Clifford Robinson

Finding themselves on the wrong end of the Philadelphia 76ers’ game-winner on December 6, 1991, the Portland Trail Blazers may have lost the battle against the clock, but Clifford Robinson made certain that they won it against the rim. Clocked in, and prepared to supply the Finals-bound Blazers with a boost off the bench, Robinson finds himself presented with a one-man fastbreak opportunity. Liking his odds, even with 7-foot-7 Manute Bol already settled into the paint and a pair of others closing in, Robinson accelerates decisively, leaving the rim and backboard in a shaken form following a vicious tomahawk slam. Known lovingly as “Uncle Cliffy,” but not quite at what the new generation refers to as “unc status” just yet, the then-25-year-old Robinson made fierce finishes and inside-the-arc offense a staple throughout his 1991-92 highlight reel. Soon solidifying himself as both a staple of the perennially-elite Blazers and the following season’s Sixth Man of the Year, Robinson contributed seven points, five rebounds, one steal, and two blocks.

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