October 20, 2026
October 20, 2026
1976-1977 Portland Trail Blazers: First Trail Blazed
The Portland Trail Blazers had been in the National Basketball Association for only 7 years before they could realize their true potential. The Trail Blazers were a fairly young organization trying to find their way in professional basketball, and as the 1970s were winding down, they were developing a strong team.
In the 1976-1977 NBA season, the 1976-1977 Portland Trail Blazers went 49-33, finishing 4 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific Division. In divisional play, the Blazers fared well against every opponent except the Lakers, going 1-3 against Los Angeles. The Blazers went 3-1 against the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Seattle SuperSonics.
The American Basketball Association had closed its doors and merged with the NBA after the 1975-1976 season. As part of the merger, the Spirits of St. Louis and the Kentucky Colonels were forced to cease operations, which meant that players from those two teams became eligible to be selected in a dispersal draft.
With the 2nd overall pick in the ABA-NBA Dispersal Draft, the Blazers selected power forward Maurice Lucas, who quickly became a leader on the team. Lucas had 1,599 points, 899 rebounds, 229 assists and 83 steals, making 632 of 1,357 field goal attempts and 345 of 438 free throws. Lucas averaged 20.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.
Lucas provided much-needed help for center Bill Walton, who had only 2 years of NBA experience. Walton had 1,210 points, 934 rebounds, 245 assists and 211 blocks, making 491 of 930 field goal attempts and 228 of 327 free throws. Walton averaged 18.6 points and 14.4 rebounds per game.
Point guard Lionel Hollins had 1,119 points, 313 assists and 166 steals, making 452 of 1,046 field goal attempts and 215 of 287 free throws. Hollins averaged 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Small forward Bob Gross had 935 points, 242 assists and 107 steals, making 376 of 711 field goal attempts and 183 of 215 free throws. Shooting guard Larry Steele had 835 points and 118 steals, making 326 of 652 field goal attempts and 183 of 227 free throws.
Point guard Dave Twardzik had 765 points, 247 assists and 128 steals, making 263 of 430 field goal attempts and 239 of 284 free throws. Shooting guard Herm Gilliam had 744 points and 170 assists, making 326 of 744 field goal attempts and 92 of 120 free throws. Shooting guard Johnny Davis had 634 points and 148 assists, making 234 of 531 field goal attempts and 166 of 209 free throws.
The 1976-1977 Portland Trail Blazers got out to an incredible 22-7 start to the regular season, showing the rest of the NBA that they were ready to break out as a formidable championship contender. The Blazers enjoyed consistent success in the form of winning streaks, putting together 3 separate 5-game winning streaks. Their first came during that 22-7 start and began on October 30 with a convincing 131-97 pounding of the Detroit Pistons. That streak ended on November 9 with a 119-102 win over the Kansas City Kings.
Portland’s second 5-game winning streak began on December 1 with a 101-100 win over the Indiana Pacers, one of the ABA teams accepted into the NBA, and ended on December 7 with a 106-98 win over the New York Knicks. Portland’s third 5-game winning streak began on January 4 with a 128-84 pounding of the Boston Celtics and ended with a 107-92 win over the same Celtics on January 14.
The Western Conference Quarterfinals pitted the Portland Trail Blazers against the Chicago Bulls, and the Blazers prevailed 2 games to 1. In Game 1 on April 12 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Blazers beat the Bulls 96-83. Maurice Lucas led the Blazers with 29 points, and Dave Twardzik followed with 18. The Bulls evened the series with a 107-104 win in Game 2 on April 15 at Chicago Stadium. In the deciding Game 3 on April 17, back at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Blazers beat the Bulls 106-98. Bob Gross scored 26 points while Lucas scored 21.
Advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals, the Blazers faced the Denver Nuggets, another former ABA team accepted into the NBA. The Blazers eliminated the Nuggets 4 games to 2. In Game 1 on April 20 at McNichols Sports Arena, the Blazers held on to win 101-100. Lucas had 23 points, Bill Walton had 22 and Gross had 18. Denver didn’t make anything easy for Portland, though, as center and power forward Dan Issel had 28 points and small forward and shooting guard David Thompson had 26.
In Game 2 on April 22, the Nuggets bounced back to beat the Blazers 121-110. In Game 3 on April 24 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Blazers won 110-106. Thompson put up 40 points for Denver, but the combination of Lucas and Walton was clearly more potent for Portland, as they scored 27 and 26 points, respectively. In Game 4 on April 26, the Blazers beat the Nuggets 105-96. Point guard Mack Calvin led the way for Denver with 28 points, while Issel had 17 and Thompson had 16. For Portland, Gross led with 25 points, while Hollins had 18 and Lucas had 17.
Fans at McNichols Sports Arena witnessed a tight Game 5 on May 1, which the Nuggets won 114-105 in overtime. However, the Blazers got the last laugh, winning Game 6 108-92 on May 2 back on their home court. Johnny Davis and Lionel Hollins picked up the Blazers with 25 and 21 points, respectively.
The Western Conference Finals was a decisive 4-game sweep in Portland’s favor as the Blazers downed the Los Angeles Lakers. In Game 1 on May 6 at The Forum, the Blazers beat the Lakers 121-109. Shooting guard Earl Tatum had 32 points for the Lakers, while center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 30. Portland had a great combination of scorers, with Lucas scoring 28 points, Hollins 25, Walton 22 and Davis 20.
In Game 2 on May 8, the Blazers beat the Lakers 99-97. Abdul-Jabbar exploded for 40 points for Los Angeles, while Hollins and Gilliam came through for Portland with 31 and 24 points, respectively. In Game 3 on May 10 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Blazers won 102-97. Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers again with 21 points, but he was bested by the strong frontcourt of Lucas and Walton, who scored 22 points each. The Blazers completed the sweep with a 105-101 win in Game 4 on May 13. Los Angeles got 20 points from Abdul-Jabbar and 20 from point guard Lucius Allen. Portland got 26 points from Lucas, 21 from Davis and 19 from Walton.
The 1977 NBA Finals featured the Portland Trail Blazers against the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers. The Finals got off to a rough start for Portland, as the Blazers dropped the first 2 games. In Game 1 on May 22 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, the 76ers beat the Blazers 107-101. The 76ers then won Game 2 on May 26 by a score of 107-89. However, the Trail Blazers found their spark once again and never looked back.
Returning to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum for Game 3 on May 29, the Blazers won 129-107. Philadelphia got scoring from the man called “Dr. J,” small forward Julius Erving, who had 28 points, while shooting guard Doug Collins had 21. Maurice Lucas proved to be a critical piece of Portland’s championship puzzle with 27 points in the game. Walton had 20 points, Gross had 19 and Davis had 18.
In Game 4 on May 31, the Blazers crushed the 76ers 130-98. Dr. J had 24 points for Philadelphia, but it was too little to overcome Portland’s lead. Lionel Hollins had 25 points while Lucas had 24. In Game 5 on June 3 at The Spectrum, the Blazers won 110-104. Dr. J got to the basket often and scored 37 points, and Collins chipped in 23. Bob Gross led Portland in scoring with 23 points while Lucas had 20.
Finally, in Game 6 on June 5 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Portland Trail Blazers held on to win by a single bucket, 109-107, capturing the franchise’s first-ever NBA Championship. Julius Erving went off for 40 points to keep Philadelphia in contention, and power forward and small forward George McGinnis added 28 points to help Philadelphia’s cause. Gross had 24 points for Portland, while Walton and Hollins each had 20.
While Maurice Lucas was a critical part of the 1976-1977 Portland Trail Blazers’ success, Bill Walton was named Most Valuable Player of the 1977 NBA Finals. Walton was also honored with a spot on the All-NBA 2nd Team. With this NBA Championship, the Portland Trail Blazers had blazed their first trail as a professional basketball organization, and the hope for more success on the court remained strong.
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