June 4, 2000 is a date that won't be forgotten in the history of the Portland Trail Blazers fanbase.
A Blazers team that was built to win an NBA championship battled back from a 3-1 deficit to send the Western Conference Finals to a Game 7 in Los Angeles against the rival Lakers.
Exactly 13 years later, that fateful day changed the course of the entire franchise. Portland was sent reeling, while the Lakers went on to win five titles over the next 11 years.
Let's take a look at how the Blazers' fortunes have changed since that day.
How the team was constructed
A deep Blazers squad was coming off a terrific 1998-99 season. After reaching the Western Conference Finals, they got swept by the San Antonio Spurs in Tim Duncan's rookie season.
Portland was deep, with seven players averaging at least eight points per game. J.R. Rider was the team's leading scorer at just 13.9 PPG, but the Blazers were short on experience to get to the next level.
The core pieces were in place with Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire, Arvydas Sabonis and Brian Grant.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Alex Tam
How the Portland Trail Blazers Have Changed Since Game 7 in 2000
June 4th, 2013 by Alex Tam Leave a reply »
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