How the Trail Blazers imploded into the Jail Blazers

Who's ready for a wild (albeit ultimately sad) ride? The very deep Portland Trail Blazers came extremely close to beating the Kobe-Shaq Lakers in game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals. They were up 15 in the fourth! Buttttt LA went on a 15-0 run and won. Still, the Blazers were poised for a bright future, expected to be a serious western threat, to keep putting up a fight with the Lakers. Their near finals berth could have been the first stone in the path to a dominant future. But of course the loss and failure to make it to the finals could be the first stone in a totally different path-- one paved with drug arrests, intra-team violence, and a middling record that belied the promise the team once held. This ride has a steep drop, not for the faint of heart. Written and produced by: Clara Morris Directed and edited by: Jiazhen Zhang Motion Graphics by: Phil Pasternak Subscribe: http://goo.gl/Nbabae Enter the Secret Base: http://www.sbnation.com/secret-base Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/secretbase Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/9pMHRV Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/NvpZFF Explore SB Nation: http://www.sbnation.com