Landon Buford
It has been 27 years since the Portland Trailblazers were last featured in the NBA Finals. The 1991- 1992 Blazers team featured Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler, Danny Ainge, Clifford Robinson, Jerome Kersey, Terry Porter, and Buck Williams. The Blazers would finish first in the NBA’s Pacific Division with a 57-25 under Rick Adelman. The team would blow its way through the Western Conference beating the Lakers, Suns, Jazz in that order to reach the NBA Finals. Unfortunately for the Blazers, they came one of Michael Jordan’s six victims in the Finals. The Bulls would go on and beat the Trailblazers in six games to secure the franchise’s second championship.
Fast forward 27 years later, Ironically, another of Michael Jordan’s victims Hall of Famer Charles Barkley believes the Blazers have a legitimate shot to return to the big dance this season. After a 104-99 victory ov犀利士
er the Oklahoma City Thunder for Blazers, Barkley said, “I tell you what, I’m all in on the Trail Blazers.”
“Put it on the board, the #Blazers are going to the N樂威壯
BA Finals!” — Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/Y10jr8M8SV— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) March 8, 2019
“I like Portland. I thought before [Jusuf] Nurkic got hurt, they had a chance of winning the West. … I still think so.”
Barkley has been consistently picking Rip City for a while now to reach the Finals. Back in March Barkley spoke to Heavy’s Brandon Robinson representing the west this year.
“I like Portland in the Finals,” Barkley told Robinson.
“With [Damian] Lillard and [CJ] McCollum. The addition of Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter. I like them in the West.”
Last Night (April 18th, 2019), on Inside the NBA Charles took it a step further by guaranteeing that Rip City will be in the Finals this year.
“I guarantee the Portland Trailblazers are going to the finals,“ says Charles Barkley
I guarantee the Portland Trailblazers are going to the finals, says Charles Barkley #Ripcity #InsideTheNBA #NBA #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/QSW8hakIha
— Landon Buford (@LandonBuford) April 19, 2019
The Blazers are up 2-0 on Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and the Thunder as the series shifts to Oklahoma City for game three and four. The Thunder are looking to feast on home cooking and even the series over the two games to force a game five in Portland and six in OKC.
