1986 NBA Draft

1986 NBA Draft - 17 June 1986

Biggest surprise

The real prize winner for Portland came in the form of the 60th pick in the draft (that was halfway through round three.), and Dra?en Petrovi?. Petrovi? would go from almost total obscurity to become one of the most exciting guards in the league, only to have it all cut short with his untimely death in an automobile accident. When drafted, it seemed like there was no place for a shooting guard like Drazen on the Blazers at all. At the time, Portland already had two excellent shooting guards on the team. First there was 10-time All-Star, and one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, in the form of Clyde Drexler, the second best 2-guard in the league behind Michael Jordan. Second, the back up ?2?, or shooting guard, was a 2-time All-Star, and one of Portland favorite players, Jim Paxson (John Paxson?s older brother). The choice of Petrovi? looked like another throwaway choice. But by the time Drazen would make it to Oregon, in 1990, Paxson would be gone from team, and Petrovi? would fit right in backing up Drexler. The 1990 Trail Blazer team would have their best chance to win a championship since Bill Walton had left 12 seasons earlier. They met the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, and the Pistons would win the series four games to one. The difference in the series was a backup shooting guard, but not Petrovi?, it was Vinnie ?the Microwave? Johnson. Drexler was better than his counterpart, Joe Dumars, but Joe played tough defense, and when Drexler went to the bench for a rest, the ?Microwave? would come in off the Detroit bench for Dumars (or Dumars would rotate to the point, and Vinnie would give Isiah Thomas a rest), and heat-up. Called "Microwave" for his ?instant? offense, Vinnie Johnson would be the difference in the Piston victory. Petrovi? looked lost in the finals, and was ineffective; he would be traded to the New Jersey Nets only 18 games into the following season. Two years after the 1990 Finals, Portland again made it to the Finals, but, by this time Dra?en Petrovi? was gone and Danny Ainge was the backup shooting guard. Once a again a guard off of the bench from the other team would be the surprise star of the Championship; Craig Hodges would hit key three-point baskets when the starters for Portland had gone to the bench. Between the disappointment in the Finals and the subsequent trade, Drazen would spend the next summer (1991) on a campaign to improve himself. He would come back to the Nets a totally different player, now scrappier and more determined; he would double his points-per-game average from 10 to 20 for the next two seasons. He would also double his assists and steals per-game, and push New Jersey into the first round of both the 1992 and 1993 playoffs. His improved drive would earn him a spot on the 1993 All-NBA 3rd team. You could see the renewed passion and determination on his face when he played. That summer, not long after the Nets lost in the 1st round of the Eastern Conference playoffs to the Cleveland Cavaliers (three games to two), Drazen died on the Autobahn near Denkendorf, Germany (7 June 1993).

Related Topics:
Dra?en Petrovi? - NBA's 50 Greatest Players - Clyde Drexler - Michael Jordan - Jim Paxson - John Paxson - Oregon - Bill Walton - Detroit Pistons - NBA Finals - Vinnie ?the Microwave? Johnson - Joe Dumars - Point - Isiah Thomas - New Jersey Nets - Danny Ainge - Craig Hodges - Cleveland Cavaliers - Autobahn - Denkendorf - Germany

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