1990 NBA Finals

1990 NBA Finals

Team Coach Wins Detroit Pistons Chuck Daly 4 Portland Trail Blazers Rick Adelman 1
Dates	June 5–14
MVP	Isiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons)
Hall of Famers	Trail Blazers: Clyde Drexler (2004) Dražen Petrović (2002) Pistons: Joe Dumars (2006) Dennis Rodman (2011) Isiah Thomas (2000) Coaches: Rick Adelman (2021) Chuck Daly (1994) Officials: Dick Bavetta (2015) Hugh Evans (2022) Darell Garretson (2016) Earl Strom (1995)
Eastern finals	Pistons defeated Bulls, 4–3
Western finals	Trail Blazers defeated Suns, 4–2

The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1989–90 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series pitted the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons against the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers.

This was the first NBA Finals since 1979 — and the only one between 1979 and 1992 — that did not feature either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Boston Celtics, and one of two NBA championships of the 1990s (the other was won by the San Antonio Spurs in 1999) won by a team other than the Chicago Bulls (6 wins) or the Houston Rockets (2 wins).

The Pistons became just the third franchise in NBA history to win back-to-back championships, after the Lakers (first accomplished in 1949, 1950) and Celtics (first accomplished in 1959, 1960).

Background

Portland Trail Blazers

Main article: 1989–90 Portland Trail Blazers season

The Trail Blazers last made the NBA Finals when they won the NBA championship in 1977. In between finals appearances, the Blazers made the playoffs every year except 1982, but most of the time were eliminated in the first or second round. Along the way, Portland built a core that would turn the team into title contenders, adding Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and Jerome Kersey through the draft while signing or trading for players such as Buck Williams and Kevin Duckworth. The addition of Williams cost Portland once-promising center Sam Bowie, whose career had been curtailed by a series of leg injuries after being drafted second overall in the 1984 NBA draft. Early in the 1988–89 season, the Blazers fired head coach Mike Schuler and replaced him with assistant Rick Adelman, who would go on to win over 1,000 regular season games in 23 NBA seasons.

Entering the 1989–90 season with modest expectations, the Trail Blazers surprised the NBA by posting a 59–23 record, good enough for the third seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, they swept the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, defeated the San Antonio Spurs in seven games during the second round, and eliminated the Phoenix Suns in six games in the conference finals.

Detroit Pistons

Main article: 1989–90 Detroit Pistons season

The Pistons won their first NBA championship a year earlier. However, they entered the 1989–90 season without rugged forward Rick Mahorn, who had been selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft and was later traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Despite the loss of Mahorn, the Pistons still managed to post a 59–23 record to lead the Eastern Conference. With Mahorn gone, Defensive Player of the Year winner Dennis Rodman picked up the slack, keeping the Pistons in true "Bad Boys" form all season. On their way to the Finals, Detroit swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round, defeated the New York Knicks in five games during the second round, and overcame their archrival Chicago Bulls in seven games in the conference finals.

Road to the Finals

Main article: 1990 NBA Playoffs

Portland Trail Blazers (Western Conference champion)		Detroit Pistons (Eastern Conference champion)
# Western Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 z-Los Angeles Lakers 63 19 .768 – 2 y-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 7 3 x-Portland Trail Blazers 59 23 .720 4 4 x-Utah Jazz 55 27 .671 8 5 x-Phoenix Suns 54 28 .659 9 6 x-Dallas Mavericks 47 35 .573 16 7 x-Denver Nuggets 43 39 .524 20 8 x-Houston Rockets 41 41 .500 22 9 Seattle SuperSonics 41 41 .500 22 10 Golden State Warriors 37 45 .451 26 11 Los Angeles Clippers 30 52 .366 33 12 Sacramento Kings 23 59 .280 40 13 Minnesota Timberwolves 22 60 .268 41 14 Charlotte Hornets 19 63 .232 44 3rd seed in the West, 3rd best league record	Regular season		# Eastern Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 c-Detroit Pistons 59 23 .720 – 2 y-Philadelphia 76ers 53 29 .646 6 3 x-Chicago Bulls 55 27 .671 4 4 x-Boston Celtics 52 30 .634 7 5 x-New York Knicks 45 37 .549 14 6 x-Milwaukee Bucks 44 38 .537 15 7 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 42 40 .512 17 8 x-Indiana Pacers 42 40 .512 17 9 Atlanta Hawks 41 41 .500 18 10 Washington Bullets 31 51 .378 28 11 Miami Heat 18 64 .220 41 12 Orlando Magic 18 64 .220 41 13 New Jersey Nets 17 65 .207 42 1st seed in the East, 2nd best league record
Defeated (6) Dallas Mavericks, 3–0	First Round		Defeated (8) Indiana Pacers, 3–0
Defeated the (2) San Antonio Spurs, 4–3	Conference Semifinals		Defeated (5) New York Knicks, 4–1
Defeated the (5) Phoenix Suns, 4–2	Conference Finals		Defeated (3) Chicago Bulls, 4–3

Regular season series

Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team:

November 26, 1989

Detroit Pistons 82, Portland Trail Blazers 102

Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon

January 13, 1990

Portland Trail Blazers 106, Detroit Pistons 111

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan

Team rosters

Detroit Pistons

1989–90 Detroit Pistons roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From SF 23 Aguirre, Mark 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 232 lb (105 kg) 1959–12–10 DePaul C 20 Bedford, William 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1963–12–14 Memphis SG 4 Dumars, Joe 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1963–05–24 McNeese State C 53 Edwards, James 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1955–11–22 Washington PF 33 Greenwood, Dave 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 222 lb (101 kg) 1957–05–27 UCLA PF 35 Hastings, Scott 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1960–06–03 Arkansas PG 12 Henderson, Gerald 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1956–01–16 VCU PG 15 Johnson, Vinnie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1956–09–01 Baylor C 40 Laimbeer, Bill 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1957–05–19 Notre Dame SF 10 Rodman, Dennis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1961–05–13 SE Oklahoma State PF 22 Salley, John 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1964–05–16 Georgia Tech PG 11 Thomas, Isiah 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1961–04–30 Indiana

Head coach Chuck Daly Assistant coach(es) Brendan Malone Brendan Suhr Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Portland Trail Blazers

1989–90 Portland Trail Blazers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From F/C 2 Bryant, Mark 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1965–04–25 Seton Hall F/C 42 Cooper, Wayne 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–11–16 New Orleans G 22 Drexler, Clyde 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1962–06–22 Houston C 00 Duckworth, Kevin 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 1964–04–01 Eastern Illinois G 23 Irvin, Byron 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1966–12–02 Missouri F 33 Johnston, Nate 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1966–12–18 Tampa F 25 Kersey, Jerome 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1962–06–26 Longwood G 44 Petrović, Dražen 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1964–10–22 Croatia G 30 Porter, Terry 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1963–04–08 UW–Stevens Point F 50 Reid, Robert 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1955–08–30 Saint Mary's F 3 Robinson, Clifford 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1966–12–16 Connecticut F/C 52 Williams, Buck 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1960–03–08 Maryland G 21 Young, Danny 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1962–07–26 Wake Forest

Head coach Rick Adelman Assistant coach(es) Jack Schalow John Wetzel Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Series summary

Game	Date	Road team	Result	Home team
Game 1	June 5	Portland Trail Blazers	99–105 (0–1)	Detroit Pistons
Game 2	June 7	Portland Trail Blazers	106–105 (OT) (1–1)	Detroit Pistons
Game 3	June 10	Detroit Pistons	121–106 (2–1)	Portland Trail Blazers
Game 4	June 12	Detroit Pistons	112–109 (3–1)	Portland Trail Blazers
Game 5	June 14	Detroit Pistons	92–90 (4–1)	Portland Trail Blazers

The Pistons became the first team in Finals history to win Games 3 through 5 in the 2–3–2 series format which was used between 1985 and 2013.

This would be the last series to be played on a Tuesday–Thursday–Sunday rotation until the 2004 series. (Which was, coincidentally, also won by Detroit in 5 games.) From 1991 to 2003, the series were primarily on Wednesday–Friday–Sunday. Game three is the most recent NBA Finals game to tip off earlier than 8:30 p.m. Eastern/5:30 p.m. Pacific time.

Game 1

CBS

June 5 9:00 pm EDT

Portland Trail Blazers 99, Detroit Pistons 105
Scoring by quarter: 33–24, 19–23, 28–29, 19–29
Pts: Clyde Drexler 21 Rebs: Buck Williams 12 Asts: Terry Porter 8		Pts: Isiah Thomas 33 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 15 Asts: Isiah Thomas 6
Detroit leads the series, 1–0

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 21,454 Referees: No. 25 Hugh Evans No. 4 Ed T. Rush No. 27 Dick Bavetta

The Blazers led 90–80 with seven minutes left and looked poised to steal one on the road. But, after a timeout, Isiah Thomas got the Pistons going with a layup and a jumper. Then Joe Dumars completed a three-point play and Aguirre scored on an offensive rebound. In less than three minutes, Detroit had tightened the game to 92–89.

Buck Williams hit a jumper to make the score 94–89, but then Thomas scored seven straight points on two free throws, a three-point shot, and an 18-footer to give the Pistons their first lead. With 1:49 left, Thomas put a final dagger into the Blazers by sticking an open three-pointer for a 99–94 lead. The Pistons went on to win, 105–99.

This was the first Finals assignment for referee Dick Bavetta, who had been an NBA official since the 1975-76 season. He would go on to set the league record for most games officiated and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

A little under a month after the release of her debut single Vision of Love, future best selling recording artist Mariah Carey performed a heavily acclaimed rendition of "America the Beautiful".

Game 2

CBS

June 7 9:00 pm EDT

Portland Trail Blazers 106, Detroit Pistons 105 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 30–15, 22–24, 19–25, Overtime: 12–11
Pts: Clyde Drexler 33 Rebs: Buck Williams 12 Asts: Terry Porter 10		Pts: Edwards, Laimbeer 26 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 11 Asts: Isiah Thomas 11
Series tied, 1–1

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 21,454 Referees: No. 10 Darell Garretson No. 14 Jack Madden No. 42 Hue Hollins

The Blazers, playing surprisingly well on the road, had control of the game past the third quarter. Behind Bill Laimbeer, however, the Pistons made a comeback in the fourth period. Laimbeer, who had scored only seven points over the first three periods, went wild in the fourth and overtime, making 19 points over the last 17 minutes. For the game, he successfully converted six three-pointers, tying a Finals record set by the Lakers' Michael Cooper in 1987.

The Pistons had a 94–91 lead with 49 seconds left after a John Salley tip-in. Five seconds later, Clyde Drexler, who would finish with 33 points, made a free throw. With 23 seconds left, Isiah Thomas missed a potential game-clinching layup. Terry Porter tied the game at 94 with a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left, and the game went to overtime when Thomas missed an 18-footer at the buzzer.

A hook shot by James Edwards and two three-pointers by Laimbeer gave the Pistons a 102–98 lead with 1:30 left in overtime. Porter hit another set of free throws to trim the lead to two; then Drexler tied it at the one-minute mark with a 17-footer.

Portland took the lead at 104–102 when Thomas fouled out with 1:10 left. Laimbeer promptly bailed the Pistons out with 4.1 seconds remaining by hitting a 25-foot three-pointer for a 105–104 lead.

Portland gave the ball to Drexler, who was fouled by Dennis Rodman, playing on a sore ankle, with two seconds left. Drexler made both foul shots to give the Blazers the 106–105 lead. The Pistons quickly passed the ball to Edwards, who tried a shot from the left of the paint, but rookie Clifford Robinson blocked it at the last second. With that, the Blazers won the game and took away the home-court advantage.

Game 2 of the 1990 Finals marked the first time in six years that a Finals game went into overtime, the last being Game 4 of the 1984 NBA Finals.

The Pistons lose their first playoff game in the Palace at Auburn Hills, snapping their 14-game winning streak.

Game 3

CBS

June 10 3:30 pm EDT

Detroit Pistons 121, Portland Trail Blazers 106
Scoring by quarter: 31–27, 27–24, 32–31, 31–24
Pts: Joe Dumars 33 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 12 Asts: Isiah Thomas 8		Pts: Jerome Kersey 27 Rebs: Clyde Drexler 13 Asts: Terry Porter 9
Detroit leads the series, 2–1

Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 12,884 Referees: No. 11 Jake O'Donnell No. 20 Jess Kersey No. 17 Joe Crawford

Joe Dumars' father, Joe Dumars II, died of congestive heart failure 1+1⁄2 hours before the tipoff of Game 3. He had had severe diabetes, which resulted in the amputation of both of his legs in 1985. As his father's condition worsened, Dumars realized that the news of his father's death might come before or during an important game. So he asked Debbie, his new wife, not to inform him of any news until after the game had ended. His father had instilled such professionalism in Dumars, and his wife kept his wish.

Two things were stacked against the Pistons. One, they had not won in Portland since October 19, 1974, the second game of Bill Walton's career. Two, they would be without Dennis Rodman, whose ankle had stiffened. But, Vinnie Johnson found his range for the first time, making 9 of 13 shots for 21 points. The consummate professional Dumars was the most potent, however, leading Detroit with 33 points on an array of shots. One such shot was a three-pointer that stifled a Blazer run after they had cut the Piston lead to 68–60 in the third.

Detroit won, 121–106. Dumars' wife then used a courtside phone to inform Joe of his father's death. Dumars decided he would play the next game but declined press interviews.

Game 4

CBS

June 12 9:00 pm EDT

Detroit Pistons 112, Portland Trail Blazers 109
Scoring by quarter: 22–32, 29–14, 32–27, 29–36
Pts: Isiah Thomas 32 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 12 Asts: Isiah Thomas 5		Pts: Clyde Drexler 34 Rebs: Drexler, Kersey 8 each Asts: Clyde Drexler 10
Detroit leads the series, 3–1

Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 12,642 Referees: No. 25 Hugh Evans No. 13 Mike Mathis No. 12 Earl Strom

The Pistons were plagued with shooting problems as the Blazers raced off to a 32–22 lead at the end of the first period. But Vinnie Johnson and Joe Dumars took over, leading a 9–0 run that pulled the Pistons to 32–31 with 7:49 left in the half. The Pistons led 51–46 at intermission as the suffocating Detroit defense held the Blazers to 14 second-quarter points.

Isiah Thomas scored 22 points in the third and capped his onslaught with a three-pointer at the 2:15 mark that gave the Pistons an 81–65 lead and seemed to quiet the Portland crowd.

But, over the next eight minutes, the Blazers suddenly remembered the pressure defense and running game that had gotten them to the NBA Finals. They went on a 28–11 run of their own, and Terry Porter drove for a layup to give them a 93–92 lead with 5:20 left.

The game became a nip-and-tuck affair until Detroit led 106–102 on a jumper by Dumars at 1:16, but the Blazers fought back and had a chance to tie it with 35 seconds left. Buck Williams missed one of two free throws and Portland trailed 106–105.

Four seconds later, in a scramble under the Pistons' basket, Bill Laimbeer drew his sixth foul, disqualifying him for the remainder of the game. Clyde Drexler made both free throws to give Portland the lead, 107–106, with 31.8 seconds left. But Thomas responded by sinking a 22-footer that returned the edge to Detroit 108–107.

With nine seconds left, Porter attempted to drive on Dumars, but Joe blocked his path. Thomas scooped up the ensuing loose ball and headed the other way. Danny Young quickly fouled him as he let fly a 55-footer that went in. The officials quickly ruled it no good, as the foul occurred before the shot, but Thomas made the free throws for a 110–107 lead with 8.4 seconds showing.

Mark Aguirre then fouled Porter with 6.5 seconds left, and he made both, drawing Portland to 110–109. On the ensuing play, James Edwards got the ball downcourt to a wide-open Gerald Henderson for an easy layup and a 112–109 lead. Portland now had the ball and 1.8 seconds to get a shot.

The Blazers whipped the ball upcourt to Young, who promptly knocked down a 35-footer from the right sideline. Immediately players from both benches came onto the floor, the Blazers believing the game was now tied and the Pistons believing otherwise. Veteran referee Earl Strom, calling his final NBA game, huddled the officials amid the din and signaled that the shot was too late. Videotaped replays later confirmed the accuracy of the call. The Blazers were down, three games to one.

Game 5

CBS

June 14 9:00 pm EDT

Detroit Pistons 92, Portland Trail Blazers 90
Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 20–20, 19–27, 27–21
Pts: Isiah Thomas 29 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 17 Asts: Joe Dumars 7		Pts: Duckworth, Porter 21 each Rebs: Jerome Kersey 9 Asts: Terry Porter 9
Detroit wins the NBA Finals, 4–1

Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 12,642 Referees: No. 10 Darell Garretson No. 14 Jack Madden No. 4 Ed T. Rush

For much of Game 5 it appeared Portland would at least send the series back to Detroit. The Pistons shot poorly starting out, missing seven of their first 11 shots, but still led 26–22 after one quarter. They held the same four-point edge at the half, 46–42, but the Blazers rallied in the third period, and with 10 minutes to play in the game, they led 76–68.

Vinnie Johnson then went on the first of two scoring streaks. "The Microwave" scored all of Detroit's points in a 9–0 run to give his team a 77–76 edge with 6:35 to go. The Blazers stepped up their pressure and again built a 90–83 lead with 2:05 left. But, when Clyde Drexler fouled out, Portland could not score the rest of the way and "The Microwave" heated up again. Johnson scored seven points in Detroit's astounding 9–0 run to close the game and the series. His last shot was a 15-footer from the right sideline with Jerome Kersey draped all over him and 0:00.7 showing on the clock. Terry Porter had a last chance to force a Game 6, but his three clanked off the rim.

Isiah Thomas was named the Finals MVP. He had scored 33, 23, 21, 32 and 29 points, respectively, in the five games. From three-point range he had made 11 of 16 shots. For the series, he had averaged 27.6 points, 8.0 assists, and 5.2 rebounds, a performance that caused him to unleash his full smile afterward.

"You can say what you want about me," he said, "but you can't say that I'm not a winner."

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Mark Aguirre	5	3	24.0	.333	.500	.667	3.6	0.8	0.4	0.0	9.6
Joe Dumars	5	5	42.0	.415	.286	.892	2.8	5.6	0.8	0.0	20.6
James Edwards	5	5	27.6	.446	.000	.560	3.8	0.8	0.4	0.6	14.4
Dave Greenwood	3	0	11.0	.333	.000	.500	3.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	1.0
Scott Hastings	2	0	2.0	.000	.000	.000	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Gerald Henderson	2	0	1.0	1.000	.000	.000	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0
Vinnie Johnson	5	0	22.6	.543	.000	.786	2.0	1.2	0.2	0.6	12.2
Bill Laimbeer	5	5	38.2	.444	.364	1.000	13.4	2.4	1.4	0.6	13.2
Dennis Rodman	4	2	19.8	.444	.000	.250	5.5	0.8	0.5	0.5	2.3
John Salley	5	0	28.6	.375	.000	.692	6.4	0.4	0.2	2.4	6.6
Isiah Thomas	5	5	38.4	.542	.688	.742	5.2	7.0	1.6	0.4	27.6

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Mark Bryant	2	0	4.5	.000	.000	.500	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5
Wayne Cooper	5	0	14.0	.333	.000	.250	4.0	0.2	0.4	0.8	1.8
Clyde Drexler	5	5	40.8	.543	.167	.757	7.8	6.2	1.8	0.2	26.4
Kevin Duckworth	5	5	29.8	.523	.000	.667	5.6	0.0	0.2	0.4	15.6
Jerome Kersey	5	5	41.2	.473	.000	.781	7.0	1.2	0.6	0.6	19.0
Dražen Petrović	4	0	7.3	.357	.000	.000	0.3	0.5	0.3	0.0	2.5
Terry Porter	5	5	41.2	.393	.280	.889	2.6	8.4	2.0	0.2	19.0
Clifford Robinson	5	0	16.4	.250	.000	.500	2.4	0.8	0.8	0.8	3.8
Buck Williams	5	5	38.4	.465	.000	.640	9.0	1.8	0.6	0.2	11.2
Danny Young	5	0	15.6	.400	.333	.333	1.4	1.6	0.6	0.2	3.0

Media coverage

Television

CBS Sports handled the Finals for the 17th consecutive and last time, as the new television contract taking effect the following season would see the games move to NBC. Dick Stockton led the commentary team as play-by-play for the 9th straight year, with Hubie Brown serving as analyst for the second consecutive year. Pat O'Brien anchored the network's coverage, working on his 7th and last Finals for CBS and his first as anchor since Brent Musburger was fired in April 1990. Lesley Visser and James Brown worked from courtside with Visser following the Pistons and Brown the Trail Blazers.

After CBS' run with the NBA ended, Brown moved to Turner Sports to fill the same role before eventually returning to CBS. Stockton would not call another NBA game until 1995, when he also joined Turner. Stockton and Brown would occasionally be paired together on TBS and TNT until 2002, when Brown was hired to coach the Memphis Grizzlies.

Radio

For the sixth and final time, ABC Radio provided national coverage of the Finals. Fred Manfra was the lead, with Dick Vitale and Earl Monroe as analysts.

WWJ (AM) and KEX (AM) were the local radio broadcasters for the Pistons and the Trail Blazers with George Blaha and Bill Schonely as the lead broadcasters.

Aftermath

The Pistons would not make a fourth consecutive Finals championship visit in the 1990–91 NBA season. Dealing with an injured Isiah Thomas for 34 games, they went 50–32, but a matured and stronger Chicago Bulls team swept them in four games of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls won the championship that season. Within a few seasons, the Pistons dynasty broke up, with key players, including Thomas, retiring or moving on as free agents to other teams. They would not return to the Finals until 2004. Dennis Rodman, James Edwards and John Salley would win a championship in 1996 with the Bulls.

The Trail Blazers won the Pacific Division title by winning a franchise-record 63 games in 1991, acquiring the league's best record. They were, however, denied a second straight trip to the NBA Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games at the Western Conference Finals. The Blazers returned to the Finals the year after that in 1992, but lost to the Bulls in the championship series, four games to two.

See also

• 1990 NBA Playoffs

External links

• NBA History