Youtube Honors Terry Porter

by Ben Golliver on Jul 2, 2008 8:34 PM PDT

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Sure I got distracted this past week or so with draft talk but don't think I forgot about Terry Porter and the quest to get his jersey retired.

For this week's installment, I have found a ridiculous highlight video from the 1992 playoffs, which most people would agree was the pinnacle of his career.

His stat line for the playoffs that year is just stupid:

21 games, 41 minutes/game (!), 52% field goal shooting, 47% from 3 point land (!!), 83% free throw shooting, 21.4 points/game (!!!), 4.6 rebounds/game and 6.7 assists/game.

Like I said, just stupid.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words then a video must be worth 1,000 pictures. So instead of me writing 1,000,000 words, direct your attention to this Youtube from the 1992 Western Conference Finals, when the Blazers famously squared off against the Stockton/Malone-led Utah Jazz. And be sure to scroll down for a list of my favorite moments.

:19    TP starts the video right by banging in a 3 pointer.
:48    TP finishes on the run and gets an awkward man hug from Kersey.
1:00 TP bangs in another 3 pointer.
1:12  TP makes a beautiful entry pass.
1:53 TP bangs in yet another 3 pointer, this time right in Stockton's face.
2:22 TP on the run again, gets the sick and one thanks to great body control.
2:32 Rinse, repeat: TP bangs in yet another 3.
3:14 TP the leader keeps the head case Duckworth happy.
3:55 Even Clyde is laughing about how awesome TP is.
4:46 TP goes one on five, taking the whole Jazz team to the rack.
5:23 TP the politician says all the right things, expressing confidence in the team.
7:05 TP runs the pick and pop perfectly, finding Duck with a textbook bounce pass.
9:12 TP breaks Malone off super hard and finds the spotter wide open.
9:30 TP crashes the glass smartly and draws a loose ball foul.
9:32 TP executes Stockton off the dribble and finishes perfectly.
9:41 TP closes the video right by finishing another one on the run.

So, there you have it. Without a doubt, the video shows what a great TEAM that 1991-1992 squad was (and also how unstoppable Clyde was).

But, more importantly for our purposes, it solidifies the arguments we've been making for months now: TP could shoot, TP could break down a defense, TP could get out and run, TP could pass, TP could do the little things, and, most importantly, TP could lead.

TP was the man. He still deserves his jersey retired.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

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Comments

Oh thank you Ben

It’s gonna take awhile for anyone to bump TP from my #1 fave Blazer spot. Of course I loved all of them. Buck taking down Malone … Danny Ainge whooping it up in the locker room… Beating the Jazz. Sigh.

"We will do nice things!" - Rudy, 07/01/08

by jorga on Jul 2, 2008 9:10 PM PDT reply actions

here's to another generation of blazers-jazz WCF matchups

am i right?

boozer and williams are great villains

"Honor Terry Porter." Email me with your TP stories and memories.

by Ben Golliver on Jul 2, 2008 9:20 PM PDT up reply actions

boozer & his playoff choking-backstabbing unibrow yes

Williams actually is hard for me to dislike

by tweener on Jul 3, 2008 10:52 PM PDT up reply actions

I have seen that video about 1,000,000 times

And it never gets old (well, except for the last five minutes of it).

My favorite parts:

1. Dick Enberg screaming “KERSEY…. AGAIN…. OH, HOW HE CAN FINISH!!!!” (after which I think to myself, “Yeah, especially in Salt Lake City”)

2. The guy in the band singing “Jaaaa aaa aaazers”

3. Uncle Cliffy’s (pre-murderer) OJ Simpson impersonation.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Jul 2, 2008 9:39 PM PDT reply actions

Clarification

When I said “The last five minutes of it”, I’m referring to games 5 & 6 against the Bulls.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Jul 2, 2008 9:40 PM PDT up reply actions

the oj part was great

what about the jazz fan dancing in the front row too… classic

"Honor Terry Porter." Email me with your TP stories and memories.

by Ben Golliver on Jul 2, 2008 9:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Oh man...

I just love hearing the Schonz.

by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Jul 2, 2008 11:10 PM PDT reply actions

Very nice

except the highlight editors apparently only like the under-the-hoop angle which sucks. It’s the worst angle in basketball.

by jamon51 on Jul 3, 2008 1:05 AM PDT reply actions

Ughhh...I hate the Mailman!

Watching that video makes me want to punch his face. All the flopping and elbows. Buck Williams and Rosta Monster owned him. I hope Greg Oden can be a bigger version of Buck and punk David West, Gasol, Boozer, Amare, et al. Great walk down memory lane. If only we didn’t choke away that 13 point lead in the 4th quarter in game 6 of the finals. Nice post. Rip City is back!

by RoyDrexler on Jul 3, 2008 2:06 AM PDT reply actions

That was nice

You got any of that in HD? I need my fix.

"Man I want to rec it again." - pualo talking about jscot's long comment

by tominhawaii on Jul 3, 2008 2:19 AM PDT reply actions

Tp is the greatest pont guard in blazer history

although he had a propensity to wear leisure suits..he still was a great player..and he has my total respect

if it can be conceived it can be achieved

by lyfefindsaway on Jul 3, 2008 3:22 AM PDT reply actions

Ho-lee Crap!

I forgot how good that team was! Even watching this 16 years later I was fist pumping here in the office. Words cannot express how much I can’t wait for the season to start and for the Blazers to be this good again. How awesome is that going to be?

By the way, a word of advice – It’s really hard to get away with watching videos whilst one should be working if you’re whooping and yelling at the screen as well as fist pumping.

by coolguyrob on Jul 3, 2008 3:34 AM PDT reply actions

Great clip!

Now we just need a clip of when he hit 7 threes in the fourth to wreck GS at the start of the ‘93 season. I remember watching that on KGW…so awesome. Martell’s 24 pt. quarter last season brought back memories. :)

by erastus25 on Jul 3, 2008 4:46 AM PDT reply actions

New Poster

These games were right when my Dad was introducing my brother and me to the Blazers, though I can’t quite remember if we started our trips into Portland yet to see the games. Thanks for posting the video, definitely brought back a lot of memories. Porter was the man but i still like watching the highlights from all the other guys. They’re still who I think of as ‘the Blazers’ though this team we’re putting together now has the potential to replace that for me!

by cmcdougall on Jul 3, 2008 5:46 AM PDT reply actions

Mailman and his sidekick Stockston McEvil

I forgot to mention that this brought back the absolute hatred for Malone and Stockton that a normal 7-8 yr old reserves only for super villains, which… I guess they were.

by cmcdougall on Jul 3, 2008 5:50 AM PDT up reply actions

Good vs. Evil

The degree to which I saw the early-90s Blazers as a question of Good vs. Evil is amazing. Because I had so little understanding of people living in other states, I simply could not imagine there being fans of the other teams. It was simply my beloved Blazers against this anonymous, universally loathed group of men wearing purple short shorts.

Kevin Pritchard is a 4.0 Draft Day Student

by rmcdougall on Jul 3, 2008 8:48 AM PDT up reply actions

exactly!

Now that I’m older though, I’ve met fans of other teams, and know the pain they’ve gone through following say the Nets for two years. No longer are all these teams just ‘the other teams’ but ‘my friend Geoff’s Team’ or ‘coworker Nick’s Team’’ and the same goes for he’s ‘Our Terry Porter’ but I now understand how it was ’’so and so’s Barkley’’. Doesn’t change the fact that StocktonMalone was Satan’s.

Back to honoring Porter though, I credit him and his teammates for helping me fall in love with the Blazers at a young age.

Blazer's Edge - by Blazer fans, for Blazer fans
BBFFBF - Not quite as marketable as FUBU

by cmcdougall on Jul 3, 2008 9:04 AM PDT reply actions

welcome to the site

"Honor Terry Porter." Email me with your TP stories and memories.

by Ben Golliver on Jul 3, 2008 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions

Glad to be here

My brother got me to start reading it, now I figure it’s a good time to jump in!

Blazer's Edge - by Blazer fans, for Blazer fans
BBFFBF - Not quite as marketable as FUBU

by cmcdougall on Jul 3, 2008 11:03 AM PDT up reply actions

I forgot

how much I hated that Jazz team. Malone was such a well.. no swearing..
Man i miss those teams. I really hope that someday soon we make that kind of connection with this team. Its all hope now, but when we finally make a deep run in the playoffs I bet I will feel that same intense love feeling about them

I remember the good old days. The Rasta Monsta days.

by GreatOden'sRaven on Jul 3, 2008 11:32 AM PDT reply actions

For those who feel like torturing themselves...

Here are the clips from the 1992 Finals (from the same video – “Make It Happen”, the 1992 Blazers Yearbook video):

Part 1 – Game 1 (“The Shrug”), Game 2 (Bulls choke after the refs foul Clyde out of the game):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQOcBL7hWIk&feature=related

Part 2 – Game 3 (Jordan outduels Clyde); Game 4 (Kersey shoves Ainge, then the whole team takes out their frustration on the Bulls… oh, how I loved this game); Game 5 (Jordan domination):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQR5XD_PVnU&NR=1

Part 3 – Game 6 (aka, the gut punch):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gdJc5Qi07o

The main reason Portland lost game 6 was because they didn’t really have a backup point guard for Porter. Adelman had lost all confidence in Robert Pack, they had a seven player rotation (Duck/Buck/Cliffy/Kersey/Clyde/TP/Ainge), and the team (especially TP) was completely gassed in the 4th quarter of that game.

1991 was Portland’s year, moreso than 1992 (the Bulls won 67 games that year and were clearly the best team in the league)... but nonetheless it was still disheartening how it ended.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Jul 3, 2008 1:23 PM PDT reply actions