"Road to the NBA Finals": 1992

by bfan on May 14, 2008 1:09 PM PDT

Was just home for lunch to take the dogs out and low and behold, "Road to the NBA Finals" was showcasing our favorite 1992 sons against the Bulls on ESPN2. A few thoughts:

1. The Portland fans were all wearing florescent pink hats in the Memorial Coliseum. What were we thinking? Ugh.

2. Boy, I wasn't very impressed with our defense as a team and Clyde's defense especially. Gave Jordan WAY too much room to operate on the perimeter. Does anyone else remember being that shoddy at defense?

3. Danny Ainge was INTENSE. He was out there gritting his teeth and making faces. He was even making faces on the sidelines! Man, we need a player like him right now. Which of our current players needs to fill that roll of getting everyone fired up? After watching our 1992 squad again, everybody on our current team seems so docile comparatively. Rudy might bring some fire, but we need to find a firecracker or two to come off the bench. I don't just mean energy here, people. I'm looking for someone to flat out piss the other team off with his antics. I want to stick in their craw.

4. Man I wish we had Jordan. What were we thinking taking Bowie? Idiots!

5. Here's the biggie: JORDAN RAN THE POINT FOR THE BULLS!!! I was too young to recognize this at the time, but after watching the film it's clear that Jordan often initiated the offense. I didn't realize this. Did anyone else? This makes me feel better about Roy eventually becoming a full-time offense-initiator. I don't know why this makes me feel better--it just does.

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It is always nice to have a precedent

re Roy initiating the office. Yes I do rememeber that Jordan always got the ball. I remember Pippen also in the Point Forward mode often. Terry and Clyde both could handle the rock …so we had a little of that action as well.

"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss" Robert A. Heinlein

by 92wastheyear on May 14, 2008 1:21 PM PDT 0 recs

CSN

I remember when CSN started broadcasting and they showed classic blazer games. i found the time to watch a few games where bowie played….and those games were fantastic. The team was so exciting. Bowie was the right choice in the end…and it’s not like we were left empty handed after he went down either. We got rid of Bowie to get Buck if my memory serves me correct.

by Philthyanimal on May 14, 2008 1:57 PM PDT 0 recs

Dude ...

we could have had Jordan.

by bfan on May 14, 2008 2:09 PM PDT up 0 recs

Nah

Jordan is overrated.

He couldn’t even break into the major leagues. Bo Jackson did and so did Deon Sanders.

"Reality is for people who can't handle Blazers Edge." - MiledAnimal

by tominhawaii on May 14, 2008 3:54 PM PDT up 0 recs

so did

Danny Ainge

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on May 14, 2008 7:44 PM PDT up 0 recs

We win that series if we had Sabonis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE5cLNbt7TI

by Sabonis4Ever on May 14, 2008 2:05 PM PDT 0 recs

We win lots of things if we had Sabonis.

by bfan on May 14, 2008 2:10 PM PDT up 0 recs

i've said this many times IRL

Sabonis + early 90’s blazers = no MJ era.

Jordan still would have still been great, and had his rings, but I dont think he would have been up in that godlike status back then.

by Philthyanimal on May 14, 2008 2:20 PM PDT up 0 recs

Hate to say it

But I have to disagree. I really don’t think anything would have gotten in the way of Jordan. Because we’re always comparing him to today’s players we forget the dude refused to disappear in big moments. There were never, “what’s wrong with MJ?” columns back in the day. Yeah, Sabonis is my fav player and his athleticism at the 5 would have been nigh impossible for the Bulls to contain. But seriously, we’re talking about Jordan. The undisputed greatest ever.

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on May 14, 2008 2:28 PM PDT up 0 recs

Fixed

Sabonis + early 90’s blazers = no less MJ era

by Sabonis4Ever on May 14, 2008 2:39 PM PDT up 0 recs

Agreed

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on May 14, 2008 2:46 PM PDT up 0 recs

MJ was MJ...

but think through who were playing the center position for Chicago back then…Purdue, Cartwright, Kline, Longley, Willington…rest my case.

Sometimes I feel like I'm going in different directions...

by porterfan30 on May 15, 2008 8:45 AM PDT up 0 recs

Triangle offense doesn't need a pg

The triangle starts in the high post using a big man like Shaq or a big guard like Jordan/Pippen/Kobe. If all passing options fail, then the offense becomes just an iso on the wing or pick and rolls.

We run a low post iso, wing iso, pick and roll offense all coming from down screens. With Oden next year, we can run a high-low so the PG position doesn’t need to be a creator. Which in this case makes Rudy a viable PG on offense if he can handle the ball. Defense on the other hand is another story.

BINGO, BANGO, BONGO

by blzrfan on May 14, 2008 2:20 PM PDT 1 recs

the myth of Jordan

I think there have been many posts talking about the historical rewrite of the 84’ draft and how we should of had Jordan, but it seems fallacious to think that Jordan would have reached the same levels in Portland that he did in Chicago. That team was built for him and it took MJ a lot of time to realize that he could not win on his own. There is no guarantee that he gets the same treatment in Portland or we even have the personnel to help Jordan see the importance of a team game to allow him to reach the heights that he did.

I would have much rather had Olajuwon than Jordan anyhow.

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on May 14, 2008 7:54 PM PDT 0 recs

Everyone is crazy

We’re talking about Michael Jordan. You guys remember him, right? I’m not talking about Michael Johnson, the Olympic sprinter. I’m not talking about Michael Jackson, the tragic case. We’re talking about Michael Jordan the basketball player. I hope that clears everything up.

Because, seriously, you’d take HAKEEM?

I feel like AI talking about practice. Or Jim Mora talking about the playoffs.

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on May 14, 2008 8:00 PM PDT up 0 recs

You don't think that a line up

of Porter, Drexler, Kersey, Micheal Thompson, and Hakeem wouldn’t have grabbed some of MJ’s jewelry?

"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss" Robert A. Heinlein

by 92wastheyear on May 14, 2008 8:04 PM PDT up 0 recs

No, but it's not even the point

The point is thus: someone claimed it would be prudent to draft Hakeem over Jordan. Now I know here in Portland there are some complicated feelings regarding the Sam Bowie disaster, and maybe when people spit crazy talk they feel better about it. Whatever. We’re talking about the best basketball player ever. Dude won titles with Cartwheel Bill Cartwright and Luc “Not a Euro” Longley. Porter, Drexler, Kersey, Meat Thompson and Hakeem? I’ll take Jordan and whoever.

Seriously, people, Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan, people.

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on May 14, 2008 11:11 PM PDT up 0 recs

I Guess

If I had too, I would trade for him, on a fantasy team.

Rudy > MJ

"Reality is for people who can't handle Blazers Edge." - MiledAnimal

by tominhawaii on May 15, 2008 12:30 AM PDT up 0 recs

How did you get so brainwashed?

“Undisputed best player ever”? I dispute it a great deal. Ever looked at Wilt Chamberlain’s game? Does a fist-full of rings really translate into a “best ever” status? No, otherwise the honor would go to Bill Russell.

I too would take Hakeem over Jordan. Had we won the coin flip for him, Jordan would be way less of a legend.

P.S. (or some might call it B.S.) K. Bryant is every bit as talented as Jordan.

by TwoDeep on May 15, 2008 9:24 AM PDT up 0 recs

I do not dispute it.

But I think Jordan was less loathsome. And that’s saying something after hating him for beating us in ‘90 and ‘92.

One of Two Official Blazer's Edge Poets Laureate for the 2008-2009 Season

"Scholars have long known that fishing eventually turns men into philosophers. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to buy decent tackle on a philosopher's salary." - Patrick McManus

by T Darkstar on May 15, 2008 9:43 AM PDT up 0 recs

Isiah beat us in 90.

by bfan on May 15, 2008 3:01 PM PDT up 0 recs

Oh yeah.

Still, I blamed everything on Mike. Blazer’s lose? Jordan’s fault. Bad hangnail? Jordan’s fault. I really didn’t like the guy. Now that he can never beat us again, even with the Charlotte Bobcats, I’m much more mellowed out about the guy.

One of Two Official Blazer's Edge Poets Laureate for the 2008-2009 Season

"Scholars have long known that fishing eventually turns men into philosophers. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to buy decent tackle on a philosopher's salary." - Patrick McManus

by T Darkstar on May 15, 2008 7:10 PM PDT up 0 recs

Brainwashed?

I got brainwashed by watching MJ play. He was better than anyone on the court all the time. Better than Hakeem by leaps and bounds (literally). Anyone who disputes that is blinded by reactionary revisionism. Kobe as good as MJ? Please. Why don’t you save it for a laudatory op-ed piece in the LA media. MJ played back when perimeter defenders were actually allowed to, you know, defend. And his stats are still better. So is his ring count.

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on May 15, 2008 10:33 AM PDT up 0 recs

You play to win the game. Hello.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMk5sMHj58I

They are who we thought they were. And we let them off the hook.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDAq5tyfk9E

Man, NFL coaches are crazy.

by Sabonis4Ever on May 14, 2008 8:06 PM PDT up 0 recs

Just because Jordan could do it

doesn’t mean it’s a good idea for Roy to do it. Although I have thought about whether we should consider using the triangle, but I don’t think our bigs are good enough ball handlers for it.

As far as our defensive scheme on Jordan that year, early in his career, Jordan’s one weakness was supposed to be outside shooting. Now, maybe Adelman might’ve adjusted once he saw that Jordan was unusually hot from outside, and Rick’s inability to make in-game and in-series adjustments is definitely his weakest point.

by howlingfantods on May 15, 2008 6:53 AM PDT 0 recs