1990–91 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 1990–91 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 43rd season for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, and their 31st season in Los Angeles, California.^[1] During the off-season, the Lakers signed free agent Sam Perkins,^[2][3][4] and acquired Terry Teagle from the Golden State Warriors.^[5][6][7] After the resignation of Pat Riley, the team hired Mike Dunleavy as their new head coach, as the Lakers' offense would use more half-court sets, and the team would have a renewed emphasis on defense.^[8][9]

Under Dunleavy, and with the addition of Perkins and Teagle, the Lakers struggled losing five of their first seven games of the regular season, but then posted an eight-game winning streak between November and December afterwards. After a 19–11 start to the season, the team posted a 16-game winning streak between January and February, and held a 35–11 record at the All-Star break.^[10] The Lakers posted two six-game winning streaks in March and April, and finished in second place in the Pacific Division with a 58–24 record, earning the third seed in the Western Conference; it was the first time since the 1980–81 season that the team did not win the Pacific Division title.^[11]

Magic Johnson averaged 19.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 12.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while James Worthy led the Lakers in scoring averaging 21.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. In addition, Byron Scott provided the team with 14.5 points per game, while Perkins contributed 13.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, and second-year center Vlade Divac provided with 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Off the bench, A.C. Green averaged 9.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while Teagle contributed 9.9 points per game, and Mychal Thompson provided with 4.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.^[12]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Johnson and Worthy were both selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team.^[13][14][15] Johnson also finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls.^[16][17] Johnson was the league's third-oldest point guard, and had grown more powerful and stronger than in his earlier years, but was also slower and less nimble.^[18]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1991 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Lakers faced off against the 6th–seeded Houston Rockets, a team that featured All-Star center Hakeem Olajuwon, Otis Thorpe and Vernon Maxwell. The Lakers won the first two games over the Rockets at home at the Great Western Forum, before winning Game 3 on the road, 94–90 at The Summit to win the series in a three-game sweep.^[19][20][21]

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 7th–seeded Golden State Warriors, who were led by the Run TMC trio of All-Star forward Chris Mullin, All-Star guard Tim Hardaway, and Mitch Richmond. The Lakers won Game 1 over the Warriors at the Great Western Forum, 126–116, but then lost Game 2 at home by a score of 125–124, despite Johnson posting a double-double of 44 points and 12 rebounds.^[22][23] With the series tied at 1–1, the Lakers managed to win the next two games on the road at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, before winning Game 5 over the Warriors at the Great Western Forum in overtime, 124–119 to win the series in five games.^[24][25][26]

In the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers then faced off against the top–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Portland Trail Blazers, who were led by the All-Star trio of Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and Kevin Duckworth. The Lakers took a 3–1 series lead over the Trail Blazers, before losing Game 5 on the road, 95–84 at the Memorial Coliseum.^[27] The Lakers won Game 6 over the Trail Blazers at the Great Western Forum, 91–90 to win the series in six games, and advance to the NBA Finals.^[28][29][30]

In the 1991 NBA Finals, the Lakers faced off against the top–seeded Bulls, who were led by the trio of Jordan, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant. The Lakers managed to win Game 1 over the Bulls on the road, 93–91 at the Chicago Stadium,^[31][32][33] but then lost Game 2 on the road by a score of 107–86, as the Bulls evened the series.^[34] The Lakers lost their next three home games at the Great Western Forum, including a Game 5 loss to the Bulls by a score of 108–101, thus losing the series in five games, as the Bulls won their first ever NBA championship in franchise history.^[35][36][37] The Lakers would not return to the Finals again until 2000; this season is generally considered the final season of the team's successful, uptempo Showtime era.^[38][39]

The Lakers finished seventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 682,024 at the Great Western Forum during the regular season.^[12][40] Game 5 of the NBA Finals was the last Finals game played at the Great Western Forum; it was also Johnson's last NBA game before his retirement that November, due to his diagnosis with the HIV virus,^[41][42][43] although he would return to play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, Florida, and with the Dream Team in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Johnson would make a brief return to the Lakers midway through the 1995–96 NBA season;^[44][45][46] after losing to the Houston Rockets in that year's playoffs, Johnson retired again and for good. Also following the season, Thompson retired.