1990–91 Portland Trail Blazers season

The 1990–91 Portland Trail Blazers season was the 21st season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association.^[1] During the off-season, the Trail Blazers acquired Danny Ainge from the Sacramento Kings,^[2][3][4] and later on traded second-year guard Dražen Petrović to the New Jersey Nets, and acquired former All-Star guard Walter Davis from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team mid-season trade.^[5][6][7]

With the addition of Ainge, the Trail Blazers won their first eleven games of the regular season,^[8] posted an eight-game winning streak between November and December, and won five straight games in late December, which led to a franchise-best 27–3 start to the season.^[9] The team posted a seven-game winning streak in January, and later on held a 39–9 record at the All-Star break.^[10] The Trail Blazers posted a 16-game winning streak between March and April, and finished in first place in the Pacific Division with a league-best 63–19 record, setting a franchise-high win total that still stands today, earning the first seed in the Western Conference; the team made their ninth consecutive trip to the NBA playoffs.^[11] It was their first Division title since the 1977–78 season,^[12] and ended the Los Angeles Lakers' streak of nine consecutive years as Pacific Division champions, and number-one seed in the Western Conference.

Clyde Drexler averaged 21.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while Terry Porter averaged 17.0 points, 8.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game, and led the Trail Blazers with 130 three-point field goals, and Kevin Duckworth provided the team with 15.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. In addition, Jerome Kersey contributed 14.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, while Buck Williams provided with 11.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. Off the bench, second-year forward Clifford Robinson averaged 11.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while Ainge contributed 11.1 points and 3.6 assists per game, along with 102 three-point field goals, Mark Bryant averaged 5.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, and Danny Young contributed 3.8 points per game.^[13]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Drexler, Porter and Duckworth were all selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team, while head coach Rick Adelman was selected to coach the Western Conference; it was Porter's first ever All-Star appearance, and the second and final All-Star appearance for Duckworth.^[14][15][16] In addition, Drexler, Porter and Ainge all participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.^[17][18] Drexler finished in sixth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Porter finished tied in ninth place;^[19][20] Williams finished tied in fifth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,^[20] while Ainge finished in fifth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting,^[20] and Adelman finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting, behind Don Chaney of the Houston Rockets.^[21][20]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1991 NBA playoffs, the Trail Blazers faced off against the 8th–seeded Seattle SuperSonics, a team that featured All-Star guard Ricky Pierce, Eddie Johnson, and second-year star Shawn Kemp. The Trail Blazers won the first two games over the SuperSonics at home at the Memorial Coliseum, but then lost the next two games on the road, which included a Game 4 loss to the SuperSonics at the Seattle Center Coliseum, 101–89.^[22][23][24] With the series tied at 2–2, the Trail Blazers won Game 5 over the SuperSonics at the Memorial Coliseum, 119–107 to win in a hard-fought five-game series.^[25][26][27]

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 5th–seeded Utah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Karl Malone, All-Star guard John Stockton, and Jeff Malone. The Trail Blazers won the first two games at the Memorial Coliseum, before losing Game 3 to the Jazz on the road, 107–101 at the Salt Palace.^[28] The Trail Blazers won the next two games over the Jazz, including a Game 5 home win, 103–96 at the Memorial Coliseum to win the series in five games.^[29][30][31]

In the Western Conference Finals, the Trail Blazers then faced off against the 3rd–seeded Lakers, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Magic Johnson, All-Star forward James Worthy, and Byron Scott. The Lakers took a 3–1 series lead, but the Trail Blazers managed to win Game 5 at the Memorial Coliseum, 95–84.^[32] However, the Trail Blazers lost Game 6 to the Lakers on the road, 91–90 at the Great Western Forum, thus losing the series in six games.^[33][34][35] The Lakers would lose in five games to the Chicago Bulls in the 1991 NBA Finals.^[36][37][38]

The Trail Blazers finished 20th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 528,244 at the Memorial Coliseum during the regular season.^[13][39] Following the season, Davis was released to free agency, and re-signed with his former team, the Denver Nuggets.^[40][41]