The Trail Blazers: A Rivalry
What makes a rivalry?
Maybe it’s proximity to the opponent: With 174 miles between Seattle and Portland, the SuperSonics and Trailblazers share the Pacific Northwest and its NBA fandom.
Maybe it’s the fact that the Sonics-Blazers all-time series is as evenly-matched as it gets - the regular-season games lean 98-94 in favor of the Sonics. And the four playoff series split evenly 2-2 (‘78 and ‘80 to Seattle, ‘83 and ‘91 to Portland). The histories are also eerily similar - 3 Finals appearances each, 1 NBA Championship each, and all-time (positive) winning percentages within mere points of each other.
Maybe it’s experiencing the peak of success at the same time: The Trailblazers won the NBA championship in 1977 before the Sonics knocked them off their perch the next season, beating Portland on their way to an NBA Finals matchup with Washington. The Sonics lost in the Finals that year before winning the title the following season.
And, maybe it’s just years of important games and memorable matchups. Each team has certainly had its share of personalities and stars over the years (Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey, etc. for the Blazers and Slick Watts, Jack Sikma, Dennis Johnson, GP, the Reign Man, etc. for the Sonics). The two squads also share figures such as Bob Whitsitt, Maurice Lucas, Nate McMillan, Wally Walker, Jerome Kersey, Detlef Schrempf, and others.
There’s a reason the Oregon-Washington college rivalry is just as heated as the two in-state rivalries. It’s because our states (and fanbases) are more similar than we are different, and mirror each other in many ways. It makes sense why fans embraced (and greatly miss) the Blazers/Sonics I-5 rivalry. Given how close the two cities are, it was easy for fans to make the drive to see their squad in hostile territory.
So, while the teams shared the PNW and, while the two teams were natural rivals, were they the Sonics’ biggest rival? Or, was it the Lakers, the Jazz, the Suns?
Rivalries evolve over time, so your definition of the team’s biggest rival could come down to the era you were watching the team in.
For me, it was the Jazz. With Karl Malone and John Stockton, Utah was always the team it felt a little bit more satisfying to knock off, particularly when the team overcame the Jazz to land in the 1996 NBA Finals.
But, when a team is only a few hours away down the major freeway, it always feels good to get a win.
Who do you consider to be the Sonics’ biggest rival? Let us know.
