Portland Trail Blazers

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The Portland Trail Blazers are a team of the North American professional Basketball League NBA. Originally the franchise played its home games at the Portland Memorial Coliseum Oregon, since 1995 at the Moda Center in Portland.

The team came in the finals of the playoffs three times and won the NBA Championship (Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy) this once in 1977.

On February 6, 1970 were the Trail Blazers (German: the pioneer) recorded in the NBA, after they had paid $ 3.7 million for it. The team name “Portland Pioneers” was originally intended, but because there were teams in the Collegesport, that have the same name, they agreed on the current name. The original logo of the Blazers showed a wind-radfoermiges logo, the five black Spirallinien from the top left bottom right into five red Spirallinien: This symbolises the basketball with two inhabited teams competition. In later versions, the black lines were grey, but remained the basic principle. in 1974, the Blazers of the NBA draft received its first star players Bill Walton. 1976 met with ABA star Maurice Lucas and coach Jack Ramsay to the Blazers. The upswing of the Blazers began with both new and Bill Walton, so that in 1977 of the Blazers in the final defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2, after Philadelphia had led 2-0 after two games. A 0:2-residue in the NBA Finals to turn was achieved so far only a few clubs.

Walton’s the Blazers left in 1978, after he had suffered multiple injuries in the direction of San Diego Clippers. in 1980, Lucas also left the team. In the 1983 draft, you chose place Clyde Drexler on 14. This has become one of the Superstars of the 80s and regularly led the Blazers to the playoffs. The Blazers built a powerful team lever with players such as Kevin Duckworth, Jerome Kersey, Terry Porter, Kiki Vandeweghe and fat around it. In 1984, the Blazers had the second pick and chose to Sam Bowie and Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls chose for them. This was later considered by many critics as the biggest mistake of all time draft. On the other side chosen in the NBA draft Dražen Petrović, the first European stars, who later switched to the NBA in 1986 with the Lithuanians of Arvydas Sabonis and the Croats.

In 1988 bought all the Club of billionaire Paul and the team came in the years 1990 and 1992 in the finals of the playoffs, lost 1990 against the Detroit Pistons and 1992 against the Chicago Bulls.

The Blazers left the old Portland Memorial Coliseum in 1995 and played at that time in the new Rose Garden Arena (today: Moda Center). Drexler left after eleven years of the Blazers and was sold to the Houston Rockets. Even Porter, Kersey, Buck Williams, Clifford Robinson successively changed the team. Despite rebuilding the Blazers remained a consistent playoff candidate. The Trail Blazers had turn-of-the-Millennium one of the talentiersten teams ever and came close to the NBA title. In the years 1999 and 2000, the Conference finals, in which they failed to the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers reached Portland. In the three subsequent seasons, the Blazers in the first round of the playoff eliminated. At the same time, there were several Portland players with the law, which earned the team the dubious nickname of Jailblazers. Service providers such as Rasheed Wallace, Isaiah Rider, Bonzi Wells and Damon Stoudamire, but also Bank players such as Ruben Patterson and Qyntel Woods were involved. Then the half team has been replaced several times. Between 2003 and 2008, the previously successful franchise not once more reached the playoffs.

The rose garden Stadium as a result of the bankruptcy of the Oregon arena Corporation on some investment firms moved in 2005. 2007 Paul bought the stadium all again, after the former manager was fired.

When the NBA draft 2006 the Blazers via trades took the college stars LaMarcus Aldridge of the Chicago Bulls and Brandon Roy of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both players established themselves quickly to key players in the rotation. Roy was awarded the rookie of the year. Despite the increase in the balance sheet missed the Trail Blazers the playoffs.

The Blazers won the Draftlottery to the NBA draft in 2007. They were the first right in the annual talent selection. The choice fell on Greg Oden, who was regarded as one of the largest Center talents of the last ten years. However, injured Oden before the start of the first game of the season and the entire season was. The Blazers were able to compensate the loss well. Through the performance of Roy and Aldridge, Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw, they could improve the balance again, but the Blazers failed short of the playoff qualification.

The team from Oregon with much premature praise started in the new season with a re genesenen Oden. For the first time after five years, they reached the playoffs, but they did not come beyond the first round. The Blazers started the season 2009/10 promising before Greg broke the kneecap Oden on December 5, 2009 and did not return in the Jersey of the Blazers on the field of play and was released in the year 2012 of these. In retrospect the Blazers, as were criticized when selecting Sam Bowie, also choosing the Odens, because you could have even Kevin Durant. The Blazers reached the playoffs, but had to give up Brandon Roy, who previously had suffered a serious injury to his right knee. Appropriately followed out in the first round again.

As a replacement for the injured Roy committed the Blazers Wesley Matthews of the Utah Jazz. Despite the loss of Oden and the physically strong limited Roy, the Blazers could again reach the playoffs. This was due to mainly the power explosion of Aldridge and Matthews, as well as the commitment by Gerald Wallace.

In June 2011, the Blazers Point guard Raymond Felton of the Denver Nuggets could commit. After a lockout in the NBA could be finished in December, said Brandon Roy due to persistent knee problems, his resignation from the Profibasketballsport. The Blazers responded and signed Jamal Crawford of the Atlanta Hawks. Mid March 2012 Greg Oden was fired along with coach Nate McMillan. Kaleb Canales took over McMillan’s duties until further notice. They also separated by Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace. Hasheem Thabeet and Jonny Flynn of the Houston Rockets and Wallace Mehmet Okur and Shawne Williams of the New Jersey Nets came for Camby. Williams and Okur completed but not a single game for the Blazers.

In 2012, the Blazers not reached the playoffs. Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford, the team left in the summer of 2012. About the 2012 NBA draft, they intensified with the Lotterypicks Damian Lillard and Meyers Leonard. As well, the Blazers committed Europeans Victor Claver and Joel Freeland, whose Rechte they secured in the previous drafts. August 2012 a new head coach was presented with Terry Stotts also. Compared to the previous season reached the Trail Blazers was a significantly improved balance sheet, a qualifying for the playoffs in the season 2012/13 was not possible. Lillard was named the rookie of the year for his performance and is the fourth Blazer, which has received this award so after Geoff Petrie, Sidney Wicks, and Brandon Roy.

In the season of 2013/14 managed to qualify the Blazers again for the playoffs. It moved in the second playoff round, where they lost to the eventual NBA champions of San Antonio Spurs. Two Blazers players to the NBA All-Star game were invited with Lillard and Aldridge. In the season 2014/15, you could win the Division title for the first time since 1999 and qualified for the playoffs, where they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. After the season, star players Aldridge announced that he will join the San Antonio Spurs. Thus, a new building was initiated in Portland, where also the Starter Robin Lopez, Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum team left.

Against all odds, the Blazers with 44 victories for the playoffs qualify 2016. Thanks to this was among other things the scoringstarken Backcourt from C. J. McCollum, who was awarded to the most improved player of the season and led the Lillard with over 25 points scored the Blazers as a scorer. In the first playoff round they defeated surprising the Los Angeles Clippers. In the next round of State Warriors followed Golden after five games, the champions.
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