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The Portland Trail Blazers have started the season with mixed results. They won a surprising blowout against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, followed Friday by a foul-plagued loss in Phoenix.
To celebrate this somewhat auspicious start, here's a story from a less pleasant era of Portland basketball: 2001. It was the first season Jason Quick covered the team for The Oregonian, and the beginning of the infamous "Jail Blazers" era.
Quick says it's also one of the three most frightening experiences he had as a Blazers beat reporter. (He tells WW the other two here.)
To celebrate Halloween (and the Blazers' home game at the Moda Center tonight), here is Quick's story of a scary confrontation with Scottie Pippen.
This was back when the Grizzlies were in Vancouver. I've written about this before. Scottie Pippen had been ejected in the game. This is during the Blazers' monumental collapse from first in the West to seventh, and they lost, once again, to the Grizzlies. The second time, I think, in like a week. And Pippen was ejected during the game.
Scottie Pippen loved his Coors Lights. They would always make sure he had a bag of 'em that he took on the team flight. Well, since he was ejected, he started his Coors Light intake a little early.
I could tell at that time that "Hey, something's going on here, the team's unraveling." And so I was trying to find out from players, "Hey, what's going on here? Is it the players, is it the coach, is it what?"
And Pippen was sprawled out on the bench [in the locker room], drinking these Coors Lights, just eyeing me. I could feel it.
And I got to Damon Stoudamire, and it was just Damon, Pip and myself. We were on the other side [of the locker room], Pip was still sprawled out, and I remember exactly the question: I said, "Is this team with [Mike] Dunleavy?" to Stoudamire.
And Pippen sprang up. Next thing I knew he was in my face, spitting Coors Light, saying, "You haven't been doing this long enough to be asking these questions! You're just nitpicking! Quit nitpicking us!"
And I was scared shitless, as afraid as I'd been, because Pippen has this big, booming voice, and he was Scottie frickin' Pippen.
Damon Stoudamire is probably one of the closest guys I've ever been to, covering this beat, and he split. I mean I looked for him, and he was OUT.
Some team attendants from the Grizzlies' arena came in and said, "You should probably leave," and I went. I remember Jim Beseda was on the beat with me, and he was already in the press room writing. I came in and I could not type, because my hands were shaking so bad. And I was on deadline, and I could not get them to move correctly. My hands were shaking so bad.
Willamette Week