The Portland Trail Blazers compete in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the NBA. Introduced as one of the three expansion teams in 1970, Portland has a rich history of competition and success.
In the past decade, the Blazers have reached the playoffs eight times which includes a memorable Western Conference Finals run where they beat the Thunder and an impressive Jokic-led Denver Nuggets. This playoff run is also remembered for Lillard’s buzzer beater 3-pointer that eliminated the OKC in five games.
This year’s NBA Draft put a lot of eyes on Portland as they drafted three excellent young talents but none made more buzz than G-League Ignite’s star player Scoot Henderson. Having been drafted third overall, Henderson is one of G-League Ignite’s best athletes to be picked in the 2023 Draft, if not the best.
The Blazers made the headlines again just two months later, as they traded their franchise player Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a three team trade. In return, they got Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, and Jrue Holiday, who was later traded to the Celtics. Point guard Malcolm Brogdon and center Robert Williams III also joined the Trail Blazers this offseason.
The Origins for Rip City
The words Rip City trace back to the Trail Blazers game against the mighty LA Lakers in 1971. The team was playing its first season as an expansion team and were last in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.
Leading up to the 64th game of the 1970-71 regular season, the Lakers were the heavy favorites to reach the Finals with a 39-24 record and were looking to get a comfortable win against an unproven Portland team.
The Lakers, headed by Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, and Gail Goodrich built an early lead in the first half by substantially outscoring the Blazers in the first two quarters. Portland then rallied back in the second quarter and reduced the margin to single digits.
Looking to tie the game, shooting guard Jim Barnett attempted a long-distance 30-foot shot and surprisingly, the shot went in. The entire Portland crowd in attendance at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum erupted with excitement. It was during this very moment that the experienced play-by-play Blazers announcer Bill Scholey uttered the now-famous phrase “Rip City baby.”
The Lakers did end up winning that night with the final score being 136-114, but Scholey never stopped saying Rip City. Today, not only is the phrase an inseparable part of the Portland Trail Blazers but the city of Portland itself.
FAQs
A. Jody Allen. She is an American businesswoman, and the co-founder and president of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
A. The Trail Blazers are worth over $2 billion as of October 2023.
A. Damian Lillard is the All-time leading scorer in Blazers history with 19,376 points.
A. The Trail Blazers have played in the 1977, 1990, and 1992 NBA finals. The Blazers won their first championship in 1977.
