In Portland, emotions inextricably linked to Blazers’ fortunes
PORTLAND — A couple months ago, after he dropped $85 on his favorite NBA player’s signature shoe, Dustin Kendall made a promise to his fiancee:
“I’m not allowed to wear them until the wedding,” said Kendall, 40, a claims processor for a health insurance company in Portland.
The metro area’s collective mood shifts with every win, loss, draft pick or trade.
Folks who were on hand two years ago for “the Shot” — Lillard’s game-winner against Houston that clinched the franchise’s first playoff series win in 14 seasons — can describe the scene in detail: fans dancing in the aisles, players rushing the court, Lillard yelling “RIP CIIIIITY!” into the scorer’s table microphone.
Three of the biggest busts in NBA history — LaRue Martin (first overall pick, 1972), Sam Bowie (second overall pick, 1984) and Greg Oden (first overall pick, 2007) — were drafted by the Blazers.
The “Jail Blazers” era, a three-year stretch in the early 2000s marked by off-the-court problems, remains a scar on fans’ memory.
Many Portlanders still ponder what could have happened if knee problems hadn’t limited Brandon Roy’s Blazers career to five seasons.
Las Vegas projected the new-look group to finish with the league’s second-worst record.
The Blazers won seven of their final nine regular-season games to secure the Western Conference’s No. 5 playoff seed.
After falling behind 2-0 in the opening round, Portland rattled off four victories — albeit against a depleted Clippers squad — to set up a date with the winningest team in NBA history.
Unlike past Blazers standouts who bolted for a shot at more wins, Lillard hopes to play his entire career in the Pacific Northwest.
Tuesday night, when the Warriors came from behind to win Game 2, many Blazers fans’ minds drifted to Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference finals.