The weather forecast was mostly accurate; on June 15th, it started raining in Portland.
The consecutive losses of Reggie Lewis and Dražen Petrović shocked and stunned the entire city, the NBA, and the basketball world.
The pattering rain felt like the tears of the city; citizens couldn't believe that such tragedies would happen one after another.
The finals were postponed indefinitely, an unprecedented occurrence in the history of professional sports in North America.
A shroud of deathly gray covered Portland, the Trail Blazers' fan hotline was flooded, the entrance of the Rose Garden Arena was covered with flowers and candles, and TV stations continuously broadcasted reports of the two tragedies.
Everyone in the Trail Blazers was going through possibly the toughest time of their professional careers.
Jerry West took the lead in forming a bereavement committee to handle the affairs related to Lewis and Petrović.
