If (and it's a large-sized if) the Blazers win tomorrow's game with the Heat, their record will be an astounding 25-5. This got me to thinking, all they have to do is double that record up in order to match the 50-10 start that the 77-78 Blazers had up to the point that Walton was injured. That kind of put in perspective for me just how amazingly good that post-championship year team was until Walton broke down.
that 78 team was a juggernaut. if this team can match that oh man oh man. that would actually be insane.
Stop what? I'm not saying I expect this year's team to come anywhere close to what the 77-78 team did. Just saying that team was amazing.
You're setting these guys up for failure. This place already has guys on here saying how they aren't happy with CLOSE wins now.
Seriously, dude, you need to shut the **** up. Don't jinx us! That was the second greatest team in Blazer history (topped only by the 90-91 squad). To watch it crumble as a young boy was a permanently scarring experience. Just allow me to enjoy the ride.
Man, I wasn't aware that I held the fate of the Blazers' universe in my fingers on my little keyboard. What a responsibility to bear! Thought some people around here would appreciate a little Blazers' history, but I guess I should have waited until after the season was over.
Your words have the ability to reopen a wound that hasn't fully healed in 35 years. Damn, that team was unbelievable. Those ten losses were simply nights when they took the night off. Most nights, they won before tipoff. I'm sorry for younger fans that missed that team. They were poetry on hardwood. The perfect players for the perfect coach who all bought into the perfect system.
Hammertime! in the name of love... drop and roll! What you're doin', cause I'm about to ruin... Oh yes, wait a minute mr post-man... I wanna go home Take off this uniform And leave the show And I'm waiting in this cell Because I have to know Have I been guilty all this time
I thought projection and prognostic banter was part of the fun? They are off to an amazing start regardless of whom they have played or what level their defense is at. Their offense is a breath of fresh air after the Nate years and they have multiple finishers which make them tougher to defend in a close game. That said, they have the Heat coming in Saturday followed by being @OKC on the 2nd night of a back-to-back just three days later. Then in January they have 4 road games in 5 nights against the Spurs, Mavs, Rockets and Thunder followed by @ Golden State in less than a week. If they can get 2-3 wins out of those 5 games, everyone will have to stop with the 'buts'.
One game at a time is working for me this season. Stay humble, stay hungry! The western conference is a beast to win in and winning close games just means you have a great team! We have a great team here in Portland. They are contenders!
I'm hardly a younger fan. Going to the championship parade has been a highlight of my time as a Blazer fan. The team the following year was unbelievably good and a pure joy to follow. I think the whole city felt a blow in the gut when Walton's foot gave out. For me, that was infinitely worse than the whole Oden fiasco.
I posted this earlier @ O Live: http://oregonlive.com/blazers/team/1388163453-547-530/this-day-in-1977.html
It's hard to describe Blazermania to those who didn't experience it. What an amazing time. The way it ended was far too cruel, however.
Once you navigate around the voodoo and black magic believers, you will eventually find people interested in discussing Blazers basketball on this forum. I thought your post was good, but it's like trying to talk about science in the dark ages... You'll simply be labeled a jinx welding witch, and I saw that crowd coming the instant I read your OP
Its amazing that we would be half way there with a win tomorrow! I don't think this team has any realistic chance of ripping off another 25-5 run though. We've played the majority of our easy road games and have yet to play any of the top7 NBA teams on the road. The team has won a ton of close games. While I expect us to be a good team in clutch situation I don't think any team will ever be capable of repeatably winning 80-90% of those close games as we have been. I'm appreciating every game of this run and love watching this team, but I don't expect the great play to keep up. I think some fans around here are underestimating how difficult the first round of the playoffs will be. Even if we are a top3 seed we could easily play good ball in the first round and lose. The west is ridiculously difficult this year.
As someone who watched both teams play, I disagree. The Walton 78 team was just a historical force of destruction. The state of the league was strong, there was elite competition every single night, and the Blazers were just mowing down all comers. From The SI Vault:
