Blazers Ready to Clear Last Hurdle

Four months ago, the Portland Trail Blazers were the best in the West.

This season, they may be even better.

But in the new, improved Western Conference, that might not be good enough for a return trip to the NBA Finals.

“We hope we can win as many games, but I think it’s going to be more difficult,” Coach Rick Adelman said. “A lot of teams have improved themselves and it’s a very difficult conference. But I think we have the ability.”

The players believe they can prove that Blazermania was not a one-season fad.

“We know we are a good team,” Terry Porter said. “All we have to do is go out and do the things that we did last year, with a little improvement.”

Last season’s Western Conference championship, Portland’s first since 1977, has done wonders for the team’s mood in the pre-season.

“We’re not trying to find out how good we can be,” Adelman said. “We know we can be good if we play the way we’re capable. I think it’s kind of a quiet confidence.”

Portland plays 10 of its first 13 games at home. Among the November visitors are Detroit, New York, Chicago, San Antonio and Phoenix. The Blazers also play the Lakers in Los Angeles in the third game of the season.

“We can win anywhere, but it’s important that we get off to a good start,” Adelman said. “We’d like to take advantage of the schedule, but it’s not going to be easy. There are some very good teams coming in here.”

There is little question about the ability of the starting five.

Clyde Drexler, with a nice pay raise that will give him an average of $2.5 million per season over the next six years, teams with Porter for the sixth straight season in one of the league’s most productive backcourts.

Drexler has shed his reputation as a player whose game wilts when the pressure is on. Against Detroit in the finals, he averaged 26.4 points per game and shot 54 percent from the floor.

Porter--overshadowed at point guard in a conference that includes Magic Johnson, John Stockton and Kevin Johnson--made a series of huge plays throughout the playoffs as Portland won one close game after another.

Small forward Jerome Kersey also had a big playoff performance, averaging 20.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Kersey’s outside shooting, suspect at best early in his career, improved considerably in post-season play and has continued to get better in the pre-season.

At power forward, Buck Williams, also given a substantial pay raise during the off-season, returns to anchor the team’s defense. The Blazers led the NBA in rebounding last season, and Williams was a big reason, averaging 9.8 per game.

At center, Kevin Duckworth is no great rebounder. But at 7-feet and 270 pounds, he is one of the NBA’s better inside scorers and he takes up a lot of space in the middle.

“Defense and crashing the boards, those are the two things that are going to be our bread and butter, just like they were last year,” Porter said.

But the problem last season was an inconsistent bench, a weakness that became most glaring in the finals against Detroit.

After they were beaten 4-1 by the Pistons, including three straight at home, the Blazers went searching for their own Vinnie Johnson. They needed a veteran guard who could play tough defense, provide leadership among the reserves and hit the open jumper.

They think they found him in Danny Ainge, who was obtained from Sacramento during the off-season.

Not only has Ainge been around for nine seasons, but he also knows what it takes to win an NBA championship. He helped Boston win two of them.

“He’s a smart player with so much experience,” Adelman said. “I think that’s what is great about him. He doesn’t have to score to help us because he is intelligent and he understands the game well. He just knows how to play the game.”

Ainge liked what he saw when he arrived in Portland.

“I think this team has the potential to be as good as the Boston teams I played on,” he said. “But time will tell if we actually execute and do the job.”

Whether Ainge will be part of a three-guard rotation has yet to be determined. Adelman spent much of the pre-season attempting to determine what to do with last season’s backups, Drazen Petrovic and Danny Young.

Adelman also is counting on improvement from backup forwards Mark Bryant and Cliff Robinson.

Bryant had a difficult season in 1989-90. His belongings were lost in an apartment fire. His best friend and teammate, Ramon Ramos, suffered a severe brain injury in an auto accident. And his mother and aunt were killed in a car crash.

“Mark has just got a real good feel for what he can do now,” Adelman said. “He’s a more confident player. He’s in great shape.”

Robinson had a mercurial rookie season last year. When Duckworth and backup center Wayne Cooper were injured in the playoffs against San Antonio, Robinson moved to center and helped the Blazers win the series. He was a strong defender and rebounder, but he shot just under 40 percent from the field.

“Cliff has really tried to keep himself under control,” Adelman said, “and I think he has a chance to be much more consistent now.”

Adelman also has been surprised by the pre-season performance of first-round draft pick Alaa Abdelnaby, who has looked good at both center and power forward.