The Lakers had dominated the 1980’s, but it was time for a change in the NBA. After appearing in eight NBA Finals and winning five, the Lakers were looking to add one more title and prevent Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls from winning their first championship in franchise history.
The second best record belonged to the Bulls, which earned them the first seed in the Eastern Conference. After losing three straight years to the “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons, they finally beat them in convincing fashion and swept them in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The 1990-91 Lakers team was not the “Showtime” Lakers everyone had grown accustomed to, but they still managed to win 58 games and beat the Portland Trailblazers 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals.
The NBA Finals opened up in Chicago and the Lakers were able to steal Game 1 93-91, but that would be the only win the Lakers would get all series. Michael Jordan dominated the series, scoring 31.2 points, dishing out 11.4 assists, and 6.6 rebounds. The Lakers would send Game 3 to double overtime, but could not get the job done. James Worthy and Byron Scott were sidelined for Game 5 and the Bulls would clinch the title at the Great Western Forum.
Johnson averaged 18.6 points and 12.4 assists in his last NBA Finals appearance. The Lakers would not reach the NBA Finals again until 2000 and Johnson passed the torch to Michael Jordan, who would go on to win five more NBA titles.
Here are highlights from Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Finals:
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Nick Young Jokes About Drawing Fouls, Kissing His Biceps, And Xavier Henry
