Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to three NBA championships from 1991 to 1993
Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to three NBA championships from 1991 to 1993. Michael Jordan won his second MVP title in 1990-1991 after averaging 31.5 points per game on 53.9 percent shooting, 6.0 rebounds per game, and 5.5 assists per game during the regular season. For the first time in sixteen years, the Bulls finished first in their division and set a team record with 61 regular-season wins. The Bulls' play had improved as Scottie Pippen developed into an All-Star. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Bulls defeated the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers. They progressed to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they faced their rival, the Detroit Pistons; this time, the Bulls won in a four-game sweep.
For the first time in franchise history, the Bulls progressed to the NBA Finals, where they faced the Los Angeles Lakers, who included Magic Johnson and James Worthy, two strong opponents. The Bulls won the series four games to one and finished with a 15-2 playoff record. In Game 2, while attempting a slam, Jordan dodged a potential Sam Perkins block by switching the ball from his right hand to his left hand in mid-air to put the shot into the basket. Jordan averaged 31.2 points per game on 56 percent shooting from the field, 11.4 assists per game, 6.6 rebounds per game, 2.8 steals per game, and 1.4 blocks per game in his first Finals appearance. Jordan received his first NBA Finals MVP title, and he sobbed as he held the trophy.
Jordan and the Bulls maintained their dominance in the 1991-92 season, finishing with a 67-15 record, breaking the franchise record set in 1990-91. Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award, averaging 30.1 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game, and 6.1 assists per game on 52 percent shooting. After defeating the New York Knicks in a grueling seven-game series in the second round of the playoffs and defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the Conference Finals, the Bulls faced Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals.
Jordan set a Finals record with 35 points in the first half of the first game, including a record-setting six three-point field goals. He jogged down the court after the sixth three-pointer, shrugging as he looked courtside. Jordan appeared to be saying, "I can't believe I'm doing this," according to Marv Albert, who televised the game. The Bulls won Game 1 and went on to upset the Blazers in six games. Jordan was awarded Finals MVP for the second year in a row, averaging 35.8 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field.
Jordan set a Finals record with 35 points in the first half of the first game, including a record-setting six three-point field goals. The Bulls won Game 1 and went on to upset the Blazers in six games. Jordan was awarded Finals MVP for the second year in a row, averaging 35.8 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field. Jordan's string of straight MVP seasons ended in 1992-93, despite a 32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 5.5 apg season, including a second-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting, as he lost the trophy to his friend Charles Barkley, which disappointed him. Jordan and the Bulls met Barkley and the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. The Bulls won their third NBA title on a game-winning basket by John Paxson and a last-second block by Horace Grant, but Jordan was the team's leader once again. During the six-game series, he averaged a Finals-record 41.0 points per game and became the first player in NBA history to earn three consecutive Finals MVP titles.
