1991 NBA Finals

Team Coach Wins Chicago Bulls Phil Jackson 4 Los Angeles Lakers Mike Dunleavy 1
Dates	June 2–12
MVP	Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)
Hall of Famers	Lakers: Vlade Divac (2019) Magic Johnson (2002) James Worthy (2003) Bulls: Michael Jordan (2009) Scottie Pippen (2010) Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007) Tex Winter (2011) Officials: Dick Bavetta (2015) Hugh Evans (2022) Darell Garretson (2016)
Eastern finals	Bulls defeatedPistons, 4–0
Western finals	Lakers defeatedTrail Blazers, 4–2
← 1990 NBA Finals 1992 →

The1991 NBA Finals was thechampionship series of theNational Basketball Association's (NBA)1990–91 season, and the conclusion of theseason's playoffs. It was also the first NBA Finals broadcast byNBC after 17 years withCBS.

TheEastern Conference championChicago Bulls took on theWestern Conference championLos Angeles Lakers for the title, with Chicago havinghome court advantage. It wasMichael Jordan's first NBA Finals appearance,Magic Johnson's last, and the lastNBA Finals for theLakers until2000. The Bulls would win the series, 4–1. Jordan averaged 31.2 points on 56% shooting, 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks en route to his firstNBA Finals MVP Award.^[1]

The series was not the first time that the Bulls and Lakers faced off in the playoffs. Prior to 1991, they met for four postseason series (1968,1971,1972 and1973), all Lakers victories. Chicago was a member of theWestern Conference at the time and moved into the East in 1980. The 1991 Finals marked the first time the Bulls defeated the Lakers in a playoff series.

This series would mark the end of the LakersShowtime era and the beginning of the Bulls' dynasty. After winning five championships in eight finals appearances in the 1980s, the Lakers would struggle for the rest of the 1990s before winning five championships between the 2000 and 2010 seasons.

The 1991 Lakers were led by Johnson, who was 31 and playing in what would be his last full season, as well as fellowAll-Star teammateJames Worthy;Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had retired two seasons earlier. The Bulls, led by Jordan and small forwardScottie Pippen, would win five more championships after 1991 in a seven-year span, cementing their status as adynasty. Jordan became only the fourth player in NBA history (afterJoe Fulks,George Mikan, and Abdul-Jabbar) to capture thescoring title and a championship in the same season.

The 1990–91 season marked the Bulls' 25th in franchise history. The team was coming off a grueling seven-game loss to theDetroit Pistons in the1990 Eastern Conference Finals, and in the six years sinceMichael Jordan joined the Bulls, they were showing signs of improvement.

They managed to put it all together that season, winning a then-franchise record 61 games. Jordan won the scoring title for a fifth consecutive season, but the team was no longer a one-man show of years past. Instead, Jordan distributed the ball with regularity, thanks in large part to thetriangle offense instituted by head coachPhil Jackson and assistantTex Winter. This gave the Bulls additional offensive weapons to choose from, ranging from wingmanScottie Pippen and post playersHorace Grant andBill Cartwright to shooters such asJohn Paxson andB. J. Armstrong. Jordan's improved all-around play earned him his secondMVP award.

In the playoffs, the Bulls lost only once in the first three rounds. They swept theNew York Knicks in the first round, then eliminated thePhiladelphia 76ers in the second round. Their much-awaited rematch with theDetroit Pistons in the Conference Finals showcased the maturity and poise that the Bulls displayed all season, as they swept the Pistons. In a last show of defiance, most of the Pistons walked off the court with :08 left on the clock in a blowout loss at home so as not to congratulate the new Eastern Conference champions, thoughJoe Dumars,Vinnie Johnson, andJohn Salley did remain to shake the Bulls' hands.^[2]

The Lakers were coming off a second-round loss to thePhoenix Suns inprior season's playoffs. Even though the Lakers won 63 games that season, andMagic Johnson was second in league MVP voting while surpassingOscar Robertson for the all-time career assist record, it was clear that the team was growing weary of head coachPat Riley's intense approach.

The Lakers replaced Riley withMike Dunleavy, Sr., formerly an assistant coach with theMilwaukee Bucks. Dunleavy then abandoned the trademarkShowtime offense in favor of a more deliberate style of play, but despite the change in playbook, the Lakers still enjoyed an impressive season, winning 58 games.

In the playoffs, the Lakers swept theHouston Rockets in the first round, then eliminatedRun TMC and theGolden State Warriors in the second round. Next up for the Lakers were thePortland Trail Blazers, who were coming off a trip to theNBA finals the previous year. The Lakers stunned the Blazers in Portland to open the series, and went on to win the conference finals in six games.

Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team:

1990–91 Los Angeles Lakers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From PF 41 Elden Campbell 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1968-07-23 Clemson C 12 Vlade Divac 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 243 lb (110 kg) 1968-02-03 SFR Yugoslavia PG 10 Larry Drew 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1958-04-02 Missouri PF 45 A.C. Green 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1963-10-04 Oregon State PG 32 Magic Johnson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959-08-14 Michigan State PF 14 Sam Perkins 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1961-06-14 North Carolina SG 4 Byron Scott  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1961-03-28 Arizona State SG 34 Tony Smith 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1968-06-14 Marquette SG 20 Terry Teagle 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1960-04-10 Baylor PF 30 Irving Thomas 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1966-01-02 Florida State C 43 Mychal Thompson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 226 lb (103 kg) 1955-01-30 Minnesota SF 42 James Worthy  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1961-02-27 North Carolina

Head coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. Assistant(s) Bill Bertka Jim Eyen Randy Pfund Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

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Michael Jordan started dominating with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists in the first quarter alone. In the second quarter, the Lakers continued to stay competitive despite Magic Johnson not attempting one field goal in the second quarter. Despite this, Magic Johnson would hit back-to-back 3 pointers in the third quarter to give the Lakers their largest lead, and also Magic Johnson's 29th career playoff triple-double. Jordan made a comeback in the fourth quarter with 13 points, but it was Scottie Pippen's two free throws that would give the Bulls a 91–89 lead. Each team ran the shot clock down but neither could hit a shot until Sam Perkins hit a 3-pointer (the potential game winner) with 14 seconds left to give the Lakers a 92–91 lead. Michael Jordan's 17-foot jumper then rattled out and was rebounded by Byron Scott, who was fouled with 2.7 seconds remaining. Scott missed the first of his two free throws and made the second for a 93–91 Lakers lead. The Bulls, out of timeouts, had a final chance, but a midcourt heave from Pippen at the buzzer caromed off the back of the rim.

This was also the last time any game of the NBA Finals aired in the afternoon (Eastern Time Zone), with every game of the NBA Finals since this game in 1991 airing in prime time, including all weekend games. To date, this is the most recent time any finals game in any of the fourmajor American sports leagues started before 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

The biggest decision of the game was putting Scottie Pippen on Magic Johnson, while Michael Jordan guarded Vlade Divac and also switched to the point guard position for the rest of the series. For the Bulls, the hero was Horace Grant who led the Bulls with 14 first half points, while Jordan only had 2 points for the first 20 minutes; however, for Jordan, this shooting drought would only prove to be temporary and Jordan would hit his next 13 shots in compensation. The Lakers were in the game even when Chicago was leading 58–51 until Byron Scott fouled Pippen, and the Bulls would make 17 of their next 20 field goals in the third quarter despite Jordan spending time on the bench with foul trouble. By the time Jordan returned, their lead was 16 and then Jordan led the Bulls to an 11–0 run to a Bulls victory. The signature moment of the series came when Jordan accelerated towards the basket, raised the ball in his right hand for a dunk, then, to avoid a potential Sam Perkins block, switched the ball to his left and banked in a layup that caused a booming standing ovation at Chicago Stadium.

The Bulls were having trouble in the frontcourt (in Game 1, the Lakers frontcourt outscored Chicago's 60–31). In Game 3, the Lakers would be the ones having trouble, setting a rebounding low in the Finals. Despite this problem, the Lakers went for an 18–2 run that brought them from 3 down (49–52) to 13 up (67–54). The Bulls would answer with a 20–7 run that would tie the game in the 4th quarter at 74. Horace Grant's layup gave the Bulls a 90–87 lead with 1:07 to play. Perkins then scored to cut the Bulls' lead to 90–89 with 49 seconds left. After a Bulls' miss, Divac scored on a layup and was fouled. He made the free throw to give the Lakers a 92–90 lead with 10.9 seconds remaining. Jordan made a 14-foot jump shot just inches away from Divac's fingertips with 3.4 seconds left to tie the game at 92 and force overtime. In overtime, Jordan would score half of the Bulls' 12 points to win the game.

The Lakers had a 28–27 lead in the first quarter; only the second time in the 1991 playoffs that a team led the Bulls at the end of the first quarter. This did not matter as Chicago went on a 19–9 run to start the second period and gain a 46–37 lead. While Michael Jordan scored 11 points in the second quarter, the Lakers only made 12 of their 41 shots in the second and third quarters. The Lakers faced a huge blow as Worthy and Scott left the game (and eventually the series) with ankle and shoulder injuries, respectively (Worthy's ankle injury from the Conference Finals against Portland had flared up, and Scott injured his shoulder after slipping on a wet spot on the floor). With the lack of Worthy and Scott, and bad shooting (especially from Sam Perkins), the Bulls were able to take a 16-point lead in the third quarter. The Lakers refused to go down and shrank the deficit to 7 points in the fourth quarter, but it was the closest they would get, as Pippen and Jordan led the Bulls on a 19–8 run to put them one game away from their first NBA Championship.

The Lakers were facing elimination, and the absences of James Worthy and Byron Scott increased the difficulty for the Lakers. This would not stop Magic Johnson who added 20 assists and 11 rebounds. Jordan guarded Magic Johnson in Game 5 which led Magic to struggle by scoring 16 points on 33% (4/12) shooting with 6 turnovers.^[3] Elden Campbell outscored Michael Jordan with 13 points in the first half. The Lakers still fought and even led 93–90 in the fourth quarter, but the Bulls went on a 9–0 run, and Paxson's 10 points in the final half of the fourth quarter helped secure the Chicago Bulls', and Jordan's, first NBA title. It was the only one of the Bulls' six Finals appearances to end in four games to one. This was also the lastNBA Finals game to be played inThe Forum (by the time the Lakers returned to theNBA Finals, they had moved to the newStaples Center).

Scottie Pippen led the Bulls with 32 points and collected 13 rebounds. Jordan, who was named the Finals MVP, added 30 points and 10 assists.

Chicago Bulls

Los Angeles Lakers

As previously stated, this was the first Finals to be telecast in the United States byNBC.NBC Sports usedMarv Albert on play-by-play andMike Fratello as color analyst.Ahmad Rashad (for theBulls) andSteve "Snapper" Jones (for theLakers) served as sideline reporters.

This was the only NBA Finals series in which recently departed Lakers coachPat Riley worked as a broadcaster; he was paired withBob Costas in the pre-game, half-time and post-game presentations. Riley was then hired as head coach by theNew York Knicks in the 1991 offseason and would eventually win another title with theMiami Heat in2006.

In Chicago, this wasJim Durham's only Finals appearance as the Bulls' radio announcer (he also announced Bulls games on television via simulcast during the regular season and playoffs). He would later announce several NBA Finals games onESPN Radio.Neil Funk succeeded Durhamthe following season and was the radio voice on five NBA Finals involving the Bulls (1992,1993,1996,1997 and1998). The simulcasts would also end after the season, withWayne Larrivee (onWGN-TV) andTom Dore (on cable) becoming the Bulls' television announcers the next season; by the2008–09 NBA season Funk was calling television play-by-play on both networks whileChuck Swirsky called radio play-by-play. This was also the only NBA Finals to featureJohnny Kerr on color commentary, as he would become exclusive to television after the Finals.

The Bulls championship started the dynasty that lasted through the 1990s. In the1991-92 NBA season the Bulls won their second straight NBA title, winning a then-franchise record 67 wins and defeated thePortland Trail Blazers in six games of the1992 NBA Finals.

The Lakers'Showtime era would end on November 7, 1991, asMagic Johnson announced his retirement due to theHIV virus. He did, however, play in the1992 NBA All-Star Game and eventually with theDream Team in the1992 Summer Olympics. The Lakers would decline in the years following Magic's retirement, being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs two straight years (1992 –1993) before missing the playoffs entirely in1994. It would be nine years before the Lakers returned to the NBA Finals; by then they had moved to the newStaples Center (now Crypto.com Arena), marking the 1991 Finals the last to be held at the Forum.

Both teams came close to facing each other anew in the1998 NBA Finals; however, theLakers (by then led byShaquille O'Neal andKobe Bryant) were swept by theUtah Jazz in theWestern Conference Finals.

TheChicago andLos Angeles have beenMajor professional sports leagues for the other sports league. TheMLB'sChicago White Sox andLos Angeles Angels in2005 ALCS. With the White Sox win over Angels in 5 games. WhileChicago Cubs andLos Angeles Dodgers have three postseason meetings in2008,2016 and2017. TheNHL'sChicago Blackhawks andLos Angeles Kings have three playoff meetings in1974,2013 and2014.

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