BLAZERS OF GLORY Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Portland’s Championship Season
INTRODUCTION • 1
6 • THE EARLY YEARS
THE EARLY YEARS
THE BIRTH OF A CATCHPHRASE
‘RIP CITY! All Right!’ By Mike Richman • The Oregonian/OregonLive
I
n January 1970, the fledgling Portland Trail Blazers were navigating through their first season in the National Basketball Association. Radio broadcaster Bill Schonely was looking for a catchphrase, a tag line that would add a recognizable and personal element to his radio call. It came naturally midway through the season when Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers paid a visit to the Memorial Coliseum. The Lakers built a 25-point lead before the Blazers came storming back and had the ball with a chance to tie the game.
Blazers star Jim Barnett dribbled across midcourt and shot a glance and maybe a wink at Schonely, who was seated at center court along the sideline. Barnett then dribbled into a deep jumper that would cement his place in Blazers’ lore. “He let the shot go,” Schonely recalled. “It was in the air and as it came down and floated through the twine I came out with ‘RIP CITY! All Right!’” The Lakers called timeout and Schonely cued the broadcast into a commercial break. The stat crew and writers seated next him asked him to clarify what he had just blurted out.
“There was Wayne Thompson on my left, a couple stat guys to my right,” Schonely said. “And they said, ‘Rip City?’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’ And they said, ‘Leave that in.’” It became a staple of Schonely’s broadcasts, but he saved it for only truly special occasions. It didn’t really catch hold until the Blazers championship
OPPOSITE: B lazers guard Geoff Petrie (far left) looks for a teammate during a game vs. the Chicago Bulls in 1973. ROGER JENSEN / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE THE EARLY YEARS • 7
“He let the shot go ... It was in the air and as it came down and floated through the twine I came out with ‘RIP CITY! All Right!’” BILL SCHONELY
run in 1977 as Portland knocked off the heavily favored Philadelphia 76ers and Rip City developed into an identity for the Blazers faithful. The Blazermania fostered by Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas helped make Rip City a part of the team fabric. When the Blazers were again among the NBA’s elite teams in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rip City had a revival. The slogan appeared on T-shirts and posters and became synonymous with Blazers basketball. The phrase supposedly signifies the ball ripping
RIGHT: P ortland Trail Blazers radio broadcaster Bill Schonely in 1974. D AVID FALCONER / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
OPPOSITE LEFT: A Trail Blazers fan displays a Rip City sign in 1971. ROGER JENSEN / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE OPPOSITE RIGHT: Trail Blazers guard Larry Steele signs a pennant for a fan in 1971. JIM VINCENT / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE 8 • THE EARLY YEARS
through the nets, but that might be reverse engineering a story for something born out of spontaneity and excitement. “It means something good,” Schonely said. Now Rip City is a place, a basketball destination. When you walk through the arena there are murals on the walls reading “Welcome to Rip City” and posters in the stands claiming “This is Rip City.” Only in sports and only with the help of truly special teams driving the popularity can a phrase uttered on a whim come to define a region. The 1976-77 team helped make Rip City relevant and in the years that followed Blazers fans made Rip City home.
THE EARLY YEARS • 9
22 • THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON OPPOSITE: B ill Walton (32) and the Trail Blazers entered the 1976-77 NBA season looking to make the NBA playoffs for the first time. M ICHAEL LLOYD / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON • 23
24 • THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
1976-77 REGULAR SEASON
Walton, Lucas lead Blazers to first playoff berth By The Oregonian/OregonLive
A
s the Portland Trail Blazers entered their seventh season in the NBA, something had to change. Each of their first six seasons had ended with a losing record. They had never made the playoffs. And they were struggling to fill Memorial Coliseum. General Manager Harry Glickman and director of player personnel Stu Inman turned the team over in the offseason of 1976, firing coach Lenny Wilkens and bringing in Jack Ramsay from the Buffalo Braves.
They acquired seven new players, including ABA stars Maurice Lucas and Dave Twardzik, to pair with their young center, Bill Walton. Ramsay said he recognized the team’s potential from the start of his first training camp, and he might not have been the only one. “Maurice (Lucas) knew we were going to win the title from the very beginning,” said Walton in 2007. The season began with a 114-104 victory over the New York Nets on Oct. 23, but the game that would give Blazers fans a glimpse of their team’s vast potential came nearly two weeks later against the
vaunted Philadelphia 76ers. Led by Julius Erving, George McGinnis and Doug Collins, the 76ers were unquestionably the team to beat in the NBA. And in Game No. 6 of the 1976-77 season the Blazers thumped them, 146-104. “They had a star-studded lineup, and there was a lot of hype surrounding the game,” Blazers guard
OPPOSITE: T rail Blazers center Bill Walton entered the 1976-77 season with a new coach, seven new teammates and something to prove. R OGER JENSEN / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON • 25
70 • THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
“WE’RE NO. 1”
‘It was pure pandemonium’ How Blazers fan Tom Zauner got the championship net By Joe Freeman • The Oregonian/OregonLive
I
n the euphoria of the championship celebration, minutes after the Trail Blazers had defeated the Philadelphia 76ers to win the franchise’s only NBA title, Dik Phillips stood on top of a basketball stanchion at Memorial Coliseum, thrust his arms in the air and screamed: “We’re No. 1. We’re No. 1. We’re No. 1.” More than 12,000 Blazermaniacs, many forming a sea of mayhem on the court below, started chanting along with him and it echoed around the arena, over and over, as goose bumps popped up on arms
and fans hugged in the stands. All the while, Tom Zauner dangled awkwardly on the rim, a few inches and one thick glass backboard separating him from Phillips, methodically peeling away the net, loop by loop. It’s been 40 years since Zauner and Phillips, who both had eyes for the championship net, stepped into basketball history and shared one of the iconic and unlikeliest moments in Oregon history. It’s been captured on countless television clips over the years and immortalized in black and white
photographs that instantly graced newspaper covers and appear to this day on the internet. In many ways, the men — and that moment — have come to symbolize the birth of Blazermania, the basketball fever the swept through Oregon
OPPOSITE: A s Blazers fans stormed the court, Dik Phillips (arms raised) and Tom Zauner managed to climb on top of the basketball stanchion to celebrate Portland’s NBA championship. MICHAEL LLOYD / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON • 71
ABOVE: B ill Walton celebrates in the locker room after Game 6. M ICHAEL LLOYD / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE ABOVE RIGHT: Bill Walton celebrates with Blazers teammates and fans after ripping off his jersey and throwing it into the crowd.
ICHAEL LLOYD / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE M
RIGHT: B ill Walton shows off the NBA championship trophy during the Blazers victory parade. In 1977 it was called the Walter A. Brown
Trophy. It was changed to the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 1984. T HE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
80 • THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
The Trail Blazers borrowed 10 convertibles from the Rose Festival Association to carry the players and coaches through the streets of downtown Portland for the 1977 NBA championship victory parade. R OGER JENSEN / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON • 81
CHAMPIONS
MAURICE LUCAS By Joe Freeman • The Oregonian/OregonLive
T
he way the legend goes, the Trail Blazers snatched momentum away from the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1977 NBA Finals with a shove to the back, a few fists and a wild melee at The Spectrum. But in reality, the Blazers truly turned the tide in that memorable series with a far friendlier incident: A handshake. Three days after the unforgettable Game 2 ruckus between Maurice Lucas and Darryl Dawkins inspired the Blazers, Lucas’ gentlemanly gesture helped give his teammates a psychological edge over their favored counterparts, a development they used to run away with the series and claim Portland’s only NBA championship. During pregame introductions of Game 3, after Blazers fans unrelentingly booed Dawkins, Lucas was introduced before a sellout Memorial Coliseum crowd. But instead of jogging to stand next to his teammates, as was common practice, Lucas trotted toward the 76ers’ bench to stand face-to-face with a stunned Dawkins. Some in the crowd gasped and Philadelphia players backed away from the two hulking men, no doubt because they expected another brouhaha. But instead of
raising his fists, Lucas reached for Dawkins’ right hand, squeezed hard and said: “No hard feelings.” Dawkins was frozen. “After that, he was done,” Lucas told The Oregonian in 2010. “One of the smartest things I ever did.” And that was the beauty of Maurice Lucas. He
opponents’ buttons and he knew how to push opponents’ buttons. Sometimes, in an era when fistfighting was commonplace in the NBA, it required a little intimidation. Other times, it required intelligence and instincts. And it was Lucas’ unique blend of brains and brawn that solidified his standing in Rip City. Bill Walton, who revered Lucas so much he named his son, Luke, after him, has regularly referred to Lucas as “the greatest Blazer of all time.” “He was the strength of the team,” coach Jack Ramsay told The Oregonian in 2010. “He was The Enforcer. He was really the heart of that team. And he liked the role. He enjoyed it. He really liked being the enforcer-type player. Plus, he was highly skilled. A great rebounder. A great outlet passer. Then he could score on the post, make jump shots on the perimeter. But mostly, it was his physical persona that he carried with him that made us a different team.”
“He was The Enforcer. He was really the heart of that team. And he liked the role. He enjoyed it. He really liked being the enforcer-type player.”
106 • CHAMPIONS
COACH JACK RAMSAY
will always be remembered as “The Enforcer,” the muscle and hustle behind the beauty and talent of the Blazers’ championship team. But Lucas, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound power forward, was also a smart, skilled and savvy player who led the Blazers in scoring (20.2 points per game) and made the Western Conference All-Star team during the championship season. He knew when to push
OPPOSITE: B lazers forward Maurice Lucas dribbles during a game against the Buffalo Braves in the 1976-77 season. ROGER JENSEN / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
CHAMPIONS • 107
JOEL DAVIS THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
The Blazers fire Carlesimo and hire Mike Dunleavy as head coach.
The Blazers fire Dunleavy and hire Maurice Cheeks as head coach.
1997
2001 2000 Led by Rasheed Wallace, the Blazers advance to their second consecutive Western Conference Finals, losing to the Lakers in seven games.
142 • TRAIL BLAZERS LEGACY
2003 Whitsitt announces he’s leaving the team. The Blazers hire John Nash as GM and Steve Patterson as President.
The Blazers fire Nash, and Patterson assumes the dual role of president and GM.
Drexler is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Blazers draft Brandon Roy No. 6 overall and trade for the draft rights to LaMarcus Aldridge. Roy goes on to win NBA Rookie of the Year.
The Blazers fail to make the playoffs, ending a streak of 21 consecutive playoff appearances.
2004
2006 2005 The Blazers fire Cheeks as coach and replace him with Kevin Pritchard on an interim basis. The Blazers hire Nate McMillan as head coach in the offseason.
2007 Patterson resigns and Kevin Pritchard is named GM. Pritchard selects Greg Oden over Kevin Durant with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. Oden undergoes microfracture knee surgery in September and misses the entire season.
TRAIL BLAZERS LEGACY • 143
ABOVE: M ichael Jordan (left), Clyde Drexler (middle) and Karl Malone (right) wave to the crowd
at the Barcelona Summer Olympics in August 1992. Drexler was a key member of the “Dream Team,” the ’92 U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team that featured 11 active NBA players. It is still considered the greatest sports team ever assembled. B RENT WOJAHN / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
RIGHT: C hicago Bulls star Michael Jordan soars to the basket past Blazers forwards
Buck Williams (52) and Cliff Robinson (far right) during the 1992 NBA Finals.
J OEL DAVIS / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
156 • TRAIL BLAZERS LEGACY
ABOVE: B lazers star Clyde Drexler looks for a teammate as Chicago
Bulls forwards Scottie Pippen (33) and Horace Grant (54) defend during the 1992 NBA Finals. The Bulls won the series in six games. T OM TREICK / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE LEFT: Clyde Drexler (left) drives past San Antonio Spurs guard Dale Ellis during a home game in May 1993. JOEL DAVIS / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
TRAIL BLAZERS LEGACY • 157
158 • TRAIL BLAZERS LEGACY
OPPOSITE: C onstruction started on the Rose Garden in 1993. This photo shows the progress in October 1994. DOUG BEGHTEL / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE LEFT: A welder works on the floor of the Rose Garden in May 1995. BRENT WOJAHN / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE BELOW LEFT: T he interior of the Rose Garden is shown during
construction in October 1994. D OUG BEGHTEL / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
BELOW RIGHT: T he MAX light rail runs in front of the almost-
completed Rose Garden. The arena opened on October 12, 1995, and cost roughly $262 million to build. D ANA OLSEN / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
TRAIL BLAZERS LEGACY • 159
ABOVE: D amian Lillard accepts his NBA Rookie of the Year award on May 1, 2013. B RUCE ELY / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
RIGHT: D amian Lillard talks to the media at the Blazers practice facility after working out for the team before
the 2012 NBA draft. ROSS WILLIAM HAMILTON / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
FAR RIGHT: D amian Lillard (0) releases The Shot, the now legendary buzzer-beating three-pointer that lifted the Blazers over the Rockets in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series on May 2, 2014. With the win, the Blazers advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. BRUCE ELY / THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
168 • TRAIL BLAZERS LEGACY
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