There is one more profilee to come in my Hall of Fame tribute this week; Michael Jordan, the best player of his generation. To keep people interested until tomorrow, here's is a review of Air Jordan's first trip to the Finals in 1991, and the matchup of the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Michael Jordan entered his seventh season in 1990-91 as the NBA's premier individual player. He had won a league MVP, four straight scoring titles, and even a Defensive Player of the Year. But for all of his great individual deeds, the Chicago Bulls were always the bridesmaid and never the bride. The previous two years had been particuarly painful; the Bulls lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the physical Detroit Pistons. Jordan didn't mesh well with the new offense first-year coach Phil Jackson employed, and it became clear that things needed to change for the Bulls to realize their potential.

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the Los Angeles Lakers were the team of the 1980s, winning five NBA titles with their blazing "Showtime" offense. By 1990-91, however, many wondered if their time had passed; the team was beaten in the second round of the 1990 playoffs, and legendary coach Pat Riley resigned. In his place stepped Mike Dunleavy, who was only five years removed from being a full-time player. Dunleavy wanted to change the team's style, scrapping the running style in favor of more post-ups of stars Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and newcomer Sam Perkins. Could the Lakers remain a power in the West with Portland, the defending conference champs, looming and an overhaul on the horizon?

For the Bulls, the 1990-91 season went swimmingly, as they won 61 games and claimed their first ever Central division title. Jordan would win his second league MVP and, more importantly, trusted Jackson's offense enough to allow it to run properly. The Lakers, meanwhile, got off to their worst start since 1978 before eventually finishing 58-24, losing the Pacific to the Portland Trail Blazers, their first time losing the division since 1981. In the playoffs, the Bulls rampaged through their first two opponents, sweeping the New York Knicks and beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4-1. In a third straight conference finals rematch against Detroit, the Bulls showed no mercy, sweeping the battered Pistons 4-0 (Jordan predicted as much) and moved on to their first NBA Finals. The Lakers swept the Houston Rockets 3-0, eliminated the Golden State Warriors 4-1, and outwiled the Blazers 4-2, with Magic Johnson showing his savvy on the court, tossing the ball down the court after a Terry Porter miss to run out most of the clock in the deciding game. The league had a real showcase matchup for their first NBA Finals on the NBC network; Magic vs Michael.

Game 1 was played at a Lakers-style pace; primarily a half-court style that used most of the shot clock. While Jordan domianted early with 15 1st quarter points, the Laker frontcourt of Worthy, Perkins and Vlade Divac dominated the Bulls frontcourt, outscoring them in game 1 60-31. Magic, meanwhile, waited until the 3rd quarter to deal scoring damage, hitting a last-second shot and a pair of threes to give L.A. a 75-68 lead going into the 4th. The Bulls eventually surged ahead 91-89 before the Lakers showed their veteran poise; Johnson found Perkins wide open for a three, and Perkins hit it, giving L.A. the lead. Jordan had a chance to score, but he missed, and the Lakers stunned Chicago 93-91 to take the home-court advantage. Game 2 wasn't close after halftime; the Bulls decided to have Scottie Pippen guard Magic, saving Jordan's energy for the offensive end. After scoring just two points in the 1st half, Jordan hit 13 straight shots in the second half (including a breathtaking layup that lives on in replays) to put Chicago ahead to stay. The Bulls won 107-86 to even the series, but experts felt L.A. still had the advantage going back to the Forum for three games.

Game 3 was a game of runs; the Bulls dominated the paint in this game, and the Lakers set a Finals record-low for rebounds, but the game was tight until the 3rd, when L.A. outscored Chicago 18-2 to take a thirteen point lead. The Bulls countered with a 20-7 run to tie the game at 74. The final sequence of regulation was hectic; after Horace Grant gave the Bulls a 90-87 lead, Perkins hit a layup, then Divac scored on a fumbled ball and was fouled; his free throw gave the Lakers a 92-90 lead and led to Pippen fouling out. But Jordan made amends for his game 1 failure; he hit a jumper over Byron Scott with 3.7 seconds left to force overtime, where he then scored 6 of the Bulls' 12 points to help Chicago win 104-96. Game 4 saw L.A. lead 28-27, the first time the Bulls trailed after the 1st in the 1991 playoffs, but Chicago rallied and smothered the Lakers' offense, holding them to 37% shooting for the game and to 12 for 41 shooting in the second and third quarters. With both Worthy and Scott leaving with injuries that would sideline them for game 5, the Bulls won 97-82, taking a 3-1 lead over the stunned Lakers.

In game 5, Dunleavy rode his horses hard; only seven players played for the Lakers in the game, and they hung tough with Chicago through three quarters, with the game being tied at 80 after three. In the fourth, Jordan passed his final test, as he deferred the late game offense to Pippen and John Paxson. Pippen led the Bulls with 32 points, and Paxson scored 10 points in the final 3:54 of the game to help Chicago seal it 108-101 and take their first NBA title 4 games to 1. Jordan won the Finals MVP without a dissenting vote, and the victory finally ended the debate of his greatness; he was now the dominant force over the NBA.

1991 NBA Finals leaders: Points per game
Chicago: Jordan, 31.2 PPG; Pippen, 20.8 PPG; Grant, 14.6 PPG
L.A. Lakers: Worthy, 19.3 PPG; E. Johnson, 18.6 PPG; Perkins, 16.6 PPG

1991 NBA Finals leaders: Rebounds per game
Chicago: Pippen, 9.4 RPG; Grant, 7.8 RPG; Jordan, 6.6 RPG
L.A. Lakers: Divac, 8.8 RPG; E. Johnson, 8.0 RPG; Perkins, 7.6 RPG

1991 NBA Finals leaders: Assists per game
Chicago: Jordan, 11.4 APG; Pippen, 6.6 APG; Paxson, 3.4 APG
L.A. Lakers: E. Johnson, 12.4 APG; Divac and Worthy, 2.0 APG; Scott, 1.8 APG