Sports News


Blazers try to catch 22

Change in direction could end their playoff streak

04/09/04

JIM BESEDA

The last time the Trail Blazers missed the NBA playoffs, Ronald
Reagan was president, the average price of a movie ticket was less
than $3, and Damon Stoudamire was in third grade at Eliot Elementary
in Northeast Portland.

It was 1982.

Since then, the Blazers have reached the postseason 21 consecutive
seasons. It is the NBA's longest current streak and the second-
longest streak in league history, behind only the
Syracuse/Philadelphia franchise's run of 22 playoff appearances from
1950 to 1971.

Like most sports leagues, the NBA is cyclical, and even the most
elite teams go through at least one or more down seasons and miss the
playoffs. The Blazers have been an exception.

But Portland's streak could be nearing an end.

With four games remaining, the Blazers (41-37) are in a three-way
battle with Denver and Utah for the Western Conference's eighth
playoff spot. After tonight's game against the defending champion
Spurs in San Antonio, the Blazers play Saturday in Denver, then
return to the Rose Garden for their final two games, Monday against
the Spurs and Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Missing the playoffs would qualify as a disappointment for the
Blazers, even after last year's promise by owner Paul Allen of
sweeping changes throughout the organization that were virtually
guaranteed to weaken the team competitively, at least in the short
term. Allen's stated goals were to control spending and improve the
team's image in the community, and if that cost a few victories, so
be it.

It's up to the players

When new president Steve Patterson and general manger John Nash
arrived, they said they would do what they could to keep the Blazers
competitive. Although both agreed they prefer to sustain the playoff
streak, they said it wasn't one of their top priorities.

"For a streak like that, you have to have an organization that is
committed to winning and great players," Patterson said. "Both of
those have been the hallmarks of the Portland Trail Blazers
organization for years. And that's the kind of tradition we want to
continue here if we can."

There isn't much that Nash or Patterson can do to help the Blazers
during the next six days. It's up to the players, and none need to be
reminded of the stakes in the next four games.

"Man, I'm tired of talking about that stuff," Stoudamire said. "Yeah,
that's a great streak, man. We know what it is. I also know a couple
years they just barely just crept on up in there, but they still got
in there."

There haven't been that many close calls. Since the playoffs expanded
from 12 to 16 teams -- eight from each conference -- in 1984, the
Blazers have gone into the postseason as a No. 8 seed only once. That
was in 1989, when Rick Adelman replaced Mike Schuler as coach midway
through the season and Portland won seven of its final 12 games. The
Blazers finished 39-43 and edged Dallas by one game for the final
playoff spot.

Maintaining stability

The streak has included five trips to the Western Conference finals
and two appearances in the NBA Finals -- in 1990 against Detroit and
in 1992 against Chicago. There also have been 14 first-round exits.

"For anybody to be in the playoffs 21 straight years . . . what do
you say about that? That's pretty good," Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks
said. "What makes this playoff streak so impressive is that no matter
what has happened in terms of injuries, trades and guys retiring,
they've been able to maintain enough stability to get into the
playoffs every year."

Jim Lynam, now in his second tour of duty as a Blazers assistant
coach, broke into the NBA as a member of Jack Ramsay's staff during
the 1981-82 season. Lynam said he doesn't remember much of that
season, other than the Blazers stayed in the hunt for a playoff spot
until the final week of the regular season before falling short.

"They had won it five years earlier with Bill Walton, but Walton was
no longer there," Lynam said. "Bob Gross was the only leftover from
that championship team, so . . . we were kind of retooling.

"Obviously, they've done a tremendous job of assembling not just
talent, but talent that meshed. If you look at teams that are
perennial playoff teams, they all almost without exception have a
glitch somewhere, whether they lose a free agent or their superstar
retires or whatever. That's why this is such a remarkable run."

High draft picks a rarity

The players don't want to see it end.

"I don't want be a part of the team that breaks that playoff streak,"
forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim said. "I think everybody's focus is on
trying to get in the playoffs. For me, I've never made the playoffs,
so I want to experience it and see how it is."

The constant playoff appearances also have translated into few high
NBA draft picks. Since the playoff streak started, the Blazers only
twice have picked from among the top 10 choices.

In 1984, Portland had the No. 2 pick and selected Sam Bowie over
Michael Jordan. In 1995, the Blazers used the No. 8 pick to take
Shawn Respert. They traded him to Milwaukee for the rights to Gary
Trent and a future first-round pick.

For the most part, however, the cores of Portland's recent teams have
been built through trades and around former lottery picks. As
recently as the 2000-01 season, for example, the roster featured
seven players -- Stacey Augmon, Dale Davis, Scottie Pippen, Steve
Smith, Rasheed Wallace, Bonzi Wells and Stoudamire -- who were among
the top 13 players in their respective drafts and were traded to the
Blazers.

Paring the payroll

"They were willing to take on significant contracts. That's what it
boiled down to," Nash said. "A good example is Scottie Pippen and
taking him from Houston. Where other teams would have shied away from
his contract and that financial commitment, the Blazers didn't balk.
To me, Paul Allen has been willing to spend above and beyond to
remain competitive."

Allen still is doing that. In the deal that brought Dan Dickau, Theo
Ratliff and Adbur-Rahim to Portland three months ago, the Blazers
gave up two contracts that are scheduled to expire after this season
and acquired three contracts that will cost Allen an estimated $26
million next season.

"While we've tried to bring the payroll down, it hasn't so much been
to bring it down for the sake of bringing it down," Patterson
said. "It has been to bring it down to create the kind of flexibility
you want to have so that you can operate in the manner similar to
what San Antonio was able to do last summer.

"The Spurs lost David Robinson to retirement, yet had enough cap room
that they were able bring in Rasho Nesterovic and Hedo Turkoglu and
restock their roster. And, really, that's the position you want to be
in, where you're constantly refreshing the roster, constantly trying
to stay competitive and not be in cap lock, which is sort of where we
started this summer."

Nobody with the Blazers buys into the notion -- at least publicly --
that the team might actually benefit by missing the playoffs this
season and taking its chances in the lottery. Any chance the Blazers
would have of landing one of the top picks is a long shot.

"Unless you're very, very bad, the chances are that you're not going
to be in the top three," Nash said. "We've seen it happen where teams
have been successful against the law of averages and gotten into the
top three, but it's rare."

Still, it could happen. In fact, four years ago, Nash was the general
manager in New Jersey when the Nets finished with the league's
seventh worst record but ended up with the No. 1 pick. They selected
Cincinnati forward Kenyon Martin.

"A stroke of luck," Nash said. "So it can happen, but it's rare."

So, too, is reaching the playoffs for 22 consecutive seasons. But
it's still a possibility.

Jim Beseda: 503-221-8380; jimbeseda@...