Greatest moment in each NBA franchise’s history

Portland Trail Blazers: 1977 NBA Championship

There’s a good chance that somewhere in the not-so-distant future that Damian Lillard does something that overtakes the spot as the greatest moment in the history of the Portland Trail Blazers. His clutch shots from the playoffs two years ago against the Rockets almost qualify as of right now, so you have to assume that there will be more to come over his career.

However, the Trail Blazers’ greatest moment for now remains their lone NBA Championship win from back in 1977. Through what that team was able to accomplish and the fact that the aftermath of that title was immortalized in The Breaks of the Game, that’s a team and a championship that will live forever in the minds of NBA fans and certainly Trail Blazers fans.

For that era in the late 1970s, that 1976-77 Trail Blazers team was a revelation. There aren’t many bigger “what if” scenarios in the history of the NBA than what if Bill Walton had stayed healthy for his career. His performance in that 1977 title run with Portland is a major reason why that question is worth its salt; he was a next-level type of front court player in that era and he could have developed into an unstoppable force if not for injuries.

That Bill Walton-led team is iconic for so many reasons, but none more pressing than the fact that they brought Portland its lone NBA title and did so in dominant and impressive fashion. Until Lillard does something absurd, the Trail Blazers winning the title 38 years ago remains their greatest moment.

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