It is the peak of “Blazermania” and the short domination of Bill Walton (recently disappeared) on the NBA, which will be concluded with his title of MVP of the regular season in 1978. On June 5, 1977, Portland won the NBA title thanks in particular to a monstrous performance from its pivot, against Philadelphia.
His stat line is quite simply one of the most impressive in Finals history: 20 points, 23 rebounds, 8 blocks and 7 assists. To find this good, you will have to wait until 2001 with Shaquille O'Neal (Game 2 against the Sixers) and 28 points, 20 rebounds, 9 assists, 8 blocks, then Tim Duncan in 2003 (Game 6 against the Nets), 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks!
But if Bill Walton is huge, he is not alone and that is where the strength of the Blazers lay. The pivot, an excellent passer, was at the center of a very balanced team.
“Basketball is a sport that is played with five players. The Blazers practice it like they invented it. We were a team with great one-on-one skills, but Portland played like a group, without any heads sticking out.”
In this Game 6, Lionel Hollins notably scored 20 points, Bob Gross 24 and Maurice Lucas 15. Opposite, Julius Erving is just as strong as the former UCLA star with 40 points, but “Dr. J” remains isolated.
“Basketball is a sport that is played with five players”, will explain the Philadelphia star. “The Blazers practice it like they invented it. We were a team with great one-on-one skills, but Portland played like a group, without any heads sticking out. In the end, the collective principle wins. »
So much so that once the title was validated (109-107) after George McGinnis' final failed attempt, it was of course Bill Walton who was elected MVP of the Finals with 18.5 points, 19 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.7 blocks. average.
But the pivot was not his team's best scorer in these Finals (Maurice Lucas compiled 19.7 points) and no less than four Portland players averaged at least 16 points per game (Maurice Lucas and Bill Walton of course, but also Bob Gross and Lionel Hollins).
