2007-08 Portland Trailblazers
The Trailblazers won the right to choose first in the ’07 draft pick, and they hit the Jackpot with Greg Oden. Slowly but surly they are racking up the young talent in the league, and ticket buying fans can expect an exciting ’07-08 season. Rookie Brandon Roy should be a good compliment to Oden, and Jarret Jack is proving to be a brilliant point guard, leading the team in assists last season. Lucky draft-day moves landed the Blazers Spanish point guard Sergio Rodriguez and eager forward LaMarcus Aldridge. It is shaping up to be a good season for the Blazers – and they are doing everything it takes to build up the franchise.
Previous Seasons
From NBA Championships to off-the-court scandal, Portland Trail Blazers ticket holders have seen it all. Stars like Rasheed Wallace and Bill Walton have donned Blazers jerseys. Hall of Fame coaches like Jack Ramsey have roamed the sidelines. But now it’s a brand new crop of Blazers that are trying to bring back championship basketball to the Rose Garden in Portland. Buy Portland Trail Blazers tickets and see if new head coach Nate McMillan can revitalize the storied franchise.
The Portland Trail Blazers began life as an NBA expansion team in 1970. The NBA opened up the league with three new teams that year, including not only Portland but Cleveland and Buffalo. The Trail Blazers were assigned to the Pacific Division where they started the year off by winning their first game, a 115-112 victory over the Cleveland cavaliers, and finished the season in last place in the division with a 29-53 record. It was a typical expansion team season, but Portland finished with the best record of the three new teams entering the NBA that year. Blazers rookie Geoff Petrie shared NBA Rookie of the Year honors with the Celtics Dave Cowens while averaging 24.8 points per game.
The road to the playoffs was a long one for the Trail Blazers. It took six years of sub-par play for the team to develop into a playoff contender. During the years between 1970 and 1976, Portland never topped .500 and hit a low of 18 wins in the 1971-72 season. The drafting of Center Bill Walton from UCLA in 1974 gave the Blazers a light at the end of their tunnel although injuries would hamper Walton for the first two years. Things began to jell in 1976 when head coach Jack Ramsey took over. Ramsey, aided by the ABA Dispersal draft, built a team that featured Walton, Maurice Lucas, and Dave Twardzik.
