1990–91 Chicago Bulls season

The 1990–91 Chicago Bulls season was the 25th season for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association.^[1] During the off-season, the Bulls acquired Dennis Hopson from the New Jersey Nets,^[2][3] and signed free agent Cliff Levingston.^[4][5]

Head coachPhil Jackson

General managerJerry Krause

OwnerJerry Reinsdorf

ArenaChicago Stadium

Quick facts Chicago Bulls season, Head coach ...

1990–91 Chicago Bulls season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coach	Phil Jackson
General manager	Jerry Krause
Owner	Jerry Reinsdorf
Arena	Chicago Stadium
Results
Record	61–21 (.744)
Place	Division: 1st (Central) Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA champions (Defeated Lakers 4–1)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	WGN-TV 9 SportsChannel Chicago (Jim Durham, Johnny "Red" Kerr)
Radio	WLUP–AM 1000 (Jim Durham, Johnny "Red" Kerr, John Rooney, Tom Boerwinkle)
< 1989–90 1991–92 >

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The Bulls got off to a slow start losing their first three games, and later on holding a 5–6 start to the regular season.^[6] However, the team soon recovered posting a seven-game winning streak between November and December afterwards, and posting another seven-game winning streak in January, as the team held a 32–14 record at the All-Star break.^[7] The Bulls posted an 11-game winning streak between February and March,^[8] and then posted a nine-game winning streak in March,^[9] finishing in first place in the Central Division with a 61–21 record, surpassing their previous franchise-best record from the 1971–72 season, and earning the first seed in the Eastern Conference; the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.^[10][11] Widely regarded as one of the greatest teams of all time, the Bulls had the best team offensive rating and the seventh best team defensive rating in the NBA.

Michael Jordan won another scoring title averaging 31.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game, and won his second NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year award;^[12][13][14] he was also named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, Scottie Pippen averaged 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Horace Grant provided the team with 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and Bill Cartwright contributed 9.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, second-year guard B.J. Armstrong provided with 8.8 points and 3.7 assists per game off the bench, John Paxson contributed 8.7 points and 3.6 assists per game, second-year forward Stacey King averaged 5.5 points per game, three-point specialist Craig Hodges contributed 5.0 points per game, Will Perdue averaged 4.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and Levingston provided with 4.0 points per game.^[15]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jordan was selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Jordan scored 26 points along with 5 assists and 2 steals, despite committing 10 turnovers, as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 116–114.^[16][17][18] Meanwhile, Hodges won the NBA Three-Point Shootout for the second consecutive year.^[19][17][20] Despite a stellar season, Pippen was not selected for the NBA All-Star Game.^[21] Jordan and Pippen both finished tied in seventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,^[22] while Pippen finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting,^[22] and head coach Phil Jackson finished in fourth place in Coach of the Year voting.^[23][22]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1991 NBA playoffs, the Bulls faced off against the 8th–seeded New York Knicks, a team that featured All-Star center Patrick Ewing, Kiki Vandeweghe, and former Bulls forward Charles Oakley. The Bulls defeated the Knicks in Game 1 at home by a 41-point margin, 126–85 at the Chicago Stadium.^[24] After winning Game 2 at home, 89–79, the Bulls won Game 3 over the Knicks on the road, 103–94 at Madison Square Garden to win the series in a three-game sweep.^[25][26][27]

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, and for the second consecutive year, the team faced off against the 5th–seeded Philadelphia 76ers, a team that featured All-Star forward Charles Barkley, All-Star guard Hersey Hawkins, and Armen Gilliam. The Bulls won the first two games over the 76ers at the Chicago Stadium, before losing Game 3 on the road, 99–97 at The Spectrum. The Bulls won the next two games, which included a Game 5 win over the 76ers at the Chicago Stadium, 100–95 to win the series in five games.^[28][29][30]

In the Eastern Conference Finals, and for the fourth consecutive year, the Bulls faced off against the 3rd–seeded, and 2-time defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons, who were led by the All-Star trio of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Defensive Player of the Year, Dennis Rodman. The Bulls won the first two games over the Pistons at the Chicago Stadium, and then won the next two games on the road, including a Game 4 win over the Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills, 115–94 to win the series in a four-game sweep, and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.^[31][32][33]

In the 1991 NBA Finals, the Bulls faced off against the 3rd–seeded Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Magic Johnson, All-Star forward James Worthy, and Byron Scott. The Bulls lost Game 1 to the Lakers at home, 93–91 at the Chicago Stadium,^[34][35] but managed to win Game 2 at home, 107–86 to even the series. The Bulls then won the next three games on the road, including a Game 5 win over the Lakers at the Great Western Forum, 108–101 to win the series in five games, and winning their first ever NBA championship in franchise history, as Jordan was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.^[36][37][38] This season was the first of three consecutive NBA titles for the Bulls, as well as marking the beginning of the legendary Bulls dynasty, which would net the team five more championships over the next seven seasons.

The Bulls finished fourth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 757,745 at the Chicago Stadium during the regular season.^[15][39] In 2024, following the Boston Celtics winning their 18th NBA Finals championship, this Chicago Bulls squad would tie that same Celtics team for the 20th easiest route to the NBA Finals championship according to HoopsHype, with Chicago being docked due to their first round opponent, the New York Knicks, having a losing record that season.^[40]