Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers entered the NBA as an expansion team in 1970, and after struggling in their early years, the franchise struck gold when they drafted Bill Walton first overall in 1974. Walton, the brilliant center from UCLA, was the most complete player of his era - a dominant rebounder, shot-blocker, and passer who made everyone around him better.

In 1977, Walton led the Blazers on one of the most improbable championship runs in NBA history. After falling behind 2-0 to the heavily favored Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals, Portland won four straight games to claim the franchise's only championship. Walton was named Finals MVP, and the city of Portland - which had never won a major professional sports title - erupted in celebration.

Walton's career in Portland was tragically cut short by chronic foot injuries. He played just 14 games in the 1977-78 season and eventually left for San Diego. The franchise's only championship window had opened and closed in the blink of an eye.

The Blazers rebuilt in the 1980s around Clyde Drexler, the spectacular shooting guard whose combination of athleticism and scoring ability made him one of the best players of his generation. Drexler's gravity-defying game - featuring powerful drives, acrobatic dunks, and a smooth mid-range jumper - earned him the nickname "Clyde the Glide."

Portland assembled excellent teams around Drexler, reaching the NBA Finals in 1990 (losing to the Detroit Pistons in five games) and 1992 (losing to Michael Jordan's Bulls in six games). The 1992 Finals featured Jordan's legendary first-half performance in Game 1, when he hit six three-pointers and shrugged at the broadcast cameras - the famous "Shrug Game." Despite Drexler's brilliance, he could never overcome Jordan.

Drexler was traded to the Houston Rockets in 1995, where he won a championship alongside Hakeem Olajuwon. His departure closed a chapter of Blazers basketball defined by excellence that fell just short of the ultimate prize.

The early 2000s Blazers, nicknamed the "Jail Blazers," were one of the most talented and troubled teams in NBA history. Rasheed Wallace, Bonzi Wells, Damon Stoudamire, and others provided on-court excitement but off-court controversies that tested the patience of Portland's loyal fanbase. The 2000 Western Conference Finals - in which the Blazers blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 7 against the Lakers - remains one of the most heartbreaking losses in franchise history.

The franchise's fortunes were further devastated by the 2007 draft, when they selected Greg Oden first overall over Kevin Durant. Oden, the dominant center from Ohio State, was expected to be a franchise-changing big man, but devastating knee injuries limited him to just 82 career games. Durant, of course, became one of the greatest players in NBA history. The Oden pick is widely considered the biggest "what if" in draft history.

Brandon Roy, drafted in 2006, provided a brief, brilliant beacon of hope - his smooth scoring and clutch play made him one of the league's best before degenerative knee injuries ended his career prematurely.