The 1977 NBA Finals: Blazer-mania vs 76ers

[00:00:00] Imagine a city that never tasted playoff basketball. A team of misfits, castoffs, and a red-haired sinner. Now picture them facing a powerhouse, stacked with the legends, and a team led by Julius Irving on the NBA's biggest stage after their biggest merger and biggest expansion.

[00:00:19] That was the summer of 1977 when the Portland Trail Blazers took on the Philadelphia 76ers, colliding in a series that would ignite a city and redefine underdog glory, changing the league forever. This was a story about how Blazer-mania was born and how the team on the brink came back for one of the most unforgettable runs through NBA Finals history.

[00:00:44] Join us as we dive into the 1977 NBA Finals, a moment when basketball history was made and the impossible became a reality. Let's go! Welcome to Daily Sports History, I'm Ethan Reese, your guide, as you daily learn more about sports history, increasing your sports knowledge.

[00:01:14] The 1976-77 season was an important season in NBA history. This was the year of the merger. The ABA had officially merged with the NBA, bringing over the San Antonio Spurs, the Indiana Pacers, the Denver Nuggets, and the New York Nets. Which, besides it being a merger, it was a big expansion for the league. They went from 18 teams to 22 in one season. And 22 teams that had quality players and could compete at a good level.

[00:01:44] But, the NBA had some great teams they had to compete with. And one of them was the Portland Trail Blazers, who started Blazer-mania that year. It was their seventh season in the NBA, and they won 22 of their first 31 games. Getting everyone in the city excited. As their big acquisition a few years earlier, in the number one pick in Bill Walton was finally healthy and showing why he was the number one pick.

[00:02:09] Averaging over 18 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks a game. And had a great running mate in Maurice Lucas, who averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds a game as well. And they also got key contributions from Lionel Hollins and Bob Gross. And they would go on to finish the season 49-33, which was good enough to give them the three seed in the Western Conference playoffs. In the first round, they would face off against the Chicago Bulls.

[00:02:37] Gotta remember, not as many teams. Chicago was in the West at the time. And they beat them 2-1. And then in the semis, they faced off against the Denver Nuggets, an ABA team that showed they were ready to compete right away. And they took them to six games with their high-powered offense. But the Blazers were able to tamper it down and to get the win to go on in the Western Conference Finals. Facing off against the legendary Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

[00:03:05] They were the number one seed in the West that year. And despite having Kareem, they didn't have magic yet. And unfortunately, they got swept by Blazer Mania. And they would go on to face the winner of the Eastern Conference in the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, the Philadelphia 76ers had a great season. Finishing second in the league with 50 wins and first in the Eastern Conference.

[00:03:31] Led by Dr. J Julius Irving, who averaged over 21 points and eight rebounds a game. And had running mate, future Hall of Famer, George McGinnis and Doug Collins a good solid three heading into the playoffs. They would have the number one seed, so they would get a bye in the first round. And in the semifinals, they would face off against the Boston Celtics. Led by John Havlicek. But they were no match. And they would lead them to a grueling seven-game series. With eventually, 7-6ers coming out on top.

[00:04:00] Which would lead to the Eastern Conference Finals. Where they would face off against the Houston Rockets. Yes, Houston was in the East and Chicago was in the West. It was a weird time. Okay? Just a weird time. But the Rockets came out. And the Rockets were led by Moses Malone. And a rookie in John Lucas. Fortunately, it wasn't enough. And the Sixers prevailed in six games heading to the NBA Finals. Game one happens in Philadelphia.

[00:04:29] Where in the first quarter, Dr. J goes and makes a statement. Doing a windmill dunk. Showing off what he's named after. But it was still a close game after the first quarter. 27-25. And the second quarter would be much of the same. Where they would trade off baskets. Leading to Philadelphia. Heading into half with a two-point lead. They would come out of halftime. And the Sixers would continue their success. And they would take an eight-point lead. Portland was struggling to maintain the ball.

[00:04:59] Turning it over multiple times. And they would finish the game with 34 turnovers. So game two comes up again in Philadelphia. And Doug Collins and Julius Irving again come out aggressively. And they would lead the way 31-26 after the first quarter. And the Sixers came out in the second. And put a clamp on Portland as they scored just 17 points in the second quarter. And they would use this defense to lead to offense. And they would open up the lead to 18 points.

[00:05:27] At halftime 61-43. But Portland wasn't going to give up. They came out. They regrouped. And in the third quarter Bill Walton would battle inside to try to take away some of what was going on. But despite what he was doing the team itself was shooting poorly. Only 36% from the field. And again having multiple turnovers. They would end up with 29 in this game. And the game started to get physical. With just five minutes left in the game. Daryl Dawkins of Philadelphia would battle with Bob Gross after a rebound.

[00:05:57] And both benches would be cleared in a melee that today would be front page news. But back then it was kind of common. Now multiple players would be ejected and later fined. But overall all the players would be okay. But Philadelphia took the win 107-89 in commanding fashion with a 2-0 series lead. If you have a 2-0 series lead in the NBA playoffs. That team usually wins 92% of the time.

[00:06:24] But luckily the series was now going to be heading in to Portland. And Portland had Blazer mania going on. And they really came out to support the team. And out of the gates they would score 34 points in the first quarter. And would hold Philadelphia to just 21. But in the second Philadelphia would bounce back. And would bring the game into a 7 point game at the half. And the game would still be a back and forth game throughout the rest of the game. And the turning point for the game didn't come until the fourth quarter.

[00:06:52] With the score 91-87. Bill Walton tipped in an alley-oop pass from Bob Gross over Dawkins. And it knocked Walton to the floor. And then the Blazers would steal the ball on the inbound. And Bill Walton would get another alley-oop dunk. Really cementing the game. As they poured in 42 points in the fourth quarter to pull away and win the game. 129-107. Where Bill Walton had 20 points and 18 rebounds. And one assist shy of a triple-double.

[00:07:21] And Maurice Lucas would lead the way for the team with 27 points. Philadelphia was only now up 2-1. And in game 4, again in Portland. Portland followed the same kind of trajectory. In the first quarter, they dominated Philadelphia. Holding them to just 16 points. As they scored 29. Giving them a great leg up. But Philadelphia would find its rhythm a little bit. But not enough. As Portland would lead by 11 points at half. And Portland would explode coming out of half.

[00:07:51] Scoring 41 points. Opening the game wide up. And the 76ers just could not keep up. And they would basically relinquish the game. Despite trading blows in the fourth quarter. Portland would win in a blowout. 130-98. In a game where Bill Walton wasn't the focal point. Scoring only 12 points and having 13 rebounds. But were led by Lionel Hall with 25 points. And Maurice Lucas with 24. And having... So now the series was tied 2-2.

[00:08:21] So game 5 heads back to Philadelphia. But Portland continues their streak of hot starts. And great defense. Holding Philly to just 15 points in the first quarter. Giving them a 7 point lead. But Dr. J and Doug Collins would keep the game close. As it became more and more physical. And they went into half. Up just 4. But coming out of halftime. Portland exploded for 40 points.

[00:08:47] Led by Johnny Davis off the bench with 8 assists. And they took a commanding 22 point lead. And Dr. J would do whatever he could. And would end up scoring 37 points in the game. To try to get them back. But unfortunately it was just a little bit too late. With under a minute left. Philadelphia closed the game within 6. But Portland held their own. And won. 10-10 to 104. Taking the lead 3-2 in the series.

[00:09:16] Needing only one more game. To get their very first NBA championship. The city welcomed back Portland from game 5. With over 5,000 fans at the airport. Which is something we don't have today. Due to security reasons. But still. So came game 6. In Portland. In front of almost 13,000 fans. Making Blazer Mania throughout the town go crazy. And game 6 opened on June 5th, 1977.

[00:09:45] And it was an intense and tight game. Trading baskets back and forth. And though that first quarter was close. The second quarter showed Blazers were just too hot to handle. Scoring 40 points in the second. Being led by Maurice Lucas and Bob Gross. On the offensive end. And Bill Walton distributing and grabbing all the rebounds he could. They had a 15 point lead at half. 65-50. But Dr. J would not let the game just go. And he was relentless. He would finish scoring 40 points in the game.

[00:10:13] But it just wasn't enough to get by Bill Walton. Who would end up having 23 rebounds. And 8 blocks in the game. But Julius Irving and George McGinnis combined over 28 points in the final. Towards the end of the game. To lead the charge. To bring it close. As within just under a minute left. The Blazers held on to just a narrow lead. But with 5 seconds left. Philly inbounded the ball. Down 2. George McGinnis drove and took a contested jumper. And missed. All 10 players crashed the board.

[00:10:43] But Bill Walton left above the crowd. And batted the ball up the court. As time expired. And the crowd erupted. As the Portland Trailblazers just became NBA champions. And Bill Walton was dynamic. He averaged 18 points. 19 rebounds. 5 assists. And 3 blocks throughout the series. And this game was marked by an ABA and NBA merger. As Dr. J had come over from the ABA. Along with Maurice Lucas.

[00:11:12] Showing the new style they were bringing to the NBA. Even though these were two NBA teams facing off. But it showed that the ABA was here to make a difference. Now following this season. The Blazers took a major blow. When Bill Walton would get injured again. And really would continue injuries throughout the rest of his career. After this. He never really was able to get them back to that moment. And would get traded years later. And Portland would have to start over and over again.

[00:11:39] As they would famously miss out on Michael Jordan. But they were a consistent team. As they would have Clyde Drexler take over the mantle. After Walton left. And help stabilize the team. And for the next 27 seasons. They would make the playoffs 26 times. Showing consistency. But never enough to win out. Though they did make the finals. In losing to Michael Jordan. Who could have been on their team. If they only would have picked him in the 1980s. But they have still yet to win another championship.

[00:12:08] Now the 76ers became a powerhouse in the East. In the following years. And they would make the finals the next year. But fall short again. And they would continue to make the finals. And fall short. Losing in 1980 and 1982. But in 1983. They added Moses Malone to their team. And they would finally defeat the Lakers. Claiming their third title. But would also be their last. As they only made the finals again in 2001 with Allen Iverson. And have not made it since.

[00:12:37] They have remained one of the most storied franchises. Making the playoffs 54 times. But only having three championships. And always searching for that one more. Question is. Who do you think of these teams will win their next title? I want to thank you for listening to today's Daily Sports History. If you like this, please make sure you like and subscribe wherever you're listening. That way you do not miss a single episode. And we'll see you on the next episode.