"The 1999-2000 Portland Trail Blazers squad was an excellent basketball team. A group of grinders, bruisers, and guys who sincerely believed in team basketball, managed a 59-23 win-loss record, took that season's eventual champions to seven games in the Western Conference Finals, and set a personal statistical record that may never be topped. A deep, multifunctional squad who could adjust to basically any matchup on the fly,"
"Local media and many of the fans they served were not preoccupied with the excellent on-court performances. They were, instead, mired in a neverending sports call-in radio show where drivetime dickheads harped on character, clutchness, the necessity of rules for a functioning society, and race-but in that subtextual Portland way, where the nastiness of racism is buried under a patina of liberal good manners."
The 1999-2000 Portland Trail Blazers were a deep, multifunctional team of grinders and bruisers who finished 59-23, pushed that season's champions to seven games in the Western Conference Finals, and set enduring statistical marks. Public perception at the time focused on character, clutchness, rules, and race, with local media and call-in radio amplifying criticism while masking racism under liberal manners. A Game 7 collapse transformed the narrative into one of disgrace, and the organization largely ignored the era. Subsequent cultural shifts—cannabis normalization, racial reckonings, and vindications of earlier claims—prompted fans and the franchise to reassess the team's legacy.
Read at Portland Mercury
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