1979–80 Portland Trail Blazers season
NBA professional basketball team season
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The 1979–80 Portland Trail Blazers season was the 10th season of the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1] The Blazers lost seven more games than the previous season, ending with a record of 38–44, their first losing record since the 1975–76 season; despite that, they qualified for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
| 1979–80 Portland Trail Blazers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jack Ramsay |
| General manager | Harry Glickman |
| Owner | Larry Weinberg |
| Arena | Memorial Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 38–44 (.463) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Pacific) Conference: 6th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | First round (lost to SuperSonics 1–2) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KOIN |
| Radio | KEX |
The Blazers were ousted from the 1980 NBA Playoffs after losing their best-of-three series to the Seattle SuperSonics, two games to one.
The Blazers' season was documented in the 1981 book The Breaks of the Game by journalist David Halberstam. The Breaks of the Game was a New York Times best-seller and is considered one of the greatest sports books ever written.[2]
Draft picks
Note: This is not a complete list; only the first two rounds are covered, as well as any other picks by the franchise who played at least one NBA game.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Jim Paxson | G/F |  United States |
Dayton |
| 2 | 40 | Andrew Fields | F | United States |
Cheyney State |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
|
Regular season
_(Portland).jpg)
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Los Angeles Lakers | 60 | 22 | .732 | – | 37–4 | 23–18 | 19–11 |
| x-Seattle SuperSonics | 56 | 26 | .683 | 4 | 33–8 | 23–18 | 18–12 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 55 | 27 | .671 | 5 | 37–5 | 18–22 | 19–11 |
| x-Portland Trail Blazers | 38 | 44 | .463 | 22 | 26–15 | 12–29 | 13–17 |
| San Diego Clippers | 35 | 47 | .427 | 25 | 24–17 | 11–30 | 13–17 |
| Golden State Warriors | 24 | 58 | .293 | 36 | 15–26 | 9–32 | 8–22 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Los Angeles Lakers | 60 | 22 | .732 | – |
| 2 | y-Milwaukee Bucks | 49 | 33 | .598 | 11 |
| 3 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 56 | 26 | .683 | 4 |
| 4 | x-Phoenix Suns | 55 | 27 | .671 | 5 |
| 5 | x-Kansas City Kings | 47 | 35 | .573 | 13 |
| 6 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 38 | 44 | .463 | 22 |
| 7 | San Diego Clippers | 35 | 47 | .427 | 25 |
| 8 | Chicago Bulls | 30 | 52 | .366 | 30 |
| 9 | Denver Nuggets | 30 | 52 | .366 | 30 |
| 10 | Utah Jazz | 24 | 58 | .293 | 36 |
| 11 | Golden State Warriors | 24 | 58 | .293 | 36 |
- z - clinched division title
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
Game log
Playoffs
| 1980 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First round: 1–2 (home: 1–0; road: 0–2)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards and honors
- Calvin Natt, All-NBA Rookie Team
- Kermit Washington, NBA All-Defensive Second Team