1990–91 NBA season

45th NBA season August 2023 December 2022 1990–91 NBA season National Basketball Association Basketball November 2, 1990 – April 21, 1991 April 25 – May 30, 1991 (Playoffs) June 2 – 12, 1991 (Finals) 27 NBC, TBS, TNT Draft 1990 NBA Draft List of first overall NBA draft picks Derrick Coleman New Jersey Nets Regular season Portland Trail Blazers Michael Jordan (Chicago) NBA MVP Michael Jordan (Chicago) Playoffs 1991 NBA Playoffs Eastern Eastern Conference (NBA) Chicago Bulls Detroit Pistons Western Western Conference (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers Portland Trail Blazers Finals 1991 NBA Finals Chicago Bulls Los Angeles Lakers Michael Jordan (Chicago) NBA Finals MVP List of NBA seasons NBA 1989–90 NBA season 1989–90 1991–92 NBA season 1991–92 The 1990–91 NBA season was the 45th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA championship, eliminating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. This season would prove to be Magic Johnson's last full season as a player, as he announced he was HIV positive and retired early the following season (Johnson would play part of the 1995–96 NBA season with the Lakers before permanently retiring). Notable occurrences +Coaching changesOffseason Team 1989–90 coach 1990–91 coach Atlanta Hawks Mike Fratello Bob Weiss Boston Celtics Jimmy Rodgers Chris Ford Denver Nuggets Doug Moe Paul Westhead Los Angeles Clippers Don Casey Mike Schuler Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley Mike Dunleavy, Sr. New York Knicks Stu Jackson John MacLeod Seattle SuperSonics Bernie Bickerstaff K.C. JonesIn-season NBA 91 release date: October 22, 1990 Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach Indiana Pacers Dick Versace Bob Hill The Trent Tucker Rule was adopted. When Trent Tucker hit a walk-off three-point field goal at the buzzer in the previous season, the clock had started with 0.1 left. It prevents any shot to be taken with up to 0.2 seconds left in the period; the lone exception was a tip-in. The Los Angeles Lakers failed to win their division for the first time in ten years. The Pacific Division was won by the Portland Trail Blazers. The Orlando Magic moved to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference, but like the Miami Heat two seasons ago, experienced long road trips back and forth out west. They would move to the Atlantic Division the next season. The 1991 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the East defeating the West 116–114. Charles Barkley of the Philadelphia 76ers won the game's MVP award. In the Three-Point Shootout, Chicago Bulls guard Craig Hodges set a record by making 19 consecutive shots, en route to winning his second straight shootout title, and Boston Celtics guard Dee Brown won the Slam Dunk Contest. The Minnesota Timberwolves played their first season at the Target Center. They had played their first season at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome while Target Center was being built. The NBA on NBC began (replacing The NBA on CBS) when the National Broadcasting Company signed a 4-year, US$600 million deal with the NBA. The relationship lasted 12 years (concluding at the end of the 2001–02 NBA season), until The NBA on ABC returned in 2002–03. On December 30, the last game of 1990, Scott Skiles of Orlando recorded 30 assists in a game against the Denver Nuggets to set a new NBA record.Denton John Remembering Scott Skiles' 30-Assists Game 25 Years Later https://www.nba.com/magic/news/remembering-scott-skiles-30-assist-game-25-years-later www.nba.com 29 June 2020 The Utah Jazz played their final season at the Salt Palace. The flagrant foul was instituted. For the first time since 1981, the Los Angeles Lakers were not the Number 1 seed in the Western Conference. However they still reached the NBA Finals by upsetting the heavily favored (and Number 1 seeded) Portland Trail Blazers in six games. They would go on to lose to the Chicago Bulls in five games, their last NBA Finals appearance until 2000. During the season, all NBA teams sport patches featuring the American flag on their warmups as an honor to the American soldiers fighting during the Persian Gulf War. Champion became the league's official outfitter. The Golden State Warriors became the only seventh seeded team to beat the second seed twice since the 16-team playoff field was introduced seven years earlier. The Warriors defeated the San Antonio Spurs in four games. The NBA becomes the first major professional sports league to play outside North America, as the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz open the season against each other in Tokyo, Japan. On March 9, 1991, the Houston Rockets' Akeem Olajuwon officially changed the spelling of his first name to Hakeem. 1990–91 NBA changes The Indiana Pacers changed their logo and uniforms, adding navy to their color scheme. The Minnesota Timberwolves moved into Target Center. The New Jersey Nets changed their logo and uniforms. The New York Knicks slightly changed their uniforms replacing their alternate "NY" logo on the left leg of their shorts with their current primary logo. The Sacramento Kings changed their uniforms, adding a darker blue colour from their primary logo. Final standings By division Eastern Conference Western Conference By conference Notes z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs y – Clinched division title x – Clinched playoff spot Playoffs 1991 NBA playoffs thumb|right|280px|A ticket for Game 4 of the 1991 NBA Finals at the Great Western Forum. Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics. 1991 NBA playoffs Bracket yes no Statistics leaders + Category Player Team Stat Points per game Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 31.5 Rebounds per game David Robinson San Antonio Spurs 13.0 Assists per game John Stockton Utah Jazz 14.2 Steals per game Alvin Robertson Milwaukee Bucks 3.04 Blocks per game Hakeem Olajuwon Houston Rockets 3.95 FG% Buck Williams Portland Trail Blazers .602 FT% Reggie Miller Indiana Pacers .918 3FG% Jim Les Sacramento Kings .461 NBA awards Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls Rookie of the Year: Derrick Coleman, New Jersey Nets Defensive Player of the Year: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons Sixth Man of the Year: Detlef Schrempf, Indiana Pacers Most Improved Player: Scott Skiles, Orlando Magic Coach of the Year: Don Chaney, Houston Rockets 99% 33% All-NBA First Team: F – Karl Malone, Utah Jazz F – Charles Barkley, Philadelphia 76ers C – David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs G – Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls G – Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers 33% All-NBA Second Team: F – Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks F – Chris Mullin, Golden State Warriors C – Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks G – Kevin Johnson, Phoenix Suns G – Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers 33% All-NBA Third Team: F – James Worthy, Los Angeles Lakers F – Bernard King, Washington Bullets C – Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets G – John Stockton, Utah Jazz G – Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons 66% 33% NBA All-Rookie First Team: Dee Brown, Boston Celtics Kendall Gill, Charlotte Hornets Derrick Coleman, New Jersey Nets Dennis Scott, Orlando Magic Lionel Simmons, Sacramento Kings 33% Second Team: Chris Jackson,AbdulRauf Entered the NBA as Chris Jackson before changing his name in 1993. Denver Nuggets Willie Burton, Miami Heat Travis Mays, Sacramento Kings Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics Felton Spencer, Minnesota Timberwolves 66% 33% NBA All-Defensive First Team: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls Alvin Robertson, Milwaukee Bucks David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons Buck Williams, Portland Trail Blazers 33% Second Team: Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons John Stockton, Utah Jazz Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls Dan Majerle, Phoenix Suns Player of the week The following players were named NBA Player of the Week. WeekPlayerNov. 2 – Nov. 11Chris Mullin (Golden State Warriors)Nov. 12 – Nov. 18Clyde Drexler (Portland Trail Blazers)Nov. 19 – Nov. 25Charles Barkley (Philadelphia 76ers)Nov. 26 – Dec. 2Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)Dec. 3 – Dec. 9John Stockton (Utah Jazz)Dec. 10 – Dec. 16Kevin Johnson (Phoenix Suns)Dec. 17 – Dec. 23Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)Dec. 25 – Dec. 29Ricky Pierce (Milwaukee Bucks)Dec. 30 – Jan. 6Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta Hawks)Jan. 7 – Jan. 13Bernard King (Washington Bullets)Jan. 14 – Jan. 20Tim Hardaway (Golden State Warriors)Jan. 21 – Jan. 27Michael Adams (Denver Nuggets)Jan. 28 – Feb. 3Otis Thorpe (Houston Rockets)Feb. 4 – Feb. 17Lionel Simmons (Sacramento Kings)Feb. 18 – Feb. 24Reggie Miller (Indiana Pacers)Feb. 25 – Mar. 3Gerald Wilkins (New York Knicks)Mar. 4 – Mar. 10Dennis Scott (Orlando Magic)Mar. 11 – Mar. 17Kenny Smith (Houston Rockets)Mar. 18 – Mar. 24Mitch Richmond (Golden State Warriors)Mar. 25 – Mar. 31Clyde Drexler (Portland Trail Blazers)Apr. 1 – Apr. 7Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers)Apr. 8 – Apr. 14Clyde Drexler (Portland Trail Blazers)Apr. 15 – Apr. 21Scott Skiles (Orlando Magic) Player of the month The following players were named NBA Player of the Month. MonthPlayerNovemberChris Mullin (Golden State Warriors)DecemberKarl Malone (Utah Jazz)JanuaryDavid Robinson (San Antonio Spurs)FebruaryDominique Wilkins (Atlanta Hawks)MarchMichael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)AprilMichael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) Rookie of the month The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month. MonthRookieNovemberDerrick Coleman (New Jersey Nets)DecemberLionel Simmons (Sacramento Kings)JanuaryDerrick Coleman (New Jersey Nets)FebruaryLionel Simmons (Sacramento Kings)MarchDennis Scott (Orlando Magic)AprilDerrick Coleman (New Jersey Nets) Coach of the month The following coaches were named NBA Coach of the Month. MonthCoachNovemberRick Adelman (Portland Trail Blazers)DecemberBob Weiss (Atlanta Hawks)JanuaryMike Dunleavy (Los Angeles Lakers)FebruaryDon Chaney (Houston Rockets)MarchDon Chaney (Houston Rockets)AprilRick Adelman (Portland Trail Blazers) Notes See also List of NBA regular season records References