The Portland Trail Blazers are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The team played its home games in the Memorial Coliseum before moving to Moda Center in 1995. The franchise entered the league as an expansion team in 1970, and has enjoyed a strong following: from 1977 through 1995, the team sold out 814 consecutive home games, the longest such streak in American major professional sports at the time, and which has only since been surpassed by the Boston Red Sox and the Dallas Mavericks. The Trail Blazers are the only NBA team based in the Pacific Northwest, after the Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis and became the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001 and the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.
Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr., usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. Considered one of the greatest small forwards of all time, Pippen played an important role in transforming the Bulls into a championship team and popularizing the NBA around the world during the 1990s.
Clyde Austin Drexler is an American former professional basketball player who currently works as the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), spending a majority of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers before finishing with the Houston Rockets. He was a ten-time NBA All-Star and named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. Drexler won an NBA championship with Houston in 1995, and earned a gold medal on the 1992 United States Olympic team known as "The Dream Team". He was inducted twice into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2004 for his individual career and in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team". Drexler is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players and greatest shooting guards of all time.
The 1977 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1976–77 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers played against the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers, with the 76ers holding home-court advantage. Their four regular season meetings had been split evenly, 2–2, with neither side winning away from home. The series was played under a best-of-seven format.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the 46th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their second straight NBA Championship, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. This was Larry Bird's final season as a player in the NBA.
The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1999–2000 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers 4 games to 2. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the Lakers holding home court advantage. The series featured the number one seeds from both conferences. Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the series, his first of three consecutive honors, in arguably one of the greatest NBA Finals performances in history, putting up 38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game.
The 1992 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1991–92 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls took on the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers for the title, with Chicago having home court advantage, as they had the best record in the NBA that season.
The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1989–90 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series pitted the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons against the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers.
The 1997 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1996–97 season. The tournament concluded with the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz 4 games to 2. This was the Bulls' second straight title, and fifth overall. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the fifth time.
NBA Showdown is a 1993 video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game console. The game is a sequel to Bulls vs. Blazers video game. The same title was re-released for the Mega Drive/Genesis as NBA Showdown '94. It is the fifth and final game in the NBA Playoffs series of games, before the series was re-branded as NBA Live.
The 1992 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament following the National Basketball Association's 1991-92 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the 22nd season of the National Basketball Association in Cleveland, Ohio. During the off-season, the Cavaliers signed free agent John Battle, then later on re-signed former Cavs forward Mike Sanders in March after being released by the Indiana Pacers. After two straight seasons of injuries, the Cavaliers would finally play the entire season without any significant loss of manpower. After a 13–9 start to the season, the team posted an 11-game winning streak, and held a 31–14 record at the All-Star break. The Cavaliers finished the season 2nd in the Central Division with a 57–25 record, and tying the franchise high set in the 1988–89 season.
The 1991–92 Portland Trail Blazers season was the 22nd season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Blazers signed undrafted rookie guard Robert Pack. After losing three of their first four games, the team would quickly recover as they held a 32–14 record at the All-Star break. The Blazers finished their season with a 57–25 record, earning their second straight Pacific Division championship and 10th consecutive trip to the NBA Playoffs.
The 2011 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeating the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Dirk Nowitzki was named NBA Finals MVP.
The 1990–91 Portland Trail Blazers season was the 21st season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Blazers acquired Danny Ainge from the Sacramento Kings, and later on traded second-year guard Dražen Petrović to the New Jersey Nets, and acquired Walter Davis from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team midseason trade. The Blazers won their first eleven games of the season, on their way to a franchise best start at a record of 27–3, and holding a 39–9 record at the All-Star break. They would post a 16-game winning streak near the end of the season as they finished with a league best record at 63–19, setting a franchise-high win total that still stands today, and made their ninth consecutive trip to the NBA Playoffs. It was their first Pacific Division title since the 1977–78 season, and ended the Los Angeles Lakers' streak of nine straight years as Pacific Division champions and number-one seed in the Western Conference.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the Jazz's 18th season in the National Basketball Association, and 13th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was also their first season playing at the Delta Center. The Jazz got off to a 7–6 start as the team traded Thurl Bailey to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Tyrone Corbin near the end of November. In December, during a home game against the Detroit Pistons, Karl Malone committed a flagrant foul on Isiah Thomas, in which Malone hit Thomas's forehead with his elbow, and Thomas had to receive 40 stitches; Malone was suspended for one game. The Jazz held a 31–18 record at the All-Star break, and won their final seven games, finishing first in the Midwest Division with a 55–27 record. They made their ninth consecutive trip to the playoffs.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the 24th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Suns acquired three-point specialist Trent Tucker from the New York Knicks. However, Tucker never played for the team as he was released to free agency, and later on signed with the San Antonio Spurs. The Suns were led by head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, which would be the last of his four-season second stint as coach of the Suns. All home games were played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The team got off to a slow 5–9 start, but went on a nine-game winning streak as they won 14 of their next 15 games, and held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. The Suns finished third in the Pacific Division with a 53–29 record.
The 1992–93 NBA season was the Spurs' 17th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Spurs acquired Dale Ellis from the Milwaukee Bucks, signed free agents Vinny Del Negro and undrafted rookie guard Lloyd Daniels, and re-signed Avery Johnson after a brief stint with the Houston Rockets. However, prior to the start of the season, Terry Cummings suffered a serious knee injury during a pick-up game, and only played in the final eight games of the season.
