Like the great Eastern Conference teams of the ‘80s, Larry Bird’s Celtics, Isiah Thomas’ Pistons, Dr. J’s 76ers, Michael Jordan’s road to the championship led through Los Angeles. Magic Johnson and James Worthy were keeping Showtime alive despite Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s retirement two years earlier. The Lakers-Bulls 1991 Finals was a passing of the torch moment for the league. The last hurrah for ‘80s basketball came in Game 1 with the Lakers earning their sole victory of the series, but the Bulls punched back in Game 2 accompanied by one of Jordan’s greatest highlights.
1 OF MICHAEL JORDAN’S MOST ICONIC HIGHLIGHTS LED TO BULLS 1ST NBA FINALS WIN
The outcomes of the Eastern Conference bracket and Western Conference bracket differed in that the great ‘80s teams of old were ousted in the East, yet in the West, it was the rising teams of the ‘90s that fell short. The 1991 Finals was a battle of the decades. In LA, however, there were signs the lights were dimming. Showtime lacked a major offensive weapon without Abdul-Jabbar, and its personality had changed entirely without longtime coach Pat Riley at the helm. Meanwhile, the Bulls had come into their own under Phil Jackson.
The Lakers stole Game 1 as only Jordan and Scottie Pippen scored in the double digits for the Bulls. Game 2 was a different animal, a 21-point blowout win for Chicago. Jordan scored a game-high 33 points accompanied by one of his most impressive athletic highlights, switching hands mid-air for a layup. Despite Los Angeles’ experience and talent, the youthful Chicago squad ultimately pulled off a gentleman-sweep to win their first championship in franchise history. This began Jordan’s dominance over NBA, a stranglehold not felt since Bill Russell’s reign over the ’60s.
June 5, 1991: 1 of the most iconic plays of Michael Jordan's career took place in NBA Finals Game 2 where he made a mid-air adjustment on a layup. MJ’s 33 PTS & 13 AST led the #Bulls to their 1st Finals win in franchise history en route to their 1st titlepic.twitter.com/CXKkqQoxGv
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) June 5, 2021
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