Portland Trail Blazers 2009 Playoffs
The Portland Trail Blazers are perhaps most famous for picking Sam Bowie, a center who would have a career plagued by injuries, before Michael Jordan with the second pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. The decision has been defended and criticized for years. That single moment has overshadowed the exciting history of the team. The Trail Blazers may have been shut out of the finals in the ‘80s and ‘90s when Magic Johnson and the Lakers, Isiah Thomas, and Michael Jordan and the Bulls were busy creating dynasties and golden eras, but have one season that they can point to that makes up for all those years as the team that just could not make it. The 1976-77 Trail Blazers were a talented team that went 49-33 in the franchises seventh season in existence. The club was built around Bill Walton, the center from UCLA that showed why he was so good in college that season. He could pass, rebound, play defense, and score with the best post players in the league. He and Head Coach Jack Ramsay used the addition of Maurice Lucas from the ABA Dispersal Draft to take the team to the postseason for the first time. Little did anyone in Portland know that Trail Blazers playoff tickets would be available for an NBA Finals series with the Philadelphia 76ers. The series went six games and Portland came away winners with their lone NBA Championship.
This season the Blazers hope to begin another run toward the championship. The team once again has a heralded young center. Greg Oden dominated in his single year in college despite injuries. He came into the league last season and was forced to sit out a year with microfracture in his right knee. Fans have thought of him as Bill Walton and not Sam Bowie. Both centers had careers plagued by injuries, but Walton was good enough and healthy enough to be one of the best post players in the game for a while. This is a young team that has come close to the postseason, but has a serious shot to make Trail Blazers playoff tickets available for the fans for the first time in six years. Bradnon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge have been developing their games over the last two seasons and should be able to create a scary trio with Oden. The three make a great young nucleus for a basketball team that will have many teams jealous for years to come.
Portland Trail Blazers Background
The Rose Garden will be sold out every home game on the regular season schedule to see the team try and realize their potential. The only problem is the play of the supporting cast. The point guard situation is a mystery. Steve Blake is a pass-first guard who can knock down the open outside shot, but is a problem on defense. He may be moved to the bench as Jerryd Bayless and Sergio Rodriguez continue to grow as players. Rodriguez is in his third year and has shown flashes of potential and Bayless is a rookie that is known for being a little wild, but full of playmaking potential. Martell Webster is an athlete that Portland is trying to make into a small forward. As the experiment continues the team will see where they stand. Portland still has a ton of talent on the club and this may be the season that talent is turned into Trail Blazer tickets for the fans that stayed with the team throughout the Jail Blazer years.