Regret has a way of burrowing into a soul, and after 42 years, it had reached Stuart Levy’s core, prompting him to get on his bike Sunday and ride to see Bill Walton.
Levy had harbored this regret ever since that sun-splashed day in June 1977, when people flooded downtown Portland to celebrate the Trail Blazers’ NBA title. They held signs, waved newspapers, and some climbed light posts to get a glimpse at the cavalcade of stars parading down Broadway: Coach Jack Ramsay … the enforcer Maurice Lucas … the stylish point guard Lionel Hollins … and the greatest star of them all, the big red-head, Walton.
Levy that day was across the Willamette River in Sellwood, working at a mental health clinic, kicking himself for not taking the day off. Six months prior, he had moved to Portland from New York, and once he saw the beauty and elegance of the Blazers’ ball movement and shot making, he instantly transformed from a Knicks fan to the…
