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| 1990-91 Chicago Bulls |
What is the first thing sports fans think of when they hear that?
No doubt the championship run of the 1990's when the Bulls won six NBA championships in eight
years before Michael Jordan retired for the second time and Phil Jackson, the Head Coach for nine seasons and all six title teams, took a one-year hiatus from the league following the 1997-98 season.
While writing this blog for the past eleven years, I haven't done a whole lot on the Chicago Bulls teams from the Michael Jordan era, which lasted from 1984-93 and then again from 1995-98 as he left the game for 17 months following the Bulls' third consecutive championship in the 1992-93 season.
The last post put up on Heftyinfo was from my own perspective of the team from various seasons having served as the Bulls music and sound operator at Chicago Stadium from 1987-94 and it included some anecdotes about Jordan outside of game activity along with some offbeat incidents during those years.
As the 1994-95 season rolled around and the team moved on from historic Chicago Stadium into the United Center just across on Madison street, my tenure was ending as my life had taken a change and I wasn't going to be able to commit to being available in the same capacity for every home game. Having worked the first three games in the brand new building with the entourage of people up in the new sound and video room on Level Three, the transition was underway and those folks were going to be able to enjoy the second three-peat over the next four years even though they weren't aware of it just yet. Jordan was still in retirement at the time.
This post is part one of two posts that will focus on the team during the first three-peat run.
Following up will be re-prints of some very old articles and columns that I wrote for The Star Newspaper (which eventually merged with the Daily Southtown News many years later) that coincided during my tenure with the Bulls.
Those were the best of times for sure and having worked with the Bulls front office staff and public address announcers Tommy Edwards and Ray Clay was a treat. More on all of that in future posts, but for now let's take a look back at the first three championship teams, starting with 'The First Dance.'
The 1990-91 season was the 25th Anniversary season for the Chicago Bulls and what a way to celebrate it. World Champions of the NBA following a four games to one victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
The season started off rocky with an 0-3 start in early November with three close losses. The Bulls would eventually get it going and wound up with a 9-6 record during the first month of the NBA season.
During the month of December, the Bulls went 11-3 which included big wins at home against the Los
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| Michael Jordan guards 'Magic' Johnson |
The team would put it on cruise control from there on out as they finished with a 61-21 record and had home court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Bulls swept the New York Knicks in three games, which included a 41-point blowout win (126-85) in the opener.
The Eastern Conference semi-finals saw the Bulls take out the Philadelphia 76ers, four games to one with the only loss by just two points (99-97) in Game Three in Philly. After that, the Detroit Pistons, the team that had eliminated the Bulls in each of the past three seasons in the playoffs, were waiting in the East finals.
The Bulls were ready this time around and smashed the Pistons in a four-game sweep to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history. The first two games at Chicago Stadium were won rather easily and then they took Game Three, 113-107 for a commanding 3-0 series lead. Game Four was on Memorial Day and the Bulls wrapped it up with a 115-94 blowout win. That was the infamous moment for Detroit when a majority of their players (led by Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer) walked off the court in the closing seconds, refusing to shake hands with Bulls players.
Six days later, on Sunday, June 2, 1991 at Chicago Stadium, the Bulls faced the Los Angeles Lakers, who had taken out the Portland Trail Blazers in six games in the Western Conference Finals. A dream matchup for the NBA with Michael Jordan and the Bulls playing the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Earvin 'Magic' Johnson.
The Lakers drew first blood in the series, sneaking away with a 93-91 win as Sam Perkins hit a three-point shot in the closing seconds to seal it. However, the Bulls were not daunted and led by Jordan (33 points), all five starters reached double figures in scoring as Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant each had 20 points in a 107-86 win to tie the series (1-1) as the next three were going back to Los
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| Bulls celebrate first ever NBA title. |
In Game Three, the Bulls rallied back in the fourth quarter to force overtime and they beat the Lakers, 104-96 and then smashed L.A. in Game Four, 97-82 for a commanding 3-1 series lead. To this point, MJ led the team with a 31.5 scoring average as they looked to close it out three nights later.
Indeed, the Chicago Bulls did close out the series in Los Angeles, winning Game Five, 108-101 as John Paxson drilled shot after shot in the fourth quarter to put the game away after an 80-80 tie after three quarters. Scottie Pippen led all scorers with 32 points and also grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out seven assists in a monster game. Jordan scored 30 and finished the series with a 31.2 PPG average and earned Most Valuable Player honors for the finals.
Finally, it could be said -- Chicago Bulls -- NBA Champions!
(next up - The Bulls capture two more titles to go back-to-back and then get the Three-peat)
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