I liked the 1999-2000 team the best, so much length with Pippen, 'Sheed, Smith, Wells, Augmon, Sabonis, etc. Very balanced passing and scoring, too. The current team is a lot of fun, too, and the late-80s/early-90s Blazers were a lot of fun to watch play. I'd put the late-90s Blazers behind those eras, personally (I wasn't around for the '70s Blazers, so not considering them).
Other than the championship team, I really liked the '91 team that won 63 games. Unfortunately, they got derailed in the WCF by the Lakers. After making the finals the year before, that team jumped out to a 19-1 start and I really thought that was going to be our year. We finished with the best record in the league, and prior to that season, the Bulls had had trouble getting by the Celtics and Pistons in the East. Michael Jordan had yet to win his first ring and the Bulls were not yet invincible. If we wouldn't have stumbled against the Lakers, I think we would have beaten the Bulls in the finals that year. BNM
Agreed on the 1990-1991 team. Had we gotten past the F'L*kers, I think we would have beaten the Bulls that year. My second favorite team was the 1977-1978 team. Before the injuries, that team was incredible.
I'm too young to remember all but the 1999-2000 team, really missed out on not seeing the Drexler teams. I only remember Drexler as a Rocket and Porter as a Spur.
Sheed was one of the most underrated PF to play the game, never got allstar nods and never got much respect but I loved the way he played the game. With all the techs, you know, most of the time he was right. Shaq hated to play against him and Sabonis. Shaq said Sabonis was his biggest fear in the post. Sheed was just a really smart defender
Yup, I always felt that Blazers team defended Shaq by far the best that any team defended him in his prime. Sabonis was big and strong enough not to be easily moved in the post and Sheed and Pippen were fantastic help defenders with great length.
Sheed was one of the most underrated PFs to ever play the game. I don't think Shaq ever got more than 17pts a game against him. Shaq said Sheed and Sabonis were the guys he least like to play against. With all Sheed's techs, most of the time he was actually right, he never got calls
Sheed was never the primary guy guarding Shaq as far as I can remember, and Shaq scored well over 17 ppg against us. Sounds like you're trying to use the stats in very creative ways. I don't remember Shaq ever saying that about Wallace and Sabonis, either. Link? I do remember him talking some trash about humiliating Sabonis.
I had a double post that seems repetitive and for that I apologize but I read the Shaq quote back when they were playing and remembered them saying the Blazers were the only team that season that kept him under 20pts. Sheed had a lot to do with that. The link is in my memory cells but thanks for the creative compliment
That was a great Blazer team, my favorite after the Walton Lucas team was definitely the Drexler, Porter, Duckworth, Kersey Williams team. I like Rod Strickland, Sheed, Sabo, Augmon a lot too. Strickland was an underrated pt guard. Now they know he was struggling with alcoholism and it's still a battle for him. I think he's coaching in Russia?
There was one game that season where he only scored 17. Of course, he was in the teens a few other games that season, as well as games against Houston and Atlanta where he was in single figures. Overall, he averaged 20.5 ppg against Portland that year.