Summary
Shortly before the season began, Magic Johnson made the shocking announcement that he was retiring because he had contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Without him, the Lakers dropped all the way to sixth place in the Pacific Division.
In Boston, Larry Bird missed nearly half of the Celtics' games with a bad back that was to force his retirement when the season ended. The Celtics still managed to tie the Knicks for first place in the Atlantic Division, but with only 51 victories, compared to the Chicago Bulls' 67 wins. The Portland Trail Blazers won 57 to lead the Western Conference.
The Bulls had a tougher time in the playoffs than they had the previous season. It took them seven games to beat the Knicks in the semi-finals and six games to eliminate Cleveland. It was a little easier for the Trail Blazers, who beat the Lakers three out of four and the Phoenix Suns four out of five before a six-game final series against the Utah Jazz.
Portland's strength was its high-scoring offense, led by Clyde "the Glide" Drexler, who finished fourth in scoring, and Buck Williams, the NBA's leader in field goal percentage. Chicago's Michael Jordan led the league in scoring for the sixth straight time, though his average of 30.1 points per game was his lowest over that stretch, reflecting the Bulls' scoring balance.
After a Bulls' blowout victory in Game 1, Portland came back to win the second game in overtime. However, Chicago took two out of three in Portland and went back to Chicago a game up with two to play.
The Trail Blazers didn't fold. In fact, they led by 15 after the third quarter of Game 6 and a seventh game seeemed more than likely. But Scottie Pippen and four players from the bench opened the fourth quarter with a 14-2 run to get the Bulls right back in it. Jordan and Pippen then combined for all 19 Chicago points down the stretch to pull out a 97-93 win and the Bulls' second straight championship.
