The Portland Trail Blazers is an NBA team from Portland, Oregon. Established in 1970 as an expansion team in the NBA, the name “Trail Blazers” was chosen through a contest, reflecting Portland’s rugged outdoorsy culture and ties to the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Blazers have had many key milestones, including winning the NBA championship in 1977, making appearances in the finals in 1990 and 1992 and having a 21-year playoff streak. They have also had some star players, one being Damian Lillard, who played from 2013 to 2023. Lillard has had 2,400 three-pointers in his NBA career, placing him fifth in NBA history for three-pointers made. Another was Bill Walton, who played from 1974 to 1979. Walton is credited as one of the greatest college basketball players ever, having led the UCLA Bruins to two consecutive NCAA championships, not to mention an unheard-of 88-game winning streak. Stars like Clyde Drexler and coach Terry Porter led the Blazers to win a remarkable 63 games in 1990-91, the most in franchise history.
After the 2023/24 season, having 61 games lost and only 21 won, many say this season the Blazers are “finally good again.” With players like Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton, the Blazers have a current 2024/25 season streak of 31 games won and 39 lost.
Many were upset at the loss of Damian Lillard, who was considered one of our best players of all time. Many felt that he had a connection to the city, so when he left, it felt like a big loss. This season has been considered their “comeback”, with many more games won and much more traction within the NBA standings. Although they aren’t the best in the NBA, they have shaped up. In the past, fans felt that even though the players had potential, the chemistry amongst them wasn’t enough to win games and have a successful season. Alongside this, many key players had injuries that prevented them from continuing to play. For example, Shaedon Sharpe who had an abdominal injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.
New coaching has also been a concern for fans recently. Although they love the Blazers, many people strongly dislike the current coach, Chauncey Billups. Billups is receiving criticism from fans and analysts, with some questioning his coaching abilities and whether he’s the right fit for the team. They say that he isn’t putting in players where/when they need to go and that the team isn’t reaching their full potential with him in charge. In comparison with the old coach Terry Stotts, they feel he isn’t filling the position, as Stotts led the Blazers to many rounds of playoffs. According to the Blazer’s Edge, “Billups is a decent theoretical coach, but he’s shown himself to be a fairly poor situational one.”
However, even with the leave of Lillard and making it through the coaching controversy, the Blazers seem to be gaining traction again and still remain a well-loved symbol of Portland.
