Back in the late 1960's, a Portlander we all know as Harry Glickman and his buddies threw around the idea of bringing an NBA franchise to the Rose City. This is back in the day of the ABA, and anyone who has seen the movie "Semi-Pro" knows EXACTLY where the rest of this story goes.
We all know the NBA to be the sports league with the most street and music appeal. More numbers of non-sports fans watch the NBA than the NFL or even the MLB. Even back in the 60's the NBA was very concerned about the appeal of its teams, and so no bullshit-hippie team from Portland was going to hotbox its way in to the league, and win. From day one, Portland was terrible. Not even first round draft picks, Rookies of the year, and even a college legend would be allowed to help a team in a citywhere it always rained, where everyone smoke pot and went to concerts naked all summer and had weird non-catholic religions, and that was far, far from New York or Philliadelphia to even think about winning an NBA Championship. But, in 1977, in their first winning season ever, the Portland Trail Blazers shocked the World by demolishing far more favored opponents, inculding Julius Erving and the 76'ers, en-route to their first and only NBA Championship.
Since that day in 1977, the National Basketball Association has tried, in my opinion to do everything possible to let Portland be as good as they wanted to be, save for ever winning an NBA Championship again. Bill Waltons' injury in 1978, prevented a major dynasty before the NBA knew what to to about Portland, but his no-doubt coincidental trade demand to one of the 3 biggest franchises at the time of his injury is interesting.
My evidence as folllows.
In 1983, Portland selects Clyde Drexler with the 13th pick, and another Portland dynasty looked nearly inevitable. However, the very next year, a man named David Stern is named the new NBA Commissioner and in the draft that year, Portland, in a stunning move, takes Sam Bowie instead of the final piece to it's 10-year-in-a-row championship run, Michael Jordan. Also taken by teams other than Portland in that draft were Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. Stern 1 - Portland 0.
Portland was very, very good through the 80's, and made it to the NBA Finals again in 1990, only to be thwarted by the so called "Bad Boys" of Detroit, one of David Sterns' favorite teams. Portland had the best record in the NBA the next year, but was cut down in the Conference Finals by the "Showtime" LA Lakers, also one of the NBA's most beloved teams, who were subsequently whipped by Jordan and the Bulls, who were David Sterns' dream since becoming Commissioner, a dynasty in a major american city market. In 1992, David Sterns' bastard love-child Michael Jordan got his second ring by pasting Sterns' favorite whipping post, the Portland Trail Blazers, on live national television.
In 1995, the world turned on the Blazers again, by letting Drexler leave for Houston, another major market, for their second championship in a row. Once again, David Stern won. He also got a second chance with Jordan in his return and second three peat. In David Sterns' first 15 years, he had 4 different two-time defending championship teams.
By 1999, David Stern and his love for the Hip-Hop scene bad-boys ad Hollywood celebs (even though he says he is against it, tell me he doesn't love that Jigga, Jack, Timbaland and Spike are front and center on live TV all the time) has gotten in the way of all logic on how to run a true league like the NFL, where the parity is stupid crazy, and lets a goon named Shaquille O'Neal physically beat the shit out of the Blazers in the 2000 Conference Finals to prevent Portland from its very obvious run towards the Championship. You know this story too, the Lakers won 3 in a row, just another Stern Dynasty for a big market team with fans who just have a lot of money, a lot of power and way too much time.
After 2003, the much troubled Blazers ended their record 21 year playoff run and were forced by many hands to completely re-design their team, trading or cutting nearly everyone and creating a new team. During the time the Blazers were not in the Playoffs, the NBA enjoyed many boring Spurs Championships in a Stern attempt to distract the world from the "Jail Blazers" by somehow getting NBA refs to become involved in gambling, thus letting San Antonio, a seemingly very clean cut fundamental team (who also swept Portland in 1999 en-route to a Championship) to win 3 more Championships.
But Portland found a way to get back at the NBA. The lottery. By 2007, Kevin Pritchard, a man much like Glickman in his love for the city, and the game, found a way to make Portland a contender again and, won the Draft Lottery's #1 spot over the much favored and large market Boston Celtics. Once again, the NBA and David Stern had to find a way to keep Portland down.
Answer? Andy Belvin touched on this the other night. I am a huge Portland fan, but I am also a realist, and I understand the game, and I understand that the officiating through the 1st round of this years' playoffs has been dissapointing. I understand refs give special treatment to All-Star players, so how the FUCK do you explain Brandon Roy getting punked in the face multiple times on the way to the hole with no call? Or, how do you call an offensive foul on a man who gets under-cut by a moving defender? Is or is not Brandon Roy an All-Star? How can you stop a man who is nearly averaging 32 points a game in the playoffs?
David Stern will find a way.
And as long as he does, the Portland Trail Blazers will have to be smarter and faster than the system to win an NBA Championship, just like in 1977.
Is it a curse, or is it conspiracy? Only time will tell.
RIP CITY BABY!!! GO BLAZERS!!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
