Portland Trailblazers

The Portland Trailblazers are an NBA franchise in the Western Conference's Northwest Division. Founded in 1970, the Blazers are Oregon's only major league franchise.

After a couple of unsuccessful years, the 1977 team posted a winning record and qualified for the playoffs - both firsts. The group surrounding superstar center Bill Walton defeated Julius Erving's highly favoured Philadelphia 76ers. Walton suffered various injuries the following year which kept the Blazers from repeating.

From 1983 to 2003, the Blazers reached the playoffs a record 21-straight times. But teams featuring stars Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen and Rasheed Wallace were unable to break through - often falling at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Blazers are also notorious for selecting injury-plagued Sam Bowie at No.2 in the 1984 draft - one spot ahead of Michael Jordan. Adding Greg Oden as the No.1 pick in 2007 and headed by reigning Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy, the Blazers are one of the up-and-coming teams in the NBA, though they are likely to miss the playoffs again this season.

Created by: Ole