The 1989–90 NBA season was the 20th season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Blazers acquired All-Star forward Buck Williams from the New Jersey Nets. The Blazers finished with a franchise-high 59–23 record and returned to the NBA Finalsfor the first time since their championship season of 1976–77. However, they were unsuccessful in capturing their second NBA title, as they fell to the Detroit Pistons four games to one. Clyde Drexler, who was selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game, continued to be the leading scorer for the Trail Blazers with 23.3 points per game, as the Blazers rebounded off their disappointing season to post a solid 59–23 record—good enough for second place in the Pacific Division. In the playoffs, the acquisition of Williams continued to help make the Blazers stronger as they won their first playoff series in five years by sweeping the Dallas Mavericks in three straight games. In the second round, the Blazers needed seven games to get past the San Antonio Spurs as the home team won all seven games. In the Western Conference Finals, the Trail Blazers continued to defend their home court well, jumping out to a 2–0 lead over the Phoenix Suns. The Suns rebounded to take the next two in Phoenix as the Blazers won Game 5 at home 120–114. However, there would be no need for a seventh game, as the Blazers knocked off the Suns with a 112–109 win in Game 6 to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. In the Finals, the Trail Blazers got off to a solid start, splitting the first two games on the road against the defending NBA Champion Detroit Pistons. However, the Blazers dropped all three games at home as the Pistons won the NBA title in five games.
Draft picks
Round
Pick
Player
Position
Nationality
School/Club Team
1
22
Byron Irvin
G
United States
Missouri
2
36
Clifford Robinson
F/C
United States
Connecticut
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Playoffs
Player statistics
Season
Playoffs
Awards and records
During the season, Dražen Petrović won the Euroscar, presented by the Italian basketball magazine Superbasket to the top player in Europe. Unlike major NBA awards, the Euroscar is awarded for a player's performance during a calendar year, and also takes into account a player's performances for his national team. In Petrović's case, the award considered his performances in 1989 for Real Madrid and the Yugoslavia national team, as well as the Blazers. This was the second of what would eventually be four Euroscars for Petrović.
