On June 5, 1977, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers to win their first NBA Championship.
The Trail Blazers were in only their seventh year of existence and were making their playoff debut so no one expected a championship. First year coach Jack Ramsey led the Blazers into the playoffs with a 49 - 33 regular season record. Led by future Hall of Famer Bill Walton and newly acquired Maurice Lucas, the Blazers shocked everyone by sweeping the Lakers and superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in four games. Next up was the team with the best record in the east, the Philadelphia 76ers. Led by Julius Erving, the Sixers won the first two games pretty easily. Then, to the surprise of everyone, the Blazers took over and won the next four games to win the series four games to two. Bill Walton was named series MVP and the celebration began. Check out the video below for some of the best post game celebration that we've ever seen.
Portland Trail Blazers 1976 - 77 Roster
Corky Calhoun
Johnny Davis
Herm Gilliam
Bob Gross
Lionel Hollins
Robin Jones
Maurice Lucas
Lloyd Neal
Larry Steele
Dave Twardzik
Wally Walker
Bill Walton
P.S. We’ve had a lot of athletes come through the doors here at Mitchell & Ness. Bill Walton is, without a doubt, one of the nicest guys we’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.