SI Flashback: NBA Finals

Jordan finally proved that he could make his teammates better by leading the Bulls to the first of what would be six NBA titles. Chicago had a surprisingly easy time in the playoffs, dropping just two games.

Snapshot from Shining Moment

By Jack McCallum

June 17, 1991 Manny Millan

Dominant: It would be hard to say anything less after Jordan's masterly performance throughout the five games of the Finals, the last four of which were Chicago victories. He scored with metronomic consistency, averaging 31.2 points -- a 36-point effort in Game 1 was his high, a 28-point night in Game 4 his low -- and a .558 shooting percentage from the floor. (By contrast, Magic Johnson, who recognizes a good shot better than anyone, averaged 18.6 points and .431.) Jordan also averaged 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocked shots. And his energetic defensive play ... was the key to the series. In sum, Jordan turned in what was probably the finest all-around performance in a five-game Finals series, of which there have been 11 in NBA history.

They Said It "I think people will now feel it's O.K. to put me in the category of players like Magic. Personally, I always felt that in terms of intensity and unselfishness, I played like those type of players. Some people saw that, but many others didn't. And the championship, in the minds of a lot of people, is a sign of, well, greatness. I guess they can say that about me now." —Jordan "After we won the NCAA championship in my freshman year [at North Carolina in 1982] I felt happy, but not all that emotional. I remember seeing Jimmy Black and a few of the other guys really crying, and I'm thinking, What's going on? This is supposed to happen, right? You come to college and you win a championship. But in the pros I've seen it from the opposite side. All the struggles, all the people saying, 'He's not gonna win,' all those little doubts you have about yourself. You have to put them aside and think positive. I am gonna win! I am a winner! And then when you do it, well, it's just amazing.'' —Jordan

Touching scene: Even Jordan was surprised by the tidal wave of emotion that struck him as he entered the locker room after Game 5 and knelt for the team prayer. He sobbed, at times almost uncontrollably, as his wife, Juanita, and father, James, sat beside him, massaging his arms and shoulders. He had almost stopped crying when a friend led a smiling woman into the circle. ''Michael, it's your mother,'' the friend said. And he broke down again as Evelyn Jordan kissed him, patted his cheek and retreated into the background.

Finally: Indeed, the 1991 Finals will go down as a championship won for a city that has given the NBA some of its finest moments over the years. And it will go down as the series in which the Bulls' supporting cast at last shrugged off its tag of ''the Jordanaires.'' But make no mistake about it -- the victory belonged most of all to Jordan, who, for now at least, sits atop the basketball world, higher even than Magic. And for those who felt that Jordan was already the king, consider the 1991 Finals his coronation.

Issue date: June 24, 1991