Portland Trail Blazers 2021: News, Schedule, Roster, Score, Injury Report

The Portland Trail Blazers compete in the NBA as part of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference. The Blazers are an incredibly popular franchise but have never reached the finals since 1992. 

The Trail Blazers’ logo has always been admired by fans worldwide. They are sticking to the same design that came into existence during the team’s inception. The “pinwheel” logo is a graphic representation of two basketball teams lined up against each other. 

As for their home arena, the Blazers have been hosting games at the Moda Center since 1995. The stadium is designed for multi-purpose use and teams like the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League and other sports franchises use the arena for their games. 

Who owns the Portland Trail Blazers? 

The late Paul Allen bought the Portland Trail Blazers for $70 million in 1988 and began implementing his vision on the franchise. He was instrumental in the construction of the Moda Center and revitalizing the franchise. 

After Paul Allen’s death in 2018, his sister Jody took control of the Blazers and has been the controlling owner since. Jody Allen inherited a lot of fortunes that her brother left behind, which includes Seattle Seahawks of the NFL and Seattle Sounders of the MLS. 

Head Coach and Top Executives

Terry Stotts has been serving as the Head Coach of the Blazers since 2011. Stotts played professional basketball in Europe, after which he turned towards coaching. The Iowa native worked as the HC with the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks before taking up the Blazers job. 

Moreover, Terry Stotts was an assistant coach of the Dallas Mavericks when they won the 2011 NBA championship. He recorded less than 50% of win percentages in his previous HC stints, but his Blazers journey is a story on the rise. 

Coming to the line of executives, the Blazers have awarded the role of General Manager and President of Basketball Operations to the same person. After being hired as the GM in 2012, Neil Olshey quickly rose up the ranks and took over as the President of Basketball Operations in 2015. 

Olshey has been an influential figure in the organization ever since his being appointed as the GM. He is the mastermind behind drafting Damian Lillard, who went down as the fourth unanimous Rookie of the Year in history. 

History

The Portland Trail Blazers entered the NBA as an expansion team in 1970. Just like any other team, the Blazers too struggled to post winning records in their first few years. However, the team swiftly rose to the challenge when Bill Walton joined in 1974. 

Walton formed a formidable partnership with Maurice Lucas, and guard Lionel Hollins to post the team’s first winning record during the 1976-77 season (49-33). The Blazers made a deep playoff run the same year and reached the NBA finals. 

Due to their lack of experience, the Blazers were ousted in the first two finals games by the Philadelphia 76ers, but Portland fought back to seal the series by winning the next four. With this, the franchise registered its first NBA championship in 1977. 

After the title triumph, things looked bright for the franchise. They looked to be the flashy newcomers who were assuming control of the league. Successive postseason trips followed, which included two finals trips in three years. 

The Portland Trail Blazers stood out as one of the most prosperous teams in the 80s and the 90s, having made 20 successive trips to the playoffs from 1983 to 2003. The millennium decade, however, did not shine much light on the franchise. 

They hardly made the playoffs, and if they did, teams knocked them out in the first round. Moving forward to the 2010s, the Blazers saw the dawn of a new era - a team that pulled together young talents who were capable of guiding them to every bit of success. 

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were acquired by the Blazers through the NBA draft, and these two are still the cornerstones of the franchise. Fans are yearning for this duo to guide the team to championship glory. 

Portland Trail Blazers: Mascot and Uniforms

‘Blaze the Trail Cat’ is the official mascot of the Blazers. Blaze is a two-toned silver cat and has been the team’s official mascot since 2002. Besides entertaining fans at home games, he also serves as the team’s ambassador, making several trips around the Oregon area, even around the world!

The primary colors in the Blazers’ uniforms are red, black, and white. The team has always been simple with their jersey designs, and these three colors predominantly feature in almost every edition of the Nike uniforms. 

Team’s Sponsors

Performance Health (Biofreeze), a medical supply manufacturing company, is currently the main sponsor of the Blazers team. They also endorse their brand through jersey patches in the team’s uniform. 

Other sponsors of the Portland Trail Blazers include Adidas, Toyota, First Tech Federal Credit Union, and a few other companies. 

Achievements and history

Portland Trail Blazers 2021 roster