This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 6/6/2013.
The 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers compiled a 49-33 record, earning them a 3-seed in the playoffs. The Blazers, led by Bill Walton and the newly-acquired Maurice Lucas of the ABA, defeated the Chicago Bulls and the Denver Nuggets before facing the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the heavily favored Lakers, who had struggled in the previous round against the Golden State Warriors, would be swept by the Blazers, 4-0. Sweeping Los Angeles gave Portland the confidence they needed to face Dr. J and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals. After losing the first game of the series in Philly, a bench-clearing brawl in the final minutes of Game 2 proved to be the turning point in the series despite the double-digit losing outcome for the Blazers. Back in Portland for Game 3, the Blazers won 129-107 thanks to a 42-point fourth quarter and Bill Walton’s near triple-double performance (20 pts, 18 reb, 9 ast). Portland evened the series in Game 4; Lionel Hollins and Maurice Lucas both had stellar performances when Walton’s playing time was limited by foul trouble. The series returned to Philly for Game 5; the Sixers saw the series lead slip away after racking up 22 fouls in the first half and allowing the Blazers to put up 40 points in the third quarter. In Game 6, Bill Walton helped the Blazers bring home Portland’s only NBA Championship with one of the best all-around performances in NBA Finals history (20 pts, 23 reb, 8 blk, 7 ast). He was named Finals MVP after averaging 18.7 points, 19 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.7 blocks per game. Portland became just the second team in Finals history to overcome a 2-0 series deficit. This size 10, 14k gold ring weighs 40 grams. It was presented to Berlyn Hodges who was a front office executive with the Blazers in the 1970’s. The top panel reads “NBA WORLD CHAMPIONS” surrounding a silver basketball with a .75-carat round-cut diamond in the center. The right panel reads “HODGES” above “PORTLAND”, the Blazers team logo enameled in red and “trailblazers” in relief. The left panel reads “1977” in relief surrounding the casted image of the official NBA logo enameled in black. The inside of the ring is stamped “LGB 14K”. The ring is in NRMT condition and is accompanied by a LOA from Berlyn Hodges. This is the first Blazers champions ring that has been offered to the public.