6 Portland Trail Blazers Pocket Schedules, 1972-72 to 1977-78; NBA Championship!

Description

This "Buy it Now" offering includes six different original vintage Portland Trail Blazers NBA pocket schedules from the 1970s including the 1972-73 season through the 1977-78 season. The six schedules cover the time-period where the Trail Blazers went from a last place expansion team to becoming world champions, building their team on draft picks including Bill Walton, Lionel Hollins, and Maurice Lucas from the ABA. These six vintage pocket schedules are great pieces of NBA history and a key era in Portland Trail Blazers history. These schedules are offered at a low “Buy It Now” price and combined shipping discounts are offered with shipping fees waived (refunded at purchase) for additional schedule purchases after initial schedule purchase with buyer paid shipping, so see my listings for more! All schedules are carefully shipped in rigid packaging with tracking and insurance. Condition: The schedules are in excellent to near mint condition with only the slightest of edge and corner wear. The six schedules you will receive include: 1972-73 – Sidney Wicks and Geoff Petrie Lead the Team, Missing Out on Bob McAdoo in the Draft This is a beautifully graphic pocket schedule for the Trail Blazers' third year in the NBA. The photos on the schedule feature Sidney Wicks from UCLA, the Blazers first round draft pick in 1971; and Geoff Petrie from Princeton, the Blazers first round draft pick in 1970. The Season: After finishing a horrendous 18–64 the previous year, the Blazers had the number one draft pick in 1972 and hoped to choose Bob McAdoo, but the team could not come to terms with him prior to the draft and so selected LaRue Martin from Layola. McAdoo ended up in the basketball Hall of Fame after a 14-year career. Martin averaged seven points per game over his four-season NBA career. The Blazers only improved to 21-61 in the 1972-73 season. Schedule Details: The schedule is 2 5/8 X 4 3/8 inches, includes a seating chart of Portland's Memorial Coliseum and is sponsored by First National Bank of Oregon. 1973-74 – Sidney Wicks and Geoff Petrie are NBA All-Stars and the Blazers Draft UCLA’s Bill Walton This cover of this pocket schedule is dominated by a color photograph of the Blazer's first stars, Geoff Petrie and Sidney Wicks with Walt Frazier of the New York Knicks on defense. The Season: Both Petrie and Wicks earned all-star selection in 1974 but the Blazers still finished last in the Pacific Division with a record of 27–55, the worst record in the Western Division. Blazers' coach Jack McCloskey was fired at the end of the season. The Blazers poor performance won them one of the first two picks in the 1974 NBA draft and after a coin flip gave them the number one pick in the draft, they chose UCLA's Bill Walton. Walton's UCLA career playing under legendary coach John Wooden included two NCAA championships and 88 consecutive wins, smashing the 60-game streak set by Bill Russell's teams at the University of San Francisco. Walton was named the Naismith College Player of the Year as the top college basketball player in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Schedule Details: The schedule is 2 5/8 X 4 3/8, includes a seating chart of Portland's Memorial Coliseum and is sponsored by First National Bank of Oregon. 1974-75 – Lenny Wilkens as Playing Coach; Injuries Limit Bill Walton to 35 Games in His Rookie Year This schedule is dominated by a great photo of Bill Walton going to the rim in his rookie year in the NBA. The Season: Lenny Wilkens had joined the team as a playing coach and with Walton, the Blazers challenged for a playoff spot but ended up two games short with a 38–44 record. Injuries would limit Walton to just 35 games in his rookie year. Schedule Details: The schedule is 2 5/8 X 4 3/8, includes a seating chart of Portland's Memorial Coliseum and is sponsored by First National Bank of Oregon. 1975-76 – The Blazers’ add ASU’s Lionel Hollins and Long Beach State’s Bob Gross This schedule from the Blazers' sixth NBA season features an illustration on the cover. The season: The team featured rookie Lionel Hollins from Arizona State University, the Blazers' number one draft pick in 1975; and Bob Gross from Long Beach State, the draft's 25th overall pick. Hollins made the All-Rookie first team and both would go on to play a major role for the Blazers' championship season. For the season, the Blazers finished at 37–45, one game shy of their franchise high from the previous year and missing the playoffs again. Schedule Details: The schedule is 2 1/2 X 3 1/2, includes a seating chart of Portland's Memorial Coliseum and is sponsored by Equitable Savings. 1976-77 - The Blazers Championship Season! Four Straight Wins Over Dr. J and the 76ers After Dropping the First Two Games. The Season: The Blazers reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history under new coach Jack Ramsey, finishing second in the Pacific Division behind the LA Lakers. Walton led the team in scoring (18.9 points per game), assists (5 per game) and rebounds (13.2 per game). Maurice Lucas had joined the team as part of the ABA disbursement draft and he added 16.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Hollins at point guard added 15.9 points and 4.7 assists per game. In the Playoffs, the Blazers beat the Chicago Bulls in the short three-game first round of the playoffs. Lucas scored 29 in the Game 1 win and Bob Gross led the team with 26 in Game 3 to advance in the playoffs. In the conference semi-finals, it took six games to dispose of the Denver Nuggets. The team effort saw five different Blazers leading the scoring in their five wins (Game one Lucas with 23, Game 3 Walton with 26, Game 4 Gross with 25 and Game 6 rookie Johnny Davis with 25). In the Conference Finals, the Blazers did away with the Lakers with four straight wins led by Lucas, Walton and Hollins. In the finals, the Blazers faced the seemingly unbeatable Philadelphia 76er with Julius "Dr. J" Erving and the 76ers quickly took the first two games. The Blazers came roaring back to win four in a row. Gross averaged 17.3 points in the Finals and led the Blazers in scoring in the pivotal Game 5 with 25 points and the clinching Game 6 with 24 points. Walton was named the NBA Finals MVP with an average of 18.5 points, 19.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in the playoffs. Schedule Details: The schedule is 2 1/2 X 3 1/2, includes a seating chart of Portland's Memorial Coliseum and is sponsored by Equitable Savings. 1977-78 – The Blazers Dominate, Then Lose Bill Walton to Injury, Losing in the Playoffs This schedule reads "1977-78 NBA World Champion Portland Trail Blazers" and features a photo of Bob Gross whose number 30 jersey was later retired by the Blazers. The Season: Following up their championship season, and led by Walton, the Blazers won 50 of their first 60 games. Then, Walton suffered a broken foot, ending his regular season. The Blazers ended the regular season atop the Western Conference with a record of 58–24 and Walton was able to return for the playoffs after receiving a painkilling injection to play. In the second game of the first-round series against the Seattle Supersonics, Walton was re-injured and missed the remainder of the playoffs. Portland lost the series to Seattle in six games, though Walton was awarded the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award for the season. Walton would never play for the Trail Blazers again. The Seattle Supersonics went on to become world champions under coach Lenny Wilkens. During the off-season, Walton demanded to be traded complaining of incompetent treatment of his injury by the Blazers. They declined and he sat out the entire next season in protest. After a stint with the San Diego Clippers, Walton was traded to the Boston Celtics where he received the NBA's Sixth Player Award, backing up teammates Kevin McHale and Robert Parish as he helped the Celtics claim the World Championship in the 1985-86 season. Following a second career in broadcasting spanning over 20 years that included winning an Emmy Award, Walton died in 2024 at the age of 71. Schedule Details: The schedule is 2 1/2 X 3 3/4, includes a seating chart of Portland's Memorial Coliseum and is sponsored by Equitable Savings. Check my other listings for professional sports pocket schedules. I will be disposing of my 60-year collection of sports memorabilia over the coming months!