1976–77 Portland Trail Blazers season

NBA professional basketball team season March 2026 October 2023 Portland Trail Blazers 1977 yes yes 49 33 Pacific 2 3 Jack Ramsay Harry Glickman Larry Weinberg Memorial Coliseum KOIN KYTE NBA champions(defeated 76ers 4–2) POR The 1976–77 Portland Trail Blazers season was the Portland Trail Blazers' seventh season in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The revamped Trail Blazers had an exceptional start, winning 22 of their first 31 games. The team won their last 5 games to post a record of 49–33.Portland Trail Blazers (1970 – present) http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/portland/blazers.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20080527120747/http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/portland/blazers.html May 27, 2008 May 16, 2008 The Trail Blazers reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and proceeded to stampede through the postseason. By the time the Blazers had made it to the 1977 NBA Finals, the city of Portland was truly in the grips of "Blazermania". After losing the first two games of the championship series at Philadelphia, the Trail Blazers won four in a row to bring the trophy to Portland. The championship capped the team's first winning season. The Blazers had a 35–6 record at home, which included a perfect 10–0 mark in the playoffs, compared to a 14-27 road record.HickokSports.com – History – NBA 1976–77 Season http://www.hickoksports.com/history/nba197677.shtml dead https://archive.today/20130125053338/http://www.hickoksports.com/history/nba197677.shtml January 25, 2013 April 22, 2008 2026, this remains the only NBA championship in Blazers franchise history, though they made NBA Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992, losing to the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, respectively. Offseason thumb|175px|Wally Walker was the fifth overall pick in the 1976 NBA draft. NBA draft 1976 NBA draft Note: This is not a complete list; only the first three rounds are covered, as well as any other picks by the franchise who played at least one NBA game. Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team 1 5 Wally Walker F United States Virginia 2 20 Major Jones F United States Albany State 2 22 Johnny Davis G United StatesUniversity of Dayton 3 39 Jeff Tyson F United States Western Michigan University ABA Dispersal Draft = All-Star = Hall of Fame The American Basketball Association joined the NBA with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. Of the teams remaining in the ABA, four joined the NBA. The two teams, the Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis, which folded had their players assigned to a dispersal draft for draft purposes. Pick Player Nationality NBA Team ABA Team Purchase Price 2 Maurice Lucas (PF) United States Portland Trail Blazers Kentucky Colonels $300,000 5 Moses Malone (C) United States Portland Trail Blazers Spirits of St. Louis $350,000 The Trail Blazers selected Malone in the dispersal draft after the New Orleans Jazz forfeited his rights in order to retain their first-round pick in the 1977 NBA Draft. They immediately sent Malone and 232,000 1976 yes cash to the Buffalo Braves for their 1978 NBA Draft first round pick, which would become the first pick in the draft by which they selected Mychal Thompson. The Trail Blazers would also acquire point guard Dave Twardzik from the defunct Virginia Squires ABA team as well following the end of the dispersal draft once they entered free agency. Roster Portland Trail Blazers 1976–77 #d1210a #FFFFFF #000000 #FFFFFF 10 Corky Calhoun SF 6 7 210 Pennsylvania 1950-11-01 16 Johnny Davis basketball, born 1955 G 6 2 170 Dayton 1955-10-21 3 Herm Gilliam G 6 3 190 Purdue 1946-04-05 30 Bob Gross SF 6 6 200 Long Beach State 1953-08-03 14 Lionel Hollins G 6 3 185 Arizona State 1953-10-19 34 Robin Jones basketball C 6 9 225 Saint Louis 1954-02-02 20 Maurice Lucas PF 6 9 215 Marquette 1952-02-18 36 Lloyd Neal F/C 6 7 225 Tennessee State 1950-12-10 15 Larry Steele G/F 6 5 180 Kentucky 1949-05-05 13 Dave Twardzik PG 6 1 175 Old Dominion 1950-09-20 42 Wally Walker SF 6 7 190 Virginia 1954-07-18 32 Bill Walton C 6 11 210 UCLA 1952-11-05 Jack Ramsay * Jack McKinney Regular season thumb|The Trail Blazers played their home games at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Just months earlier, the American Basketball Association had ended its ninth and last campaign and the two leagues combined. Despite the changes, it would become the season of Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers. Walton's college performance led to predictions that Walton would be pro basketball's next great player. Yet those dreams went largely unfulfilled because of a series of foot injuries that hampered him. But in the 1977 playoffs, a healthy Walton and his teammates found a chemistry that enabled them to be one of the most talented pro teams ever assembled.NBA.com: Walton, Lucas Ignite 'Blazermania' http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19761977.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120223215047/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19761977.html February 23, 2012 April 22, 2008 NBA.com For Walton, it wasn't a question of wanting to play but of being able to. Injuries repeatedly interrupted his progress as a pro player. On the court, when he was healthy, he was a key contributor. He missed 17 games over the 1976–77 season; the Blazers lost 12 of them. With Walton in the lineup, the Blazers were 44–21, and their .677 winning percentage during those games was the best in the league. The dispersal of ABA players had been particularly beneficial to the Blazers. Maurice Lucas was simply the most dominating power forward in the game, and his arrival only boosted Walton's effectiveness in the frontcourt. Lucas led the team in scoring at 20.2 points per game and averaged better than 11 rebounds. Coming over with Lucas from the ABA was lead guard Dave Twardzik. He had four pro seasons with the Virginia Squires of the ABA and was a starter in Ramsay's system. Another key contributor was Lionel Hollins, a second-year player out of Arizona State who averaged nearly 15 points per game. The Blazers set a team record on November 2, 1976, when they scored 45 points in the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks in their 129–116 win.Trailblazers 129, Hawks 116 https://www.newspapers.com/image/44029900/?terms=%22Jerry%20Simmons%22%20%22fort%20hays%20state%22&match=1 1976 March 13, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231017051321/https://www.newspapers.com/image/44029900/?terms=%22Jerry%20Simmons%22%20%22fort%20hays%20state%22&match=1 live web The Salina Journal October 17, 2023 Season standings POR POR z – clinched division title y – clinched division title x – clinched playoff spot Season schedule Date Opponent Score Result Record Streak Scoring LeaderOctober 23, 1976New York Nets114–104Win1–0Won 1Lucas 24October 26, 1976Golden State Warriors110–96Win2–0Won 2Walton 21October 28, 1976at Golden State Warriors92–112Loss2–1Lost 1Walton 21October 30, 1976Detroit Pistons131–97Win3–1Won 1Lucas 24November 2, 1976Atlanta Hawks129–116Win4–1Won 2Walton 22November 5, 1976Philadelphia 76ers146–104Win5–1Won 3Walton 26November 7, 1976New York Knicks119–93Win6–1Won 4Gross 22November 9, 1976Kansas City Kings119–102Win7–1Won 5Hollins 22November 11, 1976at Atlanta Hawks105–107Loss7–2Lost 1Walton 28November 13, 1976at San Antonio Spurs101–113Loss7–3Lost 2Walton 18November 16, 1976at New Orleans Jazz98–100Loss7–4Lost 3Walton 21November 19, 1976Milwaukee Bucks124–111Win8–4Won 1Walton 27November 21, 1976Buffalo Braves121–98Win9–4Won 2Twardzik 19November 24, 1976Chicago Bulls117–115 (OT)Win10–4Won 3Lucas 25November 26, 1976at Los Angeles Lakers96–99Loss10–5Lost 1Walton 26November 27, 1976Washington Bullets103–95Win11–5Won 1Lucas 30November 28, 1976Indiana Pacers145–115Win12–5Won 2Lucas 25November 30, 1976at Milwaukee Bucks106–115Loss12–6Lost 1Walton 26December 1, 1976at Indiana Pacers101–100Win13–6Won 1Lucas 23December 3, 1976at Phoenix Suns113–99Win14–6Won 2Walton 24December 4, 1976Milwaukee Bucks112–108Win15–6Won 3Walton 25December 5, 1976Cleveland Cavaliers93–89Win16–6Won 4Lucas 22December 7, 1976at New York Knicks111–94Win17–6Won 5Lucas 22December 8, 1976at Boston Celtics95–104Loss17–7Lost 1Lucas 25December 10, 1976at Buffalo Braves103–102Win18–7Won 1Walton 18December 11, 1976at Philadelphia 76ers107–108Loss18–8Lost 1Walton 30December 14, 1976Houston Rockets104–84Win19–8Won 1Gross 22December 17, 1976Denver Nuggets127–105Win20–8Won 2Walton 22December 18, 1976Los Angeles Lakers111–115 (OT)Loss20–9Lost 1Walton 28December 21, 1976Kansas City Kings99–94Win21–9Won 1Walton 24December 25, 1976Seattle SuperSonics110–95Win22–9Won 2Walton 26December 26, 1976at Seattle SuperSonics87–89Loss22–10Lost 1Walton 26December 28, 1976at Chicago Bulls84–79Win23–10Won 1Walton 29December 29, 1976at Detroit Pistons111–120Loss23–11Lost 1Hollins 20December 30, 1976at Milwaukee Bucks107–127Loss23–12Lost 2Davis 20January 1, 1977Chicago Bulls89–82Win24–12Won 1Neal 20January 2, 1977at Los Angeles Lakers99–104Loss24–13Lost 1Lucas 31January 4, 1977Boston Celtics128–84Win25–13Won 1Hollins 21January 7, 1977New Orleans Jazz130–118Win26–13Won 2Lucas, Davis 19January 9, 1977San Antonio Spurs150–113Win27–13Won 3Twardzik 22January 11, 1977New York Knicks131–111Win28–13Won 4Lucas 36January 14, 1977at Boston Celtics107–92Win29–13Won 5Walton, Gross 16January 15, 1977at Washington Bullets107–113Loss29–14Lost 1Walton 18January 16, 1977at Atlanta Hawks120–125Loss29–15Lost 2Steele 28January 18, 1977at New York Nets109–94Win30–15Won 1Lucas 21January 20, 1977at Cleveland Cavaliers99–91Win31–15Won 2Lucas 32January 22, 1977at Houston Rockets107–110Loss31–16Lost 1Lucas 22January 23, 1977at San Antonio Spurs118–123Loss31–17Lost 2Walton 28January 26, 1977at Denver Nuggets107–102Win32–17Won 1Lucas 22January 27, 1977San Antonio Spurs112–104Win33–17Won 2Lucas 23January 30, 1977Phoenix Suns97–91Win34–17Won 3Lucas 21February 2, 1977at Kansas City Kings107–119Loss34–18Lost 1Lucas 24February 3, 1977at Indiana Pacers107–98Win35–18Won 1Lucas 35February 5, 1977Washington Bullets104–116Loss35–19Lost 1Lucas 21February 8, 1977Denver Nuggets111–119Loss35–20Lost 2Hollins 28February 11, 1977Atlanta Hawks108–121Loss35–21Lost 3Lucas 41February 15, 1977at Cleveland Cavaliers96–117Loss35–22Lost 4Lucas 25February 16, 1977at Detroit Pistons118–125Loss35–23Lost 5Lucas 25February 18, 1977at Chicago Bulls90–87Win36–23Won 1Lucas 23February 19, 1977at Denver Nuggets124–133Loss36–24Lost 1Lucas 35February 22, 1977Boston Celtics113–111Win37–24Won 1Hollins 43February 25, 1977Houston Rockets106–123Loss37–25Lost 1Lucas 27March 1, 1977Philadelphia 76ers108–107Win38–25Won 1Lucas 34March 4, 1977Cleveland Cavaliers101–113Loss38–26Lost 1Gross 17March 5, 1977Seattle SuperSonics134–104Win39–26Won 1Twardzik 28March 8, 1977at Buffalo Braves95–102Loss39–27Lost 1Lucas 26March 10, 1977at New York Knicks104–108Loss39–28Lost 2Lucas 29March 11, 1977at Kansas City Kings112–114Loss39–29Lost 3Lucas, Hollins 26March 15, 1977New Orleans Jazz131–104Win40–29Won 1Hollins 22March 17, 1977at Golden State Warriors115–106Win41–29Won 2Steele 27March 18, 1977Indiana Pacers134–110Win42–29Won 3Hollins 28March 20, 1977at Phoenix Suns106–126Loss42–30Lost 1Lucas, Walton 16March 22, 1977at New Orleans Jazz95–106Loss42–31Lost 2Lucas 29March 23, 1977at Houston Rockets104–109Loss42–32Lost 3Walton 26March 25, 1977at New York Nets131–103Win43–32Won 1Lucas 22March 27, 1977at Philadelphia 76ers116–128Loss43–33Lost 1Lucas 30March 29, 1977Buffalo Braves127–101Win44–33Won 1Hollins 26April 1, 1977Golden State Warriors109–98Win45–33Won 2Walton 30April 3, 1977at Seattle SuperSonics119–104Win46–33Won 3Walton 26April 5, 1977Detroit Pistons110–105Win47–33Won 4Neal 18April 9, 1977Phoenix Suns122–111Win48–33Won 5Walton, Gilliam 18April 10, 1977Los Angeles Lakers145–116Win49–33Won 6Hollins 271976–77 Portland Trail Blazers Games – Basketball-Reference.com https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/1977_games.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20190119172806/https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/1977_games.html January 19, 2019 December 2, 2017 Playoffs Portland Trail Blazers 1977 yes #000000 #FF0000 Portland Trail Blazers First round yes no yes #FF0000 #000000 2 0 0 1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 12 | Chicago | W 96–83 | Maurice Lucas (29) | Bill Walton (9) | Bill Walton (6) | Memorial Coliseum12,774 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 15 | @ Chicago | L 104–107 | Bill Walton (24) | Bill Walton (17) | Bob Gross (7) | Chicago Stadium20,000 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 17 | Chicago | W 106–98 | Bob Gross (26) | Bill Walton (11) | Lionel Hollins (9) | Memorial Coliseum12,520 | 2–1 |- Portland Trail Blazers Conference Semi-finals no yes #FF0000 #000000 3 0 1 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 20 | @ Denver | W 101–100 | Maurice Lucas (23) | Maurice Lucas (13) | Bill Walton (6) | McNichols Sports Arena17,995 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 23 | @ Denver | L 110–121 | Maurice Lucas (29) | Bill Walton (16) | Bill Walton (10) | McNichols Sports Arena17,975 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 24 | Denver | W 110–106 | Bill Walton (26) | Bill Walton (13) | Walton, Twardzik (5) | Memorial Coliseum12,736 | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | April 26 | Denver | W 105–96 | Bob Gross (25) | Bill Walton (11) | Bob Gross (6) | Memorial Coliseum12,930 | 3–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 1 | @ Denver | L 105–114 (OT) | Lionel Hollins (19) | Walton, Gross (14) | Hollins, Gross (7) | McNichols Sports Arena17,517 | 3–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | May 2 | Denver | W 108–92 | Johnny Davis (25) | Bill Walton (12) | Bill Walton (9) | Memorial Coliseum12,924 | 4–2 |- Portland Trail Blazers Conference Finals no yes #FF0000 #000000 2 0 2 0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | May 6 | @ Los Angeles | W 121–109 | Maurice Lucas (28) | Maurice Lucas (15) | three players tied (6) | The Forum16,975 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | May 8 | @ Los Angeles | W 99–97 | Lionel Hollins (31) | Bill Walton (17) | Lionel Hollins (9) | The Forum15,192 | 2–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 10 | Los Angeles | W 102–97 | Walton, Lucas (22) | Bill Walton (15) | Bill Walton (9) | Memorial Coliseum12,926 | 3–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 13 | Los Angeles | W 105–101 | Maurice Lucas (26) | Bill Walton (14) | Walton, Gross (6) | Memorial Coliseum12,904 | 4–0 |- Portland Trail Blazers NBA Finals no yes #FF0000 #000000 3 0 1 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | May 22 | @ Philadelphia | L 101–107 | Bill Walton (28) | Bill Walton (20) | Hollins, Davis (6) | Spectrum18,276 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | May 26 | @ Philadelphia | L 89–107 | Bill Walton (17) | Bill Walton (16) | Bob Gross (4) | Spectrum18,276 | 0–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 29 | Philadelphia | W 129–107 | Maurice Lucas (27) | Bill Walton (18) | Bill Walton (9) | Memorial Coliseum12,923 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 31 | Philadelphia | W 130–98 | Lionel Hollins (25) | Bill Walton (13) | Bill Walton (7) | Memorial Coliseum12,913 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | June 3 | @ Philadelphia | W 110–104 | Bob Gross (25) | Bill Walton (24) | Johnny Davis (8) | Spectrum18,276 | 3–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | June 5 | Philadelphia | W 109–107 | Hollins, Walton (20) | Bill Walton (23) | Bill Walton (7) | Memorial Coliseum12,951 | 4–2 |- POR 1977 yes thumb|In his first season as head coach, Jack Ramsay led the Trail Blazers to their first playoff berth. NBA Finals thumb|175px|Bill Walton was the MVP for the 1977 NBA Finals. The Finals opened in the Spectrum on Sunday, May 22. The 76ers seemed unbeatable after the first two games. Julius Erving opened Game 1 with a stupendous dunk off the opening tip. He finished with 33 points and Doug Collins had 30 as Philadelphia won 107–101. The Blazers were rattled enough to commit 34 turnovers. Walton finished with 28 points and 20 rebounds. In Game 2 four nights later, the Sixers won handily, 107–89. Caldwell Jones and Darryl Dawkins handled Walton easily, while the Sixers dominated in the second quarter, scoring 14 points in one three-minute stretch on their way to a 61–43 halftime lead. The game became very physical with about five minutes left. First, Portland's Lloyd Neal and George McGinnis squared off, followed by Lucas and Erving trading elbows. Then, Dawkins & Gross got into some extracurricular activity battling for a rebound. Dawkins punched Gross, then Lucas punched Dawkins, resulting in a bench clearing brawl. In Game 3, played on Sunday, May 29, Lucas strode directly to the Philadelphia bench, then startled everybody, including Dawkins, by sticking out his hand for a shake. The Blazers had a high scoring attack to win the game. Lucas contributed 27 points and 12 rebounds. Walton had nine assists, 20 points, and 18 rebounds. Twardzik, too, had returned to speed, driving the Portland offense along to a 42-point fourth quarter. They won 129–107, closing the series gap to 2–1. In Game 4, Portland opened up a quick 17-point lead, then cruised to a 130–98 win despite Walton being sent to the bench with five fouls in the third. With a little more than eight minutes left in Game 5, Portland led 91–69 and the crowd was headed home. Erving rallied the Sixers to make it respectable at the end, 110–104. He had managed 37 points in the game. Gross scored 25 points to lead the Blazers, while Lucas had 20 with 13 rebounds. Walton finished with 24 rebounds and 14 points. In the sixth and deciding game, Portland was up by 12 with half of the fourth quarter left when Erving led his teammates on one final run. At the four-minute mark, the lead was cut to four, 102–98. McGinnis hit a jumper, and the lead was only two points with 18 seconds left. The Sixers needed a turnover, and they finally got it from McGinnis, who was able to force a jump ball with Gross. With eight seconds remaining, Erving put up a jumper in the lane but missed. Free got the ball and lofted a baseline shot and missed too. With a second left, McGinnis tried to force a seventh and deciding game but he missed. Walton, (who had 20 points, 23 rebounds, eight blocks and seven assists) knocked the loose ball away, then when time ran out, ripped off his jersey & hurled it into the crowd. Player statistics Season Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Playoffs Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Awards and records Bill Walton, All-NBA Second Team Bill Walton, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player AwardNBA Finals Most Valuable Player (Bill Russell Trophy) Award Winners https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/finals_mvp.html 2025-03-19 Basketball-Reference.com en References 30em External links Blazers on Database Basketball Blazers on Reference Basketball Category:Portland Trail Blazers seasons Portland Category:NBA championship seasons Category:Western Conference (NBA) championship seasons Portland Trail Blazers 1976 Portland Trail Blazers 1976 Portland Portland