The Portland Trail Blazers refused to let their season come to an end on Thursday, defeating the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 and forcing a do-or-die Game 7 for the right to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

However, despite their Game 6 heroics, the Blazers will be entering unfamiliar territory, as their Game 7 matchup on Sunday will actually be their first in 16 long years:

The last time the Blazers went into a Game 7 was back in the 2002-03 season, with the likes of Rasheed Wallace and Bonzi Wells leading the charge for the team. Back then, Zach Randolph was just in his second season in the league, while Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen and Blazers stalwart Arvydas Sabonis were still on the active roster for Portland.

The Blazers showed a lot of fight in that memorable series, as they won three straight games to force a deciding Game 7 matchup against a Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash-led Dallas Mavericks side. Portland came extremely close to becoming the first-ever team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, but unfortunately for them, it was just not going to be.

The current Blazers side, however, will hope to have a turn of fortunes on Sunday as they look to book a place in the Western Conference Finals by defeating the second-seeded Nuggets side. It's surely going to be an all-out war in Game 7, with neither team willing to back down in this tightly contested battle.

The Nuggets won a Game 7 just a series ago, defeating the San Antonio Spurs to advance to this matchup against Portland.