Bill Walton 1977 Finals: 20pts & 23rebs, Gm 6 vs. 76ers

Bill Walton closes out the '77 Finals in style, leading the underdog Blazers to their 1st (and only) championship in franchise history.

[@MalikMahdi23]

One of Mr. Walton’s classics. Awesome guy 🙏🏾🏀🌈☮️❤️

[@AndreiKenshin24]

RIP Bill Walton.

[@LamarMatic]

Just what an all-around performance. Nothing like a center in basketball who can shoot from the outside, find other teammates with precise passes from the high-post and protect his own rim with blocks. Those passes to cutters at the start of the video are pure basketball beauty.

[@impassable]

For sure...At the end of his career Vlade Divic did the same thing for the Kings, of course Webber was a great passer too from the 4 spot...Anyway Walton was great, it helped though that McGinnis shot a brick on that last shot though

[@danielferrer60]

If it wasn't for injuries he could've been a top 10 player all time...such a shame

[@texaspete33]

Bill Walton was Tim Duncan before Tim Duncan.

[@gturcott1]

But bigger and better jumper

[@user-iv9er3nr6z]

Bill Russell was a white bill Walton

[@steveifko255]

Bill Walton could have been the greatest player of all time. Unfortunately injuries took a toll on him.I my opinion 1978 Trailblazers were a better team.

[@allencampbell8322]

If Walton remained uninjured, he would have been the GOAT

[@wrsawy]

NBA basketball in the late 70's was a struggle league wide. Living in the NW, the Blazers and Sonics brought so much joy. A perfect time to be a kid, enjoying it all.

[@MrSlik25]

Whoever got Bills jersey has history...Dr J's dunks were mindblowing...Bill Walton earned this ring with his hardwork. props to him.

[@blakecombs1219]

RIP Big Red

[@michaelhartman683]

Walton was one of, if not, THE best passing center in the history of the league. Also was the master of the bank shot.

[@wolfpacctv3285]

Michael Hartman that Tim Duncan shit lol

[@iconadams]

HELLUVA team, that 1977 Blazers group! a real TEAM.

[@laotse_]

What a great player. Remember watching him at UCLA - amazing. Funny seeing him shy and tongue tied at the end. He sure overcame that later in life!

[@idipped2521]

He played a nearly perfect game. His basketball IQ was one of the best in the game's history

[@freddiegibbs101]

1:24 4:18 Julius Erving in transition was something else man ... there aren't 5 players in the league today who can make both of those plays: taking off that far away on the 1st and then dribbling through the whole team to jam on the best shot blocker in the league for the 2nd. Just crazy talent, Dr. J was awesome! Also RIP Bill Walton, the best player on the floor that night.

[@elwin38]

I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS GAME!!! I WAS 9yrs old and saw the full game in it's entirety. The Doc and George McGinnis you saw in this game is pretty much what they were like every night in the ABA.

[@squeegeedaniels2105]

That's so awesome

[@Antbeast23]

Great passer shot blocker and shooter and rebounder

[@DWilliam1]

I remember getting Sport magazine with Walton on the cover as he led Portland toward the championship. I can still picture the cover in my head. It’s a shame that he never was able to have a full career because of the injuries, but when he was in his prime and able to play, he was the most complete big man I ever saw.

[@JVT37]

My god could that man could pass.

[@jonathanbirenbaum3643]

Vintage Walton and Irving. Incredibly good hoops.

[@DerikSchneider]

The 1977 NBA Finals was a group of stars in the 76ers against a good team in the Blazers with one star. And the team won.

[@wolfpacctv3285]

Derik Schneider lakers vs pistons in 04

[@Amick44]

That's exactly what if was. And the media expected the Sixers to win? Not the way the game was played by the "superior team." As opposed to a collection of talent.

[@johnylopez]

many people say walton is the most talented center in the history

[@h0gwartz]

every block was kept in play and started a fast break - nothing blocked out of bounds

[@shawnyoung8752]

That what Bill Russell did. The Bulls had a 6'10 guy from Tennessee in 70s. Tom Boerwinkle. Was as good as Walton at high post passing.

[@cedricbarrey3537]

Bill Walton : ncaa champion . Ncaa finals mvp . NBA season mvp . NBA Finals mvp . NBA champion . He ´s got every possible trophy in basket-ball . Just like Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson , Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain.

[@ryanevans8566]

Hakeem and Wilt never won the NCAA Championship. No doubt that they are all timers, though.

[@wilsonstone935]

2 NBA championship n 2 NCAA championship

[@tstocker6926]

88 straight wins in college

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

Don't forget his 1986 Sixth Man of the Year award. Quite a remarkable achievement for a player who had only a few healthy seasons.

[@shawnyoung8752]

@@tstocker6926 i think his High school career had him 72-0 i know he didnt lose in HS. Didnt lose a game for 51/2 years. Being a Notre Dame fan seeing them break streak was unreal. The kast lose UCLA had was to Irish 3 years before. Austin Carr had 46 points. Digger Phelps was in his 3rd year as coach. Had kids that he recruited and had them not to be in awe of UCLA. Shumate was the first of many New Jersey kids Phelps recruited. Also had a freshman from DeMatha in DC. Adrian Dantley. It was only going to be televised as a regional game but Digger sold NBC on making it national. He did that by insisting Dick Enberg called game. Enberg was play by play guy for UCLA and he even was suprised at Phelps . Digger knew that with him calling game it would give irish credability and boost College game ratings which had fallen cause UCLA domanince. It worked.

[@pnutbutrncrackers]

Superb passing, not to mention shot blocking, by big Bill in this one. A healthy Walton was a terrific basketball player.

[@daveverplank]

Bill Walton is one of the greatest passing Centers of all time. Imagine how his career would have been if he had been more healthy.

[@benkizer9509]

I love how they cut off the end and don't air the celebration so they can get to a golf tournament. Wow how sports coverage has changed.

[@weirdbeard63]

I remember when NBA playoff games were tape delayed and shown late at night ....worse still, the games were edited to fit a time slot.

[@Defender80s]

Unreal All Around Player. Sad he had so many injuries

[@stoneharper7038]

I don’t think people remember how special this dude was before his foot injuries

[@SrustinLim]

His interview after the game spoke larger than his actual game. Bill's the man.

[@BookClubDisaster]

he stuttered back then so he was the complete opposite of what he became. Didn't seem to like to talk much

[@robertjohnson4401]

Walton was excellent on the 1986 Celtics. I believe he was the reason they ended up champions that year. But I see that he was no where near the dominant force he was in 1977. When healthy, the greatest center of all time.

[@fabiana2630]

Gosh!!!monsterous numbers!Bill Walton almost had a quadruple in the Finals.only 2 players have gotten 1 overall !!!!crazy

[@airbigz6259]

RIP 🏀

[@elwin38]

Messed around and ALMOST got a quadruple-double!

[@redfanrod]

Amazing day in Portland history. Walton and Co. were a beautiful team to watch. The 76ers almost put this one into overtime and that would have been a scary thing for Blazers fans. Unfortunately, the Kemper Open was up next and CBS was in a hurry to leave the scene. The uncomfortable lasting memory of a solemn Robin Jones walking with full camera on him from 6:25 to 6:34 was the extent of the locker room coverage from CBS. Rip City, anyway!

[@squeegeedaniels2105]

Best blazer ever

[@MarkSteez]

The only footage you need to know what kind of legend Bill Walton was as a blazer

[@abtract3640]

he shoots wit right hand mostly, but look at 5:06, end of discussion, most underrated center ever

[@mackydog99]

So humble.

[@MrSlik25]

This games seems epic....like the crowd is wild!!

[@blustofwhu]

Now that's baketball. No acting, no traveling just the real game itself. Good old times...

[@carlweaver3243]

This was what Basketball used to be. A most Beautiful Sport. There wasn't any of this BS Euro Step or Palming or Carrying of the Ball. No Double Dribble. The Refs called 3 Second violations and Traveling. No Preening or Chest thumping after making a great play. Look no further than the Great Dr. J. Nothing but Pure Class after Dunking on Walton. He didn't look around the arena as if to say, Hey, see what I did? And Portland. Playing the ultimate Team Game. None of this One on One crap. I miss this kind of game. Where guys were 2 Way players. IMO Basketball today is a Joke. I hate it. No respect on the court. Me Me Me out there. And all this Garbage about James being the GOAT. What nonsense. Watch Chamberlain or Robertson highlights from the 60s. I'd like to see James drive the lane against Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier. Those 2 would've put the "King" on his Ass.Or Shaq go up against the Dipper. Wilt would've Destroyed Shaq. Anyway, that's My Humble Opinion.

[@ne5863]

" I'd like to see James drive the lane against Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you're kidding right?

[@ne5863]

bro was 6'5 180 lbs lmao

[@carlweaver3243]

@@ne5863 It's quite obvious you never watched Bulls basketball in the Late 60s, Early to Mid 70s so I'll just leave it at that. Sloan and Van Lier didn't give a shit who the player was. Those Dudes played Defense.

[@ne5863]

@@carlweaver3243 cmon dude, i'd take kirk hinrich over jerry sloan 🤣

[@carlweaver3243]

@@ne5863 Not Me. I'll take a 4 Time All NBA Defensive 1st Team and a 2 Time All NBA Defensive 2nd Team Player any day. In addition to that, Sloan scored 1000 more pts. and had 3000 more rebounds than Hinrich in 2 fewer seasons played. The Great Jerry West once said, "Going Through Sloan and Van Lier Was Like Going Through Razor Blades."

[@willie81908]

I have always thought that Bill Walton was a top five center all time. His defense was top tier. He could score on anyone. Completely unselfish and a great passer. So I look t him the way I looked at Gale Sayers, great player that got hurt and although he was limited because of his injuries, he was still one of the greatest.

[@MoMoJohnny]

unbelievable

[@jaedensoarin]

A beast

[@bailinnumberguy]

Walton dominated at both ends of the court, even though J posterized him.

[@pnutbutrncrackers]

But he swatted more than one of Julius's shots out of there in return.

[@wilsonstone935]

He swatted much of dr's challenges

[@martel732]

Always like Bob Gross. His cuts to the basket usually were paid off with precise passes from Walton.

[@SuperThakid09]

At his best

[@todormitrovic8124]

Jokic of the 70s.

[@The_PainofBeingAMan]

Walton highlight video...but holy fuck Dr. J's dunks make anybody today look weak as hell...and against physical defense too.

[@pcorf]

1977 was also the first Larry O'Brien trophy.

[@Milordvega]

6:26 Who's that dejected Portland player walking to the locker room? His team just won the title! And then that's followed by coach Jack Ramsay praising Bill Walton who for one of the very few times in his life is just speechless, lol. What a great player when he as healthy, and what a great team the Trailblazers were. Would have repeated in 1978 (they started season 50-10) if they had kept healthy.

[@LamarMatic]

+Ed Vega That's back-up center Robin Jones.

[@Milordvega]

***** Thanks!

[@classicsurvivor]

+LamarMatic Robin Jones is correct. He was ineffective and they used Lloyd Neal the entire series. He ended up getting cut the next year and they replaced him with Tom Owens. He later stated he was upset with the blazer brass and thought he was never given a fair chance from Jack Ramsay. He left very bitter after being cut. The Blazers have an alumni roster where they keep track of all the players who have ever worn a jersey and played in a game on the Blazers. I've read it a few times and it shows players who have passed away, moved overseas, where they work, etc. I would say 99.5 of all the players-they have an update from them. But Robin Jones is always listed as "lost contact", and that six second clip at 7:00 says it all. He just won an NBA championship ring that only 15 people a year get, and the guy looks like he just got off a bus. It's not his fault that this was Waltons best season and he played like a future HOF

[@LamarMatic]

That's some interesting insight. May I ask where have you found these alumni rosters?

[@Amick44]

No doubt about it. Blazers were steamrolling the league first 60 games (50-10) on the way to another title. Then Bill got hurt.

[@FreddyGomezThinksTooMuch]

He was pretty good.

[@sewaseem]

Beast

[@joelar17]

RIP

[@BJMcB92]

respect to bill walton. i wish there were more guys like him in the NBA today. now it's all just flashy prima donnas

[@tomjohnson7529]

Maybe Dawkins should have gone to college? :) Damn those Blazers could pass the ball. Why do young guys not do it with this grace and skill?

[@vernpascal1531]

Tom Johnson Dawkins was an incredible athlete, but only a fair or slightly better than average NBA center. He had no lateral ability, but was the best dunker I've ever seen in traffic. DR. J was amazing, but he sure didn't have Walton's perfect basketball I.Q. and fundamentals.

[@vinrusso821]

I think his 23 rebounds were the factor. He just dominated the glass.

[@Amick44]

He often did. He took care of the boards, moved the ball, protected the rim with the best of them. Good, not great scorer, but everything else was top notch.

[@marvinthiessen3454]

I'll bet the lone no vote must be someone from Philly. Jack Ramsey's "team ball" concept overwhelmed a group of talented individuals who couldn't win after the first 2 games. Crocodile tears, baby.

[@PInk77W1]

1 year before this Portland was hatin Walton because he was injured

[@jrzy49]

Stats aren't everything. Intangibles are really important in basketball and often cannot be quantified. Sport, from a spiritual standpoint, is also qualitative.

[@MrJordannnn23]

learn some nba history or check the stats,stats dont lie Bill averaged 5 assists per game and Wilt 4.5 for their career. Walton had 3.4 stats dont lie .

[@Amick44]

The reason he averaged less assists is the man was hurt so often and didn't average the mins per game others' did. Not just the games he missed, the way injuries limited his minutes, too.

[@MrJordannnn23]

stats show what kind of a player everyone was throughout his career .

[@dustinhaney1498]

Why does it matter if he led the league in assists? he was still the best passing center! and the only season, Wilt didn't hog the ball

[@gavinothegreat5765]

better than kareem? debatable, wouldnt say as good as wilt or russel, but beter than shaq for sure

[@Amick44]

Walton, much like Russell, didn't dominate the offense. He just blended in and did whatever was necessary to win.

[@lifesfailure939]

Nah way he is better then shaq at best bill when healthy is a David Robinson level player but if he was healthy for his career he would be a top 10 Center

[@alth322415]

압둘 자바 스카이 훅슛,매직 존슨 매직 드리볼,그 다음 세대에 마이클 조단 백상어 샤킬오닐 2차 세계대전이 오고 평화와 번영 이런게 올림픽정신인데,

[@elwin38]

WILLIAM THEODORE WALTON III

[@pbr52967]

i had the chickenpox.oh well,RIP CITY BABY!!!!!

[@gavinothegreat5765]

shaq passing? did yu mean arvidas sabonis?

[@chitownkidd33]

@JVT37 For reallll

[@PInk77W1]

Walton beat Kareem 4-0

[@wilsonstone935]

Was Walton mvp?

[@gavinothegreat5765]

walton better than kobe

[@Maal7432]

Shut up.

[@LakersDynasty42]

I was gonna delete this comment until I saw your username. What's up Jamaal?!

[@Maal7432]

+LakersDynasty42 Lol, not much. And yourself? Love the videos.

[@LakersDynasty42]

jmaal2345 Same. LeBron finally got it done for Cleveland.

[@tutubapo]

i put vlade nº2

[@briannorman3754]

God I hated when Walton went to Boston

[@jrzy49]

Not even close, better shot blockers maybe..

[@ppower1955]

sabonis the best passing center all time

[@inthesurf0766]

Big Red Deadhead

[@jrzy49]

Sabonis?

[@crackerjack9320]

Walton > LeFraud

[@RICHBLACKCOCK]

i wish my BULLS would`ve beat the BLAZERS in that 3 gm set that yr. i`m an ERVING guy so i`m picking 76ers winning this one in 5 games!!! now i was 13 when this finals played.with that sixer squad? then i find out yrs later DR JACK was an assistant on the PHILLY `67 CHAMPIONSHIP squad 10yrs earlier!!! WALTON? great college player,not a great pro!! `78 season Walton breaks down & was never good again.rides Bird`s tail in`86 for a ring while Larry`s the man then fades to oblivion!!!

[@dewmonstermash]

Did he ever lead the league in assists? no.... but Wilt did.

[@LithuanianGuitar]

Sabonis

[@MrJordannnn23]

bill russell and wilt way better passers

[@TomLyne-fy3jg]

Just stop. You’re making yourself look dumber than ever. Just please stop embarrassing your family.

[@wizard1687]

RIP Big Red