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1971-1972 Team Bio

01/12/10

  1. Written by: trailblazers

    Under new head coach Jack McCloskey, the Blazers struggled to a 21-61 finish and won just 13 times at home. But Portland, with two of the league's top-10 scorers (Geoff Petrie, 24.9 ppg, and Sidney Wicks, 23.8 ppg) providing the punch, played an upbeat, fastbreak brand of basketball that helped boost home attendance by more than 1,000 a game over the previous season.

    Portland's rivalry with its neighbor to the north, Seattle, helped fuel fan interest. The two teams split their six-game series, with all six contests down-to-the-wire affairs. A pair of home wins during a three-night span helped get the Blazers faithful buzzing. On March 16, Portland posted a
    season-high point total in a 141-128 rout of Houston fired by Petrie's second 51-point game of the season. Two nights later, the Blazers rallied to clip the eventual world champion New York Knicks, 99-96, with Petrie getting 34 points.

    Lloyd Neal, Portland's fifth selection (3rd round, 31st pick overall) in the 1972 Draft, was named to the NBA All-Rookie team. Neal, at 6-7 and 225, started 81 games at center and led the team in rebounding (11.8 rpg), and finished third in scoring (13.4 ppg).

    Geoff Petrie, who topped the team in scoring (24.9 ppg), ranked seventh in the NBA and Sidney Wicks (23.8 ppg) ninth. Petrie registered a team record 51 points twice, both times against the Houston Rockets.

    Wicks made his second straight NBA All Star Game appearance, scoring 13 points.  
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