Summary
Since making Michael Jordan the third choice overall in the 1984 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls had gradually given him a strong supporting cast. They signed guard John Paxson as a free agent in 1985, added Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen in the 1987 draft, traded for center Bill Cartwright in 1988, and drafted B. J. Armstrong in 1989.
The final piece of the puzzle was Phil Jackson, who took over as the Bulls' coach in 1989. Preaching the team defense that he'd learned while playing for Red Holzman and the New York Knicks, Jackson also installed the triangle offense and convinced Jordan that it could help the Bulls win a championship.
Jordan led the league in scoring for the fifth year in a row and won his second MVP award as the Bulls led the Eastern Conference with 61 victories. The Portland Trail Blazers, though, were the NBA's best team during the regular season, winning 63 games.
While the Bulls breezed through the Eastern Conference playoffs, losing only one game, to Philadelphia in the semi-finals and sweeping the Pistons in the finals, Portland was eliminated by the Lakers in six games.
The Michael vs. Magic matchup was the media focus for the championship series, but it was a mismatch. The Lakers did steal the first game at Chicago on a three-point shot by Sam Perkins. After the Bulls evened the series, the Lakers looked forward to three games at home. But the Bulls won all three of them to take the championship. In the pivotal third game, Jordan hit a jump shot with three seconds left to force overtime and the Bulls went on to win. They took Game 4 easily with ferocious defense. In Game 5, Pippen had 32 points and Paxson added 20 to give the Bulls their first NBA title.
Jordan was named the MVP of the finals, during which he averaged 31.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks.
