1977 Portland Trailblazers: A Surprise Breakout Champion
The Portland Trailblazers came into the NBA in 1971 but had yet to make an impact—or even have a winning season–when they came into 1977. But with a new head coach in Jack Ramsay and two bright young stars in Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas, the Blazers not only got that winning season, they accomplished something the NBA rarely sees—an immediate breakout that culminates with a championship.
THE YOUNG CORE
Walton had been part of John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty and at age 24, was one of the best young players in the NBA. Walton averaged 19 ppg in 1977. His 14 rebounds and four blocks per game each led the league. He was a brilliant passer for a big man, a 1st-team All-NBA defender and finished second in the MVP voting. Lucas, also 24-years-old, was an enforcer and he averaged 20 points/11 rebounds per night.
The two big men were augmented by three reliable supporting players. Lionel Hollins, on his way to a solid career, averaged 15 points/4 assists per game. Dave Twardzik, only 6’1”, was a double-digit scorer in the backcourt. So was Bob Gross on the wing.
Portland was young—Twardzik, at age 26, was the veteran of the starting lineup—and they were on the rise.
A FAST START
The Blazers, no pun intended, came blazing out of the gate and won seven of their first eight games. They used tough defense to knock off Golden State, who was just two years removed from winning the NBA title with Rick Barry. And Portland used balance to blow out Philadelphia, one of the best teams in the East.
After briefly slowing, losing four times in seven games, including to their key Pacific Division rival in the Los Angeles Lakers, the Blazers again won seven of eight. That included a 113-99 win in Phoenix, the reigning Western Conference champ, behind a combined 44 points/32 rebounds from Walton and Lucas.
By the time the New Year arrived, Portland was 23-12. They led Los Angeles by a game and a half in the Pacific Division and were two games back of the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the West.
BATTLE FOR THE PACIFIC
The Blazers beat the defending champion Boston Celtics twice in early January, part of a 6-1 run. But they lost on the road to the Lakers and went on to lose four of six over a long road trip.
But before that trip was over, Portland got out of Denver with a 107-102 win thanks to a strong fourth quarter, beat playoff-bound San Antonio and knocked off Phoenix.
Going into February, the Blazers were 34-17 and in a heated race with the Lakers, who were just a half-game behind. The playoff structure of this era had just six teams per conference, and the two division winners received byes into the semifinals. The first round was a best two-of-three “mini-series.”
Thus, while Portland was firmly among the league’s elite, they had a lot to play for coming down the stretch.
DOG DAYS
But the dog days of February did not go well. A three-game home losing streak, including defeats to Denver and the contending Washington Bullets led into a difficult road trip. The Blazers slipped to 37-25, fell two games behind the Lakers and were five off the pace the Nuggets were setting for the Western Conference.
More inconsistency followed in March. Portland opened the month by nipping Philly 108-107. At the end of the month, they dropped a 128-107 decision to the Sixers on the road. In between, there was simply a lot of inconsistency.
The division race slipped away, as Los Angeles not only firmed up its grip on the Pacific, but surged to the best record in the league overall.
What Portland did do was recover and build some momentum for the playoffs. They won their final six regular season games. At 49-33, they were the 3-seed in the West and looked like they might be getting a second wind.
SURVIVING THE MINI-SERIES
The Blazers’ first playoff appearance would begin with the Chicago Bulls, then in the West. It would be a battle of the frontcourts. Chicago, then in the Western Conference, had gone 44-38 and was also led by two good interior players, Mickey Johnson and Artis Gilmore.
Portland burst out to a quick ten-point lead in Game 1. They played tough defense, holding the Bulls to 39 percent shooting and were led by 29 points from Lucas. They got a 96-83 win. In Chicago for Game 2, they dropped a close 107-104 decision in Game 2, unable to stop Johnson, Gilmore and shooting guard Wilbur Holland.
The consequence of not winning the division title meant that Portland was very quickly playing a winner-take-all game in the mini-series. They met the moment. While Johnson went off for 34 points, the Blazers countered with balance. Gross led all scorers with 26, and all five starters were in double figures. Portland’s defense forced an astonishing 36 turnovers, and the 106-98 win got them out of the lightning round and into the best-of-seven conference semifinals.
WALTON VS. THOMPSON
A showdown with Denver was a rematch of sorts for Walton. The Nuggets’ best player was David Thompson, who played his college ball at N.C. State. Three years earlier, Thompson’s Wolfpack beat Walton’s Bruins in a historic Final Four game that ended UCLA’s run of eight straight titles. It was a game that Walton openly admitted to losing sleep over years after the fact.
What’s more, Thompson had quality help. Dan Issel was a good scorer and rebounder in the low post, Bobby Jones was an elite defensive forward, and a young Larry Brown was the head coach.
Gross was the key to the first game. As Walton and Lucas fought Thompson and Issel to a draw down low, it was Gross who stepped up with 18 points and was the difference-marker in a 101-100 win that stole homecourt advantage and set the tone for the series.
Even though Denver took the second game 121-110 by controlling the fourth quarter, Portland had done what they needed to do by getting a split in the series’ opening stanza on the road.
Thompson went off for 40 points in Game 3, but the parlay of Lucas and Walton was better. The Blazer big men combined for 53 points/19 rebounds. Walton also blocked four shots. It was enough to squeeze out a 110-106 win.
The Portland defense stepped up in Game 4 and contained both Thompson and Issel. Walton didn’t shoot well, but he grabbed eleven boards. Gross scored 26. It was tight into the fourth quarter, but the Blazers made the plays down the stretch and nudged out to a 105-96 win. They had held serve on their home floor and had a 3-1 series lead. .
Walton struggled in Game 5, with only 15 points and Portland lost in overtime. On the surface, it’s just a road loss in a game where they had cushion. But there were two important takeaways. The positive was that a young team on the road, even with its best player struggling, had taken the game to overtime.
But the negative is that Twardzik had gotten hurt. This series seemed far from over.
Only it was. Johnny Davis stepped into the lineup to replace Twardzik and dropped 25 points in Game 6 back at home. Portland jumped out to a 33-16 lead and coasted home to an easy 108-92 win.
They were going to the conference finals to play the Lakers. Walton wouldn’t have to lose sleep over this edition of his battles with David Thompson.
SWEEPING KAREEM’S LAKERS
Twardzik would miss the Western Conference Finals. But the bigger problem was that Los Angeles had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The 29-year-old center was coming off a dominant year, where he’d averaged 26 points/13 rebounds per game and won the MVP award. Kareem was joined by 32-year-old Cazzie Russell at small forward, a 16 ppg scorer, and Lucius Allen running the show. It looked like it was the Lakers’ time to get back on top.
Kareem was all that in Game 1, dropping 30 points. But Portland was coming together, they had depth, and Ramsay’s system was coming together. Four Blazer starters dropped 20-plus, highlighted by Lucas’ 28 points/15 rebounds. Walton added a 22/13 line. Portland went to an early eleven-point lead after the first quarter and for the second straight series, stole homecourt right out of the chute. They won 121-109.
And this time, they kept their foot on the gas in Game 2, with depth again shining through. Kareem scored 40. Walton and Lucas didn’t have their best nights. By any normal measuring stick, this should have ended as a loss. But Hollins was brilliant, scoring 31 points, dishing out nine assists and coming up with eight steals on the defensive end. Herm Gilliam came off the bench and dropped in 24. Portland nipped L.A. 99-97.
Coming back up north with a 2-0 series lead, the Blazers had a stranglehold on the Lakers and they didn’t let up. The games were close, but Portland’s core advantage of depth and balance continued to make the difference. Walton and Lucas combined for a 44/26 line in Game 3, while Gilliam again contributed off the bench, scoring 14 in a 102-97 win.
Kareem did what he could to try and save the Lakers, scoring 30 in Game 4. But Lucas answered with 26. Walton didn’t shoot well, but the big man hit the boards, collecting 14 rebounds. Davis and Hollins combined for 39 more points. Portland won 105-101 and was going to the NBA Finals.
BLAZERMANIA
The Philadelphia 76ers, with a 50-32 record and one of the game’s bright young stars in Julius Erving, were waiting. “Dr. J” was supported by two potent scorers, Doug Collins in the backcourt and George McGinnis up front. The 76ers had held serve as the top seed in the East and were a solid favorite to end the Blazer run.
The first two games made it look like Philadelphia would do exactly that. Walton was ready in Game 1, going for a 28/20 line. But he was the only one. Dr. J and Collins each went for 30-plus and Portland dropped a 107-101 decision. Then in Game 2, they were embarrassed for the first time in the postseason, shooting just 36 percent, trailing by 18 by halftime and losing 107-89.
But when the series went west, the entire dynamic changed.
Walton played a brilliant all-around game in Game 3, with 20 points/18 rebounds/9 assists, while Lucas scored 27. The Blazers went off for 42 points in the fourth quarter alone, pulling away to a 129-107 win.
In Game 4, Portland blew it open in the third quarter, when they scored 41 points. Lucas had a 24/12 line, Hollins added 25 and Walton pulled down 13 rebounds while passing for seven assists. The Blazers won 130-98.
The electrifying offensive showings had put Portland right back in the series, but they still needed to get a win in the old Philadelphia Spectrum. And for the third straight game, they used offensive fury in the second half to do it. This time it was a 40-point third quarter. Walton hauled in 24 rebounds. Lucas posted a 20/11 line while Gross poured in 25 points. The Blazers led by as much as 91-69 and then held off a late Sixer rally to win 110-104.
The phenomena of “Blazermania” was sweeping the Pacific Northwest and the team had a chance to clinch a championship in front of their home fans in Game 6.
Dr. came at them with everything he had, pouring in 40 points in Game 6, while McGinnis scored 28. But Walton was simply extraordinary. He scored 20 points, hauled in 23 more rebounds, dished seven assists and blocked eight shots. It was one of the singularly great performances in NBA Finals history and it was augmented by 24 from Gross and 20 from Hollins.
Portland won 109-107. Walton was named Finals MVP, averaging 19 points/19 rebounds and five assists per game. In celebration, he hurled his jersey into the stands and walked shirtless across the floor, his arms held high. Together with his teammates, they had rolled through David Thompson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving to win an NBA championship.
A BRIEF MOMENT OF GREATNESS
Walton’s celebration seemed ready to kick in a new era of the NBA, where he would be the league’s centerpiece star. For much of 1978, Portland looked ready to repeat. Then Walton got hurt. Not only was the repeat bid foiled, but it foreshadowed the balance of Walton’s career, where feet problems constantly held him back. He remains one of the great “what if” stories in all of sports.
But basketball fans in general, and Portland fans in particular, got a taste of what a healthy Bill Walton could do in 1977, as he led a balanced team to a surprise NBA championship.