Blazermaniacs make up a special group. Fans in Rip City are among the NBA’s most passionate watchers (fact), but they’re also among the league’s most educated (biased unbiased researched unresearched claim).
And yet, I’m willing to bet there are a few facts below that this franchise’s finest has never heard before.
Portland Trail Blazers Won The NBA Championship Their First Year In The Playoffs
Diehard Blazers fans have known this for quite sometime. The team buried in the Pacific Northwest claimed its first title in 1977 under the leadership of Dr. Jack Ramsay, the team’s first year in the postseason.
As an expansion franchise in 1970, Portland went 29 and 53. The next year, 18-64.
Through the Blazers’ first six seasons, they went just 170-322—a winning percentage of .392 (or the equivalent of a squad that falls between 2015-16’s New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks/Denver Nuggets).
The 1976-77 season saw Portland enter the postseason for the first time behind a 49-33 record. The team defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 in the NBA Finals thanks largely in part to Bill Walton’s stellar performance during the playoffs (18.6 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 3.2 BPG, 3.6 APG, 52.8 FG%).
Blazers’ Christmas-Day Record Is Surprisingly Good Despite Recent Absence
The Trail Blazers haven’t been called upon by the NBA to play on Dec. 25 since 2010. Or maybe in terms that will put it in better perspective: Marcus Camby, Rudy Fernandez and Andre Miller were still residents of Stumptown.
Recent history aside, the Blazers have a place in history when it comes to Christmas-Day showdowns. In fact, the team has the second-best winning percentage of all time on this particular holiday.
The Miami Heat, 10-2 all time on Christmas, have the best winning percentage (.833). BUT FUN FACT! That winning percentage only passed Portland this past season with Miami’s Dec. 25 overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Trail Blazers are 14-3 (.824) all time on Christmas.
Rip City Has Owned The No. 1 Pick 4 Times…
… and management has selected big men every time.
1972: LaRue Martin — Retired by 1976
1974: Bill Walton — Won Finals MVP (YAY!)…skipped 1978-79 and was with another team the next year (Bummer…)
1978: Mychal Thompson — Put up decent numbers (YAY!)…now known as a “Lakers legend” and was drafted ahead of Larry Bird (Bummer…)
2007: Greg Oden — Self Explanatory…
Portland Was The 5th-Youngest Team In 2015-16
The Trail Blazers had an average age of 25.2 this past season, per RealGM.com. The only younger squads? The Milwaukee Bucks (24.6), Toronto Raptors (25.0), Denver Nuggets (24.9) and the Philadelphia 76ers (24.7).
Of the four, only the Raptors proved to be worthy adversaries to anyone competitive in the postseason.
(RANDOM FACT ALERT!) Portland Roster Composition:
Players By Draft: 6
Players By Trade: 3
Players By Free Agency: 5
Portland isn’t known as a free-agent destination, but consider the following: 17 of 30 teams have the same number of players acquired by free agency or fewer at this juncture.
It’s a quantity-versus-quality perspective…but it’s something to hang your hat on it you’re a Blazers fan disappointed after an underwhelming summer.
Blazers Are Good Guys…If You Didn’t Already Know
Damian Lillard is quickly turning into the NBA’s most lovable superstar. C.J. McCollum is his trusty good-guy sidekick. But are there any numbers to support the notion that Portland is full of dudes who simply get it in terms of being role models?
Thank you for asking.
This past season, the Blazers were forced to pay $46,000 in terms of player fines. These numbers are determined by combining fines for technicals, ejections and off-court issues. That is a lot of money in terms of the average Portland family income. But across the NBA? Think again.
The only teams in the Association to rack up less money in fines were the Atlanta Hawks ($43,000), Brooklyn Nets ($28,000), Minnesota Timberwolves ($30,000), New Orleans Pelicans ($38,000), Orlando Magic ($26,000) and San Antonio Spurs ($18,000).
“Leading the way” is the Los Angeles Clippers at $1,008,442. In terms of individual games, Dwight Howard was knocked $131,526 back in February, Draymond Green was fined $129,644 for his postseason suspension and DeMarcus Cousins earned a fine of $144,109 for a suspension back in April and another of the exact amount (based on annual salary) back in March (twice…and in November). There was also Ty Lawson with his troubles in January, and the total (a three-game suspension) ended up being $338,304 in fines.
Oh yeah…Lawson also racked up $248,090 in fines for a two-game suspension in December, while Al Jefferson lost $613,636 for a five-game suspension assigned on Dec. 9.
See The Breakdown Here
HUSTLE, HUSTLE, HUSTLE!
This past season, the Blazers ranked seventh in terms of screen assists (offensive player sets a screen for a teammate that directly leads to a made field goal by that teammate). They also ranked 10th in deflections, fourth in loose balls recovered, first in charges drawn, seventh in contesting two-point shots, sixth in contested three-point shots and sixth in total contested shots.
See The Breakdown Here
TEAM = Not As Much Passing As You’d Think
The Blazers may be known as good guys (see: Blazers Are Good Guys…If You Didn’t Already Know), but that doesn’t mean they’re automatically going to create for each other.
Despite what the eye test may reveal (at least when you’re wearing red and black goggles), the Blazers’ passing numbers don’t support the narrative that this group played as a team all season. Consider the following for 2015-16:
Passes Made: 25th
Passes Received: 25th
Assists: 21st
Potential Assists: 23rd
Assists Points Created: 19th
See The Breakdown Here
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