by : Blazermaniac

In the fall of 1976, when I was one the cusp of my 8th birthday, I had a sports awakening.? Suddenly, the concept of professional sports became a reality to me.? The Portland Trail Blazers were (and, sadly, still are) the only major professional sports organization in the state of Oregon.? I loved to play basketball and so following?the Blazers became a passion for me.? I was with them almost from training camp when they let Moses Malone go because the new coaching staff, led by Dr. Jack Ramsay, felt like he didn't fit in with their team concept.

From the outset, the Blazers played impressively.? They started Bill Walton at center, Maurice Lucas at power forward, Bobby Gross at small forward, Lionel Hollins at?shooting guard, and Dave Twardzik at the point.? Their bench consisted of veterans Larry Steele, Lloyd Neal, Corky Calhoun, and Herm Gilliam as well as young guns Wally Walker, Johnny Davis, and Robin Jones.

Walton, then in his prime with his red hair in a pony tail or surrounded by a headband, was the best passing center of all-time.? His defensive rebounds and outlet passes to the quick guards Twardzik and Davis were legendary.? He led the league in rebounds and blocked shots that year.? Leading scorer Maurice Lucas was my favorite player because of his bruising style.? Later Karl Malone would remind me of a higher scoring version of Lucas.? He was the Enforcer!

Bobby Gross had a solid mid-range jumper and the backcourt of Hollins and Twardzik was not particularly flashy, but they were scrappy defenders and not afraid to go after loose balls.? Larry Steele was the veteran?'sixth man'.? He was the longest-tenured Blazer at the time and had led the league in steals a few years before (I believe it was the first year the stat was recorded) and was an excellent defender with a solid outside shot.? Herm Gilliam was the wily vet who could enter the game and calm things down when the young Blazers were threatening to self-destruct.? Rookie Johnny Davis came along as the year progressed and kept up the intensity that the starting five would initiate.

In the frontcourt, Neal backed up both Lucas and Walton.? He was a banger and was good for some solid rebounding and defense.? He was injured part of the year and this gave Jones a chance to play?in his rookie season.? Veteran Corky Calhoun came from the Lakers and had experience to offer at the small forward position.? Walker was a rookie, I believe, out of Virginia and was important to the Blazers because he brought in the female fans with his feathered Andy Gibb hair.

The regular season for the Blazers was nothing special.? Yes they finished with their franchise-best record of 48 or 49 wins, but the Los Angeles Lakers were the team to beat in the West that year.? The playoffs began for the Blazers in a best-of-three series against Chicago.? The Bulls were in the Western Conference then.? After disposing of the Bulls in three hard-fought games, the Denver Nuggets, fresh out of the ABA, beckoned.? Dan Issel, David Thompson and the Nuggets were formidable foes.? Ramsay's decision to use Davis more in the backcourt because of his quickness paid off as the Blazers won the best-of-seven series in six games.

Next up - the Lakers.? This had to be one of the most under-rated upsets in NBA history as Portland stomped Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers in four straight games.? Then they had to wait several days to learn who their opponent would be in the NBA Finals.

The Philadelphia 76ers dared to face the history-making Blazers.? They had Dr. J, George McGinnis, Lloyd (not yet World B.) Free, Doug Collins, and Chocolate Thunder himself, Darryl Dawkins.? Portland was given little chance against the star-laden Sixers.? But after Erving, Free, and finally McGinnis missed potential game-tying jumpers the ball was swatted to mid-court by Walton and Davis ran the clock out for a 109-107 Game 6 victory that crowned the Portland Trail Blazers the 1976-77 NBA Champions.? That was the first year that Oueen's 'We Are the Champions' was used for a champion's theme song.

The next year was better for the Blazers in the regular season but Walton went down with an injury and the Blazers never recovered.? But Blazermania and 'Rip City' had begun!? Why is this team the best ever?? Because they were the champs the year I 'discovered' hoops and I learned from them the meaning of 'team' play.? Each one of them checked their egos at the door and sacrificed themselves for the good of the team.? No other team since then has exhibited such successfully unselfish behavior.? They were a team brought together for a purpose and they accomplished what they set out to do in training camp when Coach Ramsay started camp with a timed mile run that built team camaraderie.

As it turns out, 1977 was a pivotal year for me in establishing my favorite teams in the three major sports.? I followed the Denver Broncos (my hometown) as they lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl in January and finished the year by rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they lost to the Reggie Jackson-led New York Yankees in the World Series.? But in between the two, a champion arose that conquered by submitting to one another's strengths for the good of the team?like no other team had before or has since.? Thirty one years later, Blazermania lives on because of their accomplishments.