Game #1 @Detroit

Portland used a strong 1st quarter lead behind Buck Williams to take command of the game. Detroit made runs at Portland but could never completely catch up during the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Portland looked to be in good position to steal game 1 when they led 90-80 with 6:58 left in the game. Then Isiah Thomas took over. Detroit cut the lead to 92-89 at the 5-minute mark when Isiah turned the tide. He made 2 free throws, a 3-point shot and an 18-foot jumper to give Portland their first lead since early at 96-94. Isiah then hit another pull-up trey with 1:49 to give the Pistons a 99-94 lead. That capped a 23-4 run that erased a 14 point Trailblazer lead. Thomas scored 16 points in the final period including 14 in the game’s final 5 minutes.

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Game #2 @Detroit

This time, Detroit jumped out early as they led 30-19 late in the 1st period. However, 13 1st half Piston turnovers helped allow Portland to comeback. In fact, Portland would out score Detroit 34-15 over the last 13 minutes of the half. Bill Laimbeer would lead Detroit back into a position to win with some deadly long-range shooting. He would tie Michael Cooper’s Finals record with 6 3-point buckets. His 3 with 2:59 left gave Detroit an 89-86 lead. Clyde Drexler answered right back with a 3 of his own to tie it at 89. Later, John Salley would grab an offensive rebound, put it home and draw Kevin Duckowrth’s 6th foul to give Detroit a 94-91 lead with 49 ticks on the clock. Isiah Thomas missed a lay-up with 22 seconds to play after Drexler had made 1 of 2 free throws. Portland grabbed the rebound and Jerome Kersey drew a foul with 10 seconds left. He knocked down both shots to tie the game and Thomas would miss an 18-footer at the buzzer. Back-to-back treys by Laimbeer made it 102-98 Detroit with 1:30 left in OT. Terry Porter hit 2 free throws (of a finals record 15 consecutive he hit in the game) to cut the margin in half. A Drexler 17-footer knotted it at 102 with 1 minute remaining. With Portland leading by 2, Laimbeer nailed a 25-foot 3-pointer to give Detroit a 105-104 lead. However, Dennis Rodman would be called for a foul on Drexler who made both shots. Trailing 106-105, the Pistons were turned back when Clifford Robinson blocked James Edwards’ shot at the buzzer.

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Game #3 @Portland

Joe Dumars played this game unaware that his father had passed away before the game. Dennis Rodman was unable to play due to a sprained ankle. Detroit went with a 3-guard line-up for stretched during this game. Detroit seized the lead in the 2nd period when Vinnie Johnson exploded for 15 points. Detroit led 68-60 in the 3rd when Joe Dumars hit a 3-pointer that ignited a run that put Portland away. The Pistons won in Portland for the 1st time in 17 years.

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Game #4 @Portland

Portland led by double digit through much of the 1st half as Detroit shot only 40% from the field in the half. The Pistons were also hindered when Isiah Thomas picked up his 3rd foul early in the 2nd quarter. Trailing by 10, Detroit when on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 1 point. Vinnie Johnson and Joe Dumars scored all 9 points in the run. Detroit’s 2nd quarter run carried over into the 3rd period as they built an 81-65 lead with 2:15 left in the 3rd. Thomas fueled the outburst; as he came back smoking after his foul trouble. At one point in the 3rd, he scored 16 straight points for Detroit. He had 22 points overall in the frame. However, over the next 8 minutes, Portland would outscore Detroit 28-11 to take a 93-92 lead with 5:20 remaining in the game. The lead would go back and forth over the next few minutes. A Dumars jumper made it 106-102 Detroit with 1:16 left. Buck Williams made 1 of 2 free throws with 35 seconds left to cut it to a 106-105 Piston lead. Laimbeer fouled out with 31 seconds left and Clyde Drexler converted bot shots to give Portland a 107-106 lead. Thomas came back with a 22-foot shot to make it 108-107 Detroit. After a Terry Porter turnover, Thomas hit 2 free throws with 8 seconds left to make it 110-107. Mark Aguirre was then called for a foul and Porter hit 2 shots to make it 110-109. Gerald Henderson then got loose on the ensuing inbounds play for a lay-up to make 112-109 with 1.8 seconds left. Danny Young nailed a game tying 35-footer but Earl Strom ruled it after the buzzer (correctly) in his last NBA game. 

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Game #5 @Portland

The Pistons came out smoking by making 7 of their first 11 shots in the opening period. Detroit would build an 8-point lead but Portland would come back in the 3rd. Portland took a 76-69 lead but Detroit immediately answered with an 8-0 run which gave them a 77-76 lead with 6:35 left to play. All 8 points in the Detroit run were scored by Vinnie Johnson. With the Pistons leading 81-79, an 11-2 run by the Trailblazers gave them a 90-83 lead late in the game. Johnson then hit a 15-foot leaner and drew a foul. After converting the free throw, he hit another jumper after a Kevin Duckworth miss to cut the lead to 90-88. Isiah Thomas tied the game at 90 with a 17-foot jump shot with 36 seconds left to play. Terry Porter turned the ball over with 20 seconds left and the Pistons held for the final shot. Fittingly, Vinnie Johnson nailed the game winning, and championship winning, 17-footer with 0:00.7 left on the clock. After not winning a game in Portland for 17 years, Detroit took 3 straight to win their 2nd consecutive NBA title.

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