment and was escorted to the locker room. No information was found as to the resolution.
1986
Clyde Drexler records his 6th career triple-double as he helps the Blazers snap a 12-game losing streak, one short of a team record.
Drexler finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists in the 117-112 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Clyde Drexler records his 6th career triple-double as he helps the Blazers snap a 12-game losing streak, one short of a team record.
Drexler finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists in the 117-112 victory over the Houston Rockets.
1990
#JohnStockton recorded his 5th 20/20 game as the @utahjazz defeat the visiting @trailblazers. Stockton finished with 26 points and 21 assists and #ThurlBailey added 24 points, including 18 in the 3rd quarter alone. It is the 17th time Stockton has passed for 20 or more. When he retired in 2003, he had recorded 34 games with 20 assists or more with a high of 28. #KevinDuckworth and @JeromeKersey25 each scored 21 points to lead the #Blazers with Kersey grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds. |
March 2
1971
Geoff Petrie hits for 41 points in the Blazers 128-122 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Petrie led Portland with 8 assists while Gary Gregor and Stan McKenzie each added 20 points.
Fellow rookie Bob Lanier, the first pick in the 1970 NBA draft, played a then career-high 40 minutes and scored a then career-high 38 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Lanier had been playing limited minutes his rookie season due to a knee injury he suffered near the end of the regional championship game in a collision with Villanova's Chris Ford during the NCAA playoffs last spring. It was severe enough that he could not play in the Final Four and eventually required surgery, the first of eight surgeries on Lanier's knees. Lanier finished his senior season averaging 29.2 points and 16.0 rebounds as St. Bonaventure finished the 1969–70 regular season 25–1. He was named first-team All-American at center, alongside future Hall of Famers Dan Issel (Kentucky), Pete Maravich (LSU) and Calvin Murphy (Niagara), along with College Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Mount (Purdue). Lanier graduated from St. Bonaventure with a degree in business administration.and holds St. Bonaventure records for scoring and rebounding, averaging 27.6 points and 15.7 rebounds, with 57% shooting in 75 career games.
Geoff Petrie hits for 41 points in the Blazers 128-122 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Petrie led Portland with 8 assists while Gary Gregor and Stan McKenzie each added 20 points.
Fellow rookie Bob Lanier, the first pick in the 1970 NBA draft, played a then career-high 40 minutes and scored a then career-high 38 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Lanier had been playing limited minutes his rookie season due to a knee injury he suffered near the end of the regional championship game in a collision with Villanova's Chris Ford during the NCAA playoffs last spring. It was severe enough that he could not play in the Final Four and eventually required surgery, the first of eight surgeries on Lanier's knees. Lanier finished his senior season averaging 29.2 points and 16.0 rebounds as St. Bonaventure finished the 1969–70 regular season 25–1. He was named first-team All-American at center, alongside future Hall of Famers Dan Issel (Kentucky), Pete Maravich (LSU) and Calvin Murphy (Niagara), along with College Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Mount (Purdue). Lanier graduated from St. Bonaventure with a degree in business administration.and holds St. Bonaventure records for scoring and rebounding, averaging 27.6 points and 15.7 rebounds, with 57% shooting in 75 career games.
Mar 2 1978 - @NBA suspended referee #RichiePowers for 3 games for allowing @ATLHawks/#NewJerseyNets to play a zone defense in a recent game. The Zone defense was illegal until 2001/02 season. Powers was scheduled to work @trailblazers/@nyknicks this evening
1994
Summary: Portland stirs up referee Steve Javie, and before he's through, radio analyst Mike Rice is ejected and the Blazers lose by technical knockout
Buck Williams sat out, Mike Rice got kicked out, and the Portland Trail Blazers got blown out Tuesday night in Market Square Arena. Williams, who couldn't get any food past the five stitches in his lower lip, watched with his sore mouth open as Indiana's Rik Smits took advantage of his absence with 24 points in a 106-94 Pacers win that ended Portland's six-game winning streak. Williams' jaw dropped closer to the floor when referees Steve Javie and Mark Wunderlich took control -- or lost control, depending on who was watching -- in the third quarter and went on a technical-foul binge that didn't end until the Blazers' radio analyst was ejected from his courtside seat and Clifford Robinson and Portland coach Rick Adelman received technical fouls.
Summary: Portland stirs up referee Steve Javie, and before he's through, radio analyst Mike Rice is ejected and the Blazers lose by technical knockout
Buck Williams sat out, Mike Rice got kicked out, and the Portland Trail Blazers got blown out Tuesday night in Market Square Arena. Williams, who couldn't get any food past the five stitches in his lower lip, watched with his sore mouth open as Indiana's Rik Smits took advantage of his absence with 24 points in a 106-94 Pacers win that ended Portland's six-game winning streak. Williams' jaw dropped closer to the floor when referees Steve Javie and Mark Wunderlich took control -- or lost control, depending on who was watching -- in the third quarter and went on a technical-foul binge that didn't end until the Blazers' radio analyst was ejected from his courtside seat and Clifford Robinson and Portland coach Rick Adelman received technical fouls.
The trouble started when Robinson drove to the basket and Javie, the lead official, blew his whistle. Javie raised his arm to call a foul on Indiana's Dale Davis, then said he blew his whistle inadvertently and ordered a jump ball at midcourt. Robinson fumed under the basket, then walked slowly to the jump circle and lost the tip to Smits. Davis dunked for the Pacers and Adelman called timeout. During the timeout, Robinson glared at the notoriously short-tempered Javie, who said, ``Boom! Right there,'' and called a technical foul. Rice waved his arms in disgust and Javie rushed toward him, yelling, ``Who are you? Who are you?'' and cursing. Rice responded, ``Who are you?'' More juvenile discussion followed, with Rice accusing Javie of ``blowing the call, then covering for it by blaming Cliff.'' Javie told Rice to ``shut up and do your piddly little job,'' then had security guards remove Rice.
Rice sat in the stands for the rest of the game and left Eddie Doucette, who was bothered by a case of laryngitis, to call the game by himself. ``Mike showed some fortitude standing up for himself,'' Clyde Drexler said. ``This just proves my theory again -- those guys have too much power.'' Robinson, who said he didn't say anything to Javie, thought it proved something else. ``Javie will throw anybody out,'' Robinson said. ``He proved that when he threw that mascot out in Washington.'' |
Adelman and Drexler also remembered that infamous incident from a few years back, when Javie turned in a circle and gave technicals to everyone in sight. They were both involved in another argument a few minutes later, this time with Wunderlich. Drexler, who was 2 of 12 and missed his last nine shots, was scrapping for a loose ball with Reggie Miller near Portland's bench. Miller came up with the ball, but appeared to travel and sprawl across the floor. Wunderlich called a foul on Drexler, the Portland guard's fifth overall and third in five minutes. Adelman turned to tell Terry Porter, who was checking into the game, to go in for Drexler instead of Rod Strickland and Wunderlich gave him a technical foul. ``A grand case of a guy overreacting to the situation,'' Adelman said. ``I never said anything.'' As for Rice's ejection, Adelman called it ``another example of a guy losing control. He's kicked out mascots, color guys and fans. I guess they can do whatever they want and we can't do anything.''
While the Blazers were losing arguments with referees -- who left the arena shortly after the game and were unavailable for comment -- the Pacers were playing defense and rebounding. They are a much-improved team under Larry Brown, a coach who is smart enough to exploit a matchup like Reggie Smith on Smits. Smith started for Williams and did a credible job, but Smits showed unusual aggression and plowed through the middle whenever he wanted. ``We were hurting big-time without Buck,'' said Tracy Murray, one of the few Blazers who met Indiana's inside challenge. ``He controls the middle for us, and without him, Smits was just bulldozing his way to the hoop.''
The Blazers played a decent first half without their leading rebounder and would have held a sizable lead if they had finished their plays and had shot more than two free throws. Instead, they were down 48-47, and Mark Bryant came up limping after being wiped out by Antonio Davis on a drive to the basket. Bryant bruised a muscle in his left thing, and while he came back and played 20 minutes, he was sore after the game and is questionable for Wednesday's game at Detroit.
The Blazers were down only 57-51 when Javie kicked out Rice, and they stayed within 67-63 before Indiana went on an 11-2 run that included Adelman's technical and three points each by Miller and Smits. The Pacers outscored Portland 31-19 over the last 10 minutes of the third quarter and took an 81-70 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Blazers played a decent first half without their leading rebounder and would have held a sizable lead if they had finished their plays and had shot more than two free throws. Instead, they were down 48-47, and Mark Bryant came up limping after being wiped out by Antonio Davis on a drive to the basket. Bryant bruised a muscle in his left thing, and while he came back and played 20 minutes, he was sore after the game and is questionable for Wednesday's game at Detroit.
The Blazers were down only 57-51 when Javie kicked out Rice, and they stayed within 67-63 before Indiana went on an 11-2 run that included Adelman's technical and three points each by Miller and Smits. The Pacers outscored Portland 31-19 over the last 10 minutes of the third quarter and took an 81-70 lead into the fourth quarter.
Murray blocked a shot by Derrick McKey and the Blazers had a chance to cut the lead to seven, but Drexler took a momentum-breaking turnaround 20-footer with 15 seconds left on the shot clock. Indiana scored four in a row and the game dissolved into garbage time.
``We were short of big guys, and we didn't shoot well enough to win,'' Adelman said. ``Indiana has been defending better, but we took some quick shots and didn't make them defend us enough.''
``We were short of big guys, and we didn't shoot well enough to win,'' Adelman said. ``Indiana has been defending better, but we took some quick shots and didn't make them defend us enough.''
2005
PORTLAND, Ore. — For all his popularity among the players and the fans, Portland Trail Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks ultimately didn’t have the wins. Cheeks was fired after the Blazers had lost seven of their last nine and tumbled to 22-33. “It’s a sad day for me because I’ve got guys on my team that I really … ,” said Cheeks, his voice trailing off in disappointment during an emotional news conference. “I didn’t do as well a job as I could have, as I did in previous years,” he concluded. The Blazers appointed Kevin Pritchard, the team’s director of player personnel, as interim coach. “Our players liked Mo a great deal, but sometimes a fresh voice might ignite them to go in a different direction,” general manager John Nash said. The Blazers are in 12th place in the Western Conference, 5 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the eighth and final playoff spot. Portland went 41-41 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in 22 years. |
Cheeks, who played in the NBA for 15 seasons, was hired by Portland in 2001 to replace Mike Dunleavy. Cheeks’ 162 victories rank fourth in team history, and he led the Blazers to the playoffs twice. Patterson and Nash said they regretted having to fire Cheeks yesterday morning at the team’s practice facility. “We were kind of hoping in January and February that we’d gain some momentum,” Nash said, “but that didn’t happen.”
March 3
1984
The @trailblazers celebrate their 300th consecutive sell-out, 3 games after originally had thought it to be. The #Blazers office had settled on the wrong number of sell-outs 6 years ago, continuing to add the games to the total, and had not caught the mistake until the @Oregonian pointed it out a week prior to the event was to take place.
The Blazers would continue to sellout for another 514 games to set the sellout record for all major-league sports at 814 games. The streak started on April 5, 1977 at Memorial Coliseum and lasted 18 years at the Memorial Coliseum, before it ended in 1995 at the Rose Garden.
The @trailblazers celebrate their 300th consecutive sell-out, 3 games after originally had thought it to be. The #Blazers office had settled on the wrong number of sell-outs 6 years ago, continuing to add the games to the total, and had not caught the mistake until the @Oregonian pointed it out a week prior to the event was to take place.
The Blazers would continue to sellout for another 514 games to set the sellout record for all major-league sports at 814 games. The streak started on April 5, 1977 at Memorial Coliseum and lasted 18 years at the Memorial Coliseum, before it ended in 1995 at the Rose Garden.
1988
Despite the headline below, Clyde Drexler tied his career-high 42 points in the Blazers victory vs the Phoenix Suns. Drexler only missed 3 FG attempts of the 21 shots in the win.
Despite the headline below, Clyde Drexler tied his career-high 42 points in the Blazers victory vs the Phoenix Suns. Drexler only missed 3 FG attempts of the 21 shots in the win.
1989
@JeromeKersey25 tied his career-high 20 rebs and added 20 pts in @trailblazers 129-121 win vs @sixers. It is his second 20/20 game of his career. @terryporter30 added 20 pts and 15 assists in the win |
March 4
1972
Despite riding a club record 12-game losing streak, the 3rd largest crowd came to the #MemorialColiseum to cheer on the @trailblazers vs the
@ATLHawks, but left seeing the club's 13th straight loss. #SidneyWicks led the #Blazers with 24 points and 12 rebounds with #GeoffPetrie adding 23 points.
@StanMcKenzie, with 15 points, was the only other Portland player to hit double-figures. The #Hawks were led by #LouHudson with 34 points and 9 rebounds. #DonMay came off the bench to score 19 points. #HermGilliam had a game-high 13 assists, with #PeteMaravich adding 11 more dimes. A good portion of the 11,765 attendees possibly came to see #PistolPeteMaravich, but just as many came as the game was being promoted as "Rip City Sign Night," a promotion thought of by #BillSchonely.
Despite riding a club record 12-game losing streak, the 3rd largest crowd came to the #MemorialColiseum to cheer on the @trailblazers vs the
@ATLHawks, but left seeing the club's 13th straight loss. #SidneyWicks led the #Blazers with 24 points and 12 rebounds with #GeoffPetrie adding 23 points.
@StanMcKenzie, with 15 points, was the only other Portland player to hit double-figures. The #Hawks were led by #LouHudson with 34 points and 9 rebounds. #DonMay came off the bench to score 19 points. #HermGilliam had a game-high 13 assists, with #PeteMaravich adding 11 more dimes. A good portion of the 11,765 attendees possibly came to see #PistolPeteMaravich, but just as many came as the game was being promoted as "Rip City Sign Night," a promotion thought of by #BillSchonely.
1994
The Portland Trail Blazers went to the drive-up window all night Friday and chewed up the Chicago Bulls 115-96.
The Blazers laughed off their latest legal troubles and showed that staying out all night is not necessarily bad for basketball, as long as nobody makes a habit of it. Clifford Robinson and Rod Strickland, who were charged with misdemeanor battery after an early morning incident in a restaurant parking lot, said there was no truth to the rumor sweeping Chicago Stadium that they would celebrate their eighth win in nine games by going back to McDonald's.
The Portland Trail Blazers went to the drive-up window all night Friday and chewed up the Chicago Bulls 115-96.
The Blazers laughed off their latest legal troubles and showed that staying out all night is not necessarily bad for basketball, as long as nobody makes a habit of it. Clifford Robinson and Rod Strickland, who were charged with misdemeanor battery after an early morning incident in a restaurant parking lot, said there was no truth to the rumor sweeping Chicago Stadium that they would celebrate their eighth win in nine games by going back to McDonald's.
``I could use a Big Mac,'' said Strickland, laughing at the thought of returning to the scene of what he swears was no crime. ``No, the only thing I'm going to do is get on the plane and go to sleep.''
https://youtu.be/7iFYsYyOvs4
https://youtu.be/7iFYsYyOvs4
2016
TORONTO -- After watching his Raptors survive a 50-point game from Damian Lillard and hang on for a 117-115 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto coach Dwane Casey was in disbelief. "How he isn't an All-Star in our league, shame on us," Casey said. "That young man can score any which way he wants to. Talk about [Stephen] Curry coming across halfcourt and shooting it? This young man can come across halfcourt and shoot it also."
Toronto overcame Lillard's outburst behind a season-high 38 points from DeMar DeRozan, who made 24 consecutive free throws. That helped the Raptors win their franchise-record 12th straight home game. Lillard wasn't selected to the All-Star Game last month in Toronto, and Casey had suggested before the game that the Trail Blazers point guard was playing with a chip on his shoulder as a result of the snub.
"He's going to be trouble for all of us for a long period of time," Casey said.
TORONTO -- After watching his Raptors survive a 50-point game from Damian Lillard and hang on for a 117-115 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto coach Dwane Casey was in disbelief. "How he isn't an All-Star in our league, shame on us," Casey said. "That young man can score any which way he wants to. Talk about [Stephen] Curry coming across halfcourt and shooting it? This young man can come across halfcourt and shoot it also."
Toronto overcame Lillard's outburst behind a season-high 38 points from DeMar DeRozan, who made 24 consecutive free throws. That helped the Raptors win their franchise-record 12th straight home game. Lillard wasn't selected to the All-Star Game last month in Toronto, and Casey had suggested before the game that the Trail Blazers point guard was playing with a chip on his shoulder as a result of the snub.
"He's going to be trouble for all of us for a long period of time," Casey said.
Lillard's 50 points were one shy of his career high, set last month in Portland's 137-105 win over the Golden State Warriors. After starting the fourth quarter on the bench, Lillard scored 22 points in the final 12 minutes and went 4-of-7 from 3-point range while the Trail Blazers closed what had started as a 13-point deficit into a two-point game on multiple occasions. "I told myself on the bench when I get back in the game I'm going after this game, I'm going to go out there and try to take over the game," he said. "That was just my mindset."
https://youtu.be/ibpE3WIPb98
https://youtu.be/ibpE3WIPb98
2021
@Dame_Lillard scored 44 points, with 10 points coming in 1 minute and 45 seconds, to help the @trailblazers hold off the @SacramentoKings for the home-court victory. Lillard entered the final quarter with 29 points, before getting hot late. With Portland down 108-105 with 3 minutes remaining, Lillard had the hot hand to get the Blazers to a 115-108 lead with 1:15 remaining.
@EnesFreedom recorded his 7th career 20/20 game as he scored 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. It is his first 20/20 game with the #Blazers. Freedom, known as #EnesKanter when he played with the Blazers, holds the franchise record with 30 rebounds.
@Dame_Lillard scored 44 points, with 10 points coming in 1 minute and 45 seconds, to help the @trailblazers hold off the @SacramentoKings for the home-court victory. Lillard entered the final quarter with 29 points, before getting hot late. With Portland down 108-105 with 3 minutes remaining, Lillard had the hot hand to get the Blazers to a 115-108 lead with 1:15 remaining.
@EnesFreedom recorded his 7th career 20/20 game as he scored 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. It is his first 20/20 game with the #Blazers. Freedom, known as #EnesKanter when he played with the Blazers, holds the franchise record with 30 rebounds.
March 5
Potential names of coaches for the new @NBA team in Portland have been revealed
1971
Norm Van Lier passes for 18 assists, tying his career-high set just two days previous against the Baltimore Bullets. Van Lier would lead the @NBA in assists during the 1970/71 season with 10.1 assists, continuing a Royals tradition started by Hall-of-Fame player Oscar Robertson, who lead the league 6 times in his first 10 seasons playing with the Royals. Robertson was traded prior to this season and Van Lier took over, finishing just ahead of Oscar who played for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Van Lier would be traded to the Chicago Bulls midway thru the 1971/72 season and drop to 6th in assists but Nate Archibald would take over, finishing 3rd with a 9.2 average before becoming the assist king in the 1972/73 season with 11.4 average.
Norm Van Lier passes for 18 assists, tying his career-high set just two days previous against the Baltimore Bullets. Van Lier would lead the @NBA in assists during the 1970/71 season with 10.1 assists, continuing a Royals tradition started by Hall-of-Fame player Oscar Robertson, who lead the league 6 times in his first 10 seasons playing with the Royals. Robertson was traded prior to this season and Van Lier took over, finishing just ahead of Oscar who played for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Van Lier would be traded to the Chicago Bulls midway thru the 1971/72 season and drop to 6th in assists but Nate Archibald would take over, finishing 3rd with a 9.2 average before becoming the assist king in the 1972/73 season with 11.4 average.
1977
The Blazers get a home win and proceed to win the next 44 straight home games. They would not lose until February 12, 1978 when the Denver Nuggets pulled out a 103-101 victory.
The Blazers get a home win and proceed to win the next 44 straight home games. They would not lose until February 12, 1978 when the Denver Nuggets pulled out a 103-101 victory.
The @trailblazers win their 39th game of the season, 1 better than they have ever won in their previous 6 seasons. Portland still has 17 games remaining on their 1976/77 schedule. The win today starts a 44-game home winning streak. After losing to @Cavs just a day ago, the Blazers would not lose at home again until February 12, 1978 when the @nuggets pulled out a 103-101 victory.
#DaveTwardzik connected on 16 of 17 FTA enroute to his career-high 28 points. The 16 FTM, at the time, was tied for the 3rd most FTM in #Blazers history, behind #GeoffPetrie (18 FTM), @StanMcKenzie (17) and @uograd66 (16). Since then, 11 players have matched or best the 16 FTM, led by
@JeramiGrant with 21.
#DaveTwardzik connected on 16 of 17 FTA enroute to his career-high 28 points. The 16 FTM, at the time, was tied for the 3rd most FTM in #Blazers history, behind #GeoffPetrie (18 FTM), @StanMcKenzie (17) and @uograd66 (16). Since then, 11 players have matched or best the 16 FTM, led by
@JeramiGrant with 21.
1978
#TomOwens, starting in place of injured #BillWalton, pulled down a then career-high 18 rebounds in the @trailblazers victory vs the @Bucks. Owens was acquired during the summer of 1977 from the @HoustonRockets to back-up Walton. Owens was a starter for most of his #ABA career, averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds in 5 years. While he only had 15 games in double figures in scoring, and 6 in rebounds, over the #Blazers first 60 games, Owens topped double figures in scoring in 21 of the final 22 games he started with Walton out, as well as 16 games with double digit rebounds. With both Walton and #LloydNeal on the injured list, the 52-11 #Blazers signed #WillieNorwood about 90 minutes before game time. Norwood played 11 minutes https://youtube.com/watch?v=9nUm0_p02Cw |
1985
@KikiVanDeWeghe scored 28 points to pace the @trailblazers to a road victory over the @ATLHawks in #NewOrleans LA. This is the 9th "home" game for #Atlanta at @UofNO in the @LakefrontArena.
#ClydeDrexler recorded his 2nd triple-double of his career with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists. Drexler also had 10 turnovers to get the dubious quadruple-double. It is the 4th time a #Blazers player has recorded 10 turnovers in a game. #MauriceLucas holds the team record with 12 in 1979.
@KikiVanDeWeghe scored 28 points to pace the @trailblazers to a road victory over the @ATLHawks in #NewOrleans LA. This is the 9th "home" game for #Atlanta at @UofNO in the @LakefrontArena.
#ClydeDrexler recorded his 2nd triple-double of his career with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists. Drexler also had 10 turnovers to get the dubious quadruple-double. It is the 4th time a #Blazers player has recorded 10 turnovers in a game. #MauriceLucas holds the team record with 12 in 1979.
1987
@KikiVanDeWeghe scored his @trailblazers best with 48 points but it wasn't enough as the #Blazers dropped a road game vs @SeattleSonics, as #DaleEllis hit for 38 points, two shy of his then career-best of 40 points. Vandeweghe connected on 19 of 31 FGA and 10 of 13 FTA while Ellis hit 15 of 22 FGA and 7 of 11 FTA. @terryporter30recorded his 2nd triple double of his career with 14 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds. #AltonLister nearly had his own triple-double with 10 points, 9 rebounds, as well as a then career-high 8 blocked shots, including 3 in the final minutes of the game to secure the victory. Vandeweghe's career high is 51 points set while with the Denver Nuggets. His previous best with the Blazers was 47 points that he scored in his very 1st game with the team in 1984. |
2001
The @trailblazers signed FA @rod_strickland. Strickland is the 5th #Blazers player to have a second stint with the team. The other Blazers that were re-signed by the team prior to today have been #DaleSchlueter, #MauriceLucas, #JimBrewer, and #WayneCooper. All told, over 20 players have returned to play in a Portland uniform a second time.
Strickland, who was with Portland from 1992 -96, was waived by the @WashWizards 5 days ago and became a Free Agent. The Blazers are looking to use Strickland as a backup to @Iambiggie503, especially since the shoulder injury that has forced @GregAnthony50 to the Injured Reserve list.
The @trailblazers signed FA @rod_strickland. Strickland is the 5th #Blazers player to have a second stint with the team. The other Blazers that were re-signed by the team prior to today have been #DaleSchlueter, #MauriceLucas, #JimBrewer, and #WayneCooper. All told, over 20 players have returned to play in a Portland uniform a second time.
Strickland, who was with Portland from 1992 -96, was waived by the @WashWizards 5 days ago and became a Free Agent. The Blazers are looking to use Strickland as a backup to @Iambiggie503, especially since the shoulder injury that has forced @GregAnthony50 to the Injured Reserve list.
2023
@Dame_Lillard scored 41 points vs the @OrlandoMagic, keeping the @trailblazers only a 1/2 game behind in the play-in seedings. #DamianLillard has now scored 20 or more points in 25 straight games, the longest of his career, and the second longest in #Blazers History. #SidneyWicks holds the franchise record with 30 straight games.
Previously, Lillard's Longest Streaks of 20-Plus Point Games were ....
23 games - Jan. 3-March 6, 2020
21 games - Feb. 2-March 19, 2021
Wicks streak was from Dec. 21, 1973 to Feb. 20, 1974
@Dame_Lillard scored 41 points vs the @OrlandoMagic, keeping the @trailblazers only a 1/2 game behind in the play-in seedings. #DamianLillard has now scored 20 or more points in 25 straight games, the longest of his career, and the second longest in #Blazers History. #SidneyWicks holds the franchise record with 30 straight games.
Previously, Lillard's Longest Streaks of 20-Plus Point Games were ....
23 games - Jan. 3-March 6, 2020
21 games - Feb. 2-March 19, 2021
Wicks streak was from Dec. 21, 1973 to Feb. 20, 1974
March 6
1973
@Lakers legend #WiltChamberlain plays his final game against the @trailblazers and records another double-double with 22 points and 24 rebounds in the #Lakers victory. Chamberlain was on the winning side in all 16 games the teams played over 3 seasons. Chamberlain scored 307 points and grabbed 310 rebounds for averages of 19.2 points and 19.3 rebounds. He grabbed 31 rebounds in the last meeting (Feb 17, 1973) which still stands as an opponent high against #Portland.
#SidneyWicks scored 26 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for the #Blazers. Rookie center #LloydNeal scored 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as he attempted to guard Chamberlain. #GailGoodrich led all scorers with 30 points with #LosAngeles teammate #JimMcMillian getting 21 points. @NBA logo #JerryWest scored 19 points and passed for 8 assists. Former @BeaverMBB great #MelCounts came off the bench to score 13 points
@Lakers legend #WiltChamberlain plays his final game against the @trailblazers and records another double-double with 22 points and 24 rebounds in the #Lakers victory. Chamberlain was on the winning side in all 16 games the teams played over 3 seasons. Chamberlain scored 307 points and grabbed 310 rebounds for averages of 19.2 points and 19.3 rebounds. He grabbed 31 rebounds in the last meeting (Feb 17, 1973) which still stands as an opponent high against #Portland.
#SidneyWicks scored 26 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for the #Blazers. Rookie center #LloydNeal scored 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as he attempted to guard Chamberlain. #GailGoodrich led all scorers with 30 points with #LosAngeles teammate #JimMcMillian getting 21 points. @NBA logo #JerryWest scored 19 points and passed for 8 assists. Former @BeaverMBB great #MelCounts came off the bench to score 13 points
Just hours before reffing the @trailblazers vs the
@Lakers today, @NBAOfficial #EdTRush spoke to the #Oregon Sportswriters and Sportscasters Assoc. weekly meeting at the #Cosmopolitan MotorHotel and talked about the varied claims of protecting the @NBA superstars. |
Rush said, "They (the fans) will look at a boxscore and say. 'Look, so-and-so amde 14 out of 16 free throws.' What they don't take into account is that the superstar usually handles the ball a lot more and is naturally going to get fouled more."
|
2001
Clyde Drexler number 22 was retired.
BLAZER PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING THE RETIREMENT.
More than 2½ years after his playing career ended, the Portland Trail Blazers announced Saturday they will retire Clyde Drexler's jersey number. A banner with Drexler's No. 22 will go up in the Rose Garden during a ceremony March 6.
"If there was one player that ever typifies the Portland Trail Blazers, for me it would Clyde Drexler -- 'Clyde the Glide' on the court, and in the way he handled himself off the court," Portland president Bob Whitsitt said during a news conference before the Blazers' game against Sacramento, (Jan 21, 2001)
The relationship between the two men has been strained in recent years. Whitsitt traded Drexler to the Houston Rockets in a cost-cutting move on Feb. 14, 1995, and Drexler went on to get his only NBA title later that season.
Clyde Drexler number 22 was retired.
BLAZER PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING THE RETIREMENT.
More than 2½ years after his playing career ended, the Portland Trail Blazers announced Saturday they will retire Clyde Drexler's jersey number. A banner with Drexler's No. 22 will go up in the Rose Garden during a ceremony March 6.
"If there was one player that ever typifies the Portland Trail Blazers, for me it would Clyde Drexler -- 'Clyde the Glide' on the court, and in the way he handled himself off the court," Portland president Bob Whitsitt said during a news conference before the Blazers' game against Sacramento, (Jan 21, 2001)
The relationship between the two men has been strained in recent years. Whitsitt traded Drexler to the Houston Rockets in a cost-cutting move on Feb. 14, 1995, and Drexler went on to get his only NBA title later that season.
2023
@Dame_Lillard records his 3rd, and final, triple-double with the @trailblazers win at @DetroitPistons. The win moves the #Blazers into a 3-way tie with @Lakers and @utahjazz for the 10th position. All 3 teams are 31-34. Lillard finished with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. This is the 26th straight game Lillard has topped the 20 point mark, as he moves to break the team record of 30 straight games, set by #SidneyWicks in 1974. |
March 7
1971
Geoff Petrie scores 40 points in the Portland Trail Blazers loss to the San Diego/ Houston Rockets. Ed Manning added a career-high 19 points for Portland. Manning played college basketball for the Jackson State University Tigers from 1963 to 1967 and scored 1,610 career points. Manning was inducted into the Jackson State University Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. |
Ed Manning added a career-high 19 points for Portland. Manning played college basketball for the Jackson State University Tigers from 1963 to 1967 and scored 1,610 career points. Manning was inducted into the Jackson State University Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. Manning was drafted in the 8th round of the 1967 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets, where he played for 2 1/2 seasons before being traded to the Chicago Bulls. Portland selected him in the Expansion draft and played 1 season in Portland before being waived prior to the 1971/72 season. Manning then played five seasons in the ABA—three with the Carolina Cougars and one each with the New York Nets and Indiana Pacers before later playing for several professional European teams.
In 1983, Manning was hired as an ast coach at @KUHoops under Larry Brown and was on the staff of the team that won the 1988 national championship, a team led by Ed's son @CoachDManning Manning followed Brown to San Antonio in 1988 to serve as an assistant coach for the Spurs, where Brown had been hired as the team's head coach.
Manning passed away in 2011 at the age of 67.
In 1983, Manning was hired as an ast coach at @KUHoops under Larry Brown and was on the staff of the team that won the 1988 national championship, a team led by Ed's son @CoachDManning Manning followed Brown to San Antonio in 1988 to serve as an assistant coach for the Spurs, where Brown had been hired as the team's head coach.
Manning passed away in 2011 at the age of 67.
1972
The Portland Trail Blazers ended a franchise record 13-game losing streak, defeating the Buffalo Braves 98-94. Rookie Sidney Wicks led Portland with 24 points and the Braves were led by their rookie Elmore Smith who scored 24 points and grabbed 25 rebounds. The 13-game streak still stands as a team record though it was tied in 2012/13 season. The Blazers have had 3 other double-digit losing streaks in 1979/80 season ( 10 games), 1985/86 (12 games) and 2005/06 season with 11 games. Smith was drafted out of Kentucky State University by Buffalo with the 3rd pick in the 1st round NBA Draft on March 29, 1971, right after the Blazers chose Wicks. In his first season, Smith averaged 17.3 points per game and 15.2 rebounds per game, playing alongside Bob Kauffman, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. His rebounding average for that season is the eighth-highest ever recorded by an NBA rookie. Smith played 2 years in Buffalo before he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Jim McMillian in 1973, the first season that the NBA kept track of Blocked Shots. He set the league record of 17 blocks against the Blazers just 8 games into the season that still stands. His average of 4.85 per game has only been passed twice since. With the Lakers in 1973-74, Smith averaged 12.5 points with 11.2 rebounds and a league leading 4.9 blocked shots. In 1974-75 Smith averaged 10.9 points and 10.9 rebounds with 2.9 blocks for the Lakers. On June 16, 1975 Smith was part of a historic trade. He was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers with Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers and Brian Winters to the Milwaukee Bucks for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley. |
After 34 games with Milwaukee in 1975-76, Smith was traded on January 13, 1977 with Gary Brokaw to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Rowland Garrett, a 1977 1st round draft pick (Ernie Grunfeld was later selected) and a 1978 1st round draft pick (George Johnson was later selected). In 1976-77, Smith averaged 12.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks for the 43-39 Cavaliers under Coach Bill Fitch. Smith was plagued by a knee injury, that required surgery, and played in only 24 games for Cleveland in 1977-78, the last of his career.
Smith is best remembered for his shot-blocking, earning him the nickname "Elmore the Rejector". He led the league in total blocked shots twice (in 1974 and 1975), and holds the NBA record for most blocked shots in a game since 1973, with 17 He achieved this mark against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 28, 1973, while playing for the Lakers. Smith's average of 4.85 blocks per game from the 1973–74 season (the first season blocked shots were officially recorded in the NBA) is the third highest ever. He was also a skilled rebounder, and he averaged a double-double (13.4 points, 10.6 rebounds) over the course of his career. |
Smith started his own BBQ business in 2006 after many years of "trial and error." According to his website, he has locations at 13 different locations in Ohio including the Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans the home to the Cleveland Cavaliers
From his website .... "This passion for excellence lives on in my all-natural gourmet BBQ Sauces. These are sauces born from my own personal trial and error over many, many years of barbecuing. The ingredients are first rate, hand selected and offer these sauces the most flavor and texture available. Each of these sauces features a rich smoky flavor punctuated by subtle variations in texture and of course heat settings. Choose my ultra-tangy MILD when you don't know what your guests will like. Choose ORIGINAL STYLE for the full package-flavor, texture and spice or go SPICY STYLE and light a fire under your BBQ! No matter which sauce you try, you will be rewarded with unrelenting flavor and a share in my passion! These are true over-achievers in a world of so-so sauces."
From his website .... "This passion for excellence lives on in my all-natural gourmet BBQ Sauces. These are sauces born from my own personal trial and error over many, many years of barbecuing. The ingredients are first rate, hand selected and offer these sauces the most flavor and texture available. Each of these sauces features a rich smoky flavor punctuated by subtle variations in texture and of course heat settings. Choose my ultra-tangy MILD when you don't know what your guests will like. Choose ORIGINAL STYLE for the full package-flavor, texture and spice or go SPICY STYLE and light a fire under your BBQ! No matter which sauce you try, you will be rewarded with unrelenting flavor and a share in my passion! These are true over-achievers in a world of so-so sauces."
1990
Clyde Drexler records the 14th triple-double of his career with 39 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds in the @trailblazers 130-117 victory over the @celtics. |
2017
@russwest44 scored a career-high 58 points but it wasn't enough as the @trailblazers beat the @okcthunder 126-121 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AS_UpZcYD4 |
2019
Dame Lillard scores 51 points, the 5th time he has topped the 50 point mark.
Dame Lillard scores 51 points, the 5th time he has topped the 50 point mark.
March 8
1975
For the first time, the Blazers win their 30th game of the season.
For the first time, the Blazers win their 30th game of the season.
1989
The Blazers announce that Jon Spoelstra, the Senior VP and GM of the team, will leave when his contract expires in October. Hired in 1979, Spoelstra's services were famously "traded" to the Indiana Pacers in 1983 as part of the Blazers acquisition of Don Buse. Spoelstra spent a few weeks putting the Pacers Marketing Dept in order before returning to Portland
The Blazers announce that Jon Spoelstra, the Senior VP and GM of the team, will leave when his contract expires in October. Hired in 1979, Spoelstra's services were famously "traded" to the Indiana Pacers in 1983 as part of the Blazers acquisition of Don Buse. Spoelstra spent a few weeks putting the Pacers Marketing Dept in order before returning to Portland
2008
Nate Robinson would have passed more, but he was perhaps his own best option Saturday night. Jamal Crawford and Stephon Marbury were on the bench, in designer suits. Eddy Curry was in the locker room, an ice bag on his knee. Zach Randolph was in Indiana. So Robinson shot often, brushed through the record books and briefly electrified Madison Square Garden. The only thing he could not do was deliver a victory. With the Knicks’ lineup decimated by injuries, Robinson scored a career-high 45 points — a supreme effort that went for naught in a 120-114 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Robinson’s point total was the most at any level of his career and the most by a Knick this season. Robinson also became only the second N.B.A. player listed at 5 feet 9 inches or shorter to score 45 points in a game. Houston’s Calvin Murphy, who was also 5-9, did it three times, including a 57-point game against the Nets in 1978. He finished 16 of 28 from the field and 11 for 13 at the free-throw line. He added six assists and had only two turnovers in 52 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EksBeXdGeps
Nate Robinson would have passed more, but he was perhaps his own best option Saturday night. Jamal Crawford and Stephon Marbury were on the bench, in designer suits. Eddy Curry was in the locker room, an ice bag on his knee. Zach Randolph was in Indiana. So Robinson shot often, brushed through the record books and briefly electrified Madison Square Garden. The only thing he could not do was deliver a victory. With the Knicks’ lineup decimated by injuries, Robinson scored a career-high 45 points — a supreme effort that went for naught in a 120-114 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Robinson’s point total was the most at any level of his career and the most by a Knick this season. Robinson also became only the second N.B.A. player listed at 5 feet 9 inches or shorter to score 45 points in a game. Houston’s Calvin Murphy, who was also 5-9, did it three times, including a 57-point game against the Nets in 1978. He finished 16 of 28 from the field and 11 for 13 at the free-throw line. He added six assists and had only two turnovers in 52 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EksBeXdGeps
2016
|
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Though it took a little longer than they'd hoped, the Trail Blazers found relief at home from their recent road woes. Damian Lillard had 41 points and 11 assists, and Portland snapped a three-game losing streak with a 116-109 overtime victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.
It was Lillard's 15th straight game with 20-plus points, the second-longest streak in the NBA behind Kevin Durant's 48. CJ McCollum added 18 points for Portland, which moved into sixth place in the Western Conference. John Wall had 20 points and 11 assists for the Wizards, who have lost three straight. Ramon Sessions added 21 points off the bench, while Marcin Gortat had 19 points and 10 rebounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YvpqA5ylmY |
March 9
1972
The @trailblazers officially play their last "Neutral" court game, losing to @HoustonRockets in #Seattle. The #Blazers/#Rockets played before the @SeattleSonics/@sixers played. Double-headers were common practice until the 1971/72 season. The @trailblazers would play various teams over the years at various "Neutral" home sites in the future. For example, the #Blazers have played the @celtics in Providence, RI and Hartford, Conn.; the #BuffaloBraves in Toronto; and the #KansasCityKings in Omaha, NE.
The @trailblazers officially play their last "Neutral" court game, losing to @HoustonRockets in #Seattle. The #Blazers/#Rockets played before the @SeattleSonics/@sixers played. Double-headers were common practice until the 1971/72 season. The @trailblazers would play various teams over the years at various "Neutral" home sites in the future. For example, the #Blazers have played the @celtics in Providence, RI and Hartford, Conn.; the #BuffaloBraves in Toronto; and the #KansasCityKings in Omaha, NE.
1979
Tom Owens scored his NBA career high 37 points in the Blazers 125-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Owens joined the Blazers in the summer of 1977 in a trade with the Houston Rockets and played with Portland for 4 seasons, his longest tenure with a team in his 12 year career, five in the ABA and seven in the NBA. He scored 41 points for the Carolina Cougars in 1973.
A 6'- 10" center from the Bronx, New York, Owens played for the University of South Carolina and was a 4th round draft pick by the Rockets in the 1971 NBA Draft. He was also a 4th round pick in the ABA draft by the Memphis Pros
He was traded mid-way thru his rookie season to the Carolina Cougars. He played with the Cougars for 3 seasons, including the team moving to St. Louis, becoming the Spirits of St. Louis in 1974. Traded back to Memphis five games into the 1974/75 before the team folded after the season ended. In the ABA's last season, Owens played for
Kentucky Colonels, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs before he joined the Houston Rockets in the 1976/77 season
Owens totaled 4,437 points and 2,310 rebounds in his 319 games with Portland, averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds during that time. In his 12 seasons in the ABA and NBA he scored 9,898 points and grabbed 5,985 rebounds.
Tom Owens scored his NBA career high 37 points in the Blazers 125-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Owens joined the Blazers in the summer of 1977 in a trade with the Houston Rockets and played with Portland for 4 seasons, his longest tenure with a team in his 12 year career, five in the ABA and seven in the NBA. He scored 41 points for the Carolina Cougars in 1973.
A 6'- 10" center from the Bronx, New York, Owens played for the University of South Carolina and was a 4th round draft pick by the Rockets in the 1971 NBA Draft. He was also a 4th round pick in the ABA draft by the Memphis Pros
He was traded mid-way thru his rookie season to the Carolina Cougars. He played with the Cougars for 3 seasons, including the team moving to St. Louis, becoming the Spirits of St. Louis in 1974. Traded back to Memphis five games into the 1974/75 before the team folded after the season ended. In the ABA's last season, Owens played for
Kentucky Colonels, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs before he joined the Houston Rockets in the 1976/77 season
Owens totaled 4,437 points and 2,310 rebounds in his 319 games with Portland, averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds during that time. In his 12 seasons in the ABA and NBA he scored 9,898 points and grabbed 5,985 rebounds.
2017
Jusuf Nurkic had a monster night, finishing with career-highs of 28 points, 20 rebounds, eight assists and six blocks. He joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Charles Barkley as the only players to post a stat line of at least 28 points, 20 rebounds, eight assist and six blocks since 1985-86. It was only Nurkic's 8th game in a @trailblazers uniform. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66bbFPu4jRk |
March 10
1974
The Buffalo Braves, a fellow 1970 expansion club along with Portland and Cleveland Cavaliers, becomes the first team to secure a playoff position with their 122-112 victory over Portland in Toronto Canada. It is the first game the Blazers have ever played outside the border of the US. Bob McAdoo grabbed a career-high 28 rebounds in the victory, 24 of which were defensive rebounds, setting a record that still stands as an opponents high vs Portland. The rebound total is the 3rd highest by an opponent. McAdoo also added 29 points. The Braves center put up averages of 30.6 points and 15.1 rebounds during the 1973/74 season. This is the last time any player has averaged at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in the same NBA season. As well, the Braves rookie Ernie DiGregorio would win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, a year after McAdoo did. McAdoo also led the NBA in field goal percentage in 1973–74, shooting 54.7 percent. McAdoo was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, averaging 34.5 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.12 blocks per game, while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 80.5 percent from the free throw line. The Braves would only last 6 games in the playoffs in 1974, falling to the Boston Celtics 4 games to 2. They would make the playoff 2 more years before their coach, Dr. Jack Ramsay, was let go in May of 1976. |
March 11
1971
Gus Johnson had another monster rebounding game against Portland but the Baltimore Bullets fall to the Blazers 136-118. Johnson played in 3 of the 4 games the two teams played and grabbed 62 rebounds and scored 82 points.
For the Blazers, Geoff Petrie led the way with 30 points while fellow rookie Claude English scored his career-high 7 points in 2 minutes of action. English, who played for Christian College in Dallas, Texas, and the University of Rhode Island, connected on all 3 field goals and made his single free throw attempt. English would only play 18 games in the NBA before playing in the Eastern Basketball Association for the Hartford Capitals, the affiliate team for the Philadelphia 76ers. In 1973-74, English won the Eastern Basketball Association Championship with the Capitals. He was a three-year captain at Hartford.
English was an assistant coach at Rhode Island in the two seasons prior to becoming the head in 1980. He led the Rams to a 20-8 record and an NIT appearance in his first season but finished with a 4 year record of 45-66 record and was dismissed. In 1992, English began his affiliation with @ParkUniversity in Missouri, becoming the men’s basketball coach from the 1992/93 season and guided the Pirates through the end of the 2004-05 campaign. For his final 10 seasons at the helm of the @ParkPirates Men’s Basketball program, English also assumed the duties of Director of Athletics, a position he continues to hold. His record at Park University was 182-207 in 13 seasons.
Gus Johnson had another monster rebounding game against Portland but the Baltimore Bullets fall to the Blazers 136-118. Johnson played in 3 of the 4 games the two teams played and grabbed 62 rebounds and scored 82 points.
For the Blazers, Geoff Petrie led the way with 30 points while fellow rookie Claude English scored his career-high 7 points in 2 minutes of action. English, who played for Christian College in Dallas, Texas, and the University of Rhode Island, connected on all 3 field goals and made his single free throw attempt. English would only play 18 games in the NBA before playing in the Eastern Basketball Association for the Hartford Capitals, the affiliate team for the Philadelphia 76ers. In 1973-74, English won the Eastern Basketball Association Championship with the Capitals. He was a three-year captain at Hartford.
English was an assistant coach at Rhode Island in the two seasons prior to becoming the head in 1980. He led the Rams to a 20-8 record and an NIT appearance in his first season but finished with a 4 year record of 45-66 record and was dismissed. In 1992, English began his affiliation with @ParkUniversity in Missouri, becoming the men’s basketball coach from the 1992/93 season and guided the Pirates through the end of the 2004-05 campaign. For his final 10 seasons at the helm of the @ParkPirates Men’s Basketball program, English also assumed the duties of Director of Athletics, a position he continues to hold. His record at Park University was 182-207 in 13 seasons.
1977
The NBA investigated - and cleared - New York Knick guard Earl Monroe of potentially shaving points regarding the final score of the Blazers 108-104 loss to the Knicks on March 10.
The NBA investigated - and cleared - New York Knick guard Earl Monroe of potentially shaving points regarding the final score of the Blazers 108-104 loss to the Knicks on March 10.
With time winding down and the Knicks leading 108-102, Monroe tossed the basketball into the Blazers basket just before the buzzer sounded, giving the Knicks a 4-point victory instead of a 6-point win. With the spread of 5 1/2 to 6 points depending on the bet, the shot didn't affect the winner but did determine who won various bets.
2010
Brandon Roy's first career win at Oracle Arena couldn't have come at a better time for Portland as it tries to hang on to the eighth spot in the Western Conference. Roy scored 41 points, Andre Miller added 15 points and seven assists and the Trail Blazers overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Golden State Warriors 110-105. "This was almost like a must-win for us," said Roy after helping Portland snap a nine-game road losing streak to the Warriors. "This is one of the toughest places for us to win. We knew how big this game was. We wanted this game but it was tough."
Brandon Roy's first career win at Oracle Arena couldn't have come at a better time for Portland as it tries to hang on to the eighth spot in the Western Conference. Roy scored 41 points, Andre Miller added 15 points and seven assists and the Trail Blazers overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Golden State Warriors 110-105. "This was almost like a must-win for us," said Roy after helping Portland snap a nine-game road losing streak to the Warriors. "This is one of the toughest places for us to win. We knew how big this game was. We wanted this game but it was tough."
March 12
1978
#RandySmith scored 27 in the #BuffaloBraves victory over the injured @trailblazers, becoming the first #Braves player to top the 10K point mark. Smith, who was a 7th round pick by #Buffalo and played at @BuffStateMBB, played 7 seasons in Buffalo and earned 2 @NBA All-Star appearances. In fact, Smith was voted the #AllStar #MVP in the most recent game played in January. The #Blazers, playing without #BillWalton and #LloydNeal, played from behind for most of the game until rookie #TRDunn put Portland ahead by a point with just over 4 minutes remaining, but Smith regained the lead for Buffalo just 20 seconds later, the basket that gave him the career total. |
The game was halted and Smith received the game ball. Dunn was 1 of 3 Blazers to score in double-digits, finishing with 12 points. #BobbyGross scored 18 and #TomOwens had 14. Besides Smith's point total, he added 10 assists. #LarryMcNeill, signed as a FA just 5 weeks ago, added 21 points for the Braves.
1987
Clyde Drexler records his 10th triple double with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the @trailblazers 125-116 loss to the @Lakers the 18th straight game that Portland has lost in Los Angeles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuI074Gqqx4
Clyde Drexler records his 10th triple double with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the @trailblazers 125-116 loss to the @Lakers the 18th straight game that Portland has lost in Los Angeles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuI074Gqqx4
1998
Of his 392 Blazer games from 1995 to 2001, though, none of them was more complete and more revealing of his mastery of fundamentals than Portland's 95-92 win over Minnesota on March 12, 1998. Against the Timberwolves at the Rose Garden, Sabas scored 28 points, including the winning basket in the final seconds, and tied his NBA career-high of 20 rebounds. Moreover, it was his play alone that spared the Trail Blazers from what might have been a nightmarish defeat. After leading by 16 points in the third quarter, the Blazers found themselves trailing 92-91 in the closing seconds, when a Minnesota forward blocked an inside shot by Portland's Isaiah Rider.The rebound, however, went straight to Sabonis, who was alone on the other side of the basket. Sabas easily dunked with 7.2 seconds left to give the Blazers a one-point edge. Portland's Rasheed Wallace then denied Minnesota a chance to retaliate when he stole the inbound pass from the Timberwolves and got the ball to Rider, who was fouled. Rider sank two free throws with a second left to make it 95-92.
Of his 392 Blazer games from 1995 to 2001, though, none of them was more complete and more revealing of his mastery of fundamentals than Portland's 95-92 win over Minnesota on March 12, 1998. Against the Timberwolves at the Rose Garden, Sabas scored 28 points, including the winning basket in the final seconds, and tied his NBA career-high of 20 rebounds. Moreover, it was his play alone that spared the Trail Blazers from what might have been a nightmarish defeat. After leading by 16 points in the third quarter, the Blazers found themselves trailing 92-91 in the closing seconds, when a Minnesota forward blocked an inside shot by Portland's Isaiah Rider.The rebound, however, went straight to Sabonis, who was alone on the other side of the basket. Sabas easily dunked with 7.2 seconds left to give the Blazers a one-point edge. Portland's Rasheed Wallace then denied Minnesota a chance to retaliate when he stole the inbound pass from the Timberwolves and got the ball to Rider, who was fouled. Rider sank two free throws with a second left to make it 95-92.
2022
Josh Hart scored a career-high 44 points in leading the injury-laden Blazers a 127-118 victory vs the Washington Wizards
Josh Hart scored a career-high 44 points in leading the injury-laden Blazers a 127-118 victory vs the Washington Wizards
March 13
1970
The new @NBA team that Portland was granted on February 6, 1970, was officially named the @trailblazers prior to the #SeattleSuperSonics - @nyknicks game at the Memorial Coliseum. |
1979
A picture from the Blazers / Hawks game makes The Sporting News. The win gave the Blazers a 36-32 record but they lost Dave Twardzik to a broken nose.
A picture from the Blazers / Hawks game makes The Sporting News. The win gave the Blazers a 36-32 record but they lost Dave Twardzik to a broken nose.
1982
Moses Malone scored 49 points and grabbed a dozen rebounds in the Rockets 112-107 victory over the Blazers. For the 1981/82 season, Malone averaged 31.1 points with 14.7 rebounds and won his second MVP award. He was the @NBA leader in rebounds and was the runner-up for the league's scoring title to George Gervin (32.3). He was also the league leader in offensive rebounds (558) and minutes played (3,398, 42.0 per game). At the end of the season, in addition to being the leagues MVP, Malone earned his second placement on the All-NBA First Team. He set a career high in scoring average and also set a single-game career high with 53 points on February 2 against the San Diego Clippers. Nine days later, on February 11 against the Seattle SuperSonics, Malone eclipsed his own league record with 21 offensive rebounds. |
It was Malone's last season in Houston and it wasn't nearly as successful as the 1980/81 season when the Rockets made their appearance in the NBA Finals, falling to the Boston Celtics 4-2, as they lost to the Seattle SuperSonics in the first-round 2-1 despite Malone averaging 24.0 points and 17.0 rebounds. Malone would sign with the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent for the 1982/83 season where he would lead the Sixers to the NBA title.
2021
Carmelo Anthony continues his climb up the NBA All-Time scoring chart as he passes Hakeem Olajuwon today. Anthony scored 26 points in the Blazers 125-121 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Damian Lillard added 25 points and 10 assists in the win https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5e67sKBvw0 https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1370946210920550400?s=20 |
When Anthony hit a 3 with 8:37 in the fourth quarter, it didn't just tie the game at 101, it moved him passed Hakeem Olajuwon for 11th place on the NBA’s career scoring list. Anthony finished the game with a career total of 26,955 points. Next up on the list is another Rockets big man, Elvin Hayes, with 27,313 points.
“It’s a great feeling to know that I’m still able to do this and continue to have an opportunity to move on that list,” Anthony said. “Any time anyone can start creeping up on a top-10 list, that’s when things start getting special." |
March 14
1980
Billy Ray Bates scores in double-figure for first of 5 games, helping the Blazers make a late push to the playoffs. Bates, Abdul Jeelani, and Jim Brewer all played vital roles in the comeback this evening.
Billy Ray Bates scores in double-figure for first of 5 games, helping the Blazers make a late push to the playoffs. Bates, Abdul Jeelani, and Jim Brewer all played vital roles in the comeback this evening.
2019
Damian Lillard passes LaMarcus Aldridge for No. 2 on Portland Trail Blazers’ all-time scoring list
Damian Lillard continued his climb up the Portland Trail Blazersrecord books on Friday, moving into second place on the franchise’s all-time scoring list. Lillard leapfrogged former teammate LaMarcus Aldridge, who the Blazers will face on Saturday night in San Antonio, after knocking down a three-pointer with 3:54 left in the second quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans. With the triple, Lillard reached 12,565 points. He finished with 24 points on Friday night to bring his career total to 12,584.
Damian Lillard passes LaMarcus Aldridge for No. 2 on Portland Trail Blazers’ all-time scoring list
Damian Lillard continued his climb up the Portland Trail Blazersrecord books on Friday, moving into second place on the franchise’s all-time scoring list. Lillard leapfrogged former teammate LaMarcus Aldridge, who the Blazers will face on Saturday night in San Antonio, after knocking down a three-pointer with 3:54 left in the second quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans. With the triple, Lillard reached 12,565 points. He finished with 24 points on Friday night to bring his career total to 12,584.
Lillard, who began the season fourth on the list, surpassed franchise great Terry Porter for third place in November and three months later has secured the second spot in his 536th game. The seventh-year pro and four-time All-Star now sits behind only Clyde Drexler, who poured in 18,040 points in 12 seasons with the Blazers. “My thing is, I want to be the best Trail Blazer period, the best Blazer ever,” Lillard told The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Joe Freeman back in November. “I want to be the best player that’s come through here, that’s had the most impact. And when I say it, of course I want to be the all-time leading scorer, all-time leader in assists. I want to win a championship. But, also, I want to make the biggest impact to the city period. I think that’s what can make you the best Trail Blazer ever. Somebody will always come along down the road and beat your numbers, pass you up on this, pass you up on that. But you can’t replace the impact that you have on people and the city.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDywed5dIqQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDywed5dIqQ
2021
Damian Lillard is proving to be one of the best 3-point shooters in the history of the NBA. At the 6:28 mark of the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Lillard stepped back and drained his first three of the game. The three was the 1,931st of this career, passing J.R. Smith (1,930) for No.15 on the NBA's All-Time Three-Pointers Made list. |
March 15
1980
Billy Ray Bates and Abdul Jeelani each scored career-highs in helping the Blazers mount a comeback against Chicago that eventually fell short as the Bulls pulled out a 110-108 victory over the Blazers. Bates, playing only his 8th game with Portland scored 26 points and Jeelani, a rookie from University of Wisconsin-Parkside tied his career-high 28 points. The two players combined for 43 points over the final 17 minutes, bringing Portland back from a 72-55 deficit to eventually tying the game, first at 98 all before the Blazers
Billy Ray Bates and Abdul Jeelani each scored career-highs in helping the Blazers mount a comeback against Chicago that eventually fell short as the Bulls pulled out a 110-108 victory over the Blazers. Bates, playing only his 8th game with Portland scored 26 points and Jeelani, a rookie from University of Wisconsin-Parkside tied his career-high 28 points. The two players combined for 43 points over the final 17 minutes, bringing Portland back from a 72-55 deficit to eventually tying the game, first at 98 all before the Blazers
Jeelani is University of Wisconsin–Parkside's career leader in points scored (2,262) and rebounds (1,237) and he holds records in the top four of seven other single-game, single-season and career statistical categories. He twice scored 47 points in a game, one of the top records for a single game scoring performance. He was a member of two NAIA National Tournament teams in 1974 and 1975 and was named an NAIA All-American in 1975 and 1976.
Jeelani was drafted by the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers in the third round of the 1976 draft, but he was later waived in October of that year. He was later signed by the Detroit Pistons on September 2, 1977, but was again waived a month later, prior to the start of the 1977-78 season. He played one season with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1979–80 averaging 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 16 mins of action. Jeelani was selected by the Dallas Mavericks expansion draft and played in their inaugural season of 1980–81. He was part of the starting lineup for the Mavericks' first NBA game in 1980 and scored the first points in franchise history. Of the 21 players that played for the Mavericks that season, Jeelani was the only player that started and ended the season with the Mavericks. Dallas waived Jeelani prior to the 1981/82 season and he went overseas, eventually playing in Italy, in Lazio Basket and Libertas Livorno and Spain before retiring in 1989. Jeelani passed away on August 3, 2016, at Wheaton Franciscan All-Saints hospital in Racine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzP4chZB6HE
Jeelani was drafted by the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers in the third round of the 1976 draft, but he was later waived in October of that year. He was later signed by the Detroit Pistons on September 2, 1977, but was again waived a month later, prior to the start of the 1977-78 season. He played one season with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1979–80 averaging 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 16 mins of action. Jeelani was selected by the Dallas Mavericks expansion draft and played in their inaugural season of 1980–81. He was part of the starting lineup for the Mavericks' first NBA game in 1980 and scored the first points in franchise history. Of the 21 players that played for the Mavericks that season, Jeelani was the only player that started and ended the season with the Mavericks. Dallas waived Jeelani prior to the 1981/82 season and he went overseas, eventually playing in Italy, in Lazio Basket and Libertas Livorno and Spain before retiring in 1989. Jeelani passed away on August 3, 2016, at Wheaton Franciscan All-Saints hospital in Racine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzP4chZB6HE
1989
Mark Eaton grabbed 25 rebounds in the Jazz 102-95 victory over Portland. The rebound total ties his career-high for the 7'-4" center.
Mark Eaton grabbed 25 rebounds in the Jazz 102-95 victory over Portland. The rebound total ties his career-high for the 7'-4" center.
1992
In his last great game, Larry Bird scored 49 pts in leading @celtics to a 152-148 double OT victory over the @trailblazers despite 41 points from Clyde Drexler. Bird recorded his 59th, and last, triple-double with 14 rebounds and 12 assists. His 3-point shot that sent the game into the first overtime was controversial.
On March 15, 1992, a talented and deep Portland squad entered the Boston Garden with the league's second-best record at 46-18 for a nationally-televised broadcast Sunday contest against an aging version of the NBA's team of the 1980's. The young and hungry TrailBlazers were en route to their second NBA Finals appearances in three seasons and featured seven players who averaged between 9.7 and 25 points a game, including former Celtic standout and Oregon native Danny Ainge. On the other coast, a Boston team featuring perhaps the oldest frontline in NBA history was struggling toward the finish line with a 35-29 record when NBC came to the Boston Garden.
In his last great game, Larry Bird scored 49 pts in leading @celtics to a 152-148 double OT victory over the @trailblazers despite 41 points from Clyde Drexler. Bird recorded his 59th, and last, triple-double with 14 rebounds and 12 assists. His 3-point shot that sent the game into the first overtime was controversial.
On March 15, 1992, a talented and deep Portland squad entered the Boston Garden with the league's second-best record at 46-18 for a nationally-televised broadcast Sunday contest against an aging version of the NBA's team of the 1980's. The young and hungry TrailBlazers were en route to their second NBA Finals appearances in three seasons and featured seven players who averaged between 9.7 and 25 points a game, including former Celtic standout and Oregon native Danny Ainge. On the other coast, a Boston team featuring perhaps the oldest frontline in NBA history was struggling toward the finish line with a 35-29 record when NBC came to the Boston Garden.
Bird had been accidentally undercut in practice by teammate Brian Shaw that season, and missed 37 games during his final trying campaign. Despite being 35 and hampered by back problems, Larry Bird responded to the challenge of the young and physical Blazers by recording a monstrous triple-double of 49 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds, leading Boston to a double overtime classic triumph that featured 300 combined points, 152-148. It was probably the best regular season game of the entire NBA season. Larry, whose passing was extra sharp that day, almost always seemed to save his best for the Blazers and Hawks. It was the 59th and last triple-double of his 13-year regular season career (he posted 10 playoff triple doubles for a total of 69). The 49 points he netted still stands as the NBA record for most points by a player in a triple-double effort. Fairness forces me to point out that steals and blocked shots were not kept as official NBA statistics until the early 1970's, however.
Bird canned eight of 12 shots in the first half, sinking seven in a row at one point, to keep Boston within striking distance down just 62-58 at the half. The determined Celtics inched ahead 92-90 heading to the fourth period. Larry continued his hot shooting with 16 fourth period points, but powerful Portland managed to pull ahead 119-113 with 57 seconds left. Bird drove baseline, was fouled and made two free throws to cut the deficit to four. The bruising Blazers, well aware of Larry's clutch ability even at 35, were not going to take it easy on him, punishing his back with shoves and forearms at every opportunity. Yet Larry Bird hadn't become the best player in the world by backing down from any challenge, and he surely wasn't going to now that the end was near, even if it was going to make his back worse.
Bird canned eight of 12 shots in the first half, sinking seven in a row at one point, to keep Boston within striking distance down just 62-58 at the half. The determined Celtics inched ahead 92-90 heading to the fourth period. Larry continued his hot shooting with 16 fourth period points, but powerful Portland managed to pull ahead 119-113 with 57 seconds left. Bird drove baseline, was fouled and made two free throws to cut the deficit to four. The bruising Blazers, well aware of Larry's clutch ability even at 35, were not going to take it easy on him, punishing his back with shoves and forearms at every opportunity. Yet Larry Bird hadn't become the best player in the world by backing down from any challenge, and he surely wasn't going to now that the end was near, even if it was going to make his back worse.
But after the Blazers ran down the shot clock, they missed and grabbed a critical offensivve rebound to all but clinch the verdict. Buck Williams was fouled and made one of two free throws with 20 ticks remaining. Even some of the Boston fans began to file out of the Garden as NBC play-by-play announcer Marv Albert started to read off the closing credits. However, Larry Bird hadn't given up. Summoning up wells of energy drawn from a hatred of losing, Bird drove hard to his right past the younger 6-6 Drexler, his future teammate that summer on the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. Showing off surprising quickness, Larry canned the layup to slice the deficit to 120-117.
The Celtics fouled Jerome Kersey, not known for his perimeter shooting and nicknamed Jerome "Crazy" for his occasionally wild style of play.nnTo that point Kersey had enjoyed a good game and was 3-3 from the foul line. But under pressure and with the crowd screaming loudly, Kersey missed both shots and Boston had one last chance to tie it with 7.2 seconds left. Once again, the Celts went to Larry to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Bird caught a pass from Reggie Lewis 25 feet from the hoop on the left wing, guarded closely by All-Star Drexler, who was determined not to let a relatively immobile Bird get off a potential tying three-pointer. But Larry spun, leaned into the younger and more lithe Drexler, willing his aching body past Clyde the Glide. He leaned forward and took off into the air behind the three-point line off one foot. |
Just before his right foot came down a few feet inside the arc, he slung up a low, unconventional running triple try off his right shoulder past a lunging Drexler. Amazingly, the line drive shot rattled in with two seconds left to tie the score as the Garden crowd went wild. Bird had simply out-guiled Drexler and willed in the most unorthodox of treys at the most crucial moment. Larry gave the three-point good sign several times by bringing his right arm down in the "basket good" sign after the shot went through to make sure everyone knew it was a three. The referees weren't going to take the last in a long line of great Larry buzzer-beaters. McHale, Lewis and Joe Kleine all congratulated Bird with high tens and hugs, but Larry never changed expression as he trudged, tired but proud, to the bench. Despite the protests of the Blazer coaches and players, led by former Celtic guard Ainge that Bird was on or over the line, the improbable three-pointer counted to force overtime. "Anytime you have Bird on the floor, anything can happen," Drexler told The Boston Herald newspaper after the game.
TV replays showed Bird had presciently left the ground mere millimeters behind the three-point arc, and that after "bicycling" his legs through the air to keep his feet from coming down before he released the shot, he had released the triple right before his right foot hit the parquet floor for his 43rd point. He would hit only six more three-pointers in his career at the Garden, and that tying shot was certainly one of the most memorable in his legendary NBA tenure. Drexler then missed a long shot at the buzzer to force overtime at 122-122. In the first OT, Bird buried a jumper but Portland edged ahead 132-128 with over a minute left. Bird then passed out of a double team to an open John Bagley, who swished a 17-footer off the textbook bounce pass feed from the master. Terry Porter then missed from outside and Bird, the consummate defensive rebounding forward due to his anticipation, hands and positioning, grabbed the carom. At the other end, Larry stepped back against the rough defense of Mark Bryant and swished a 15-foot fallaway from the right wing to tie it at 132. The fadeaway was number 33's shot of choice now with fatigue and a balky back limiting his repertoire. Yet he still had guile, skill, will and determination at his disposal.
TV replays showed Bird had presciently left the ground mere millimeters behind the three-point arc, and that after "bicycling" his legs through the air to keep his feet from coming down before he released the shot, he had released the triple right before his right foot hit the parquet floor for his 43rd point. He would hit only six more three-pointers in his career at the Garden, and that tying shot was certainly one of the most memorable in his legendary NBA tenure. Drexler then missed a long shot at the buzzer to force overtime at 122-122. In the first OT, Bird buried a jumper but Portland edged ahead 132-128 with over a minute left. Bird then passed out of a double team to an open John Bagley, who swished a 17-footer off the textbook bounce pass feed from the master. Terry Porter then missed from outside and Bird, the consummate defensive rebounding forward due to his anticipation, hands and positioning, grabbed the carom. At the other end, Larry stepped back against the rough defense of Mark Bryant and swished a 15-foot fallaway from the right wing to tie it at 132. The fadeaway was number 33's shot of choice now with fatigue and a balky back limiting his repertoire. Yet he still had guile, skill, will and determination at his disposal.
After Portland made two foul shots to go back in front, a tiring Bird missed two corner treys in the same sequence and allowed himself a rare show of displeasure as the perfectionist trod back downcourt, frustrated at the misses. Boston needed another miracle when Buck Williams was fouled after an offensive rebound with 4.4 ticks to go and Portland up two. Again, the leprechaun (or more likely, fatigue and bad shooting) saved the Celts as Buck bricked both shots, and Bird again rebounded. The Celtics quickly called timeout with 4.1 seconds left and advanced the ball to halfcourt. All eyes were on Bird to try another tying shot at the end of the extra session with Boston down by two, but the Blazers were not going to allow Larry to get the ball.
He was draped by both Kersey and Drexler, so sharpshooting Celtic swingman Kevin Gamble threw the pass in bounds, and then slid behind the doubling Drexler to the open corner. He took a pass from John Bagley and drained a 19-foot right baseline jumper at the buzzer to force a second extra period. For the second time, Boston had narrowly avoided defeat with a last-ditch shpt to tie the contest. The Blazers had to be wondering what they need do to stick the final stake in the heart of the Celtics. With Portland demoralized after two miracle shots and all their missed free throws, the Celtics took the early lead in the second OT as the Blazers missed their first five shots. Bird hung in the air and hit Bagley for a layup and the lead. McHale fouled out with 22 points while trying to block a driving Kersey dunk, but the shaky Blazer missed both shots again.
He was draped by both Kersey and Drexler, so sharpshooting Celtic swingman Kevin Gamble threw the pass in bounds, and then slid behind the doubling Drexler to the open corner. He took a pass from John Bagley and drained a 19-foot right baseline jumper at the buzzer to force a second extra period. For the second time, Boston had narrowly avoided defeat with a last-ditch shpt to tie the contest. The Blazers had to be wondering what they need do to stick the final stake in the heart of the Celtics. With Portland demoralized after two miracle shots and all their missed free throws, the Celtics took the early lead in the second OT as the Blazers missed their first five shots. Bird hung in the air and hit Bagley for a layup and the lead. McHale fouled out with 22 points while trying to block a driving Kersey dunk, but the shaky Blazer missed both shots again.
Clutch Bagley found Ed Pinckney for a layup and then buried another 18-footer for a 140-136 lead. Larry buried his final basket of the day when he head faked, then knocked down a right wing 16-footer as Williams was falling at his feet for a six-point lead at the 1:57 juncture. When Porter missed at the other end Bryant leaped to rebound the ball, but Bird stripped him of the ball as the bruising Blazer forward came down. On offense, Larry was double-teamed on the wing, so he zipped a leaping diagonal pass across his body over the two desperate Blazer defenders. The laser feed flew just beyond the fingertips of Williams right to Pinckney under the hoop for a reverse dunk and an eight-point bulge. Portland and their non-plussed coach Rick Adelman called timeout and the fans began their favorite chant of "LAR-RY, LAR-RY" as the beaten Blazers slumped toward the bench, trying to figure how they had lost.
Larry guarded old friend Ainge down the stretch to keep him from hitting clutch treys, but Danny still shook loose for one 28-foot rainbow swisher over Pinckney - but only after Bird had hit rookie Rick Fox with a 75-foot baseball in-bounds pass for a breakaway dunk. Portland rallied within a basket as 20 seconds remained, yet Boston held on to win the epic game, 152-148. Drexler ended up with 41 points, but in the end he couldn't overcome Bird and the bad late Blazer foul shooting. Larry's 49-point effort, at age 35 and with a bad back, was the second-highest scoring total in the league to that time in the 1991-92 season - only a 52-point night by Dominique Wilkins exceeded it. His last triple-double came in 54 grueling minutes, five more than any other player in the game, even though he was the second-oldest player on the floor. Bird canned 19 of 35 field goal attempts, including two of eight beyond the arc. He nailed nine of 10 foul shots, grabbed 14 rebounds (all defensive), passed out a dozen assists and added one blocked shot to his four steals as well. |
His last truly great game came exactly seven years and three days after his career-high 60-point outburst against Atlanta in New Orleans. The oldest Celtic, the 38-years young Parish, scored 22 points with 10 boards in 39 minutes before fouling out. Reggie Lewis netted 23 points while McHale, at age 34, added 22 and former Blazer player Gamble tallied 14. Boston overcame a 58-44 rebound deficit by shooting 55 percent from the field, and their crisp passing led to 38 assists on 55 baskets. The Celtics also canned 40 of 48 from the foul line, while Portland hit on just 37 of 52 charity stripers. Drexler added 11 assists to his 41 points, while Terry Porter contributed 29 points and Kersey added 23 markers with 14 caroms. Ainge netted 19 points off the bench in just 18 minutes against his old pals.
|
The inspirational, much-needed victory snapped a three-game losing skid for the Celtics, and propelled them on to a 16-2 regular season finish. It also began a 13-game home win streak that ran through the early rounds of the 1992 playoffs. After the wearying battle - and perhaps in part because of it - Bird's back began acting up again shortly thereafter. His last NBA regular season game, perhaps fittingly, came in his beloved home state of Indiana against the Pacers on April 3, 1992. Larry just missed a triple-double with 16 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in 40 minutes. Another versatile blonde forward, Indiana's Detlef Schrempf, led the Pacers to a 101-97 win with 22 points, 18 rebounds and six assists. With his back flaring up again, Bird then missed the final eight regular season games, all Boston victories. The Celtics went 15-1 down the stretch to become co-winners of the Atlantic Division title with Rick Pitino's New York Knicks at 51-31.
The epic win over Portland, who would go on to lose in the Finals 4-2 to Chicago, changed the season into a positive for Boston when they were floundering, and was fashioned largely on Bird's force of will. In his final season, Bird played just 45 of 82 games and had to wear a Hannibal Lecter-type full body brace for hours a day after play or practice to limit his movement and pain. After the season, he took that brace out into the woods and shot it to bits. But still, with the bad back that forced him to lay on his stomach in front of the Boston bench when he exited a game, and two repaired Achilles tendons - at age 35 - Bird put up numbers that 95 percent of the players in the NBA would have loved to, a testament to his immense skill, guile, competitiveness, heart, size and basketball IQ. Larry averaged 20.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 37 minutes per game in his injury-plagued and shortened final season of 1991-92. He connected on 93 percent of his free throws and 47 percent of his field goal tries, and hit the bottom of the net on 41 percent from three-point land. Pretty good numbers for almost anyone, let alone an injured 35 year old. All of Larry's traits and more were on full display 24 years ago today in his last hurrah monster triple-double against a top-flight team, won by Boston in an improbable double overtime thriller.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woAK1i-o2wI
link to podcast below ....
https://youtu.be/wwEJbGOGFPI
The epic win over Portland, who would go on to lose in the Finals 4-2 to Chicago, changed the season into a positive for Boston when they were floundering, and was fashioned largely on Bird's force of will. In his final season, Bird played just 45 of 82 games and had to wear a Hannibal Lecter-type full body brace for hours a day after play or practice to limit his movement and pain. After the season, he took that brace out into the woods and shot it to bits. But still, with the bad back that forced him to lay on his stomach in front of the Boston bench when he exited a game, and two repaired Achilles tendons - at age 35 - Bird put up numbers that 95 percent of the players in the NBA would have loved to, a testament to his immense skill, guile, competitiveness, heart, size and basketball IQ. Larry averaged 20.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 37 minutes per game in his injury-plagued and shortened final season of 1991-92. He connected on 93 percent of his free throws and 47 percent of his field goal tries, and hit the bottom of the net on 41 percent from three-point land. Pretty good numbers for almost anyone, let alone an injured 35 year old. All of Larry's traits and more were on full display 24 years ago today in his last hurrah monster triple-double against a top-flight team, won by Boston in an improbable double overtime thriller.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woAK1i-o2wI
link to podcast below ....
https://youtu.be/wwEJbGOGFPI
2012
The Trail Blazers were on a road trip, between games in New York and Chicago, when the franchise called a news conference back in Portland. The Rose Garden was occupied by the NCAA Tournament, so the Blazers took the unusual step of having media go into the team’s offices in the Rose Garden and gather in a meeting room. There, team officials talked about the decisions they made to essentially blow up the season with 23 games remaining, a one-day housecleaning unlike any in franchise history. Coach Nate McMillan was fired, replaced for the rest of the season by assistant coach Kaleb Canales. Starters Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby were traded, and two players were waived, including former No. 1 draft pick Greg Oden, who had last played in a game in 2009. It was a stunning turn in a season that had turned sour. The Blazers, in the wake of Roy’s retirement, had gathered a group of veterans around Aldridge in an attempt to put together a playoff team, but they had little opportunity to gel as the NBA lockout kept them from being able to have a full training camp, and with a crammed schedule that included several three-games-in-three-nights stretches that left little time for practice. Newcomers Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford never really fit in, players seemed to prioritize personal agendas, and the team had lost four of five games – with all four losses coming by double digits — when the decision to hit the self-destruct button was made. |
A few days after he was fired, McMillan, who had coached the Blazers for six-plus seasons, showed the class that made him such a valuable addition to the franchise when he was hired in 2005 following the team’s infamous Jail Blazers era. He purchased a full-page ad in what was then Portland’s daily newspaper, thanking fans for their support.
Although the trades seemed more about breaking up the roster, one of them would prove to be among the most consequential in team history: the deal that sent Wallace to New Jersey for center Mehmet Okur and forward Shawne Williams – neither of whom ever played for Portland – and a first-round draft pick. Chad Buchanan, serving as Portland’s interim general manager, negotiated to get the pick to be only top-three protected, meaning the Nets kept it if they ended up with the No. 3 pick through the draft lottery; otherwise the Blazers got the pick. "It is a very attractive pick and it's a very strong draft class coming up," Buchanan said. The pick ended up No. 6, which Portland used to draft Damian Lillard.
March 16
1970
The NBA and the ABA discuss merger prior to the expansion of the NBA for the 1970/71 season.
The NBA and the ABA discuss merger prior to the expansion of the NBA for the 1970/71 season.
1973
No .. this is not a repeat from January. Geoff Petrie set his career-high 51 points just two months previous against the Houston Rockets and today he scored 51 points against the same Rocket team, this time it is a Portland Trail Blazers 141-128 victory in front of the home fans at the Memorial Coliseum.
After the game in Houston, Petrie heard that Houston guard Mike Newlin had told the press that Petrie got lucky and would never score 51 again. Newlin told The Oregonian in 2010 that he would have never said that. Still, the supposed comments might have been a motivating factor for Petrie.
Newlin, born at St. Vincent's Hospital in #Portland, grew up in the Metzger area of Tigard. He first started playing basketball at St Anthony's Grade School in the 4th grade. He lived in Oregon until after his 8th grade year before his family moved to Los Angeles. A feisty 6'4" guard from the University of Utah, Newlin played 11 yrs in the NBA spending most of his time with the Houston Rockets. He also played for the New Jersey/ Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks
https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/mike-newlin-has-something-on-his-mind/
No .. this is not a repeat from January. Geoff Petrie set his career-high 51 points just two months previous against the Houston Rockets and today he scored 51 points against the same Rocket team, this time it is a Portland Trail Blazers 141-128 victory in front of the home fans at the Memorial Coliseum.
After the game in Houston, Petrie heard that Houston guard Mike Newlin had told the press that Petrie got lucky and would never score 51 again. Newlin told The Oregonian in 2010 that he would have never said that. Still, the supposed comments might have been a motivating factor for Petrie.
Newlin, born at St. Vincent's Hospital in #Portland, grew up in the Metzger area of Tigard. He first started playing basketball at St Anthony's Grade School in the 4th grade. He lived in Oregon until after his 8th grade year before his family moved to Los Angeles. A feisty 6'4" guard from the University of Utah, Newlin played 11 yrs in the NBA spending most of his time with the Houston Rockets. He also played for the New Jersey/ Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks
https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/mike-newlin-has-something-on-his-mind/
1984
Jim Paxson establishes his career-high in a 4-OT 156-155 loss to the Chicago Bulls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fo7m881-tY
Jim Paxson establishes his career-high in a 4-OT 156-155 loss to the Chicago Bulls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fo7m881-tY
2007
At home against the Portland Trail Blazers, Kobe Bryant delivered one of the best offensive performances of his career, unloading 65 points against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the 116-111 win, Bryant accounted for over half of his team's points and they needed every single one of them to secure a five-point win, especially considering they were coming off a seven-game losing streak.
Bryant was on another level in this game, shooting 23-of-39 from the field, 8-of-12 from the three-point line and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line, playing 49:58 minutes, including overtime. He added seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals in the win, with his 65 points the second most he'd scored in his career, trailing only his 81-point outburst against the Toronto Raptors a season prior.
At home against the Portland Trail Blazers, Kobe Bryant delivered one of the best offensive performances of his career, unloading 65 points against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the 116-111 win, Bryant accounted for over half of his team's points and they needed every single one of them to secure a five-point win, especially considering they were coming off a seven-game losing streak.
Bryant was on another level in this game, shooting 23-of-39 from the field, 8-of-12 from the three-point line and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line, playing 49:58 minutes, including overtime. He added seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals in the win, with his 65 points the second most he'd scored in his career, trailing only his 81-point outburst against the Toronto Raptors a season prior.
Twenty-four of Bryant's 65 points came in the fourth quarter, adding nine more in overtime. In a 14-minute stretch, he scored 33 points on 11-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-5 from deep.
Bryant's performance against the Blazers kicked off a ridiculous scoring run, where he scored at least 50 points (including two 60-point games), joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player with such a streak. He went on to score 50 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 60 points against the Memphis Grizzlies and 50 points against the New Orleans Hornets in the next three games. |
Only two other Lakers scored in double figures against the Blazers, with Lamar Odom adding 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists while Maurice Evans added 14 points off the bench.
The Blazers were led by a young Zach Randolph, who scored 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and 10 rebounds and Brandon Roy 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Bryant finished second in scoring that season behind LeBron James, averaging 28.3 points per game. |
On this day in history, March 16th of 2007, Kobe Bryant celebrated the 34th anniversary of Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s only 50 point game by scoring 65 points (24 in the 4th) in an OT victory over the Portland Trailblazers.
“My daughter is outside waiting for me, and I’m sure she doesn’t give a damn about what just happened. She just wants to watch Care Bears,” Bryant said with a grin. “I’m just happy we won. We needed to get this one. We just had to win this game and get back on track, just for a moral standpoint. We’re at a point now where everybody’s a little beat up.” The win snapped a 7-game losing streak by the Lakers and gave Kobe the 2nd highest scoring game of his career. It was also his 3rd game with 60+ points and 4th game of that season with 50+. |
2021
Damian Lillard has led some memorable comebacks with the Blazers and made some clutch game-winners as well, but to him, this win was noteworthy. Lillard ended the game with 50 points and 10 assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers came from behind to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 125-124.. Lillard, who finished with six 3-pointers, made a pair of free throws with 1.2 seconds left and Portland, which rallied from a 17-point deficit with just over 6 minutes remaining. He scored 20 of his points in the final quarter. |
Lillard surpassed 16,000 career points and 4,000 assists. He joins just three other players — Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, and LeBron James — to reach those marks in their first nine seasons. It was Lillard's fifth game this season with 40 or more points, most in the NBA. Lillard was 18 of 18 from the free throw line, one short of the club record 19 makes. Lillard to set the team record for most attempts without a miss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6_HCT57iM8 https://theathletic.com/2456998/2021/03/17/damian-lillard-rescues-the-trail-blazers-once-again-but-has-dame-time-become-a-curse/?source=dailyemail&redirected=1 |
March 17
1970
The NBA is setting up the 1970/71 season with 4 new Divisions in 2 separate conferences to fit the 18 teams that are expected to compete. There are also merger talks with the ABA but no plans as yet have been made to incorporate the 11 teams currently in that league.
As well, the order of the upcoming College draft and Expansion draft, after adding the 4 new teams in Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston, and Portland, are also being determined. The new Blazers team will be in the Pacific Division along with the the San Diego Rockets, San Francisco Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Seattle Super Sonics. The expansion teams will pick between the 7th to 10th picks which will be determined by coin-flip. The order of the college draft will be reversed for the expansion draft.
The NBA is setting up the 1970/71 season with 4 new Divisions in 2 separate conferences to fit the 18 teams that are expected to compete. There are also merger talks with the ABA but no plans as yet have been made to incorporate the 11 teams currently in that league.
As well, the order of the upcoming College draft and Expansion draft, after adding the 4 new teams in Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston, and Portland, are also being determined. The new Blazers team will be in the Pacific Division along with the the San Diego Rockets, San Francisco Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Seattle Super Sonics. The expansion teams will pick between the 7th to 10th picks which will be determined by coin-flip. The order of the college draft will be reversed for the expansion draft.
1972
Sidney Wicks scored 27 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in the Blazers 114-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors despite Nate Thurmond's 39 points and 22 rebounds with teammate Jeff Mullins added 18 assists. Geoff Petrie added 39 points for the Blazers In a down season, it is the Blazers 17th victory and only the second over a winning team. |
March 18
1982
Calvin Natt had one of the best shooting performances in Blazers history, connecting on all 13 field goals, scoring 26 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the Blazers 109-95 victory over the Warriors. Natt played 11 seasons for New Jersey, Portland, Denver, San Antonio and Indiana, but says his five years in Portland are his best memories. "Those were my best years, both on and off the court," Natt said. "Every Monday after practice, I would go fishing with (team) Dr. Robert Cook, and I would hunt, I had a boat. I remember running to get in shape for the season and stopping and eating blackberries on the side of the road. It was a great life in Portland." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HmNsvaaSoA |
1988
Terry Porter scored a career-high 40 points in the Blazers 121-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors. It was the first time Porter crossed the 40-point threshold. He would eventually tie this mark in 1992 vs the same Warriors team. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDek0WHLEYM |
March 19
1971
Geoff Petrie scored 46 points in @trailblazers 135-128 victory over #Seattle #SuperSonics LeRoy Ellis scored 29 pts & grabbed 18 rebounds while Spencer Haywood had 32 points. The 46 points still stands as a franchise record by a rookie player and is the second highest total Petrie ever scored. Petrie was also 18 for 21 from the free throw line, records that stood for many years, and are still considered as records by a @trailblazers rookie. Petrie also passed for 10 assists, giving him 366 assists after this game, and would finish the season with 390 assists, which was the 5th highest total for a rookie at the time.
Geoff Petrie scored 46 points in @trailblazers 135-128 victory over #Seattle #SuperSonics LeRoy Ellis scored 29 pts & grabbed 18 rebounds while Spencer Haywood had 32 points. The 46 points still stands as a franchise record by a rookie player and is the second highest total Petrie ever scored. Petrie was also 18 for 21 from the free throw line, records that stood for many years, and are still considered as records by a @trailblazers rookie. Petrie also passed for 10 assists, giving him 366 assists after this game, and would finish the season with 390 assists, which was the 5th highest total for a rookie at the time.
1973
The Blazers played the Kansas City-Omaha Kings in Omaha, Nebraska while Sports Illustrated was doing a story on Kings guard Nate Archibald. Sports Illustrated would use the pictures for their Pro Basketball Preview Issue for the 1973/74 season in October. During the 1972–73 season, Archibald led the NBA in scoring and assists, becoming the only player to win the titles in both categories in the same season.His scoring average of 34.0 points per game broke the NBA record for a guard and, as of 2020, is still a record for point guards. His 910 assists that season (11.4 assists per game) was also an NBA record at the time, breaking Guy Rodgers' mark of 908. He was named the Sporting News NBA MVP that season. https://www.gettyimages.ie/photos/kansas-city---omaha-kings-vs-portland-trail-blazers?phrase=Kansas%20City%20-%20Omaha%20Kings%20vs%20Portland%20Trail%20Blazers&assettype=image&family=editorial&sort=oldest |
The same day the Blazers were losing in Omaha, Nebraska, they lost the coin flip for the right to select the 1st pick in the 1973 NBA Draft. Philadelphia received the chance at the number one pick while Portland will choose second.
The rumor of Bill Walton looking to turn pro after this, his junior season at UCLA, would be false and he would return for his senior year. |
1985
Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas
March 20
1971
The Blazers win their first Overtime game
The Blazers win their first Overtime game
1973
The Portland Trail Blazers visited the Chicago Bulls, losing 123-109, and besides being the game in which Geoff Petrie becomes the first Blazer to top 5,000 points as a Blazer, this game is remembered more for the fight that occurred between the Blazers forward Sidney Wicks, and the Bulls guard Norm Van Lier ... and a chair.
It had been extremely hard to find pictures of this game with regards to the fight but there are many antidotes available, including this one from Bob Love reminiscing after Van Lier passed away. "I remember one time with Sidney Wicks, Portland Trail Blazers," recalled former Bulls teammate Bob Love. "We were in a tough game, back and forth, and the game got kind of rough. Wicks was a big guy, he was 6-9, about 240. Norm was a little guy, he was 6-feet-1, maybe 160 pounds."
The Portland Trail Blazers visited the Chicago Bulls, losing 123-109, and besides being the game in which Geoff Petrie becomes the first Blazer to top 5,000 points as a Blazer, this game is remembered more for the fight that occurred between the Blazers forward Sidney Wicks, and the Bulls guard Norm Van Lier ... and a chair.
It had been extremely hard to find pictures of this game with regards to the fight but there are many antidotes available, including this one from Bob Love reminiscing after Van Lier passed away. "I remember one time with Sidney Wicks, Portland Trail Blazers," recalled former Bulls teammate Bob Love. "We were in a tough game, back and forth, and the game got kind of rough. Wicks was a big guy, he was 6-9, about 240. Norm was a little guy, he was 6-feet-1, maybe 160 pounds."
"They got into it, Norm picked up a chair and ran Wicks all the way across the court. The referees had to grab Norm to stop him. All the guys said, 'Norm, why did you grab that chair?' Norm said, 'Man, I had to get the equalizer, because the guy was so big.' "
Van Lier was suspended for one game. "Wicks hit me in my throat with an elbow," says Van Lier. "He was arguing with Jerry Sloan, but he hit me. I couldn't breathe. Well, I went after that son-of-a-bitch, not realizing or caring that he was six-foot-nine and 240 and I was six-foot-one. |
The equalizer was that chair. The team trainer saved my ass. He grabbed me and kept me from getting to Wicks. The story about me and the chair went all around the country, but I tell you this--I never had another fight in my career after that. The word got out, 'Don't mess with Van Lier, man, he's crazy.' Wicks treated me real nice after that."
To read about Norm Van Lier .... https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/back-in-the-game/Content?oid=885111
To read about Norm Van Lier .... https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/back-in-the-game/Content?oid=885111
On the same day as the game, the NBA announced that the Blazers would receive compensation for the loss of Gary Gregor. The rules of the day are that if a player had not signed a contract, the team would pay the player 1 more season at the rate of the year previous, then he was allowed to sign with another team. Gregor played out his option during the 1971/72 season and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, who then traded him to Milwaukee a month after the signing.
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1974
Geoff Petrie scores 43 and the Blazers stop 21-game road losing streak
Geoff Petrie scores 43 and the Blazers stop 21-game road losing streak
1987
When #JimPaxson hit a FG with 2:24 left in the @trailblazers romp over the @Suns, he passed #GeoffPetrie to become the #Blazers All-Time leading scorer with 9,733 points. He was subbed out seconds later for recent signee #RonRowan and received a 45-second standing ovation. As well, Paxson received the game ball and congratulations from Petrie, who is in his 2nd season working alongside #BillSchonely. Paxson finished with 16 points in 27 minutes. #ClydeDrexler led the Blazers with 32 points and 11 rebounds. @stevejohnsonfm and @kikivandeweghe each added 20 more. |
2011
Andre Miller passes Bob Cousy to rank 14th on the All-Time list for assists. Signed as a free agent in 2009, Miller played 2 seasons with the Blazers and passed for 1011 assists for a 6.2 average during that time. Miller played 17 years in the NBA and amassed 8,524 assists. When he retired in 2016, he was ranked 10th on the All-Time list but has since been passed by LeBron James so he is currently ranked 11th. |
March 21
1972
Sidney Wicks scored 31 points in the Blazers 160-128 loss to the Phoenix Suns, the last game of the Blazers second season. Wicks finished the season with 2,009 points to become the 2nd Portland rookie, and the last, to record over 2000 points. The 160 point total by Phoenix would be the highest point total by an opponent until the Denver Nuggets scored 162 in 1981.
1986
Kiki Vandeweghe scored 18 of his 36 points from the free throw line, tying the Blazers record for free throws made. His 22 attempts also tied a club record
Kiki Vandeweghe scored 18 of his 36 points from the free throw line, tying the Blazers record for free throws made. His 22 attempts also tied a club record
1989
Manute Bol blocked 13 Portland Trail Blazers shots in the Golden State Warriors 151-127 victory over Portland.
Bol, at 7'-7" he was the tallest player to ever play in the NBA, was born in Sudan and came to the United States in 1982, initially to possibly play for Cleveland State before enrolling at the University of Bridgeport, an NCAA Division II school with an English program for foreign students. There he played for the Purple Knights in the 1984–85 season. Bol averaged 22.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 7.1 blocks per game for Bridgeport. The team, which previously drew 500–600 spectators, routinely sold out the 1,800-seat gym. With Bol, Bridgeport qualified for the 1985 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament.
Manute Bol blocked 13 Portland Trail Blazers shots in the Golden State Warriors 151-127 victory over Portland.
Bol, at 7'-7" he was the tallest player to ever play in the NBA, was born in Sudan and came to the United States in 1982, initially to possibly play for Cleveland State before enrolling at the University of Bridgeport, an NCAA Division II school with an English program for foreign students. There he played for the Purple Knights in the 1984–85 season. Bol averaged 22.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 7.1 blocks per game for Bridgeport. The team, which previously drew 500–600 spectators, routinely sold out the 1,800-seat gym. With Bol, Bridgeport qualified for the 1985 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament.
Bol turned professional in May 1985, signing with the Rhode Island Gulls of the spring United States Basketball League. Going into the 1985 NBA draft, scouts believed that Bol needed another year or two of college, but Bol opted for the draft because he felt it was the only way to earn enough money to get his sister out of Sudan, which was in a state of political unrest at the time. In 1985, the Washington Bullets drafted Bol as the seventh pick in the second round (31st overall). He played in the NBA for ten seasons, from 1985 to 1995, spending parts of four seasons with the Bullets, parts of three with the Golden State Warriors, parts of four with the Philadelphia 76ers, and part of one with the Miami Heat
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In his 10 seasons, Bol finished his career with 1,599 points, 2,647 rebounds, and 2,086 blocks. He appeared in 624 games over 10 seasons. He is the only player to have less points than rebounds and blocks. Bol passed away in 2010 from acute kidney failure.
Bol's son Bol Bol played college basketball at Univ. of Oregon Men's Basketball as a freshman in the 2018–19 season under head coach Dana Altman. On November 6, 2018, Bol debuted with a double-double of 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 23 minutes against Portland State. He later recorded a season-high 32 points and 11 rebounds in an 89–84 loss to Texas Southern. After recording 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a 66–54 win over San Diego on December 12, Bol injured his left foot, which left him out of commission for the rest of the season. He declared for the NBA draft after his freshman season. He was drafted by the Miami Heat before being traded to the Denver Nuggets
Bol's son Bol Bol played college basketball at Univ. of Oregon Men's Basketball as a freshman in the 2018–19 season under head coach Dana Altman. On November 6, 2018, Bol debuted with a double-double of 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 23 minutes against Portland State. He later recorded a season-high 32 points and 11 rebounds in an 89–84 loss to Texas Southern. After recording 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a 66–54 win over San Diego on December 12, Bol injured his left foot, which left him out of commission for the rest of the season. He declared for the NBA draft after his freshman season. He was drafted by the Miami Heat before being traded to the Denver Nuggets
March 22
1996
With the loss vs Kings today, the Blazers suffer their 1,000th loss in the franchise history. Overall, the Blazers stand with 1,117 wins and now 1,000 losses.
With the loss vs Kings today, the Blazers suffer their 1,000th loss in the franchise history. Overall, the Blazers stand with 1,117 wins and now 1,000 losses.
2005
Former Blazers coach Rick Adelman gets the 700th win of his career, when his Kings pull out a victory vs the Blazers. Adelman won 291 games w/#Portland from 1989 to 1994 before coaching w/@warriors, #KIngs, @HoustonRockets, & @Timberwolves |
2023
Damian Lillard scored 30 points, rookie Shaedon Sharpe had a career-high 24 and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Utah Jazz 127-115 to stop a six-game losing streak. Trendon Watford added a season-best 21 points for the Blazers. Portland used a 9-0 run, sparked by Kevin Knox III’s alley-oop layup midway through the fourth quarter, to pull away. Lillard has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 32 games, the longest such streak in franchise history. This would end up as the last game of the 2022/23 season for Lillard.
Damian Lillard scored 30 points, rookie Shaedon Sharpe had a career-high 24 and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Utah Jazz 127-115 to stop a six-game losing streak. Trendon Watford added a season-best 21 points for the Blazers. Portland used a 9-0 run, sparked by Kevin Knox III’s alley-oop layup midway through the fourth quarter, to pull away. Lillard has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 32 games, the longest such streak in franchise history. This would end up as the last game of the 2022/23 season for Lillard.
March 23
1970
The NBA conducted their 1970 College Draft with the new expansion teams including the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers selected Geoff Petrie with their 1st choice. |
1971
Exactly one year to the day after being chosen as the Portland Trail Blazers first choice in the NBA Draft, Geoff Petrie scored 37 points in the Blazers 114-112 over the Cleveland Cavaliers to close their expansion season.
Petrie finishes his rookie season with 2,031 points and becomes the 7th player to get more than 2,000 points. Petrie becomes only the 2nd rookie guard to score over 2,000 points. The first was Oscar Robertson.
The Blazers end the season with a 5-game win streak and bring their record to 29-53, the second highest win total for an expansion team, behind the Chicago Bulls record of 33 wins.
Exactly one year to the day after being chosen as the Portland Trail Blazers first choice in the NBA Draft, Geoff Petrie scored 37 points in the Blazers 114-112 over the Cleveland Cavaliers to close their expansion season.
Petrie finishes his rookie season with 2,031 points and becomes the 7th player to get more than 2,000 points. Petrie becomes only the 2nd rookie guard to score over 2,000 points. The first was Oscar Robertson.
The Blazers end the season with a 5-game win streak and bring their record to 29-53, the second highest win total for an expansion team, behind the Chicago Bulls record of 33 wins.
1973
1984
Jack Ramsay becomes the 2nd winningest coach in the NBA when the Blazers defeat the Phoenix Suns 124-98. Ramsay trails Hall-of-Fame coach Red Auerbach who amassed 938 wins in 20 years of coaching the Washington Capitals, Tri-City BlackHawks and the Boston Celtics. It is Ramsay's 697th victory overall, one more than Red Holzman, who coached 18 years with the Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks and the New York Knicks. |
2002
Scottie Pippen scored 18 points in the Blazers 108-99 victory at Minnesota, making him the 46th player in NBA History to accumulate 18,000 points.
Pippen, who played 17 years total, scored 3,091 points during the 4 seasons he was with the Blazers.
Scottie Pippen scored 18 points in the Blazers 108-99 victory at Minnesota, making him the 46th player in NBA History to accumulate 18,000 points.
Pippen, who played 17 years total, scored 3,091 points during the 4 seasons he was with the Blazers.
March 24
1974
Sidney Wicks records his 6th triple-double as a Blazer but it wasn't enough as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dropped 43 points in the Bucks 120-110 victory over Portland. The loss insures that Portland will be in the coin-flip for the rights to draft Bill Walton from UCLA.
Wicks scored 26 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and passed for 10 assists in his 45 minutes of play while Larry Steele added a then career-high 26 points.
Abdul-Jabbar also grabbed 13 rebounds while Oscar Robertson joined Wicks in recording another triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It is Robertsons 181st and last triple-double of his 14 year career. Bob Dandridge nearly had a triple-double with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Sidney Wicks records his 6th triple-double as a Blazer but it wasn't enough as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dropped 43 points in the Bucks 120-110 victory over Portland. The loss insures that Portland will be in the coin-flip for the rights to draft Bill Walton from UCLA.
Wicks scored 26 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and passed for 10 assists in his 45 minutes of play while Larry Steele added a then career-high 26 points.
Abdul-Jabbar also grabbed 13 rebounds while Oscar Robertson joined Wicks in recording another triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It is Robertsons 181st and last triple-double of his 14 year career. Bob Dandridge nearly had a triple-double with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists.
1979
The Blazers retire Lloyd Neal's number 36, the first number to be retired by Portland. |
March 25
2016
The New York Times Magazine ran a nice article about Bill Walton
The New York Times Magazine ran a nice article about Bill Walton
Bill Walton arrived at the San Diego Natural History Museum carrying a large black chair. I watched him walk with it, a little stiffly, past the Moreton Bay fig tree outside. The tree is one of the city’s grand natural treasures: more than 100 years old, nearly 100 feet tall, hugely spread, still standing despite a century of weather and air pollution and climbing children. It’s so large that it made even Walton, one of basketball’s dominating giants, look small.
“Why is he carrying a chair?” the woman working the museum’s front door asked me.
I had no idea. We were standing inside the building, near the skeleton of a dinosaur (Allosaurus fragilis, the sign said), watching him approach. Walton wore jeans and a Grateful Dead T-shirt. He chewed gum. His hair, formerly long, red and curly, was now a sparse white wisp. His stride was deliberate, determined; each step seemed to cost him something.
Walton is another of San Diego’s grand natural treasures: a 1970s basketball superstar, celebrated sports broadcaster, proud public hippie and — to quote the man himself — “the most-injured athlete in the history of sports.” He is now 63, at least in regular human years, but his body has always operated on some other, more severe time scale. His injuries have been relentless; his life story reads like a jock Book of Job. Walton has had 37 orthopedic operations, many of which came at the worst possible moment. The biggest difference between him and any of the other greats you’d care to name — Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Larry Bird — is that Walton’s brilliant career barely ever happened. Instead of winning the three or four or five or six championships he seemed destined for, Walton became a legendary failure. (He did manage to win two.) His injuries caused him to miss nine and a half of his 14 N.B.A. seasons.
I had come to San Diego to speak with Walton about his life: the magic rainbows interweaving over the bottomless, flaming abyss. He tells that story in his new book, the amazingly subtitled “Back From the Dead: Searching for the Sound, Shining the Light and Throwing It Down.” For an athlete’s biography, the book is surprisingly fatalistic: It begins with Walton on the brink of suicide and ends with many of his friends dying. It suggests an existence largely shaped by dark matter — all the things that didn’t happen, that never coalesced, that went missing.
“Why is he carrying a chair?” the woman working the museum’s front door asked me.
I had no idea. We were standing inside the building, near the skeleton of a dinosaur (Allosaurus fragilis, the sign said), watching him approach. Walton wore jeans and a Grateful Dead T-shirt. He chewed gum. His hair, formerly long, red and curly, was now a sparse white wisp. His stride was deliberate, determined; each step seemed to cost him something.
Walton is another of San Diego’s grand natural treasures: a 1970s basketball superstar, celebrated sports broadcaster, proud public hippie and — to quote the man himself — “the most-injured athlete in the history of sports.” He is now 63, at least in regular human years, but his body has always operated on some other, more severe time scale. His injuries have been relentless; his life story reads like a jock Book of Job. Walton has had 37 orthopedic operations, many of which came at the worst possible moment. The biggest difference between him and any of the other greats you’d care to name — Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Larry Bird — is that Walton’s brilliant career barely ever happened. Instead of winning the three or four or five or six championships he seemed destined for, Walton became a legendary failure. (He did manage to win two.) His injuries caused him to miss nine and a half of his 14 N.B.A. seasons.
I had come to San Diego to speak with Walton about his life: the magic rainbows interweaving over the bottomless, flaming abyss. He tells that story in his new book, the amazingly subtitled “Back From the Dead: Searching for the Sound, Shining the Light and Throwing It Down.” For an athlete’s biography, the book is surprisingly fatalistic: It begins with Walton on the brink of suicide and ends with many of his friends dying. It suggests an existence largely shaped by dark matter — all the things that didn’t happen, that never coalesced, that went missing.
And now here he came, walking on his ruined feet. The chair Walton carried did not look, in any normal sense, portable. It was tall, unwieldy, rigid, nonfolding. It looked like a piece of lawn furniture. But no: This turned out to be Bill Walton’s personal chair. He carried it with him everywhere, as a snail carries its shell.
In fact, these were the first words he said to me: “I love my chair.” And then he said it again: “I love my chair.” He said this with the kind of affection that most people reserve for children or pets. This is because Walton’s chair and its unusual qualities — its sturdiness, its high elevation — are the keys to the health of Walton’s spine, and the failure of Walton’s spine, not so many years ago, nearly made him kill himself.
Over the course of our time together, Walton repeated his love for his chair often. After which he would add, almost invariably, his favorite refrain: “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
In what possible sense is Bill Walton the luckiest guy in the world? Perhaps this could be true if we were to interpret luck in an unusually broad way. When we say someone is lucky, we normally mean they are prone to good luck — we silently strain the bad out of the equation. But luck, as everyone knows, is both good and bad: It streams down on us constantly, indifferently, with its mixed blessings, in the same way that sunlight pours down on us constantly with its visible and invisible light, its vitamin D and its radioactivity. Perhaps Walton really is, in this more inclusive sense, the luckiest of us all — the one on whom the universe has rained down the largest portion of its good and bad fortune, across the entire spectrum: the miraculous, the disastrous, the decent, the inconvenient, the run-of-the-mill, the slightly off.
In fact, these were the first words he said to me: “I love my chair.” And then he said it again: “I love my chair.” He said this with the kind of affection that most people reserve for children or pets. This is because Walton’s chair and its unusual qualities — its sturdiness, its high elevation — are the keys to the health of Walton’s spine, and the failure of Walton’s spine, not so many years ago, nearly made him kill himself.
Over the course of our time together, Walton repeated his love for his chair often. After which he would add, almost invariably, his favorite refrain: “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
In what possible sense is Bill Walton the luckiest guy in the world? Perhaps this could be true if we were to interpret luck in an unusually broad way. When we say someone is lucky, we normally mean they are prone to good luck — we silently strain the bad out of the equation. But luck, as everyone knows, is both good and bad: It streams down on us constantly, indifferently, with its mixed blessings, in the same way that sunlight pours down on us constantly with its visible and invisible light, its vitamin D and its radioactivity. Perhaps Walton really is, in this more inclusive sense, the luckiest of us all — the one on whom the universe has rained down the largest portion of its good and bad fortune, across the entire spectrum: the miraculous, the disastrous, the decent, the inconvenient, the run-of-the-mill, the slightly off.
Walton was born into a nonsporty family in San Diego. His father was a social worker, his mother a librarian. As a boy, Walton had such a severe stutter that he preferred not to speak. He learned to express himself, instead, through experiences: riding his bike, running around at the beach, reading and then — transformatively — playing basketball. He played all day, all over San Diego. Even as a boy, before his height was anything special, Walton was formidable. He sometimes says he peaked at 12.
But the injuries started early, too. At 14, Walton blew out his knee in a pickup game. It was during his recovery from that injury, while he lay in bed for three months, that Walton hit his improbable growth spurt: He got in bed at 6-foot-1 and got out at 6-foot-7½. This is one of the many ways in which Walton’s basketball life seems mythological: The injury and the growth, the gift and the curse, were one. Walton’s sudden height opened up a whole new realm of command. As a high-school senior, Walton made nearly 80 percent of his shots and averaged 25 rebounds and 12 blocks a game.
He was recruited by John Wooden to join mighty U.C.L.A., taking up the center position of Lew Alcindor (soon to be known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), who had recently graduated. By some measures, Walton was just as good at U.C.L.A. as Kareem. His team won 88 games in a row, still a record, including two national championships, and Walton won the college player of the year award all three years he was eligible for it. In the 1973 N.C.A.A. final, Walton made 21 of his 22 official shots on his way to 44 points. Even then, his knees were almost too bad to play on; every game required an elaborate regimen of icing and heating, and often he was in too much pain to practice.
Despite his injuries, Walton was the No. 1 pick in the 1974 N.B.A. draft. He went to one of the worst teams, and the smallest market, in the league: the Portland Trail Blazers. Walton’s long red hair flew behind him as he ran, and a scraggly red beard nested on the bottom of his face. (The only thing that Walton cared about in his first N.B.A. contract was control over his grooming.) In his prime, Walton was the human embodiment of the beauty of the sport. Watch the old footage: He looks like a basketball textbook come to life, crouching deep in his defensive stance, arms spread wide, leaping instantly to block a shot, then leaping up again to grab the rebound, then turning and firing a perfect pass up the floor to his guards. On offense, Walton demanded the ball with the enthusiasm of a know-it-all raising his hand in class: Here, here, the answer is here.
But Walton dominated in a social way. His signature gesture, in those years, was to run down the court with both arms high in the air, twirling his hands around each other like an eggbeater. The action seemed almost mystical — an invocation of the great swirling energy of life — and it would send Walton’s teammates swirling around him until, more often than seemed likely, he would find one of them wide open for a layup. He was never a high scorer, but he was probably the best-passing big man in the history of the game. He blocked shots not out of bounds but directly to his teammates; he became famous for throwing outlet passes to start his team on a fast break before he had even come back down to the floor from getting a rebound. For a couple of magical years, the Blazers were a joyful unit, the epitome of unselfish teamwork, and they radically overachieved because of it, improbably winning the 1977 championship over Dr. J and the star-studded Philadelphia 76ers. In the final game of the series, Walton had 20 points, 23 rebounds, 7 assists and 8 blocked shots.
But just then, at the height of it all, when the defending-champion Blazers looked set for perpetual glory (they started the next season 50-10), Walton was struck by injury again. He tried to return for the playoffs, his foot loaded up with anesthetic, but a crucial bone split as he ran down the court. There were lawsuits, recriminations, burned bridges, bad blood. There were comebacks that ended in further injuries. Walton was 24 when he won the championship; before he even turned 30, doctors told him they had abandoned hope of saving his basketball career — their new goal was to make sure they wouldn’t have to amputate his feet.
But the injuries started early, too. At 14, Walton blew out his knee in a pickup game. It was during his recovery from that injury, while he lay in bed for three months, that Walton hit his improbable growth spurt: He got in bed at 6-foot-1 and got out at 6-foot-7½. This is one of the many ways in which Walton’s basketball life seems mythological: The injury and the growth, the gift and the curse, were one. Walton’s sudden height opened up a whole new realm of command. As a high-school senior, Walton made nearly 80 percent of his shots and averaged 25 rebounds and 12 blocks a game.
He was recruited by John Wooden to join mighty U.C.L.A., taking up the center position of Lew Alcindor (soon to be known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), who had recently graduated. By some measures, Walton was just as good at U.C.L.A. as Kareem. His team won 88 games in a row, still a record, including two national championships, and Walton won the college player of the year award all three years he was eligible for it. In the 1973 N.C.A.A. final, Walton made 21 of his 22 official shots on his way to 44 points. Even then, his knees were almost too bad to play on; every game required an elaborate regimen of icing and heating, and often he was in too much pain to practice.
Despite his injuries, Walton was the No. 1 pick in the 1974 N.B.A. draft. He went to one of the worst teams, and the smallest market, in the league: the Portland Trail Blazers. Walton’s long red hair flew behind him as he ran, and a scraggly red beard nested on the bottom of his face. (The only thing that Walton cared about in his first N.B.A. contract was control over his grooming.) In his prime, Walton was the human embodiment of the beauty of the sport. Watch the old footage: He looks like a basketball textbook come to life, crouching deep in his defensive stance, arms spread wide, leaping instantly to block a shot, then leaping up again to grab the rebound, then turning and firing a perfect pass up the floor to his guards. On offense, Walton demanded the ball with the enthusiasm of a know-it-all raising his hand in class: Here, here, the answer is here.
But Walton dominated in a social way. His signature gesture, in those years, was to run down the court with both arms high in the air, twirling his hands around each other like an eggbeater. The action seemed almost mystical — an invocation of the great swirling energy of life — and it would send Walton’s teammates swirling around him until, more often than seemed likely, he would find one of them wide open for a layup. He was never a high scorer, but he was probably the best-passing big man in the history of the game. He blocked shots not out of bounds but directly to his teammates; he became famous for throwing outlet passes to start his team on a fast break before he had even come back down to the floor from getting a rebound. For a couple of magical years, the Blazers were a joyful unit, the epitome of unselfish teamwork, and they radically overachieved because of it, improbably winning the 1977 championship over Dr. J and the star-studded Philadelphia 76ers. In the final game of the series, Walton had 20 points, 23 rebounds, 7 assists and 8 blocked shots.
But just then, at the height of it all, when the defending-champion Blazers looked set for perpetual glory (they started the next season 50-10), Walton was struck by injury again. He tried to return for the playoffs, his foot loaded up with anesthetic, but a crucial bone split as he ran down the court. There were lawsuits, recriminations, burned bridges, bad blood. There were comebacks that ended in further injuries. Walton was 24 when he won the championship; before he even turned 30, doctors told him they had abandoned hope of saving his basketball career — their new goal was to make sure they wouldn’t have to amputate his feet.
At the natural-history museum, Walton and I sat in a sun-drenched conference room up on the fourth floor. Its windows showed a panoramic view of the rugged landscape around San Diego: mountains and mesas that blend craggily into Mexico. Walton sat high in his special chair, his back turned to the view so he wouldn’t become distracted. (He finds it hard to contain his love for San Diego.) He told me about all kinds of things: his ongoing battle with stuttering, recent innovations in spinal surgery, the country’s urgent need for a carbon tax, his memories of swimming with whales in the Sea of Cortez.
Walton’s manner of speaking in private — deep voice prowling from subject to subject, sarcasm alternating with aw-shucks exclamations of joy — would be familiar to anyone who has seen him on TV. He is probably best known, in this century, for his work as one of basketball’s most distinctive and ubiquitous sports broadcasters, a career he started in the 1990s, after his playing days ended. In a world of buttoned-up commentators, Walton was a free-flowing psychedelic jester. He spoke in passionately ridiculous prose poems, folding in Grateful Dead lyrics and John Wooden aphorisms and silly catchphrases (“Throw it down, big man!”) and naked hyperbole (“the greatest block in the history of Western civilization”). Walton’s working thesis seemed to be that all sublime things — Mozart, the Grand Canyon, Cézanne — exist in the same dimension, and that basketball belongs there, too. “Have you ever been to a volcano when it was erupting?” he asked once during a N.C.A.A. broadcast, apropos of basically nothing.
I spoke with the announcer Jim Gray, who has worked with Walton on TV for decades. “Bill is a brilliant man,” he said. “He has such a fertile mind. He’s probably the only person who’s ever been able to tie together, in the same sentence, Mother Teresa, Michael Jordan, climate change, the Berlin Wall and — what’s that ballerina’s name? Baryshnikov. Before you know it, you’re off to Ferdinand Magellan. I’ll say to him sometimes: What about the game? He’ll say: It doesn’t matter, the people can see the game.”
It’s hard to know with Walton where the persona ends and the person begins. He is self-conscious, and intensely self-conscious about his self-consciousness. The veins of irony and sincerity and pain and joy run very deep, and they cross and tangle. As a player, Walton was famously maniacal in his pursuit of winning. He was also famously miserable when he was hurt. This was a special agony of Walton’s injuries: the pain wasn’t just physical; it was existential. The control that he found in the flow of the game — his perfect fluency in basketball — was hard to replicate elsewhere. Pain was isolating.
“I’ve spent half my adult life in the hospital,” he told me. “I’ve spent half my adult life in hotels. Waiting in line to check in. Waiting in line to rent a car. Waiting in line to go through security. Waiting in line at the terminal for the plane. Waiting for the waitress at the restaurant. I hate waste.”
Included on Walton’s list of waste is doing publicity. He made it clear to me that he did not enjoy talking to journalists.
When I asked him why, there were 10 solid seconds of silence.
“You can be honest,” I said to him, finally, half joking.
Walton’s manner of speaking in private — deep voice prowling from subject to subject, sarcasm alternating with aw-shucks exclamations of joy — would be familiar to anyone who has seen him on TV. He is probably best known, in this century, for his work as one of basketball’s most distinctive and ubiquitous sports broadcasters, a career he started in the 1990s, after his playing days ended. In a world of buttoned-up commentators, Walton was a free-flowing psychedelic jester. He spoke in passionately ridiculous prose poems, folding in Grateful Dead lyrics and John Wooden aphorisms and silly catchphrases (“Throw it down, big man!”) and naked hyperbole (“the greatest block in the history of Western civilization”). Walton’s working thesis seemed to be that all sublime things — Mozart, the Grand Canyon, Cézanne — exist in the same dimension, and that basketball belongs there, too. “Have you ever been to a volcano when it was erupting?” he asked once during a N.C.A.A. broadcast, apropos of basically nothing.
I spoke with the announcer Jim Gray, who has worked with Walton on TV for decades. “Bill is a brilliant man,” he said. “He has such a fertile mind. He’s probably the only person who’s ever been able to tie together, in the same sentence, Mother Teresa, Michael Jordan, climate change, the Berlin Wall and — what’s that ballerina’s name? Baryshnikov. Before you know it, you’re off to Ferdinand Magellan. I’ll say to him sometimes: What about the game? He’ll say: It doesn’t matter, the people can see the game.”
It’s hard to know with Walton where the persona ends and the person begins. He is self-conscious, and intensely self-conscious about his self-consciousness. The veins of irony and sincerity and pain and joy run very deep, and they cross and tangle. As a player, Walton was famously maniacal in his pursuit of winning. He was also famously miserable when he was hurt. This was a special agony of Walton’s injuries: the pain wasn’t just physical; it was existential. The control that he found in the flow of the game — his perfect fluency in basketball — was hard to replicate elsewhere. Pain was isolating.
“I’ve spent half my adult life in the hospital,” he told me. “I’ve spent half my adult life in hotels. Waiting in line to check in. Waiting in line to rent a car. Waiting in line to go through security. Waiting in line at the terminal for the plane. Waiting for the waitress at the restaurant. I hate waste.”
Included on Walton’s list of waste is doing publicity. He made it clear to me that he did not enjoy talking to journalists.
When I asked him why, there were 10 solid seconds of silence.
“You can be honest,” I said to him, finally, half joking.
This only seemed to upset him. “Don’t ever say that,” Walton said. “That tells me that you don’t believe anything else I’ve told you to this point.”
Walton told me many times that if I really wanted to understand who he was, I should look at a section on his website called “Best of Recently.” I found the site to be a cluttered wilderness of photos, quotes and psychedelic photo montages — it looks like many generations of web design piled atop one another. “Best of Recently” turned out to be a series of lists of Walton’s current enthusiasms and discoveries. It is characteristically eclectic. Under “New Technology,” Walton lists bike equipment (Shimano Di2 electronic shifters) and a driving service (“Chauffeurs by Sean”), as well as “texting,” “E-sports,” and “solar/rainwater capture.” The largest category is “Concerts,” which is just 30 performers listed without comment of any kind — Boz Scaggs, John Fogerty, Phish, Boston, Rod Stewart.
Walton does this in conversation too. He’ll suddenly just start listing names: Chick Hearn, John Wooden, Jerry Garcia, Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali, Jack Ramsay.
One of the best conversations Walton and I had during our two days together consisted entirely of listing the rivers in Oregon.
“Willamette River,” I said, speculatively.
“Willamette River,” he confirmed. And then he added: “McKenzie River.”
“McKenzie River,” I said.
“Santiam River,” he said.
“Columbia River,” I said.
“Nestucca River,” he said, gaining momentum. “Little Nestucca River.”
“Illinois River,” I said.
“Metolius River,” he said. “John Day River. Deschutes River.”
After a while, I realized that this was not just a verbal tic but actually something profound, another way that Walton manages to wrench himself out of everyday reality and into the sacred flow — these vast lists allow him to create his own company, his own surroundings, no matter where his injured body happens to be. It is proper nouns as virtual reality.
Walton and I spent much of our time together in his car, listening to the Grateful Dead on our way to and from San Diego’s most scenic vistas. Walton knew every song that came on. Several times, he got excited because the music seemed to be speaking directly to us. Once, for instance, when we were talking about Larry Bird, the Dead sang the words “leader of the band,” and Walton said: “See, that’s exactly what Larry was: the leader of the band.” It became increasingly clear that the Grateful Dead was an omnipresent scripture rolling through Walton’s mind.
On our second morning together, driving downtown, Walton and I hit a particularly good patch of Dead. The jam grew and broke into multiple subjams, which wove themselves back together into something bigger and then bounced around. This made Walton genuinely happy. He turned the volume up, then turned it up some more, until the music was the only thing in the car. Even when we reached our destination, when Walton pulled to the curb and the valet-parking attendant came over to take the keys, Walton couldn’t bring himself to leave: The flow was too strong. Interrupting it would have been sacrilege, so he waved the parking attendant away and turned the music up even louder.
When a great athlete gets into a state of flow, there is this special feeling of control — he becomes free of the normal looming dread that haunts human existence, the knowledge that we are just blown around by the random winds of good and bad luck until we die. Inside the special parameters of flow, he is in charge; everything glows with meaning. This is a feeling Bill Walton knew as well as anyone who ever played. And this is his great tragedy: His ability to get into that flow, through basketball, was ripped away from him again and again by the terrible luck of injuries. He remains in constant pursuit of it.
Walton and I sat there for several minutes, not moving, at the curb, inside the music. Occasionally, he would shout out some ecstatic explication —“That’s Phil Lesh on the bass, laying down that flesh-eating low end.” Or: “This is from 1968, before the band really even knew what it could do.” Hearing this song first thing in the morning, Walton decided, was a good omen. We would have a lucky day.
Walton told me many times that if I really wanted to understand who he was, I should look at a section on his website called “Best of Recently.” I found the site to be a cluttered wilderness of photos, quotes and psychedelic photo montages — it looks like many generations of web design piled atop one another. “Best of Recently” turned out to be a series of lists of Walton’s current enthusiasms and discoveries. It is characteristically eclectic. Under “New Technology,” Walton lists bike equipment (Shimano Di2 electronic shifters) and a driving service (“Chauffeurs by Sean”), as well as “texting,” “E-sports,” and “solar/rainwater capture.” The largest category is “Concerts,” which is just 30 performers listed without comment of any kind — Boz Scaggs, John Fogerty, Phish, Boston, Rod Stewart.
Walton does this in conversation too. He’ll suddenly just start listing names: Chick Hearn, John Wooden, Jerry Garcia, Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali, Jack Ramsay.
One of the best conversations Walton and I had during our two days together consisted entirely of listing the rivers in Oregon.
“Willamette River,” I said, speculatively.
“Willamette River,” he confirmed. And then he added: “McKenzie River.”
“McKenzie River,” I said.
“Santiam River,” he said.
“Columbia River,” I said.
“Nestucca River,” he said, gaining momentum. “Little Nestucca River.”
“Illinois River,” I said.
“Metolius River,” he said. “John Day River. Deschutes River.”
After a while, I realized that this was not just a verbal tic but actually something profound, another way that Walton manages to wrench himself out of everyday reality and into the sacred flow — these vast lists allow him to create his own company, his own surroundings, no matter where his injured body happens to be. It is proper nouns as virtual reality.
Walton and I spent much of our time together in his car, listening to the Grateful Dead on our way to and from San Diego’s most scenic vistas. Walton knew every song that came on. Several times, he got excited because the music seemed to be speaking directly to us. Once, for instance, when we were talking about Larry Bird, the Dead sang the words “leader of the band,” and Walton said: “See, that’s exactly what Larry was: the leader of the band.” It became increasingly clear that the Grateful Dead was an omnipresent scripture rolling through Walton’s mind.
On our second morning together, driving downtown, Walton and I hit a particularly good patch of Dead. The jam grew and broke into multiple subjams, which wove themselves back together into something bigger and then bounced around. This made Walton genuinely happy. He turned the volume up, then turned it up some more, until the music was the only thing in the car. Even when we reached our destination, when Walton pulled to the curb and the valet-parking attendant came over to take the keys, Walton couldn’t bring himself to leave: The flow was too strong. Interrupting it would have been sacrilege, so he waved the parking attendant away and turned the music up even louder.
When a great athlete gets into a state of flow, there is this special feeling of control — he becomes free of the normal looming dread that haunts human existence, the knowledge that we are just blown around by the random winds of good and bad luck until we die. Inside the special parameters of flow, he is in charge; everything glows with meaning. This is a feeling Bill Walton knew as well as anyone who ever played. And this is his great tragedy: His ability to get into that flow, through basketball, was ripped away from him again and again by the terrible luck of injuries. He remains in constant pursuit of it.
Walton and I sat there for several minutes, not moving, at the curb, inside the music. Occasionally, he would shout out some ecstatic explication —“That’s Phil Lesh on the bass, laying down that flesh-eating low end.” Or: “This is from 1968, before the band really even knew what it could do.” Hearing this song first thing in the morning, Walton decided, was a good omen. We would have a lucky day.
Other Walton Links
http://magazine.ucla.edu/features/bill-walton-still-truckin/
http://magazine.ucla.edu/features/bill-walton-still-truckin/
March 26
1974
@Rick24Barry scored career-high 64 points in 143-120 @warriors victory vs @trailblazers Barry joins @WiltCArchive as only players to make 30 FG in @NBA game. Barry added 10 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 steals. Only Wilt Chamberlain (16 times) and Elgin Baylor (once) had scored more than 64 before this game. Since this game, six players have done so; Kobe Bryant (81 points and 65 vs Blazers), David Thompson (73) David Robinson (71) Devin Booker (70), Michael Jordan (69) and Pete Maravich (68) each topped that mark once, with Bryant the only one to do so twice. George Johnson added 18 points and 18 rebounds for the Warriors while Geoff Petrie scored 32 for Portland. |
March 27
1970
The Blazers sign Geoff Petrie.
The Blazers sign Geoff Petrie.
1971
The Blazers traded Jim Barnett to the San Francisco Warriors for two draft picks in the coming 1972 NBA Draft plus one in the 1973 Draft. The Blazers would use the picks to draft Charlie Yelverton and Bill Smith in the '72 Draft and Dave Twardzik in the '73 draft.
Barnett, selected in the Expansion draft off the San Diego Rockets roster, began his NBA career when the Boston Celtics selected him with the eighth pick overall in the 1966 NBA draft. Barnett had his best statistical season in his 5 years in the NBA with Portland, scoring at an 18.5 clip, grabbed 4.8 rebounds and passed for 4.1 assists in 78 games. All were career-high numbers with the exception of the assists where he passed for 4.2 with San Diego. Barnett would play for 3 seasons with the Warriors before being selected by the expansion New Orleans Jazz where he played for 45 games before being traded to the New York Knicks, and the Philadelphia 76ers where he retired after the 1976/77 regular season.
Barnett played alongside many of the NBA Hall of Famers, including Warriors stars Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond, as well as Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Pete Maravich and Julius Erving. Nicknamed "Crazy Horse", Barnett averaged 11.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 732 games.
To listen to Jim talk about the early days of the Blazers click this link ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imJf_ruCYnA To hear Jim talk about playing for the Warriors click this link ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imJf_ruCYnA |
1974
A double-dose today of what happened on this day as the Blazers won the coin-flip with the Philadelphia 76ers for the right to draft Bill Walton. It is the fourth straight year that the Blazers were involved with a coin flip, and the second straight year that Philadelphia was involved.
Walton, the center who led the UCLA Bruins to two NCAA Championship in 1972 over Florida State and again in 1973 with an 87–66 win over Memphis State in which Walton made 21 of 22 field goal attempts and scored 44 points. |
The Bruins lost to North Carolina State 80–77 in double overtime in the NCAA semi-finals in 1974 despite Walton playing 50 minutes, scoring 29 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and 4 assists in the loss. The UCLA–North Carolina State game was no. 13 on USA Today's list of the greatest NCAA tournament games of all time. Walton called the game the most disappointing outcome of his entire basketball career, as UCLA had a 5-point lead late in regulation and a 7-point lead in the 2nd overtime, before NC State with David Thompson rallied to win, 80–77.
Walton was drafted by the American Basketball Association's Dallas Chaparrals in the 1973 ABA draft as an underclassman in an attempt to lure him from UCLA. In the locker room after the 1973 Championship game, Coach Wooden introduced Walton to representatives of the ABA, who hoped to convince him to turn pro. “Of which I had no interest in doing,” Walton said. In 1974, the ABA's San Diego Conquistadors tried to persuade Walton to sign with them, after drafting him in the 1974 ABA draft. San Diego had also signed Wilt Chamberlain as a player-coach as further incentive. Walton was not swayed.
The Blazers selected Walton on May 28, 1974
Walton was drafted by the American Basketball Association's Dallas Chaparrals in the 1973 ABA draft as an underclassman in an attempt to lure him from UCLA. In the locker room after the 1973 Championship game, Coach Wooden introduced Walton to representatives of the ABA, who hoped to convince him to turn pro. “Of which I had no interest in doing,” Walton said. In 1974, the ABA's San Diego Conquistadors tried to persuade Walton to sign with them, after drafting him in the 1974 ABA draft. San Diego had also signed Wilt Chamberlain as a player-coach as further incentive. Walton was not swayed.
The Blazers selected Walton on May 28, 1974
Later in the day, the Blazers and the Warriors played their final games of the 1973/74 season, and Larry Steele stole the ball 3 times to give him a total of 217 for the season and a 2.7 average. Steele became the first Blazer to lead the NBA in a category. Steals and Blocked Shots were kept officially for the first time this season. Steele was ranked 5th, 6th, and 12th over the next three seasons and finished his career with 846 total steals in the 7 years they were kept. He is currently ranked 5th overall in Blazer history with no active Blazer in the Top-10.
2011
Gerald Wallace scores 40 points in the Portland Trail Blazers 99-90 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Acquired from the Charlotte Bobcats midway through the 2010/11 season for two future 1st round picks (2011 and 2014) 1st, Wallace played a total 65 games for the Blazers and averaged 14.2 and 7 rebounds for Portland.
Wallace was traded to the New Jersey/ Brooklyn Nets Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams and the Nets 1st round pick in the 2012 NBA draft. The Blazers selected Damian Lillard with the pick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY8obSN0Z3o
Gerald Wallace scores 40 points in the Portland Trail Blazers 99-90 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Acquired from the Charlotte Bobcats midway through the 2010/11 season for two future 1st round picks (2011 and 2014) 1st, Wallace played a total 65 games for the Blazers and averaged 14.2 and 7 rebounds for Portland.
Wallace was traded to the New Jersey/ Brooklyn Nets Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams and the Nets 1st round pick in the 2012 NBA draft. The Blazers selected Damian Lillard with the pick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY8obSN0Z3o
2018
Damian Lillard couldn't get out of New Orleans fast enough. The Pelicans could only wish the Portland All-Star had been in even more of hurry. Lillard scored 20 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Trail Blazers to a 107-103 victory on Tuesday night, then booked a flight straight home in hopes of arriving in time for the birth of his first child. Lillard, who's been expecting a son, said he found out when he got back to the locker room after the game that his girlfriend had gone into labor. He said the message was along the lines of: "Get home." He said he'd head straight to the hospital as soon as he landed. "I'm excited. I've been waiting," Lillard said.
He'd stuck with his team as long as he could because the Blazers are in a tight playoff race, and the two teams closest behind them in the standings -- Oklahoma City and New Orleans -- are the past two they've played. They beat both to strengthen their hold on third place, moving 2 1/2 games ahead of the Thunder and 3 1/2 ahead of New Orleans with eight games left. "We knew that these two were really, really big and I'm just happy I'm going to be able to get on that plane knowing we got these first two" of the current three-game road trip, Lillard said.
Portland coach Terry Stotts said he planned to rest Lillard to start the fourth quarter, when the Pelicans led by four. Lillard asked to stay in the game, and made Stotts look smart for acquiescing. "We were just fighting, fighting, fighting, and I was like, `Man, we've got to roll. I don't want to come out," Lillard said. "I don't want the game to change, you know, them go on a run. I don't want anything to be out of my control and me not being able to have an impact on whatever happens."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DC4BnwIFj0
Damian Lillard couldn't get out of New Orleans fast enough. The Pelicans could only wish the Portland All-Star had been in even more of hurry. Lillard scored 20 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Trail Blazers to a 107-103 victory on Tuesday night, then booked a flight straight home in hopes of arriving in time for the birth of his first child. Lillard, who's been expecting a son, said he found out when he got back to the locker room after the game that his girlfriend had gone into labor. He said the message was along the lines of: "Get home." He said he'd head straight to the hospital as soon as he landed. "I'm excited. I've been waiting," Lillard said.
He'd stuck with his team as long as he could because the Blazers are in a tight playoff race, and the two teams closest behind them in the standings -- Oklahoma City and New Orleans -- are the past two they've played. They beat both to strengthen their hold on third place, moving 2 1/2 games ahead of the Thunder and 3 1/2 ahead of New Orleans with eight games left. "We knew that these two were really, really big and I'm just happy I'm going to be able to get on that plane knowing we got these first two" of the current three-game road trip, Lillard said.
Portland coach Terry Stotts said he planned to rest Lillard to start the fourth quarter, when the Pelicans led by four. Lillard asked to stay in the game, and made Stotts look smart for acquiescing. "We were just fighting, fighting, fighting, and I was like, `Man, we've got to roll. I don't want to come out," Lillard said. "I don't want the game to change, you know, them go on a run. I don't want anything to be out of my control and me not being able to have an impact on whatever happens."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DC4BnwIFj0
March 28
1995
Steve George, the man that Houston Rocket Vernon Maxwell that punched on Feb 5, filed a suit for 4.5M
Steve George, the man that Houston Rocket Vernon Maxwell that punched on Feb 5, filed a suit for 4.5M
Portland dropped its first road game since Feb. 5 in Detroit, snapping a seven-game run that tied for the third-longest road winning streak in team history. The only two longer road winning streaks occurred during the 1990-91 season, when the Trail Blazers won a team-record nine straight games from March 20-April 10, 1991, and eight in a row from Nov. 3-Dec. 8, 1990.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU08FlREFFg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU08FlREFFg
March 29
1971
The Blazers drafted UCLA Bruin Sidney Wicks with the 2nd pick in the 1971 NBA Draft. Wicks was thought to be the consensus #1 pick and experts expected the Cleveland Cavaliers to draft him. The Cavs instead chose Austin Carr from Notre Dame and the Blazers pounced on Wicks.
What wasn't known at the time was that the Blazers got creative and ended up with the #1 pick in the draft even though they had the #2 pick. How? Everybody knew the Cavs were going to take UCLA superstar (3 x NCAA champ) Sidney Wicks with the first pick (which was decided by a coin-flip) so the Blazers made the Cavs an offer they couldn’t refuse: they paid them $250,000 to select Austin Carr instead of Wicks. Cleveland being Cleveland took the deal, the Blazers selected Wicks and then watched him become an All-Star and lead the team in scoring (22 points and 10 boards a game) on his way to a Rookie of the Year award.
Four players selected in this draft played for Portland besides Wicks. Larry Steele played 9 years before retiring in 1980 due to injuries. His number 15 was retired in 1981. Charlie Yelverton played only 1 season with Portland before playing overseas. Bill Smith, the Blazers first 7' player was only able to play 30 games over 2 seasons due to a knee injury.
The Blazers drafted UCLA Bruin Sidney Wicks with the 2nd pick in the 1971 NBA Draft. Wicks was thought to be the consensus #1 pick and experts expected the Cleveland Cavaliers to draft him. The Cavs instead chose Austin Carr from Notre Dame and the Blazers pounced on Wicks.
What wasn't known at the time was that the Blazers got creative and ended up with the #1 pick in the draft even though they had the #2 pick. How? Everybody knew the Cavs were going to take UCLA superstar (3 x NCAA champ) Sidney Wicks with the first pick (which was decided by a coin-flip) so the Blazers made the Cavs an offer they couldn’t refuse: they paid them $250,000 to select Austin Carr instead of Wicks. Cleveland being Cleveland took the deal, the Blazers selected Wicks and then watched him become an All-Star and lead the team in scoring (22 points and 10 boards a game) on his way to a Rookie of the Year award.
Four players selected in this draft played for Portland besides Wicks. Larry Steele played 9 years before retiring in 1980 due to injuries. His number 15 was retired in 1981. Charlie Yelverton played only 1 season with Portland before playing overseas. Bill Smith, the Blazers first 7' player was only able to play 30 games over 2 seasons due to a knee injury.
1981
Billy Ray Bates scores a career-high 40 points in the final game of the 1980/81 season, a 144-129 victory over the San Diego Clippers. Bates, who started in place of Jim Paxson, connected on both 3-point attempts and is ready to return to the bench for the playoff series vs Kansas City Kings. The win is the Blazers 45th for the season, the 3rd most wins for the team at the time. |
1984
Portland Trail Blazers coach Jack Ramsay records his 700th victory with a 120-113 defeat of the Kansas City / Sacramento Kings. Ramsay spent 10 years coaching the Blazers, winning 453 games during that time. Ramsay also coached 4 seasons each for the Philadelphia 76ers and #BuffaloBraves before coming to Portland. He finished his coaching career, doing 3 seasons for the Indiana Pacers. When he retired in 1989 he had 864 wins, ranking 2nd All-Time. At the time of this date, Ramsay was only the 2nd coach in NBA History to get to 700. He now stands in 14th place with 9 coaches having recorded over 1000 wins.
Portland Trail Blazers coach Jack Ramsay records his 700th victory with a 120-113 defeat of the Kansas City / Sacramento Kings. Ramsay spent 10 years coaching the Blazers, winning 453 games during that time. Ramsay also coached 4 seasons each for the Philadelphia 76ers and #BuffaloBraves before coming to Portland. He finished his coaching career, doing 3 seasons for the Indiana Pacers. When he retired in 1989 he had 864 wins, ranking 2nd All-Time. At the time of this date, Ramsay was only the 2nd coach in NBA History to get to 700. He now stands in 14th place with 9 coaches having recorded over 1000 wins.
2007
In what proved to be his last game as a Blazer, Zach Randolph scored a career-high 43 points in the Blazers 96-92 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. It is the highest point total by a Blazer since Clyde Drexler scored 43 against the Lakers on April 21, 1989.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fri6Kzv7WZ8
Randolph had injured his hand three games previous and had been playing with a protective wrap. The day after this game, Randolph showed for practice and was sent to see a specialist for X-rays, which revealed ligament damage and bone fragments and surgery was called for, forcing him to miss the last 10 games.
After the season, Randolph was traded with Dan Dickau and Fred Jones to the New York Knicks for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. Randolph played 6 seasons with the Blazers and scored 6,202 points and grabbed 2,985 rebounds in 387 games, averaging 16 points and 7.7 rebounds. He was selected as the NBA Most Improved Player in the 2003/04 season when he averaged 20.1 points and 10.5 rebounds after averaging 8.4 and 4.5 respectively the year before. For his career, Randolph is ranked 38th all-time with 10,208 rebounds. He played 17 seasons total with Portland, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings and scored 18,578 points.
In what proved to be his last game as a Blazer, Zach Randolph scored a career-high 43 points in the Blazers 96-92 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. It is the highest point total by a Blazer since Clyde Drexler scored 43 against the Lakers on April 21, 1989.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fri6Kzv7WZ8
Randolph had injured his hand three games previous and had been playing with a protective wrap. The day after this game, Randolph showed for practice and was sent to see a specialist for X-rays, which revealed ligament damage and bone fragments and surgery was called for, forcing him to miss the last 10 games.
After the season, Randolph was traded with Dan Dickau and Fred Jones to the New York Knicks for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. Randolph played 6 seasons with the Blazers and scored 6,202 points and grabbed 2,985 rebounds in 387 games, averaging 16 points and 7.7 rebounds. He was selected as the NBA Most Improved Player in the 2003/04 season when he averaged 20.1 points and 10.5 rebounds after averaging 8.4 and 4.5 respectively the year before. For his career, Randolph is ranked 38th all-time with 10,208 rebounds. He played 17 seasons total with Portland, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings and scored 18,578 points.
Kevin Pritchard is named the newest GM for the Blazers. replacing Steve Paterson.
March 30
Happy Birthday to former Blazer LaRue Martin
1996
Rod Strickland tied his career-high with 20 assists as the Blazers beat the Rockets in Houston, 109-94. It ties the club record set by Strickland in 1994.
Strickland passed for 20 assists three times in his career, twice with Portland (1994 and 1996) and once with the Washington Wizards (1998)
Rod Strickland, getting last-second help from an unlikely source, of a rarely seen form, matched his career high with 20 assists Saturday as the Trail Blazers bopped beat the Houston Rockets' B team 109-94. Buck Williams took a nonchalant pass from Strickland and just as calmly tossed in an uncontested three-pointer from the corner with 0.9 seconds left. It was Williams' first three-pointer of the season and only his fourth in 24 career attempts. That comet of a shot turned Portland's postgame locker room into a stage for would-be comedians.
``Buck shoots too much,'' Strickland dead-panned. ``Instead of letting the 24-second clock expire, I thought I'd work on my threes,'' Williams explained, waiting for a laugh. ``I've been watching Cliff (Robinson) shoot them all year long, you know. Now I've just got to convince P.J. (Carlesimo) to run that play for me. ``But don't write too much about this. I don't want the rest of the league to know I can make that shot.'' Strickland's other 20-assist game came in a 135-113 win over visiting Phoenix on April 5, 1994. His previous season high of 18 came in a 114-110 overtime win at Boston on Jan. 27
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWzWojHS0rY
https://bellyupsports.com/2020/02/remembering-rod-strickland-time-with-the-blazers/
Rod Strickland tied his career-high with 20 assists as the Blazers beat the Rockets in Houston, 109-94. It ties the club record set by Strickland in 1994.
Strickland passed for 20 assists three times in his career, twice with Portland (1994 and 1996) and once with the Washington Wizards (1998)
Rod Strickland, getting last-second help from an unlikely source, of a rarely seen form, matched his career high with 20 assists Saturday as the Trail Blazers bopped beat the Houston Rockets' B team 109-94. Buck Williams took a nonchalant pass from Strickland and just as calmly tossed in an uncontested three-pointer from the corner with 0.9 seconds left. It was Williams' first three-pointer of the season and only his fourth in 24 career attempts. That comet of a shot turned Portland's postgame locker room into a stage for would-be comedians.
``Buck shoots too much,'' Strickland dead-panned. ``Instead of letting the 24-second clock expire, I thought I'd work on my threes,'' Williams explained, waiting for a laugh. ``I've been watching Cliff (Robinson) shoot them all year long, you know. Now I've just got to convince P.J. (Carlesimo) to run that play for me. ``But don't write too much about this. I don't want the rest of the league to know I can make that shot.'' Strickland's other 20-assist game came in a 135-113 win over visiting Phoenix on April 5, 1994. His previous season high of 18 came in a 114-110 overtime win at Boston on Jan. 27
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWzWojHS0rY
https://bellyupsports.com/2020/02/remembering-rod-strickland-time-with-the-blazers/
March 31
1996
Buck Williams entered the game with the Dallas Mavericks with 15,999 points in his career. When he hit his first basket early in the second quarter, he became only the 8th player in NBA History to record 16,000 points and 12,000 rebounds. Buck joined the Blazers in 1989 after a trade with the New Jersey Nets and made his presence known right away. The Blazers started a 3-year run of making the Western Conference Finals in 1990, 91, and 92. Twice the Blazers made it to the NBA Finals as Buck averaged 12 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. |
Buck played in Portland for 7 seasons before signing as a Free Agent with the New York Knicks in 1996. He played 1 1/2 seasons with the Knicks before retiring midway thru the 1997/98 season. When he retired, Buck had moved up to over 16,000 points and 13,000 rebounds, making him only the 7th players to do so. The 7 payers at the time were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, Robert Parish, Walt Bellamy, and Bob Pettit. As of the end of the 2024 season, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O'Neal have all joined the select group.
1999
The @trailblazers won a club record 15th game in a single month, defeating @SacramentoKings . The #Blazers, 15-3 for the month, had won 13 games on 3 previous occasions.
The @trailblazers won a club record 15th game in a single month, defeating @SacramentoKings . The #Blazers, 15-3 for the month, had won 13 games on 3 previous occasions.