“We Were a Real Team” : NBA Legend Praises His Underappreciated Trailblazers in Michael Jordan Era

The Trailblazers were one of the most talented teams in the 80s and 90s to not win a ring. They were led by 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler. They came close to winning the NBA title in 1989/90 and 1991/92 but lost both times in the Finals.

Although Drexler left later to get a ring in Houston, he says the 89-92 Blazers team was a “real team.” While speaking to USA Today, Clyde the Glyde said, “I loved playing with those guys. They don’t get enough credit. We were a real team.” Despite being in two NBA Finals, the Drexler’s Blazers always go under the radar for teams who deserved to win a ring.

NBA Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler praises his underappreciated “real team”

“To make it to the Finals back then, you had to be really, really good,” Drexler said. “We were fortunate always to be in the mix in those three years and have an outstanding chance to play for a title.” Drexler had a solid team around him which featured All-Stars like Terry Porter, Buck Williams, and Kevin Duckworth.

While talking about his teammates, Drexler praised Buck Williams calling him “one of the best offensive centers in the league” because of his post presence and athleticism. Regarding Terry Porter, Drexler said he was “one of the best 3-point shooters in the game.”

Their squad depth was so good that seven different players averaged points in double figures in 1990/91.  They also had four consecutive seasons of 50+ wins from 1989/90 to 1992/93. The 1990/91 was probably the biggest upset for them. Coming off a 63 win season, they were huge favorites to go on and win the title. But their shock loss to the Lakers in the Conference Finals destroyed their stellar run.

The Blazers did this in a Western Conference of the late 80s and early 90s which was stacked. Lakers had Magic Johnson, Utah was led by the dynamic duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone and Spurs had David Robinson. Despite this, the Blazers made the Conference Finals three years in a row, winning twice. And if you made it out of the West, you’d have to face either the Bad Boy Pistons or Michael Jordan‘s Bulls. Blazers went up against both of them, unsuccessfully.

NBA TV recently launched ‘Rip City Revival’ which is a documentary about the Blazers teams of the early ‘90s. It features all these players and their journey through two NBA Finals and three consecutive Conference Finals.