Championship Swagger

By MICHAEL MANNHEIMER

Let me get this out of the way early: Spirit of 77 (500 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., spiritof77bar.com), the new Trail Blazers-themed watering hole, is not the best sports bar in town. But still, despite the fact you have to fight for a table—or show up before happy hour begins—and pay $6 for a 20-ounce imperial pint of Double Mountain Vaporizer pale ale, it's easily the wildest place in the city to watch Nicolas Batum posterize poor members of the Utah Jazz. Watching any sporting event at Spirit of 77 is almost like being at the game: You're surrounded by screaming diehards in Oden jerseys, and the giant flat-sceen TV provides a better view than the cheap seats. And there's free Pop-A-Shot. Good lord, the free Pop-A-Shot. OK, maybe it is the best sports bar in town. Just don't expect to leave with any money in your wallet.

WWeek 2015

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