Game #1 @Chicago

Michael Jordan scored 35 points in a sizzling 1st half performance. He broke Elgin Baylor’s old record of 33. This combated Portland’s making their first 7 shots of the game and building an 8-point 1st quarter lead. The Bulls took the lead at 29-28 late in the 1st period. Portland was leading by 1, 45-44, when the roof caved in on them. Chicago then went on a 23-6 run to take a 67-51 lead with Jordan scoring 17 of the 23 points. Jordan would hit 13 of 16 field goal attempts during one stretch. Buck Williams played only 6 minutes in the 1st half due to foul trouble. All told, Chicago outscored Portland 60-23 after Portland’s last lead to lead 104-68 at the end of the 3rd period.

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Game #2 @Chicago

Portland built an 8-point lead in the 1st quarter, but would again see it disappear under a Bulls’ stampede. However, unlike Game 1, the Blazers would comeback in this game. Portland led by 9 at the half before Michael Jordan (14 points) and John Paxson (9 points on 3 treys) led the Bulls on a 3rd quarter run. They rallied from 9 down to 7 up by the end of the period as they doubled up Portland. Chicago looked to have the game in hand when Clyde Drexler fouled out with 4:36 left in the 4th and Chicago up 92-82. An uncharacteristic loss of poise by Jordan changed the momentum. A personal foul followed by a technical foul, both on Jordan, sparked Portland to a 15-5 run to tie the game at 97. Terry Porter hit 7 of the clutch points in the run. Danny Ainge found Jerome Kersey for a hoop to tie the game at 95 with 45 seconds left in regulation. Jordan answered with 31 seconds left to put Chicago back up by 2. Then, Kevin Duckworth tied the game at 97 on an 8-foot shot. Jordan missed a 14-footer for the win at the buzzer. It was all Portland in the extra session despite Kersey fouling out. Ainge tied a Finals mark with 9 points in the OT. Ainge also found Porter for the backbreaking 3 that made it 110-102 Portland with 1:31 left in OT. Ainge would score 6 points in the final 1:03 of the game. Portland would score on 16 of its last 17 possessions.

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Game #3 @Portland

Chicago regained homecourt advantage as they held Portland to numerous franchise playoff lows: 84 points in a game, 39 2nd half points and 28 field goals made to name a few. Portland made only 11-34 shots in the 2nd half. Chicago gained control of the game with a 30-13 run during the 1st and 2nd quarters. At the end of the run, Chicago led 44-30. Portland cut the lead to 58-55 with 7:09 left in the 3rd when the Bulls struck again. A 12-3 run left the Bulls up by 12. Then the basket closed on the Blazers. They did not make a field goal from the 4:33 mark of the 3rd until the 9:36 mark of the 4th, a 6:57 stretch. The Bulls were up by 14 and Portland did not threaten thereafter. 

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Game #4 @Portland

Portland looked to still be playing Game 3 as they did not score for the first 4 minutes of the game and found themselves down 10-0. The Bulls would extend the lead to 22-9 before the Blazers began to climb back into it. They cut the lead to 3 at the half but could not catch up in the 3rd period. Michael Jordan scored 13 of the Bulls’ 21 points in the period to keep them in front. Jordan, however, would not score in the game’s final 10:26. Chicago led 77-70 with 9:06 to play and 80-74 with 7:43 left. Portland cut it to 82-78 and then ended the game on a 15-6 run to even the series at 2 games apiece. The final spurt was fueled by a small line-up of Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Danny Ainge, Jerome Kersey and Clifford Robinson. Portland’s first lead of the game came on Robinson’s free throw with 2:22 left that put them up 83-82. Scottie Pippen made only 1 of 4 free throws down the stretch and couldn’t pick up Jordan’s slack. Pippen scored only 3 points in the 4th quarter after a big first 3 quarters. 

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Game #5 @Portland

Chicago again burst from the gates early; this time, the Bulls led 10-2 early in the 1st period. This time there would be no late rally for Portland. Every time they got close, the Bulls would answer with a run. The Bulls had 10-0, 7-0 and 12-4 runs to answer Blazer challenges. After halftime, Chicago came out with a 16-8 run that gave them an 82-62 lead, their biggest of the game. After a Drexler lay-up made it 27-20 with 3:41 left in the 1st, Chicago would answer with a Jordan 3 to make it 30-20. Portland wouldn’t within single digits again until the score was 110-101 with 3:32 left in the game. By then, it was too late.

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Game #6 @Chicago

This time Portland started strongly as they held Michael Jordan without a point for the game’s first 11 minutes. Portland would build a 43-28 lead midway through the 2nd frame before Chicago ended the half on a 16-7 run to close the gap to 6 points. The Blazer came back strong in the 3rd as they built a 75-58 lead late in the 3rd quarter. Bulls’ coach Phil Jackson then went with 4 reserves (Scott Williams, Stacey King, BJ Armstrong and Bob Hansen) and Scottie Pippen to begin the final period. This line-up pulled Chicago within 81-78 after only 3 minutes of the 4th. Jordan returned with 8:36 left in the game and later converted 2 steals into hoops that gave Chicago an 89-87 lead with 4:01 to play. From there, the Bulls defense would hold Portland to only 6 points in the final 4 minutes. Jordan would then score 6 of the Bulls’ final 8 points to seal their 2nd straight crown. Their defense was the killer; Chicago scored 16 points off Portland turnovers in the 4th while Portland got none off Chicago turnovers. Portland set a Finals record by going 21-21 from the line as a team. In the fateful 4th, the Bulls shot 68% from the field while the Blazers shot only 29%.

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