Blazer Nation

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

With the addition of Pippen, Smith and Schrempf, the Trail Blazers got off to a fast start by winning 13 of their first 15 games of the regular season, and later on held the league's best record at 38–11 before the All-Star break. The team posted an 11-game winning streak in February, but later on fell out of first place. The Trail Blazers finished with the second-best record in the league with a 59–23 record, which is the second-highest win percentage outright in franchise history; finishing in second place in the Pacific Division, the Trail Blazers earned the third seed in the Western Conference, and qualified for the NBA playoffs for the 18th consecutive year, and also for the 23rd time in 24 years.

In Their Own Story

The atmosphere at the Memorial Coliseum turned electric on April 5, 1977, when the Trail Blazers began a sellout streak that would last until 1995. For nearly two decades, fans filled the arena for 814 consecutive home games, creating a record-breaking environment that supported the team through its first championship run and into the Drexler era. The crowd's energy was palpable as they watched legends like Bill Walton dominate in 1977 and Clyde Drexler lead the charge to Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992. When the team moved to the Rose Garden in 1995, the streak ended due to the larger facility, but the passion remained unchanged. Fans stood by through the drafting of Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan and the subsequent struggles, witnessing the resilience of a team that qualified for the playoffs in 37 seasons through the 2024-25 campaign.

Reader's Guide

Rasheed Wallace averaged 16.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, while Smith finished second on the team in scoring averaging 14.9 points per game, and Pippen averaged 12.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. In addition, Damon Stoudamire provided the team with 12.5 points and 5.2 assists per game, and Arvydas Sabonis contributed 11.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Off the bench, second-year guard Bonzi Wells contributed 8.8 points per game, while Schrempf averaged 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, Brian Grant provided with 7.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, but only played 63 games due to knee and foot injuries, and Greg Anthony contributed 6.3 points and 2.5 assists per game. During the NBA All-Star weekend at The Arena in Oakland in Oakland, California, Wallace was selected for the 2000 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was his first ever All-Star appearance. Pippen finished tied in eighth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Did You Know?

• The Trail Blazers finished third in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 835,078 at the Rose Garden Arena during the regular season.
• Following the season, Grant was traded to the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade deal, and Jermaine O'Neal was dealt to the Indiana Pacers in a separate trade on the same day.
• The Trail Blazers did not win another NBA playoff series until May 2, 2014, when Damian Lillard hit a three-point shot with 0.9 seconds left to beat the Houston Rockets, 99–98 in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Ro
• The Trail Blazers would not return to the Western Conference Finals again until the 2018–19 season.