# 1990–91 NBA season

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 changes :
| Offseason |||
| 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. Jones |
| In-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.
* 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.

## Teams

1990-91 National Basketball Association :
| Eastern Conference |||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
| Atlantic | Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 14,890 |
| Atlantic | Miami Heat | Miami, Florida | Miami Arena | 15,200 |
| Atlantic | New Jersey Nets | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Brendan Byrne Arena | 20,049 |
| Atlantic | New York Knicks | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 19,812 |
| Atlantic | Philadelphia 76ers | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Spectrum | 18,176 |
| Atlantic | Washington Bullets | Landover, Maryland | Capital Centre | 18,756 |
| Central | Atlanta Hawks | Atlanta, Georgia | Omni Coliseum | 16,378 |
| Central | Charlotte Hornets | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Coliseum | 24,042 |
| Central | Chicago Bulls | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Stadium | 18,676 |
| Central | Cleveland Cavaliers | Richfield, Ohio | Richfield Coliseum | 20,900 |
| Central | Detroit Pistons | Auburn Hills, Michigan | The Palace of Auburn Hills | 22,076 |
| Central | Indiana Pacers | Indianapolis, Indiana | Market Square Arena | 17,171 |
| Central | Milwaukee Bucks | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Bradley Center | 18,717 |
| Western Conference |||||
| Midwest | Dallas Mavericks | Dallas, Texas | Reunion Arena | 18,293 |
| Midwest | Denver Nuggets | Denver, Colorado | McNichols Sports Arena | 17,171 |
| Midwest | Houston Rockets | Houston, Texas | The Summit | 16,285 |
| Midwest | Minnesota Timberwolves | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Target Center | 18,798 |
| Midwest | Orlando Magic | Orlando, Florida | Orlando Arena | 17,283 |
| Midwest | San Antonio Spurs | San Antonio, Texas | HemisFair Arena | 16,057 |
| Midwest | Utah Jazz | Salt Lake City, Utah | Salt Palace | 12,686 |
| Pacific | Golden State Warriors | Oakland, California | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena | 13,335 |
| Pacific | Los Angeles Clippers | Los Angeles, California | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | 16,161 |
| Pacific | Los Angeles Lakers | Inglewood, California | Great Western Forum | 17,505 |
| Pacific | Phoenix Suns | Phoenix, Arizona | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 14,870 |
| Pacific | Portland Trail Blazers | Portland, Oregon | Memorial Coliseum | 12,888 |
| Pacific | Sacramento Kings | Sacramento, California | ARCO Arena | 17,317 |
| Pacific | Seattle SuperSonics | Seattle, Washington | Seattle Center Coliseum | 14,252 |

## Final Standings
### By division
#### Eastern Conference

| Atlantic Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-Boston Celtics | 56 | 26 | .683 | — | 35–6 | 21–20 | 20-6 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 12 | 29-12 | 15-26 | 14-12 |
| x-New York Knicks | 39 | 43 | .476 | 17 | 21-20 | 18-23 | 17–9 |
| Washington Bullets | 30 | 52 | .366 | 26 | 21-20 | 9-32 | 10-16 |
| New Jersey Nets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 30 | 20-21 | 6–35 | 8-18 |
| Miami Heat | 24 | 58 | .293 | 32 | 18-23 | 6-35 | 9-17 |
| Central Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-Chicago Bulls | 61 | 21 | .744 | — | 35–6 | 26–15 | 25–5 |
| x-Detroit Pistons | 50 | 32 | .610 | 11 | 32–9 | 18–23 | 19-11 |
| x-Milwaukee Bucks | 48 | 34 | .585 | 13 | 33–8 | 15–26 | 16–14 |
| x-Atlanta Hawks | 43 | 39 | .524 | 18 | 29–12 | 14–27 | 11–19 |
| x-Indiana Pacers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 20 | 29-12 | 12–29 | 15-15 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 28 | 23–18 | 10–31 | 11-19 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 35 | 17–24 | 9–32 | 8–22 |

#### Western Conference

| Midwest Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-San Antonio Spurs | 55 | 27 | .671 | — | 33–8 | 22–19 | 20–8 |
| x-Utah Jazz | 54 | 28 | .659 | 1 | 36–5 | 18–23 | 21-7 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 52 | 30 | .634 | 3 | 31-10 | 21–20 | 20-8 |
| Orlando Magic | 31 | 51 | .378 | 24 | 24-17 | 7–34 | 13–15 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 29 | 53 | .354 | 26 | 21-20 | 8-33 | 9-19 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 28 | 54 | .341 | 27 | 20-21 | 8–33 | 7-21 |
| Denver Nuggets | 20 | 62 | .244 | 35 | 17-24 | 3-38 | 8–20 |
| Pacific Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-Portland Trail Blazers | 63 | 19 | .768 | — | 36–5 | 27–14 | 18-10 |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 58 | 24 | .707 | 5 | 33–8 | 25-16 | 19-9 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 55 | 27 | .671 | 8 | 32–9 | 23-18 | 17–11 |
| x-Golden State Warriors | 44 | 38 | .537 | 19 | 30–11 | 14–27 | 13–15 |
| x-Seattle SuperSonics | 41 | 41 | .500 | 22 | 28-13 | 13–28 | 12-16 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 32 | 23–18 | 8-33 | 10-18 |
| Sacramento Kings | 25 | 57 | .305 | 38 | 24-17 | 1–40 | 9–19 |

### By conference

| # | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | c-Chicago Bulls | 61 | 21 | .744 | – |
| 2 | y-Boston Celtics | 56 | 26 | .683 | 5 |
| 3 | x-Detroit Pistons | 50 | 32 | .610 | 11 |
| 4 | x-Milwaukee Bucks | 48 | 34 | .585 | 13 |
| 5 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 17 |
| 6 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 43 | 39 | .524 | 18 |
| 7 | x-Indiana Pacers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 20 |
| 8 | x-New York Knicks | 39 | 43 | .476 | 22 |
| 9 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 28 |
| 10 | Washington Bullets | 30 | 52 | .366 | 31 |
| 11 | New Jersey Nets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 35 |
| 12 | Charlotte Hornets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 35 |
| 13 | Miami Heat | 24 | 58 | .293 | 37 |
| # | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | z-Portland Trail Blazers | 63 | 19 | .768 | – |
| 2 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 55 | 27 | .671 | 8 |
| 3 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 58 | 24 | .707 | 5 |
| 4 | x-Phoenix Suns | 55 | 27 | .671 | 8 |
| 5 | x-Utah Jazz | 54 | 28 | .659 | 9 |
| 6 | x-Houston Rockets | 52 | 30 | .634 | 11 |
| 7 | x-Golden State Warriors | 44 | 38 | .537 | 19 |
| 8 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 41 | 41 | .500 | 22 |
| 9 | Orlando Magic | 31 | 51 | .378 | 32 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Clippers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 32 |
| 11 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 29 | 53 | .354 | 34 |
| 12 | Dallas Mavericks | 28 | 54 | .341 | 35 |
| 13 | Sacramento Kings | 25 | 57 | .305 | 38 |
| 14 | Denver Nuggets | 20 | 62 | .244 | 43 |
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

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.
| First round | First round | First round | | | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | Conference finals | Conference finals | | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Chicago* | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | New York | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | New York | 0 | | | E1 | Chicago* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E5 | Philadelphia | 1 | | | | | | | |
| E4 | Milwaukee | 0 | | | E5 | Philadelphia | 1 | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Philadelphia | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Philadelphia | 3 | | | | | | E1 | Chicago* | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E1 | Chicago* | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E3 | Detroit | 0 | | | | |
| E3 | Detroit | 3 | | | | | | | | | E3 | Detroit | 0 | | | | |
| E6 | Atlanta | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Atlanta | 2 | | | E3 | Detroit | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E2 | Boston* | 2 | | | | | | | |
| E2 | Boston* | 3 | | | E2 | Boston* | 2 | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Indiana | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Indiana | 2 | | | | | | | | | | E1 | Chicago* | 4 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | W3 | LA Lakers | 1 |
| W1 | Portland* | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | W3 | LA Lakers | 1 |
| W8 | Seattle | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W8 | Seattle | 2 | | | W1 | Portland* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W5 | Utah | 1 | | | | | | | |
| W4 | Phoenix | 1 | | | W5 | Utah | 1 | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Utah | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Utah | 3 | | | | | | W1 | Portland* | 2 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | Portland* | 2 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W3 | LA Lakers | 4 | | | | |
| W3 | LA Lakers | 3 | | | | | | | | | W3 | LA Lakers | 4 | | | | |
| W6 | Houston | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W6 | Houston | 0 | | | W3 | LA Lakers | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W7 | Golden State | 1 | | | | | | | |
| W2 | San Antonio* | 1 | | | W7 | Golden State | 1 | | | | | | | |
| W7 | Golden State | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage

## 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

### Player of the week

The following players were named NBA Player of the Week.
| Week | Player |
| Nov. 2 – Nov. 11 | Chris Mullin (Golden State Warriors) |
| Nov. 12 – Nov. 18 | Clyde Drexler (Portland Trail Blazers) |
| Nov. 19 – Nov. 25 | Charles Barkley (Philadelphia 76ers) |
| Nov. 26 – Dec. 2 | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |
| Dec. 3 – Dec. 9 | John Stockton (Utah Jazz) |
| Dec. 10 – Dec. 16 | Kevin Johnson (Phoenix Suns) |
| Dec. 17 – Dec. 23 | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |
| Dec. 25 – Dec. 29 | Ricky Pierce (Milwaukee Bucks) |
| Dec. 30 – Jan. 6 | Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta Hawks) |
| Jan. 7 – Jan. 13 | Bernard King (Washington Bullets) |
| Jan. 14 – Jan. 20 | Tim Hardaway (Golden State Warriors) |
| Jan. 21 – Jan. 27 | Michael Adams (Denver Nuggets) |
| Jan. 28 – Feb. 3 | Otis Thorpe (Houston Rockets) |
| Feb. 4 – Feb. 17 | Lionel Simmons (Sacramento Kings) |
| Feb. 18 – Feb. 24 | Reggie Miller (Indiana Pacers) |
| Feb. 25 – Mar. 3 | Gerald Wilkins (New York Knicks) |
| Mar. 4 – Mar. 10 | Dennis Scott (Orlando Magic) |
| Mar. 11 – Mar. 17 | Kenny Smith (Houston Rockets) |
| Mar. 18 – Mar. 24 | Mitch Richmond (Golden State Warriors) |
| Mar. 25 – Mar. 31 | Clyde Drexler (Portland Trail Blazers) |
| Apr. 1 – Apr. 7 | Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) |
| Apr. 8 – Apr. 14 | Clyde Drexler (Portland Trail Blazers) |
| Apr. 15 – Apr. 21 | Scott Skiles (Orlando Magic) |

### Player of the month

The following players were named NBA Player of the Month.
| Month | Player |
| November | Chris Mullin (Golden State Warriors) |
| December | Karl Malone (Utah Jazz) |
| January | David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs) |
| February | Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta Hawks) |
| March | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |
| April | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |

### Rookie of the month

The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month.
| Month | Rookie |
| November | Derrick Coleman (New Jersey Nets) |
| December | Lionel Simmons (Sacramento Kings) |
| January | Derrick Coleman (New Jersey Nets) |
| February | Lionel Simmons (Sacramento Kings) |
| March | Dennis Scott (Orlando Magic) |
| April | Derrick Coleman (New Jersey Nets) |

### Coach of the month

The following coaches were named NBA Coach of the Month.
| Month | Coach |
| November | Rick Adelman (Portland Trail Blazers) |
| December | Bob Weiss (Atlanta Hawks) |
| January | Mike Dunleavy (Los Angeles Lakers) |
| February | Don Chaney (Houston Rockets) |
| March | Don Chaney (Houston Rockets) |
| April | Rick Adelman (Portland Trail Blazers) |