tlongII
10-14-2009, 09:28 AM
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/10/ill-advised_shot_from_feisty_g.html
http://media.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/photo/jim-barnett1-101409jpg-678126dd0758c000_large.jpg
Jim Barnett's long-range shot in February 1971 prompted Blazers broadcaster Bill Schonely to coin the phrase "Rip City." "Schonely made the call – I just made the shot," Barnett said. "But I do take pride in that. It's a little bit of history."
ORINDA, Calif. – Since the first tip at a Trail Blazers game in 1970, there have been more difficult, and more important shots than the one guard Jim Barnett took on Feb. 18, 1971.
But no shot in team history has proven to be more enduring than his long, high-arcing attempt at Memorial Coliseum that swished against the Lakers in that inaugural season.
The shot was ill-advised, taken much too quickly and from far too long of distance. And ultimately, Barnett and the Blazers had far too few baskets that night in a 136-114 loss.
But the shot produced one of the most lasting and defining moments in the team's history.
It was the shot that spawned Rip City.
Bill Schonely, the Blazers radio voice, got caught up in the excitement, which created a brief moment of hope against the mighty Lakers. When the shot swished, Schonely blurted out "Rip City! All right!"
To this day, Schonely doesn't know where "Rip City!" came from, or what it means.
But for some reason, the phrase stuck and has since become synonymous with Blazers basketball. When Schonely was the team's broadcaster from 1970 through 1998, he would say "Rip City!" after an important basket or exciting play. Today, Rip City has come to symbolize the connection between Portland and its only major league professional sports team, becoming perhaps as well-known and oft-used as the city's formal moniker, The Rose City.
Tonight, when the Blazers play an exhibition against Phoenix, the Rip City phrase will be at the forefront as the team begins a season-long celebration of its 40 seasons. The game will be played at Memorial Coliseum, the team's home through the 1994-95 season. And for the first time in team history, the players' jerseys will not say Portland or Blazers. Instead, the front will say "rip city" in lower case letters.
Fittingly, Schonely will be back behind the microphone on Wednesday, calling the third quarter, which figures to give him at least one opportunity to belt out the catchphrase.
It all started with a shot from a feisty guard from the University of Oregon who was often considered unpredictable because he played so heavily on his emotions.
Wearing an Oregon cap at his home just outside of Oakland, Calif., Barnett stretches his long legs and smiles at his place in Blazers history.
"Schonely made the call – I just made the shot," said Barnett, who has spent the past 18 years broadcasting games for the NBA's Golden State Warriors. "But I do take pride in that. It's a little bit of history."
Because of his role in such a lasting part of team history, The Oregonian has selected Barnett as No. 40 on its list of Top 40 players in team history. Chosen in conjunction with the Blazers' celebration of 40 seasons, The Oregonian will unveil the list five at a time each month until April, when the Top 5 will be released on successive days.
One season, many milestones
Barnett was more than just the player who made the Rip City shot, and he's not afraid to say so.
When he learned he made the list, he demanded to know the 10 players selected ahead of him.
Surely, his memory told him, there weren't that many players who could better his one-season resume in Portland.
"I was the first player to score 30. The first to score 40," Barnett protested. "Also scored the first point in franchise history."
His facts were, indeed, straight. He scored 31 against Cleveland in the franchise's first game, the first coming on a free throw at the 9:18 mark of the first quarter, the first point in franchise history. Earlier, in a game in Longview, Wash., he made the first preseason basket, although that doesn't count officially.
In the 13th game of the first season, Barnett scored 40 against the New York Knicks, the team's first 40 point game. But his proudest moment in his only season in Portland came on Halloween during a 107-102 win against Buffalo. Barnett scored 38 points in 30 minutes, and is still miffed at coach Rolland Todd for not playing him more.
"That was the hottest I have ever been," Barnett remembered. "The mystery was why I only played 30 minutes. I would have loved to play 45 minutes just to see what I would have scored. And the thing is, we didn't have a three-point line."
He was called "Crazy Horse" by his teammates – a nickname given to him by Hall of Fame player John Havlicek during his years playing for Boston – because he was a little nutty, a lot emotional and an admitted flake.
"You just didn't know for sure what he was going to do all the time," said Geoff Petrie, who as a rookie was the team's leading scorer in that first season. "He could lose his composure a bit out there, at the refs or other players, but he always competed. And I tell you, he could really score the basketball."
Although his Rip City shot would have been two feet beyond the three-point line in today's game, Barnett was better known for driving to the basket than for shooting from outside. He was particularly adept at scoring amid taller and stronger players. His daring forays were often awarded with foul shots, or a trip to the trainer's room.
"I never avoided contact," Barnett said. "And I had the stitches to prove it."
Making memories in Portland
Sometimes, his fearlessness and flakiness mixed, creating some memorable moments at Memorial Coliseum.
One time, Barnett remembers, the Lakers' Wilt Chamberlain neglecting to get back on defense, instead waiting on the other end of the court. When the Lakers corralled the Portland miss, a long pass was sent to Chamberlain under the other basket. As he prepared to dunk, Chamberlain was surprised to find he had company. Barnett had raced down the court and jumped on Chamberlain's back, in the process wrapping his arms and legs around the giant's torso, like a kid getting a piggy-back ride from dad.
"I remember everybody in the arena laughing," Barnett said. "But I don't think Wilt liked it. He dunked it anyway."
Those were good times for Barnett, who was in the fifth year of an NBA career that would span 11 seasons. Although he was a California kid, but he had become attached to Oregon, becoming an All-American for the Ducks in Eugene, and marrying the former Sandy Elliott, a graduate of Portland's Cleveland High. The two were married for 30 years before divorcing 12 years ago.
But he lasted only a season with the Blazers, traded to San Francisco (since renamed Golden State) with one game left in the season for three draft picks. Barnett insists he was the victim of a personality conflict with Todd, the coach.
"I could tell, I got on his nerves. I was a little too wild for him," Barnett said. "But I never wanted to be traded."
Although he averaged a career-high 18.5 points with the Blazers, he said his best years were the three that followed after his trade to the Warriors.
"My favorite year was the next year, with the Warriors. We won 51 games, and they were great guys," said Barnett, who averaged 21.6 points in the playoffs that season. "I was an established starter on a good team. The Blazers was fun, but it was too short."
But certainly not forgettable.
Especially that February night, when his rainbow shot sparked a phrase that still resonates with Portland fans today.
Ironically, Barnett never saw the famous shot go through the basket.
"I remember being so hot that when I took the shot, I didn't even wait to see if it went in, I just turned around and went back on defense," Barnett said. "I just knew it was in."
http://media.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/photo/jim-barnett1-101409jpg-678126dd0758c000_large.jpg
Jim Barnett's long-range shot in February 1971 prompted Blazers broadcaster Bill Schonely to coin the phrase "Rip City." "Schonely made the call – I just made the shot," Barnett said. "But I do take pride in that. It's a little bit of history."
ORINDA, Calif. – Since the first tip at a Trail Blazers game in 1970, there have been more difficult, and more important shots than the one guard Jim Barnett took on Feb. 18, 1971.
But no shot in team history has proven to be more enduring than his long, high-arcing attempt at Memorial Coliseum that swished against the Lakers in that inaugural season.
The shot was ill-advised, taken much too quickly and from far too long of distance. And ultimately, Barnett and the Blazers had far too few baskets that night in a 136-114 loss.
But the shot produced one of the most lasting and defining moments in the team's history.
It was the shot that spawned Rip City.
Bill Schonely, the Blazers radio voice, got caught up in the excitement, which created a brief moment of hope against the mighty Lakers. When the shot swished, Schonely blurted out "Rip City! All right!"
To this day, Schonely doesn't know where "Rip City!" came from, or what it means.
But for some reason, the phrase stuck and has since become synonymous with Blazers basketball. When Schonely was the team's broadcaster from 1970 through 1998, he would say "Rip City!" after an important basket or exciting play. Today, Rip City has come to symbolize the connection between Portland and its only major league professional sports team, becoming perhaps as well-known and oft-used as the city's formal moniker, The Rose City.
Tonight, when the Blazers play an exhibition against Phoenix, the Rip City phrase will be at the forefront as the team begins a season-long celebration of its 40 seasons. The game will be played at Memorial Coliseum, the team's home through the 1994-95 season. And for the first time in team history, the players' jerseys will not say Portland or Blazers. Instead, the front will say "rip city" in lower case letters.
Fittingly, Schonely will be back behind the microphone on Wednesday, calling the third quarter, which figures to give him at least one opportunity to belt out the catchphrase.
It all started with a shot from a feisty guard from the University of Oregon who was often considered unpredictable because he played so heavily on his emotions.
Wearing an Oregon cap at his home just outside of Oakland, Calif., Barnett stretches his long legs and smiles at his place in Blazers history.
"Schonely made the call – I just made the shot," said Barnett, who has spent the past 18 years broadcasting games for the NBA's Golden State Warriors. "But I do take pride in that. It's a little bit of history."
Because of his role in such a lasting part of team history, The Oregonian has selected Barnett as No. 40 on its list of Top 40 players in team history. Chosen in conjunction with the Blazers' celebration of 40 seasons, The Oregonian will unveil the list five at a time each month until April, when the Top 5 will be released on successive days.
One season, many milestones
Barnett was more than just the player who made the Rip City shot, and he's not afraid to say so.
When he learned he made the list, he demanded to know the 10 players selected ahead of him.
Surely, his memory told him, there weren't that many players who could better his one-season resume in Portland.
"I was the first player to score 30. The first to score 40," Barnett protested. "Also scored the first point in franchise history."
His facts were, indeed, straight. He scored 31 against Cleveland in the franchise's first game, the first coming on a free throw at the 9:18 mark of the first quarter, the first point in franchise history. Earlier, in a game in Longview, Wash., he made the first preseason basket, although that doesn't count officially.
In the 13th game of the first season, Barnett scored 40 against the New York Knicks, the team's first 40 point game. But his proudest moment in his only season in Portland came on Halloween during a 107-102 win against Buffalo. Barnett scored 38 points in 30 minutes, and is still miffed at coach Rolland Todd for not playing him more.
"That was the hottest I have ever been," Barnett remembered. "The mystery was why I only played 30 minutes. I would have loved to play 45 minutes just to see what I would have scored. And the thing is, we didn't have a three-point line."
He was called "Crazy Horse" by his teammates – a nickname given to him by Hall of Fame player John Havlicek during his years playing for Boston – because he was a little nutty, a lot emotional and an admitted flake.
"You just didn't know for sure what he was going to do all the time," said Geoff Petrie, who as a rookie was the team's leading scorer in that first season. "He could lose his composure a bit out there, at the refs or other players, but he always competed. And I tell you, he could really score the basketball."
Although his Rip City shot would have been two feet beyond the three-point line in today's game, Barnett was better known for driving to the basket than for shooting from outside. He was particularly adept at scoring amid taller and stronger players. His daring forays were often awarded with foul shots, or a trip to the trainer's room.
"I never avoided contact," Barnett said. "And I had the stitches to prove it."
Making memories in Portland
Sometimes, his fearlessness and flakiness mixed, creating some memorable moments at Memorial Coliseum.
One time, Barnett remembers, the Lakers' Wilt Chamberlain neglecting to get back on defense, instead waiting on the other end of the court. When the Lakers corralled the Portland miss, a long pass was sent to Chamberlain under the other basket. As he prepared to dunk, Chamberlain was surprised to find he had company. Barnett had raced down the court and jumped on Chamberlain's back, in the process wrapping his arms and legs around the giant's torso, like a kid getting a piggy-back ride from dad.
"I remember everybody in the arena laughing," Barnett said. "But I don't think Wilt liked it. He dunked it anyway."
Those were good times for Barnett, who was in the fifth year of an NBA career that would span 11 seasons. Although he was a California kid, but he had become attached to Oregon, becoming an All-American for the Ducks in Eugene, and marrying the former Sandy Elliott, a graduate of Portland's Cleveland High. The two were married for 30 years before divorcing 12 years ago.
But he lasted only a season with the Blazers, traded to San Francisco (since renamed Golden State) with one game left in the season for three draft picks. Barnett insists he was the victim of a personality conflict with Todd, the coach.
"I could tell, I got on his nerves. I was a little too wild for him," Barnett said. "But I never wanted to be traded."
Although he averaged a career-high 18.5 points with the Blazers, he said his best years were the three that followed after his trade to the Warriors.
"My favorite year was the next year, with the Warriors. We won 51 games, and they were great guys," said Barnett, who averaged 21.6 points in the playoffs that season. "I was an established starter on a good team. The Blazers was fun, but it was too short."
But certainly not forgettable.
Especially that February night, when his rainbow shot sparked a phrase that still resonates with Portland fans today.
Ironically, Barnett never saw the famous shot go through the basket.
"I remember being so hot that when I took the shot, I didn't even wait to see if it went in, I just turned around and went back on defense," Barnett said. "I just knew it was in."