The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989–90

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA) season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series pitted the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference playoff champion

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

against the Western Conference playoff champion

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. This was the first

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

since

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

not to involve either the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

or the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, and one of two NBA championships of the 1990s won by a team other than the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

or the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

(the other was won by the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

). The Pistons became just the third franchise in NBA history to win back-to-back championships, after the Lakers and Celtics.

Background

Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers last made the NBA Finals when they won the NBA championship in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

. In between finals appearances, the Blazers made the playoffs every year except

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

, 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 Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ...

Terry Porter Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963) is an American former college basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was most recently the head men's basketball coach at the University of Portland. A native of Wisc ...

and

Jerome Kersey Jerome Kersey (June 26, 1962 – February 18, 2015) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Portland Trail Blazers (1984–1995), Golden State Warriors (1995–96), Los Angele ...

through the draft while signing or trading for players such as

Buck Williams Charles Linwood "Buck" Williams (born March 8, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was well known for his rebounding ability and trademark goggles. Williams, ...

and

Kevin Duckworth Kevin Jerome Duckworth (April 1, 1964 – August 25, 2008) was an American professional basketball player who played as center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of Illinois, he played college basketball at Eastern Illinois U ...

. The addition of Williams cost Portland once-promising center

Sam Bowie Samuel Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian and Olympic team member, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injuries ...

, whose career had been curtailed by a series of leg injuries after being drafted second overall in the

1984 NBA draft The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally c ...

. Early in the 1988–89 season, the Blazers fired head coach

Mike Schuler Michael Harold Schuler (September 22, 1940 – June 28, 2022) was an American basketball coach in both college and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers from 198 ...

and replaced him with assistant

Rick Adelman Richard Leonard Adelman (born June 16, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He coached 23 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Adelman served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden ...

, 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 The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

in the first round, defeated the

in seven games during the second round, and eliminated the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

in six games in the conference finals.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons won their first NBA championship a year earlier. However, they entered the 1989–90 season without rugged forward

Rick Mahorn Derrick Allen Mahorn (born September 21, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player who played power forward and center for the Washington Bullets, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, and the New Jersey Nets of the National Basket ...

, who had been selected by the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft and was later traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

. 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 Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding ...

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 The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

in the first round, defeated the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

in five games during the second round, and overcame their

archrival A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

in seven games in the conference finals.

Road to the Finals

Regular season series

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

Team rosters

Detroit Pistons

Portland Trail Blazers

Series summary

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 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

. 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

The Blazers led 90–80 with seven minutes left and looked poised to steal one on the road. But, after a timeout,

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for ''NBA TV''. The 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as well as the 75 Grea ...

got the Pistons going with a layup and a jumper. Then

Joe Dumars Joe Dumars III ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the executive vice president and head of basketball operations of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He could play either shoo ...

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.

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 The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and prese ...

in 2015. A little under a month after the release of her debut single ''

Vision of Love "Vision of Love" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey for her eponymous debut studio album (1990). It was written by Carey and Ben Margulies. After being featured on Carey's demo tape for Columbia Records, the song wa ...

'', future best selling recording artist

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

performed a heavily acclaimed rendition of "

America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never m ...

Game 2

The Blazers, playing surprisingly well on the road, had control of the game past the third quarter. Behind

Bill Laimbeer William J. Laimbeer Jr. (born May 19, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Pistons. Known for his rough and violent style of play, he played a big part in the P ...

, 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 Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the boys varsity coach at Culver City High School. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning ...

in 1987. The Pistons had a 94–91 lead with 49 seconds left after a

John Salley John Thomas Salley (born May 16, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player, talk show host, and actor. He was the first player in NBA history to win championships with three franchises (since joined by Robert Horry, Danny Green ...

tip-in. Five seconds later,

, who would finish with 33 points, made a free throw. With 23 seconds left,

missed a potential game-clinching layup.

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

, 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

' father, Joe Dumars II, died of congestive heart failure 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 William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...

's career. Two, they would be without

, whose ankle had stiffened. But,

Vinnie Johnson Vincent Johnson (born September 1, 1956), is an American former professional basketball player and a key player as sixth man for the Detroit Pistons during the team's National Basketball Association (NBA) championships of 1989 and 1990. He was ni ...

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

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

and

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.

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

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.

missed one of two free throws and Portland trailed 106–105. Four seconds later, in a scramble under the Pistons' basket,

drew his sixth foul, disqualifying him for the remainder of the game.

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 Mark Anthony Aguirre (born December 10, 1959) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aguirre was chosen as the first overall pick of the 1981 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks after playing thre ...

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 Jerome McKinley "Gerald" Henderson Sr. (born January 16, 1956) is an American retired basketball player. He was a combo guard who had a 13-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1979 until 1992. He played for the Boston C ...

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 Earl "Yogi" Strom (December 15, 1927 – July 10, 1994) was an American professional Official (basketball), basketball referee for 29 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and for three years in the American Basketball Associatio ...

, 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

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.

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

draped all over him and 0:00.7 showing on the clock.

had a last chance to force a Game 6, but his three clanked off the rim.

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

;Detroit Pistons , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 3 , , 24.0 , , .333 , , .500 , , .667 , , 3.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 9.6 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 42.0 , , .415 , , .286 , , .892 , , 2.8 , , 5.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 20.6 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 27.6 , , .446 , , .000 , , .560 , , 3.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.6 , , 14.4 , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , .500 , , 3.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , - , align="left" , , , 2 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , align="left" , , , 2 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 22.6 , , .543 , , .000 , , .786 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 12.2 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 38.2 , , .444 , , .364 , , 1.000 , , 13.4 , , 2.4 , , 1.4 , , 0.6 , , 13.2 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 2 , , 19.8 , , .444 , , .000 , , .250 , , 5.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 28.6 , , .375 , , .000 , , .692 , , 6.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 2.4 , , 6.6 , -! style="background:#FDE910;" , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 38.4 , , .542 , , .688 , , .742 , , 5.2 , , 7.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 27.6 ;Portland Trail Blazers , - , align="left" , , , 2 , , 0 , , 4.5 , , .000 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 14.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , .250 , , 4.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 1.8 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 40.8 , , .543 , , .167 , , .757 , , 7.8 , , 6.2 , , 1.8 , , 0.2 , , 26.4 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 29.8 , , .523 , , .000 , , .667 , , 5.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 41.2 , , .473 , , .000 , , .781 , , 7.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 19.0 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 7.3 , , .357 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 2.5 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 41.2 , , .393 , , .280 , , .889 , , 2.6 , , 8.4 , , 2.0 , , 0.2 , , 19.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 16.4 , , .250 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 3.8 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 38.4 , , .465 , , .000 , , .640 , , 9.0 , , 1.8 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 15.6 , , .400 , , .333 , , .333 , , 1.4 , , 1.6 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 3.0

Television coverage

The NBA on CBS The ''NBA on CBS'' is the branding that is used for weekly broadcasts of National Basketball Association (NBA) games produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States. CBS aired NBA games from the 197 ...

'' ended a 17-year run, as the league was moving to

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

after the 1990 NBA Finals. In their goodbye montage, CBS used

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

's rendition of "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

" from the 1983 NBA All-Star Game.

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

(anchor),

Lesley Visser Lesley Candace Visser (born September 11, 1953) is an American sportscaster, television and radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history who has worked on Final Four, ...

(the Pistons' sideline),

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

(the Trail Blazers' sideline),

Dick Stockton Richard Edward Stokvis (born November 22, 1942), known professionally as Dick Stockton, is an American retired sportscaster. Stockton began his career in Philadelphia, then moved to Pittsburgh, where he worked as the sports director for KDKA-TV ...

(play-by-play) and

Hubie Brown Hubert Jude Brown (born September 25, 1933) is an American retired basketball coach and player and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years. Brown was inducted into the Naism ...

(color commentary) called the action for CBS. After CBS' run with the NBA ended, Brown moved to

Turner Sports Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (WBD Sports) is the division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) that is responsible for sports broadcasting, sports broadcasts on its parent company's various channels in the United States, including TBS (American TV ch ...

to fill the same role. Stockton would not call another NBA game until , when he also joined Turner. Stockton and Brown would occasionally be paired together on TBS and

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

until , when Brown was hired to coach the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

Aftermath

The Pistons would not make a fourth consecutive Finals championship visit in the

1990–91 NBA season Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...

. Dealing with an injured Isiah Thomas for 34 games, They went 50–32, but a matured and stronger

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 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, James Edwards and

would win a championship in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

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

in six games at the Western Conference Finals. The Blazers returned to the Finals the year after that in

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, but lost to the Bulls in the championship series, four games to two.

References

External links

NBA History
{{DEFAULTSORT:1990 Nba Finals National Basketball Association Finals

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

GMA Network television specials Sports competitions in Portland, Oregon 1990 in sports in Michigan 1990 in sports in Oregon 1990 in Detroit 1990 in Portland, Oregon Sports competitions in Detroit June 1990 sports events in the United States

Background

Portland Trail Blazers

Detroit Pistons

Road to the Finals

Regular season series

Team rosters

Detroit Pistons

Portland Trail Blazers

Series summary

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Game 5

Player statistics

Television coverage

Aftermath

See also

References

External links