1987–88 Portland Trail Blazers season

1987–88 Portland Trail Blazers season
1987–88 Portland Trail Blazers season
Head coach	Mike Schuler
General manager	Jon Spoelstra
Owner	Larry Weinberg
Arena	Memorial Coliseum
Results
Record	53–29 (.646)
Place	Division: 2nd (Pacific); Conference: 4th (Western)
Playoff finish	First round; (lost to Jazz 1–3)
	Stats at Basketball Reference
< 1986–87	1988–89 >

The 1987–88 Portland Trail Blazers season was the 18th season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association.^[1] During the first month of the regular season in November, the Trail Blazers signed free agent, former Trail Blazers and All-Star forward Maurice Lucas,^[2]^[3]^[4] and later on in December signed Richard Anderson, who was previously released by the Houston Rockets.^[5] After only playing just five games the previous season, Sam Bowie suffered a preseason right leg injury, and would miss the entire season.^[6]^[7]^[8]

After winning their first two games of the regular season, the Trail Blazers posted a five-game losing streak, but then posted a nine-game winning streak between November and December, and later on held a 26–16 record at the All-Star break.^[9] At mid-season, the team traded Jim Paxson to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Jerry Sichting.^[10]^[11]^[12] The Trail Blazers posted another nine-game winning streak between February and March, and won 10 of their final 13 games of the season, finishing in second place in the Pacific Division with a 53–29 record, earning the fourth seed in the Western Conference, and qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.^[13]

Clyde Drexler averaged 27.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.9 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. In addition, Kiki Vandeweghe played a sixth man role off the bench, and contributed 20.2 points per game, but only played just 37 games due to a back injury,^[14]^[15]^[16] and Jerome Kersey, who replaced Vandeweghe as the team's starting small forward, provided the team with 19.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Meanwhile, second-year center Kevin Duckworth averaged 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, and was named the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year,^[17]^[18]^[19] Steve Johnson provided with 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, but only appeared in just 43 games due to a sore right thumb, and ankle injuries,^[20]^[21]^[14] and Terry Porter contributed 14.9 points, 10.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Off the bench, Anderson averaged 6.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while Lucas provided with 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, Mike Holton contributed 5.3 points and 2.6 assists per game, and starting power forward Caldwell Jones averaged 4.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.^[22]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, Drexler and Johnson were both selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team, although Johnson did not participate due to injury; it was his final All-Star selection.^[23]^[24]^[25] In addition, Drexler and Kersey both participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest; it was the fourth appearance for Drexler, and the third appearance for Kersey.^[26]^[27] Drexler finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting, and also finished tied in eighth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,^[28] while Kersey finished in fifth place in Most Improved Player voting,^[28] and head coach Mike Schuler finished tied in third place in Coach of the Year voting.^[29]^[28]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1988 NBA playoffs, the Trail Blazers faced off against the 5th–seeded Utah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Karl Malone, sixth man Thurl Bailey, and John Stockton. The Trail Blazers won Game 1 over the Jazz at home, 108–96 at the Memorial Coliseum.^[30] However, the team lost the next three games, which included a Game 4 loss to the Jazz on the road, 111–96 at the Salt Palace, thus losing the series in four games; it was the third consecutive year that the Trail Blazers lost in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.^[31]^[32]^[33]

The Trail Blazers finished tenth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 519,306 at the Memorial Coliseum during the regular season.^[22]^[34] Following the season, Lucas retired, and Holton was left unprotected in the 1988 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets expansion team.^[35]^[36]^[37]

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club team
1	17	Ronnie Murphy	F	United States	Jacksonville
2	29	Lester Fonville		United States	Jackson State
2	30	Nikita Wilson	PF	United States	Louisiana State
3	63	Kevin Gamble	SF/SG	United States	Iowa
4	86	Norwood Barber		United States	Florida State
5	109	David Moss		United States	Tulsa
6	132	Bernard Jackson		United States	Loyola (IL)
7	155	Kenny Stone		United States	George Fox

Roster

1987–88 Portland Trail Blazers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Player	Height	Weight	DOB	From
F	35	Richard Anderson	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	1960–11–19	California
C	31	Sam Bowie (IN)	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	1961–03–17	Kentucky
G	22	Clyde Drexler	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1962–06–22	Houston
C	00	Kevin Duckworth	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	1964–04–01	Eastern Illinois
G	6	Mike Holton	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1961–08–04	UCLA
C	33	Steve Johnson	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	1957–11–03	Oregon State
C	27	Caldwell Jones	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	217 lb (98 kg)	1950–08–04	Albany State
F	25	Jerome Kersey	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	1962–06–26	Longwood
F	20	Maurice Lucas	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	1952–02–18	Marquette
G	4	Jim Paxson	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	1957–07–09	Dayton
G	30	Terry Porter	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1963–04–08	Wisconsin
G	14	Jerry Sichting	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	168 lb (76 kg)	1956–11–29	Purdue
F	55	Kiki Vandeweghe	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1958–08–01	UCLA

Head coach

Mike Schuler

Assistant(s)

Rick Adelman
Jack Schalow

Legend

(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Roster
Updated: February 23, 1988

Roster notes

Center Sam Bowie was on the injured reserve list due to a right leg injury sustained during the preseason, and missed the entire regular season.^[6]^[7]^[8]

Regular season

The Trail Blazers played their home games at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Season standings

Pacific Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers	62	20	.756	–	36–5	26–15	23–7
x-Portland Trail Blazers	53	29	.646	9	33–8	20–21	23–7
x-Seattle SuperSonics	44	38	.537	18	32–9	12–29	19–11
Phoenix Suns	28	54	.341	34	22–19	6–35	11–19
Golden State Warriors	20	62	.244	42	16–25	4–37	7–23
Los Angeles Clippers	17	65	.207	45	14–27	3–38	7–23

#	Western Conference v t e
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Los Angeles Lakers	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Denver Nuggets	54	28	.659	8
3	x-Dallas Mavericks	53	29	.646	9
4	x-Portland Trail Blazers	53	29	.646	9
5	x-Utah Jazz	47	35	.573	15
6	x-Houston Rockets	46	36	.561	16
7	x-Seattle SuperSonics	44	38	.537	18
8	x-San Antonio Spurs	31	51	.378	31

9	Phoenix Suns	28	54	.341	34
10	Sacramento Kings	24	58	.293	38
11	Golden State Warriors	20	62	.244	42
12	Los Angeles Clippers	17	65	.207	45

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Game log

Regular season

1987–88 game log
Total: 53–29 (home: 33–8; road: 20–21)

November: 7–5 (home: 6–1; road: 1–4)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record
1	November 6	Phoenix	W 118–104				Memorial Coliseum	1–0
2	November 7	@ L.A. Clippers	W 124–99				Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena	2–0
3	November 10	Houston	L 111–118				Memorial Coliseum	2–1
4	November 12	@ Denver	L 113–126				McNichols Sports Arena	2–2
5	November 14	@ Dallas	L 116–127				Reunion Arena	2–3
6	November 17 7:30 p.m. PST	@ L.A. Lakers	L 115–142	VanDeWeghe (24)	Kersey (9)	Lucas, Porter (5)	The Forum 16,347	2–4
7	November 18	@ Seattle	L 114–120				Seattle Center Coliseum	2–5
8	November 20	Washington	W 120–101				Memorial Coliseum	3–5
9	November 22	Indiana	W 120–110				Memorial Coliseum	4–5
10	November 24	Sacramento	W 98–94				Memorial Coliseum	5–5
11	November 27	L.A. Clippers	W 97–87				Memorial Coliseum	6–5
12	November 29	New Jersey	W 125–104				Memorial Coliseum	7–5

December: 10–5 (home: 5–0; road: 5–5)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
13	December 1	Phoenix	W 102–100	Memorial Coliseum	8–5
14	December 2, 1987 7:30 pm PST	@ L.A. Lakers	W 117–104	The Forum 17,505	9–5
15	December 5	@ Phoenix	W 133–115	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum	10–5
16	December 6	New York	W 117–99	Memorial Coliseum	11–5
17	December 8, 1987 4:30 pm PST	@ Detroit	L 117–127	Pontiac Silverdome 17,126	11–6
18	December 9	@ Philadelphia	L 86–94	The Spectrum	11–7
19	December 11	@ Milwaukee	L 112–125	MECCA Arena	11–8
20	December 12	@ Indiana	W 108–101	Market Square Arena	12–8
21	December 15	Seattle	W 128–109	Memorial Coliseum	13–8
22	December 18	@ Phoenix	W 129–114	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum	14–8
23	December 20	San Antonio	W 148–126	Memorial Coliseum	15–8
24	December 22	Golden State	W 136–91	Memorial Coliseum	16–8
25	December 26	@ Cleveland	L 117–120	Richfield Coliseum	16–9
26	December 29	@ New York	L 110–123	Madison Square Garden	16–10
27	December 30	@ Washington	W 117–112	Capital Centre	17–10

January: 8–5 (home: 7–2; road: 1–3)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
28	January 1	Philadelphia	W 127–125	Memorial Coliseum	18–10
29	January 3, 1988 5:00 pm PST	L.A. Lakers	L 81–98	Memorial Coliseum 12,666	18–11
30	January 5	Seattle	W 126–114	Memorial Coliseum	19–11
31	January 8	Sacramento	W 98–91	Memorial Coliseum	20–11
32	January 13	@ Utah	L 104–116	Salt Palace	20–12
33	January 14	@ Houston	L 98–103	The Summit	20–13
34	January 16	@ San Antonio	W 121–120	HemisFair Arena	21–13
35	January 19	Dallas	L 116–120	Memorial Coliseum	21–14
36	January 22	Denver	W 126–106	Memorial Coliseum	22–14
37	January 24, 1988 7:00 pm PST	Detroit	W 119–111	Memorial Coliseum 12,666	23–14
38	January 26	Milwaukee	W 112–106	Memorial Coliseum	24–14
39	January 27	@ Golden State	L 110–115	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena	24–15
40	January 29	Phoenix	W 128–119	Memorial Coliseum	25–15

February: 9–6 (home: 5–3; road: 4–3)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
41	February 2	Atlanta	W 121–118	Memorial Coliseum	26–15
42	February 4	Utah	L 123–126	Memorial Coliseum	26–16
43	February 9	Seattle	W 139–123	Memorial Coliseum	27–16
44	February 11	@ Sacramento	L 113–123	ARCO Arena	27–17
45	February 12	Denver	W 120–105	Memorial Coliseum	28–17
46	February 14	Houston	L 103–115	Memorial Coliseum	28–18
47	February 15	@ Utah	L 94–112	Salt Palace	28–19
48	February 17	@ L.A. Clippers	W 110–96	Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena	29–19
49	February 19	Boston	L 104–124	Memorial Coliseum	29–20
50	February 21	San Antonio	W 117–112	Memorial Coliseum	30–20
51	February 23	@ New Jersey	W 114–102	Brendan Byrne Arena	31–20
52	February 24	@ Boston	L 112–113	Boston Garden	31–21
53	February 26	@ Chicago	W 104–96	Chicago Stadium	32–21
54	February 27	@ Atlanta	W 123–120	The Omni	33–21
55	February 29	Cleveland	W 107–94	Memorial Coliseum	34–21

March: 9–4 (home: 4–0; road: 5–4)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
56	March 3	@ Phoenix	W 135–112	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum	35–21
57	March 5	Golden State	W 123–117	Memorial Coliseum	36–21
58	March 8	@ Dallas	W 112–110	Reunion Arena	37–21
59	March 10	@ Houston	W 112–109	The Summit	38–21
60	March 13	L.A. Clippers	W 121–100	Memorial Coliseum	39–21
61	March 15, 1988 7:30 pm PST	L.A. Lakers	W 112–95	Memorial Coliseum	40–21
62	March 17	@ Denver	L 115–116 (OT)	McNichols Sports Arena	40–22
63	March 18	@ Golden State	W 121–116	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena	41–22
64	March 20	Dallas	W 105–99	Memorial Coliseum	42–22
65	March 23	@ Seattle	L 108–118	Seattle Center Coliseum	42–23
66	March 25	@ Dallas	L 101–106	Reunion Arena	42–24
67	March 26	@ Houston	L 109–115	The Summit	42–25
68	March 29	@ San Antonio	W 136–113	HemisFair Arena	43–25

April: 10–4 (home: 6–2; road: 4–2)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
69	April 1	Chicago	L 101–116	Memorial Coliseum	43–26
70	April 3	San Antonio	W 110–107	Memorial Coliseum	44–26
71	April 5	L.A. Clippers	W 141–119	Memorial Coliseum	45–26
72	April 6	@ L.A. Clippers	W 111–103	Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena	46–26
73	April 8	@ Seattle	L 100–114	Seattle Center Coliseum	46–27
74	April 9, 1988 7:30 pm PDT	L.A. Lakers	W 119–109	Memorial Coliseum 12,666	47–27
75	April 12, 1988 7:30 pm PDT	@ L.A. Lakers	L 103–109	The Forum 17,505	47–28
76	April 14	@ Utah	W 128–123	Salt Palace	48–28
77	April 15	Golden State	W 147–113	Memorial Coliseum	49–28
78	April 17	Sacramento	W 112–102	Memorial Coliseum	50–28
79	April 19	Utah	L 122–129	Memorial Coliseum	50–29
80	April 20	@ Golden State	W 131–117	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena	51–29
81	April 22	Denver	W 141–135 (OT)	Memorial Coliseum	52–29
82	April 23	@ Sacramento	W 124–110	ARCO Arena	53–29

1987–88 schedule

Playoffs

1988 playoff game log

First round: 1–3 (home: 1–1; road: 0–2)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	April 28	Utah	W 108–96	Clyde Drexler (26)	Clyde Drexler (13)	Terry Porter (12)	Memorial Coliseum 12,666	1–0
2	April 30	Utah	L 105–114	Clyde Drexler (25)	Maurice Lucas (14)	Terry Porter (7)	Memorial Coliseum 12,666	1–1
3	May 4	@ Utah	L 108–113	Jerome Kersey (23)	Kevin Duckworth (16)	Drexler, Porter (4)	Salt Palace 12,444	1–2
4	May 6	@ Utah	L 96–111	Kevin Duckworth (33)	Kersey, Duckworth (10)	Clyde Drexler (6)	Salt Palace 12,444	1–3

1988 schedule

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Season

Playoffs

Awards and honors

References

↑ 1987-88 Portland Trail Blazers
↑ "Blazers Host Rockets; No Lucas Yet". The Register-Guard. Associated Press. November 10, 1987. p. 2C. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "Basketball". The Washington Post. News Services and Staff Reports. November 11, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "Names in the News". Los Angeles Times. November 12, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "Names in the News". Los Angeles Times. December 10, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
1 2 "Bowie Breaks Leg Again--in Same Place--Before Exhibition". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 18, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
1 2 "Bowie Refractures Leg Before Game". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 19, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
1 2 "Portland Trail Blazers Center Sam Bowie, Who Fractured His..." United Press International. October 19, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "NBA Games Played on February 4, 1988". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "Jim Paxson Traded to Boston". The Washington Post. Associated Press. February 23, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "The Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday Traded Guard Jim Paxson,..." United Press International. February 23, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "Sports People; Paxson Traded". The New York Times. February 24, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "1987–88 Portland Trail Blazers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
1 2 "Trail Blazers, Lakers Earn Victories". The Free Lance-Star. Associated Press. March 21, 1988. p. 11. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
↑ "Basketball". The Washington Post. October 2, 1988. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
↑ McManis, Sam (December 20, 1988). "The NBA: Sam McManis: Vandeweghe's Back Injury Still a Sore Point With Trail Blazers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
↑ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Duckworth Honored". The New York Times. May 13, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "Blazer Wins Improved Award". The Register-Guard. News Service Reports. May 13, 1988. p. 3C. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "NBA Most Improved Player (George Mikan Trophy) Award Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "Center Steve Johnson, One of Two Portland Trail Blazers..." United Press International. January 26, 1988. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
↑ "Blazers Keep Nets Mired in Bad Luck". The New York Times. February 24, 1988. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
1 2 "1987–88 Portland Trail Blazers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ Barnard, Bill (February 7, 1988). "Today's NBA All-Star Game Will Be Homecoming of Sorts for 3 Players". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "1988 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "1988 NBA All-Star Game: East 138, West 133". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "Field Set for NBA Dunk Contest". The Daily Record. United Press International. January 13, 1988. p. 11. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
↑ "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
1 2 3 "1987–88 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "Moe Named NBA Coach of Year". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 16, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "1988 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 1: Utah Jazz at Portland Trail Blazers Box Score, April 28, 1988". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
↑ Hafner, Dan (May 7, 1988). "Malone Scores 38 Points as Utah Advances to Series Against Lakers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
↑ "Malone, Jazz Go to Los Angeles". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. May 7, 1988. p. B3. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
↑ "1988 NBA Western Conference First Round: Jazz vs. Trail Blazers". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "1987–88 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
↑ Goldaper, Sam (June 24, 1988). "Miami Chooses "Who?" First". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ Edes, Gordon (June 24, 1988). "Billy Thompson Goes to Miami; Valentine Winds Up in Cleveland". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
↑ "1988 NBA Expansion Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[1] 1987-88 Portland Trail Blazers

[2] "Blazers Host Rockets; No Lucas Yet". The Register-Guard. Associated Press. November 10, 1987. p. 2C. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[3] "Basketball". The Washington Post. News Services and Staff Reports. November 11, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[4] "Names in the News". Los Angeles Times. November 12, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[5] "Names in the News". Los Angeles Times. December 10, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[latimes.com-6] 1 2 "Bowie Breaks Leg Again--in Same Place--Before Exhibition". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 18, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[nytimes.com-7] 1 2 "Bowie Refractures Leg Before Game". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 19, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[upiarchives.com-8] 1 2 "Portland Trail Blazers Center Sam Bowie, Who Fractured His..." United Press International. October 19, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[9] "NBA Games Played on February 4, 1988". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[10] "Jim Paxson Traded to Boston". The Washington Post. Associated Press. February 23, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[11] "The Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday Traded Guard Jim Paxson,..." United Press International. February 23, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[12] "Sports People; Paxson Traded". The New York Times. February 24, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[schedule-13] "1987–88 Portland Trail Blazers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[newspaper-14] 1 2 "Trail Blazers, Lakers Earn Victories". The Free Lance-Star. Associated Press. March 21, 1988. p. 11. Retrieved April 12, 2026.

[15] "Basketball". The Washington Post. October 2, 1988. Retrieved April 12, 2026.

[16] McManis, Sam (December 20, 1988). "The NBA: Sam McManis: Vandeweghe's Back Injury Still a Sore Point With Trail Blazers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2026.

[17] "SPORTS PEOPLE; Duckworth Honored". The New York Times. May 13, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[18] "Blazer Wins Improved Award". The Register-Guard. News Service Reports. May 13, 1988. p. 3C. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[19] "NBA Most Improved Player (George Mikan Trophy) Award Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[20] "Center Steve Johnson, One of Two Portland Trail Blazers..." United Press International. January 26, 1988. Retrieved April 12, 2026.

[21] "Blazers Keep Nets Mired in Bad Luck". The New York Times. February 24, 1988. Retrieved April 12, 2026.

[stats-22] 1 2 "1987–88 Portland Trail Blazers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[23] Barnard, Bill (February 7, 1988). "Today's NBA All-Star Game Will Be Homecoming of Sorts for 3 Players". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[24] "1988 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[25] "1988 NBA All-Star Game: East 138, West 133". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[26] "Field Set for NBA Dunk Contest". The Daily Record. United Press International. January 13, 1988. p. 11. Retrieved October 9, 2025.

[27] "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2025.

[awards-28] 1 2 3 "1987–88 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[29] "Moe Named NBA Coach of Year". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 16, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[30] "1988 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 1: Utah Jazz at Portland Trail Blazers Box Score, April 28, 1988". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 30, 2026.

[31] Hafner, Dan (May 7, 1988). "Malone Scores 38 Points as Utah Advances to Series Against Lakers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 9, 2026.

[32] "Malone, Jazz Go to Los Angeles". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. May 7, 1988. p. B3. Retrieved April 9, 2026.

[33] "1988 NBA Western Conference First Round: Jazz vs. Trail Blazers". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[34] "1987–88 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2026.

[35] Goldaper, Sam (June 24, 1988). "Miami Chooses "Who?" First". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[36] Edes, Gordon (June 24, 1988). "Billy Thompson Goes to Miami; Valentine Winds Up in Cleveland". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

[37] "1988 NBA Expansion Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.

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