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Birth Of The Trail Blazers Name
On February 24, 1970, just two weeks after Portland was granted an expansion franchise by the National Basketball Association, Harry Glickman, then executive vice president of the club, announced a public “name the team” contest. A panel of judges was selected. Harry said he no longer is able to recall names of everyone on the panel but remembers Doug Baker, a popular daily columnist of The Oregon Journal, as one of its members.
The public was invited to mail their entries to the team’s offices, then located in a downtown storefront location on S.W. Yamhill between 5th and 6th Avenues. Harry said there were boxes and boxes of entries mailed in. “There had to be 10,000,” he remembers. The most popular of the entries was “Pioneers” but the new franchise had said at the beginning of the contest team nicknames of any Northwest colleges or universities would be ruled out. Portland’s Lewis & Clark College had already claimed the Pioneers nickname.
Former Players List | 1970-71: Rookie Sensation Paces Trail Blazers In Scoring | 1971-72: Wicks Named Rookie Of The Year, But Trail Blazers Stumble As A Team | 1972-74: The McCloskey Era Begins | 1974-76: Here Comes "Big Bill" | 1976-77: From Near-Worst To First | 1977-78: Portland's Bid To Repeat Falls Short | 1978-83: Trail Blazers Make Early Playoff Exits | 1983-85: Clyde Glides Into Town | 1985-86: Ramsay's Magic Act Comes To An End | 1986-88: Schuler Enjoys Immediate Success | 1988-89: A New Owner, A New Coach, But A Losing Record | 1989-90: "Rip City" | 1990-91: Trail Blazers Bomb Away, Break Lakers Dominance | 1991-92: A Return Trip To The Finals | 1992-93: Drexler Moves On, Robinson Stars | 1993-94: A Team In Transition | 1994-95: The End Of Two Eras In Portland | 1995-96: "Rookie" Trail Blazer Blooms in Rose Garden | 1996-97: New Trio Sparks Improved Trail Blazers | 1997-98: Youngsters Blaze Winning Trail | 1998-99: The Big Breakthrough | 1999-2000: Trail Blazers Endure Frustrating Season | 2000-01: Trail Blazers Run Stalls in Playoffs | 2001-02: Cheeks in Charge | 2002-03: Pippen Takes the Helm | 2003-04: Randolph 'Most Improved.' Trail Blazers Must Improve | 2004-05: Trail Blazers Honor "Clyde the Glide"
1970-71: Rookie Sensation Paces Blazers In ScoringThe team was built around first-round draft pick Geoff Petrie, a 6-4 shooter out of Princeton, and around rebounding specialist LeRoy Ellis, a 6-10 banger picked up from the Baltimore Bullets in the expansion draft.
Coached by Rolland Todd, who had been plucked from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, the original Trail Blazers were more than respectable as an expansion squad. The dominant NBA team at the time was the Milwaukee Bucks, with superstars Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor). Portland rang up a 29-53 record, the best of the expansion outfits. By comparison, Buffalo was 22-60, and Cleveland struggled at 15-67. Although the Trail Blazers' .354 winning percentage may not have looked great, it would be four more seasons before they'd be as successful as they were during their maiden voyage. It was hardly surprising that the fledgling squad recorded five losing months. Still, this was not entirely discouraging, and the Trail Blazers managed to end their initial season on a high note with a 6-6 record in March. There were a few standout individual performances by that first Trail Blazers group. In an early-season game at Buffalo, Ellis grabbed 26 rebounds, a team record for a regulation-length game that still stood two decades later. (It was matched by Bill Walton and topped only by Sidney Wicks's double-overtime 27-rebound performance in a 1975 contest.) Ellis's effort was no fluke; a few weeks later he corralled a dozen rebounds in a single quarter against the New York Knicks. Barnett set another Portland mark that would stand the test of time, hitting 16 of 16 free throws against the Atlanta Hawks on November 18. Although there were occasional triumphs, repeated disappointments put a damper on the team's inaugural season. On November 24, for example, the young squad was pummeled by Baltimore for a 52-point loss. Petrie was an immediate star as a rookie, leading the team in minutes played and in most other offensive categories. He averaged 24.8 points, seventh in the league, and set the franchise mark for free throws made in a game with 18 on March 19 against the Seattle SuperSonics. Petrie's performance earned him a share of the NBA Rookie of the Year Award with Dave Cowens of the Boston Celtics.
1971-72: Wicks Named Rookie Of The Year, But Trail Blazers Stumble As A TeamAfter an encouraging first year the novelty and enthusiasm wore off, and the Trail Blazers stumbled to an 18-64 record in 1971-72. Coach Todd was released after 56 games, and Stu Inman took the helm for the season's final 26 contests. In a mostly forgettable campaign, there were a few moments to remember. One came on November 19 when team captain Rick Adelman dished out 17 assists against Cleveland, a Portland mark that would last until the late 1980s.The entire Trail Blazers team lit up on March 18, 1972, when Portland pounded the New York Knicks (who were on their way to the NBA Finals), 133-86. The 47-point margin of victory would hold up for a decade as a team record. Rookie Sidney Wicks, a fierce 6-9, 225-pound forward out of UCLA, was the second straight sterling draft pick for the Trail Blazers, and he succeeded teammate Petrie as NBA Rookie of the Year in 1972. His 24.5 points per game average was nearly as prolific as Petrie's numbers had been in 1970, and the duo would continue to power Portland's point production throughout the early 1970s.
1972-74: The McCloskey Era BeginsIn 1972-73 Jack McCloskey of Wake Forest was brought in as head coach and coaxed steady, if slight, improvement out of the team. The Trail Blazers showed modest progress, finishing three games better than the previous season at 21-61. Petrie scored a team-record 51 points twice against the Houston Rockets-in Houston on January 20 and at home on March 16. On February 8 against the Golden State Warriors he poured in 20 field goals. Wicks was the Trail Blazers' most solid performer, however, and made his first and only start in four All-Star Game appearances.The 1973-74 season was another struggle, as Portland posted a 27-55 record. The team started out on a positive note with a 5-4 mark in October, the first winning month in franchise history. (It would be more than a year before the Blazers would have another.) Unfortunately, most of the highlights of Trail Blazers games belonged to the opponents. Teams routinely beat up on Portland, and a couple of players fattened up their numbers with especially rude treatment. On October 28 the Lakers' Elmore Smith blocked 17 shots against Portland to set the all-time NBA record. And on March 26, Golden State's Rick Barry rang up a career-high 64 points-including 30 field goals-a record for opponent productivity against Portland. Coach McCloskey was let go at season's end.
1974-76: Here Comes "Big Bill"
In the season's home opener Portland defeated Cleveland, 131-129, in four overtime periods to set a record for the longest game in team history. On November 16 against the Lakers, the aptly named Larry Steele, a slender 6-5 guard, rang up 10 steals, a club record that would last a dozen years until Clyde Drexler matched it in 1986. In a February 26 double-overtime game at Los Angeles, Sidney Wicks pulled down a team-record 27 rebounds. The durable power forward played all 82 games and led the squad in scoring (21.7 ppg) and rebounding (10.7 rpg). Although the Trail Blazers were up and down all year, they ended strong, with a 9-7 record in March and a 3-0 mark in April. After the dramatic improvement shown in the previous season, the 1975-76 Trail Blazers ran in place, finishing at 37-45. Walton began to cash in some of his promise. Although hampered by injuries, the 6-11 center had moments of spectacular greatness. In late January, Walton dominated on the boards: on January 24 he grabbed a club-record 22 defensive rebounds at Golden State, and only three days later he hauled in 20 defensive boards against the Washington Bullets. Portland had acquired rookie Lionel Hollins with the team's first-round draft pick in 1975. Hollins, a heady 6-3 guard, gave the team four solid years of leadership and clutch scoring before he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1979-80 season. Still, the Trail Blazers were uneven, and their 1975-76 season bottomed out in February when the Chicago Bulls handed Portland its worst loss in franchise history, a 56-point pasting, 130-74. Coach Wilkens departed at season's end and moved on to Seattle, where he would rebuild another struggling team and eventually win a championship in 1978-79.
1976-77: From Near-Worst To First
This was the first year of Head Coach Jack Ramsay's reign. His decade with Portland would solidify his reputation as one of the league's most creative skippers. This was also the season that four former ABA teams-the Denver Nuggets, the New York Nets, the Indiana Pacers, and the San Antonio Spurs-were brought into the NBA under a merger agreement. The merger, in turn, led to a tremendous reshuffling of star players, and Portland acquired an enforcer, 6-9 Maurice Lucas, with the second pick in the ABA Dispersal Draft. But Lucas didn't come without a price. The Trail Blazers had to give up Geoff Petrie and Steve Hawes to Atlanta for the No. 2 pick. More shuffling went on when Portland sold Sidney Wicks to Boston. With a revamped lineup and a cast of young players who were quickly gaining confidence, the team was very strong through the first half of the season. Walton and Lucas represented Portland in the 1977 NBA All-Star Game, although Walton missed the game with an injury. But the long campaign eventually took its toll, and the Trail Blazers faltered in February and March, tottering to a 10-16 record during those two months. They turned it around at the right time, however, with a 5-0 mark in April that catapulted them back into the playoff picture. The fan phenomenon known as Blazermania was beginning to catch fire, too. On April 5 there were still a few tickets available in Memorial Coliseum when Portland played the Detroit Pistons before 12,359 fans. That was the last day a fan could just walk up and buy a ticket. From that point on, and continuing into the mid-1990s, every Portland home game was a sellout. Capacity was 12,666 through 1988, when it was expanded to 12,854 and then eventually 12,888.
Portland entered the NBA Finals as the underdog to the Philadelphia 76ers, led by Julius Erving, the spectacular forward who was reinventing the game with his gravity-defying slam dunks. The Sixers put the Trail Blazers in a hole by taking Games 1 and 2 in Philadelphia. Back home at Memorial Coliseum, however, Portland thrashed the 76ers by 22 points in Game 3 and by 32 points in Game 4. The Trail Blazers then won a third straight game by beating the Sixers back in Philadelphia. Game 6 took place on June 5 in Memorial Coliseum. The Sixers got 40 points from Erving, but the Trail Blazers closed them out, 109-107, to claim the NBA title. Walton scored 20 points, yanked down 23 rebounds, handed out 7 assists, and blocked 8 shots in Game 6, and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Finals. Walton was the star and the most recognizable of the Trail Blazers, with his flamboyant personality, his counterculture leanings (which fit in with the general ambience of mid-1970s Portland), and his intense, intelligent style of play. But the Trail Blazers' victory was the triumph of a well-balanced team over a collection of more brilliant individual talents. This was in line with the trend of the decade, which had also seen the Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, and Warriors win titles on the basis of cohesion rather than individual dominance. Lucas led the Trail Blazers in minutes played and scoring, averaging 20.2 points. Dave Twardzik, a 6-1 guard, set a club record for field-goal percentage, notching a .612 accuracy mark. Walton set the team record for rebounding, clearing 14.4 boards per game. He also set a Portland all-time mark for blocked shots with 3.25 per game. Second-year point guard Lionel Hollins ran the show, leading the team in both assists (4.1 apg) and steals (166).
1977-78: Portland's Bid To Repeat Falls Short
Hollins topped the club in most offensive categories, while Walton led in rebounds and blocked shots. Reaping the rewards of attention brought on by the previous year's championship, a number of Trail Blazers earned honors. The biggest prize went to Walton, who was voted the NBA Most Valuable Player, the only Portland player ever to garner the top individual award. Walton was an All-NBA First Team selection, while Lucas made the All-NBA Second Team. Walton, Lucas, and Hollins were All-Stars, and all three made the NBA All-Defensive First Team. The Trail Blazers held opponents to an NBA-best and club-record 101.5 points per game.
1978-83: Trail Blazers Make Early Playoff ExitsBy the third year of Jack Ramsay's coaching stint, Portland had established a pattern that would last through the 1980s: a roster filled with good-if unspectacular-role players, producing solid seasons with at least 40 victories, followed by a quiet showing in the playoffs. The 1978-79 squad went 45-37, a 13-game drop from the previous season.Coming off his MVP year, Walton missed the entire 1978-79 campaign with a stress fracture in his foot, a portent of the physical problems that would plague him for the rest of his career. He became a free agent after the season and was signed by the San Diego Clippers. Tom Owens, a 6-10 center acquired from Houston, led the team in minutes played, scored 18.5 points per game, and excelled in most other offensive categories. Rookie Mychal Thompson, another 6-10 center with both power and finesse, was a productive force, notching 14.7 points per game. Fellow rookie Ron Brewer also showed talent, but the Trail Blazers were already in transition. Portland continued its downward spiral in 1979-80, notching only 38 victories, a 20-game descent from two years earlier. Owens led the team in scoring with an average of 16.4 points per game, the second-lowest team-leading mark in the Trail Blazers' history. Solid 6-8 forward Kermit Washington was the team's force in the middle, pacing the squad in blocked shots (131) and rebounds (10.5 rpg). The brightest spot was the play of Calvin Natt, acquired from the New Jersey Nets in a trade for Maurice Lucas. Natt played the season's final 25 games with Portland and averaged 20.4 points as a Trail Blazer. The Trail Blazers entered the 1980s with a team built around center Mychal Thompson and guard Jim Paxson, the club's 1979 first-round draft pick. Portland posted a 45-37 record in 1980-81 and appeared to be headed in the right direction, but the season had its bumpy patches. The rockiest night came on February 13 when Denver rang up a 162-143 victory and set a record for most points ever scored against Portland. It was a fair payback, since two of the Trail Blazers' highest point totals had come against the Nuggets. The 1981-82 Trail Blazers barely managed a winning campaign, at 42-40, and missed the playoffs to snap a five-year string of postseason appearances. Thompson was a workhorse, setting a team record for minutes played with an average of 39.6 minutes per game. He also led in scoring (20.8 ppg) and rebounding (11.7 rpg). Natt emerged as a solid player, leading the Trail Blazers in field-goal percentage (.576) for the first of three consecutive seasons. The 1982-83 Trail Blazers fought their way to a 46-36 record and battled into the Western Conference Semifinals. The season's highlight came early, when Portland put the collar on Cleveland on November 21, trouncing the Cavaliers, 129-79. The 50-point margin of victory was Portland's largest ever. Captain Jim Paxson led the team in scoring at 21.7 points per game. Natt chipped in 20.4 points per contest. The multitalented Lafayette "Fat" Lever came aboard to run the show at point guard.
1983-85: Clyde Glides Into Town
The team's greatest achievement may have come before the season even started, when Portland selected the University of Houston's Clyde Drexler with the 14th overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft. Drexler had a modest rookie season (7.7 ppg), but he would go on to become a perennial All-Star, a Dream Teamer, and the driving force behind the Trail Blazers' two NBA Finals appearances in the early 1990s-not to mention becoming Portland's all-time leading scorer. Fan support in Portland remained consistent. On March 3 the Trail Blazers sold out their 300th consecutive game. They advanced to the 1984 NBA Playoffs but lost to the Phoenix Suns in a five-game first-round series. Portland struggled to keep its head above water in 1984-85, finally managing a 42-40 record. Despite its modest performance, the team was beginning to assemble the pieces that would turn into a monster over the next several years. Before the season started, the front office worked a trade with Denver that initially stunned many Trail Blazers fans. Portland surrendered Calvin Natt, Wayne Cooper, Fat Lever, and a first-round draft pick (which turned out to be Blair Rasmussen), all for 6-8 marksman Kiki Vandeweghe. Vandeweghe led the team in scoring for the first of three consecutive seasons, with 22.4 points per game. He also set a team record for free-throw accuracy at .896. Also on the roster was Drexler, the smooth second-year guard who improved to 17.2 points per game and would eventually succeed Vandeweghe as the Trail Blazers' scoring leader. Far more than just a scorer, Drexler led the 1984-85 team in offensive rebounding (217) and steals (177). Rookie center Sam Bowie, whom the Trail Blazers selected with the second overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft (one pick before the Chicago Bulls selected Michael Jordan), also showed some skills in the middle, although his career, like Bill Walton's, would be riddled with injuries.
1985-86: Ramsay's Magic Act Comes To An EndBy 1985-86 all the coaching magic in Jack Ramsay's bag of tricks had worn off, and the team slumped to 40-42, finishing below .500 for the first time since 1980. After a 10-year reign, Ramsay was replaced at the end of the season, having won 453 games with the Trail Blazers. He would go on to coach the next two-plus seasons with the Indiana Pacers before resigning, and retiring, seven games into the 1988-89 campaign. Ramsay left the NBA's coaching ranks with 864 career victories in 21 seasons. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.Ramsay's last year had its share of highlights. In a January 10 game at Milwaukee, Drexler nailed the Bucks for 10 steals, matching Larry Steele's club mark set in 1974. Three weeks later, on February 1, Portland toasted the Los Angeles Clippers for 156 points, matching the Trail Blazers' all-time high, set against Denver in 1983. Following that victory, however, Portland lost 12 straight games. Drexler made his first All-Star Game appearance as the league began to recognize a star in ascendancy. On March 21 Vandeweghe matched Geoff Petrie's 1971 team record for free throws made in a game, racking up 18 charity tosses against Seattle. Vandeweghe led Portland in scoring for the year with 24.8 points per game. The club received small contributions from a rookie named Terry Porter (7.1 ppg), who would become a key building block to Portland's success in the early 1990s.
1986-88: Schuler Enjoys Immediate SuccessIn 1986-87 Mike Schuler took over the reins as head coach and guided the Trail Blazers to their best record in a decade, 49-33. At season's end Schuler was named NBA Coach of the Year.
The team was still looking for help in the middle, and Portland replaced Mychal Thompson with Steve Johnson, a big body who provided solid, if unspectacular, offense. Johnson managed to chisel his name into the record books, however, setting an ignominious club mark by averaging more than four fouls per night and fouling out of 16 games. Although Portland was missing some key ingredients, the team was an offensive juggernaut, averaging a franchise-best and league-leading 117.9 points per game. Vandeweghe and Drexler were doing most of the damage, with Vandeweghe leading the club at 26.9 points per game. The Trail Blazers advanced to the NBA Playoffs but were upset by Houston, three games to one, in a first-round series. In 1987-88 Portland began to reestablish itself as an NBA contender, running up a 53-29 mark behind emerging stars Drexler and Porter. But for the third consecutive season the Trail Blazers lost in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, this time to the Utah Jazz in a four-game series. On February 21 against San Antonio, Jim Paxson became the first Trail Blazer to top 10,000 points. On April 14 at Utah, Porter handed out 19 assists, breaking his own team mark. Drexler set a club record with 2,185 points for the season, and led the team in scoring (27.0 ppg) for the first of five consecutive seasons. Many of his baskets came via passes from Porter, who rewrote the Portland record book with 831 assists, for an all-time best average of 10.1 assists per game. Drexler scored 12 points and grabbed 5 rebounds for the West in the 1988 NBA All-Star Game.
1988-89: A New Owner, A New Coach, But A Losing Record
Portland's high expectations for 1988-89 crumbled into a disappointing 39-43 losing record that cost Coach Schuler his job in midseason. Nevertheless, there were some spectacular moments. In a double-overtime game against Sacramento on January 6, Drexler threw in 50 points, one shy of Geoff Petrie's franchise record (Petrie had hit for 51 twice in 1973). Drexler set a club-record scoring average, pouring in 27.2 points per game. Drexler also set a team steals mark with 2.73 per contest. Center Kevin Duckworth, who had been acquired from San Antonio during the 1986-87 season, proved to be the answer to the Trail Blazers' quest for a consistent force in the middle. The mammoth 7-foot, 280-pound pivotman had his best season, playing in the 1989 NBA All-Star Game and averaging 18.1 points. The whole was far less than the sum of its parts, however. Things clearly weren't clicking, and Schuler, two years removed from winning NBA Coach of the Year honors, was replaced by longtime assistant coach Rick Adelman, an original Trail Blazers player.
1989-90: "Rip City"Under Adelman, Portland finally fulfilled its promise in 1989-90 and became one of the league's elite teams, reaching the 1990 NBA Finals before losing to the Detroit Pistons' "Bad Boys," led by Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer. As the squad's high-powered offense ran to a 59-23 record, Portland became known nationwide as "Rip City."The Trail Blazers were consistently great all year long, posting winning records in each month of the season, including a 12-2 January and a 13-4 March. On December 26 Clyde Drexler gave himself a late Christmas present by scoring his 10,000th point, then surpassed Jim Paxson's total of 10,003 to become the Trail Blazers' all-time leading scorer. In the post season the Trail Blazers shredded the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio, and the Phoenix Suns on the way to the Finals against Detroit. The series opened in the Motor City, where the teams split the first two games. But the Pistons swept the next three in Portland to claim the crown. Drexler once again led Portland in scoring for the year, although the offensive load was distributed more evenly. Buck Williams, a 6-8 rebounding machine, had been acquired from New Jersey prior to the season for Sam Bowie and a first-round pick. Brought in to bolster the front line, Williams fulfilled his role, leading the Trail Blazers in rebounding (9.8 rpg) and field-goal percentage (.548). Although Terry Porter's assists average declined for the third consecutive year, he still delivered 9.1 assists per game.
1990-91: Trail Blazers Bomb Away, But Lakers Get Last Laugh
As is typical of a great team, everybody contributed. Drexler led in scoring, but his 21.5 points per game average was the lowest team-leading mark in seven years. The tireless Williams made more than 60 percent of his shots to lead the league in field-goal percentage at .602. The team also enhanced its shooting prowess and backcourt experience by trading for veteran Danny Ainge prior to the season. Porter and Ainge ranked among the league's top 10 in three-point field-goal percentage, and Jerome Kersey continued to be a durable and formidable performer at small forward. Drexler, Porter, and Duckworth were All-Star selections at midseason. Many figured the Trail Blazers would return to the NBA Finals and perhaps claim their second league championship in 1991. But Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers derailed Portland's title hopes with a six-game series victory in the Western Conference Finals.
1991-92: A Return Trip To The FinalsThe following year the road to the NBA Championship ran through Portland. The Trail Blazers notched 57 regular-season victories during the 1991-92 campaign to lead the Western Conference for the second straight year. Portland then clawed its way into the NBA Finals for a battle against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
In the playoffs, Portland trounced the Lakers, Suns, and Jazz. On April 29 at Los Angeles, Drexler scored a club playoff-high 42 points. In Game 4 of the Phoenix series on May 11, the team racked up a team playoff-record 153 points in a double-overtime affair. A week after that, in Game 2 against Utah on May 19, Porter poured in 41 points. That set up a blockbuster matchup with defending champion Chicago in the NBA Finals. The teams split the first two contests in Chicago, with Portland winning an overtime bout in Game 2. The Bulls then took two of the three games on the Trail Blazers' home court. One of those games saw Jordan torch the Trail Blazers for 46 points, which at the time was the sixth-highest total ever scored in a Finals contest. The Bulls closed out the Trail Blazers in Game 6 in Chicago.
1992-93: Drexler Shines, Robinson StarsAfter three seasons as one of the NBA's elite teams, the Trail Blazers slipped in 1992-93. An aging cast of players made the decline inevitable, and the Trail Blazers' record dipped to 51-31, trailing Seattle and Phoenix in the Pacific Division. The team played well through the first half of the season but hit the wall in late winter. Portland slumped to a 4-7 mark in February, the team's first losing month in four years. The Trail Blazers returned to the playoffs but lost to San Antonio in the first round.On November 14 at Golden State, Terry Porter had the most prolific scoring quarter in Portland history, throwing in 25 points in a single period. He also set a Trail Blazers record by hitting 7 three-pointers on perfect 7-for-7 shooting. (He would also hit 7 treys just six weeks later, on January 2 against Utah.) In April, Porter passed the 10,000-point mark and moved into second place on Portland's all-time scoring list. Ten days after Porter's November binge, Clyde Drexler surpassed the 15,000-point plateau. Drexler missed 33 games, however, and forward Jerome Kersey missed 17 because of injury. Drexler, limited to 49 games, led the Trail Blazers in scoring, averaging 19.9 points. The team's brightest spot was Cliff Robinson, who began to establish himself as a legitimate NBA player. He scored 19.1 points per game and ranked among the league leaders in blocked shots. His performance earned him the NBA Sixth Man Award. By the end of the season Drexler had become Portland's all-time leader in nearly every offensive category, including points, field goals, free throws, offensive rebounds, and steals. Drexler, Kersey, and Porter topped the all-time team list in games played. Porter was the team's career leader in assists and three-point field goals. The team also started construction on a new $262-million sports and entertainment complex adjacent to Memorial Coliseum, set to open in 1995. The arena was designed to have a basketball capacity of 20,340.
1993-94: A Team In Transition
A true indication that the team was in transformation was that Clifford Robinson (20.1 ppg) replaced Clyde Drexler as the club's scoring leader. Robinson also earned his first trip to the NBA All-Star Game. However, a team in transition is rarely a team in ascension, and the Trail Blazers slipped below 50 wins (47-35) for the first time since the 1988-89 campaign. In the playoffs they managed a single first-round win against the Houston Rockets, who went on to win the NBA title. After the playoff loss Rick Adelman (291-154 with the club) was fired and replaced by P. J. Carlesimo, who had been coaching at Seton Hall University. The 1993-94 NBA Executive of the Year, Bob Whitsitt, stepped down as general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics and moved south to join Portland's front office.
1994-95: The End Of Two Eras In PortlandThe most significant event of the Portland Trail Blazers' 1994-95 season was the departure of Clyde Drexler, who was traded on February 14 along with Tracy Murray to the Houston Rockets for Otis Thorpe. Drexler, who spent 111/2 seasons with the Trail Blazers, left the team in possession of many of its career records, including points, rebounds, games, minutes, field goals attempted and made, free throws attempted and made, and steals.The Trail Blazers finished the campaign at 44-38 and were swept by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. P. J. Carlesimo became the first NBA head coach in 25 years to move directly from college to the pros and post a winning season. However, Carlesimo's Blazers lost three more games than the team did in its last term under Rick Adelman. The Trail Blazers were the league's best rebounding team during the 1994-95 season, pacing the NBA in total rebounding percentage (.553) and defensive rebounding percentage (.735). Chris Dudley (9.3 rpg), Buck Williams (8.2 rpg), and Thorpe (8.0 rpg) were all in the league's top 25. Clifford Robinson led the team in scoring with an average of 21.3 points per contest, and Rod Strickland finished fourth in the NBA in assists with an average of 8.8 per game. The 1994-95 season was also the team's last at Memorial Coliseum. The Trail Blazers had performed in the building for 25 years, drawing more than 13 million fans and selling out the final 809 games. The team was scheduled to move to the new Rose Garden arena for 1995-96.
1995-96: "Rookie" Trail Blazer Blooms in Rose Garden
The Trail Blazers' Rose Garden debut was less than memorable, as Portland dropped a 92-80 decision to the Vancouver Grizzlies, playing in their first ever NBA game. Their fortunes would improve. After struggling to a 26-34 record through the first three quarters of the season, the Trail Blazers charged to an 18-4 finish to capture third place in the Pacific Division with a 44-38 record. That record was good enough to lift the Trail Blazers to their 14th consecutive playoff appearance and 19th in 20 years. Their late-season rally was in large part due to their largest player, 7-2 center Arvydas Sabonis. Sabonis, originally drafted by the Trail Blazers in 1986, a Lithuanian superstar who spent six years in the Spanish league, joined the Trail Blazers in 1995 as a 31-year-old rookie. Despite being limited to 23.8 minutes per game with sore knees, Sabonis averaged 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds. Clifford Robinson again led the Trail Blazers in scoring (21.1 ppg), while point guard Rod Strickland averaged 18.7 points and a team-leading 9.6 assists per game, fourth in the NBA. Strickland's season was scarred by a stormy relationship with coach P.J. Carlesimo that led to a team-imposed six-game suspension and ultimately to a postseason trade to the Washington Bullets. Sabonis, Robinson and Strickland provided an intimidating triple threat for the Utah Jazz, their first round playoff opponent. Down two games to none, the Trail Blazers bounced back to win Games 3 and 4 at the Rose Garden. Game 5 is one they would like to forget. In Utah's 102-64 win, Portland snapped the previous playoff record-low of 68 points, set by the New York Knicks on May 15, 1994, at Indiana.
1996-97: New Trio Sparks Improved Trail Blazers
The changes began in July when, in a nine-day period, the Trail Blazers acquired the three players who would lead the team to its best finish in four years. On July 15, they obtained young power forward Rasheed Wallace in a trade that sent Harvey Grant and Rod Strickland to Washington. On July 23, they shored up their backcourt by trading with Minnesota for shooting guard Isaiah Rider and signing point guard Kenny Anderson to a free agent contract. Wallace emerged as a force at power forward in only his second season, averaging 15.1 ppg and 6.8 rpg and finishing third in the NBA field goal percentage (.558). Rider was second on the team in scoring (16.1 ppg) and was the team's most accurate three-point threat (.385). All Anderson did was lead the team in scoring (17.5 ppg) and assists (7.1 apg) and finish among the NBA leaders in steals (1.98 spg). With holdovers Clifford Robinson (15.1 ppg), Arvydas Sabonis (13.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and young Gary Trent (10.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) also contributing, the Trail Blazers began to jell in midseason, embarking on an 11-game winning streak in late February that equaled the second-longest in team history. Portland won 20 of its final 25 games to enter the Western Conference playoffs as the fifth seed. In the playoffs, the Trail Blazers were cooled off by the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the best-of-5 series in four games. It was the fifth straight First Round exit for Portland, which let Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo go after three seasons at the helm. New Coach Mike Dunleavy is inheriting a team that didn't mind getting its hands dirty, allowing the fourth-lowest field goal percentage and finishing fourth in rebounds.
1997-98: Youngsters Blaze Winning TrailThere were several high highs and there were a few low lows for the 1997-98 Portland Trail Blazers, an exciting young team that won 46 games, finished fourth in the Pacific Division, and gave the Los Angeles Lakers all they could handle in the playoffs.The season marked several new arrivals in Portland. Among the notables: Head Coach Mike Dunleavy, who was signed on May 13, 1997; forward Brian Grant, a free-agent pickup; and guard Damon Stoudamire, one of the NBA's premier young point guards, acquired by Portland with Carlos Rogers and Walt Williams just prior to the NBA trading deadline.
The Trail Blazers were 13-9 with Stoudamire, but even before his arrival, Portland proved it could play with anyone. On Dec. 5, Portland destroyed the Utah Jazz, 94-77, then repeated the trick 22 days later at Utah with a 102-91 win. Oddly enough, the Trail Blazers seemed to have more trouble with Denver, the league's worst team, than they did with the NBA's elite. The Nuggets twice beat the Trail Blazers, and recorded only one other win against a playoff-caliber team all season. The other oddity in Portland's season was a 124-59 loss to Indiana, the second most-lopsided game in NBA history. Despite the occasional lapse, the Trail Blazers were a force in the Western Conference by season's end. When all was said and done, the Trail Blazers had fashioned their ninth consecutive winning season and had advanced to the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season, a streak currently surpassed only by the St. Louis Blues (22 straight appearances) among professional teams. Portland earned a first-round date with the 61-21 Los Angeles Lakers. The Trail Blazers entered the series confident but cautious. The matchup, a rematch of the 1997 first-round series, was a close one. The home team held serve in each of the first three games. In Game 4, however, Shaquille O'Neal and company quieted the Rose Garden crowd with a 110-99 win that ended Portland's season in the first round for the sixth straight year. The game was the 2,522nd game, and perhaps the last, broadcast by Blazers' 28-year veteran Bill Schonely. While the Schonely era may be ending, the Stoudamire era has Dunleavy optimistic about the Trail Blazers' future.
1998-99: The Big BreakthroughAfter six consecutive first-round exits from the playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers returned to the ranks of the Western Conference's elite teams.
The Trail Blazers were on their way to tying the San Antonio series 1-1 but were derailed by the "Memorial Day Miracle." On that play, Sean Elliott tiptoed the sideline to stay inbounds before hitting a three-pointer with nine seconds left, lifting the Spurs to an 86-85 win. San Antonio went on to sweep the series and win the NBA championship. Portland was a balanced team. The squad's leading scorer, Isaiah Rider, averaged only 13.9 points per game, mostly because the players spread the wealth. Rasheed Wallace (12.8 ppg), Damon Stoudamire (12.6), Arvydas Sabonis (12.1) and Brian Grant (11.5) also averaged double figures in scoring, and Walt Williams, Jim Jackson and Greg Anthony were regular contributors. Nine different players led the team in nine different statistical categories. Grant was among the league leaders with 9.8 rebounds per game. Portland sported an improved defense which limited opponents to 88.5 points per game, the lowest total in franchise history. The Trail Blazers also set a team record by holding the opposition to a .417 field goal percentage.
1999-2000: Trail Blazers Endure Frustrating SeasonThree losses -- two of them on the basketball court -- clouded an otherwise outstanding season for the Trail Blazers who matched their second-best finish in franchise history with 59 victories and got to within minutes of their fourth NBA Finals berth.Biggest setback came on May 5, just two days before opening the semifinals playoff series against Utah, when popular assistant coach Bill Musselman lost a six-month battle with a rare disease, primary systemic amyloidosis. Two weeks earlier, the Trail Blazers missed getting their second 60-win campaign with a one-point, 96-95 loss to Denver at home in the season’s finale. Hardest to take, however, came in the deciding game of the Western Conference Championships June 4 in The Staples Center. With the series tied at three wins each, the Trail Blazers were leading the host Lakers, 73-58, early in the fourth quarter then were outscored, 31-11 in the last 11 minutes and lost, 89-85. But a lot of good things happened before that. In posting the league’s second-best regular season record, the balanced Portland club made it to the playoffs for the 18th consecutive year and the 23rd time in 24 campaigns. The Trail Blazers posted its best road record in history, 29-12 (tied for second in the NBA) and were 21-7 against the seven other conference playoff teams. They won 10 of their first 11, had their best November in history, 13-3, and were 12-2 in February, also a record for the month. In mid-season Portland was red-hot, winning 27 of 31 games. The Trail Blazers were the best field goal shooting team in the league, 47.0%, and were the third best defensive club, giving up just 91.0 points a game. Rasheed Wallace had an all-star season, leading the team with 16.4 points a game. He ranked fifth in the league in field goal percentage, 51.7%, and made his first-ever NBA All-Star Game appearance. Scottie Pippen was name the NBA’s All-Defense second team, the 10th time on the all-defense unit including eight first team selections.
2000-01: Trail Blazers Run Stalls in Playoffs
The Trail Blazers had won 13 of their last 14 games and 17 of 20; they were a league-best 18-12 on the road. The 20-game run was fueled by a winning streak of 10 in a row that started just before Christmas and included solid road victories over the Lakers (109-104), Utah (103-102 in overtime) and Philadelphia (93-75). Rasheed Wallace tallied 33 points in the victory at the Staples Center and three nights later Damon Stoudamire put 32 on the board in the big OT win at Salt Lake City. However, things started to unravel three nights after the lopsided March 3 win over the Warriors. Portland suffered a humiliating 105-97 home court setback at the hands of the lowly Vancouver Grizzlies. That started a stretch run in which the Trail Blazers won only eight of their remaining 22 games and were 4-7 in the Rose Garden. Rather than securing home court playoff advantage, Portland finished eight games off the pace in the conference, good enough for only the seventh seed in the west. Worse, it earned them a first-round faceoff with their Pacific Division nemesis, the Los Angeles Lakers, who swept the series in three games. Rasheed Wallace led the Trail Blazers with a career-best season, averaging 19.2 points a game. His 50.1% field goal shooting mark was the 10th best in the league. The Trail Blazers won only one of their last six games after Bonzi Wells, who averaged 12.7 ppg for the season, tore a ligament in his left knee April 6 at Golden State.
2001-02: Cheeks in Charge
At that point, not only had the team lost a season-high five in a row and was in danger of tumbling into the Pacific Division basement, but league pundits were beginning to wonder out loud if this was the year the Trail Blazers’ run of 19 straight playoff appearances would come to an end. Three nights later on January 5, Rasheed Wallace scored 30 points, Portland shot 51% from the field and pounded out a 46-30 rebounding edge to defeat Philadelphia, 96-88, in the Rose Garden. That started an incredible run that turned the Trail Blazers into the hottest team in the NBA, revived Blazermania and assured Coach Cheeks that he was the right man for the job. In a span of 38 games over 11 weeks, the Trail Blazers won 30 games. That included a 12-game winning streak in February and March, the second longest in franchise history; a four-game sweep on a tough Eastern road swing (the first such sweep since 1990-91); and a six-game win streak on the road, also the second longest in club annals. Of the eight losses in the run, which extended from January 5 to March 23, five were by three points or less. Portland vaulted from five games under to 17 games over the .500 mark.
But the slow start, coupled with an 8-8 record in their final 16 games, destined the Trail Blazers to the lower part of the bracket in their 24th playoff appearance in 25 years. Portland finished with a respectable 49-33 record, just one win less than the previous year, but well behind the Sacramento, the Lakers, San Antonio and Dallas, all winners of 57 or more games in the tough Western Conference race. The Trail Blazers got the sixth seed in the West and drew the No. 3 Lakers. Results were identical to the year before---three and out.
2002-03: Pippen Takes the Helm
On December 14th, the Trail Blazers gave the city of Portland an much-needed, early Christmas celebration with an overtime win over Minnesota that ignited an 8-game winning streak and a 22-5 recorded blasting into the all-star break. The Trail Blazers torched the league and rekindled Blazer Mania. During this stretch Wells shot the lights out averaging a remarkable 26 points a game, upping his average by 10 points. Portland shot up the standings and continued to breathe down the neck of the Sacramento Kings. The Trail Blazers were hot in pursuit of the top seed in the Pacific when they met up with the division leading Kings. Punches were thrown and baskets were traded. It looked as though the Trail Blazers were about to be KO'ed, when Bonzi stabilized the team and reeled off 8 straight points to pull out a thrilling overtime win. The team was gelling and turning heads with unparalleled success when veteran leader Scottie Pippen went down with a knee injury. The difference was night and day. With Pippen at the helm the team controlled the tempo of games with confidence, but without him they often times appeared confused and out of sync. The Trail Blazers sputtered to an 8-10 finish and dropped to the 6th seed in the west, setting up a tough first-round duel with the Dallas Mavericks, proud winners of 60 games. Despite boasting the league's most explosive offense, Dallas' swagger did not scare away the Trail Blazers. Though the Trail Blazers dropped the first 3 games, the team showed promise and never threw in the towel. They had recorded their tenth consecutive post-season loss and most thought the season was over. The injury-plagued Trail Blazers battled tough even without most of their starters. No team had ever come back from 0-3, but the Trail Blazers sure came close. They weathered the storm and fought back with fury to win Games 4 and 5. Game 6 was a blowout Dallas fans never want to remember. Portland went on a 20-0 run in the 2nd quarter and never looked back. The Trail Blazers were ready to make history in Dallas The Trail Blazers withstood the fury, but eventually fell when Dallas pulled away for good with just a few minutes remaining.
2003-04: Randolph 'Most Improved.' Trail Blazers Must ImproveThe winds of change flowed through the Trail Blazers organization, bringing both the sweet smell of hope and disappointment.Finishing their previous season with a hard-fought seven-game playoff battle against the Dallas Mavericks, the Trail Blazers felt armed and ready for the new season. Unfortunately, the kinks in their armor were exposed early on, and the team received a good beating for the first half of the season. By midway point, the Trail Blazers were seven games below .500 (17-24), the third worst record in the West. But in the months to come the Trail Blazers regained their thirst for victory and won seven of their next nine games and 12 of their next 17. They finished the second half of the season by going 24-17, a complete reversal of the first 41 games. By season’s end, there were several Trail Blazer standouts: Trail Blazer forward Zach Randolph gained acclaim for his improved play over the last season. A national panel of sportswriters and sportscasters recognized it by naming “Zebo” the NBA’s Most Improved Player of 2003-2004. The third-year Trail Blazer had raised his scoring average of 8.4 from last season to 20.1, his rebounding from 4.5 to 10.5, and his assists from 0.5 to 2.0 per game. Portland’s leading scorer posted 43 double-doubles during the season, third best in the NBA. He became the first Trail Blazer in 21 years to average 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds a game. New recruit Theo Ratliff continued his prodigious shot blocking feats after donning a Trail Blazers uniform with 32 games remaining in the season. Ratliff, traded to Portland with Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Dan Dickau in the February 10 deal that sent Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person to Atlanta, earned his third NBA blocked shots title by averaging 3.61 rejections a game while playing for both the Hawks and the Trail Blazers. The “Rattler” upped his pace considerably after coming to Portland, averaging 4.41 blocks per game. He finished with 141 blocks in his 32 games with the Trail Blazers. Veteran point guard, Damon Stoudamire took the Trail Blazers helm and recorded his best overall NBA season since his second year in the league with Toronto. With 1,099 points, 500 assists, 408 field goals and 3,166 minutes played, the club’s most senior player was the only Trail Blazer to play in and start all 82 regular season games. Despite the late efforts of these and other Trail Blazers, the team finished with a modest 41-41 record. Their most painful defeat came when, for the first time in 22 seasons, the Portland Trail Blazers were missing in action for the post season. With four games remaining in the regular season, the Trail Blazers were tied with Denver for the eighth and final spot on the Western Conference Playoff bracket. The final must-win games were anything but easy. They included two bouts with the defending NBA Champion, San Antonio Spurs, a road game against the Denver Nuggets, and a home finale against the Los Angeles Lakers. Portland lost all four, two of them in overtime. Missing the playoffs cost the Trail Blazers a share of the NBA’s all-time record for the most consecutive playoff appearances. The Philadelphia/Syracuse franchise established the record on 22 consecutive playoffs from 1950 to 1971. Portland remains second on the list with 21 straight. Utah, which also failed to make the cut for the first time since 1982-1983, is third with 20 straight playoff appearances.
2004-05: Trail Blazers Honor "Clyde the Glide"Trail Blazers Honor "Clyde the Glide" with special tribute Hall of Fame Inductee Honored During Home Game Against the Houston Rockets.
Clyde Drexler, one of the greatest players ever to wear a
Portland Trail Blazers uniform, was honored during the half-time
ceremony on Sunday when the Portland Trail Blazers took on the Houston
Rockets. Drexler was one of six people enshrined in the Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 10th in Springfield, MA.
He played 12 of his 15 NBA season in Portland from 1983 to 1995,
participated in 10 All-Star games and was a member of Dream Team One
that captured the Olympic Gold in Barcelona in 1992."I am so honored and just speechless tonight. My time in Portland was very special to me - fifteen seasons in the NBA and Portland holds my most cherished memories. I just want to thank the great fans in this town for always being behind the team and for the constant support I had here," said Drexler. Drexler joined five other Hall of Famers with Trail Blazers ties including Lenny Wilkens, Blazers coach, 1974-1976; Neil Johnston now deceased who was Portland's very first assistant coach under Jack McCloskey (1972-1974); Dr. Jack Ramsay, head coach of the Trail Blazers for 11 seasons; Bill Walton, who led Portland to an NBA title in 1977; Drazen Petrovic now deceased, played for the Trail Blazers for one and a half seasons from 1989 to 1991 and was one of the first foreign players to make it big in the NBA. 
Joining Drexler in celebration was Steve Patterson, president of the
Trail Blazers; Bill Schonely, Trail Blazers Broadcast Founder and
Ambassador; Stu Inman, the Trail Blazers first Director of Player
Personnel and long-time General Manager and; Bucky Buckwalter, former
V.P. for Basketball Operations, alumni members of the Trail Blazers
including Maurice Lucas, Kevin Duckworth, Dale Schlueter, Michael
Harper, Antonio Harvey, Chris Dudley, and Terry Emmert. Both Paul
Allen, Trail Blazers owner, and former team owner Harry Glickman, are
traveling and were unable to attend.The 6-foot-7 guard was drafted by the Trail Blazers in the first round (14th selection overall) of the 1983 NBA Draft as an early entry candidate after an outstanding career at the University of Houston. Drexler, along with NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon, led the Cougars to two straight NCAA Final Four appearances. As a junior, he averaged 15.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 53.6% from the floor. 
In 11-plus seasons with the Trail Blazers, Drexler averaged 20.8ppg,
6.2rpg and 5.7apg in 867 games. His best season came in 1988-89 when he
averaged a 27.2ppg and 7.9rpg (both career highs) while dishing out
5.8apg. Drexler led the Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992
and to the Western Conference Finals in 1991.In 1,086 games over 15 seasons, Drexler averaged 20.4ppg, 6.1rpg and 5.6apg while shooting 47.2% from the field. He ended his illustrious NBA career joining Oscar Robertson and John Havlicek as the only players in NBA history to top 20,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists. Drexler averaged 20.4ppg, 6.9rpg and 6.1apg in 145 NBA Playoff games. He is the Trail Blazers all-time leader in games played, 867, minutes played, 29,526, points scored, 18,040, field goals made, 6,889, field goals attempted, 14,425, free throws made, 3,798, free throws attempted, 4,816, total rebounds, 5,339, offensive rebounds, 2,227, steals, 1,795, and personal fouls, 2,699. The Trail Blazers retired Drexler's number, 22, on March 6, 2001. In 1994-95 Drexler was traded to the Houston Rockets where he was reunited with his college teammate, Olajuwon. He helped lead the Rockets to the 1994-95 NBA Championship and played another three seasons in Houston before retiring. Drexler was selected as one of the Fifty Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. He was First Team All-NBA in 1992 and was selected Second Team All-NBA in 1988 and 1991. The ten-time NBA All-Star won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1992 and an NBA Championship in 1995 while a member of the Houston Rockets.
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The Name
