From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

1989–90 Chicago Bulls season

NBA professional basketball team season

(lost to Pistons 3–4) SportsChannel Chicago (Jim Durham, Johnny “Red” Kerr) (Jim Durham, Johnny “Red” Kerr)

The 1989–90 Chicago Bulls season was the 24th season for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association. The Bulls received the sixth overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft from the New Jersey Nets via trade, and selected power forward Stacey King from the University of Oklahoma, and also selected point guard B.J. Armstrong from the University of Iowa with the 18th overall pick. Despite their solid playoff run last year, the team fired head coach Doug Collins, and replaced him with assistant Phil Jackson.

Under Jackson, the Bulls held a 28–19 record at the All-Star break, and finished the regular season in second place in the Central Division with a 55–27 record, averaging 109.5 points per game, and earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Michael Jordan averaged 33.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, while Scottie Pippen continued to show improvement averaging 16.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game. In addition, Horace Grant provided the team with 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, while Bill Cartwright contributed 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and John Paxson contributed 10.0 points per game. Off the bench, King averaged 8.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, while three-point specialist Craig Hodges contributed 6.5 points per game, and Armstrong provided with 5.6 points and 2.5 assists per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida, Jordan and Pippen were both selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was Pippen's first ever All-Star appearance. In addition, Jordan and Hodges both participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout, in which Hodges won the competition, and Pippen participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Jordan finished in third place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Charles Barkley of the Philadelphia 76ers; Jordan also finished tied in fifth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Pippen finished tied in sixth place in Most Improved Player voting, and Jackson finished tied in seventh place in Coach of the Year voting.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1990 NBA playoffs, the Bulls faced off against the 6th–seeded Milwaukee Bucks, a team that featured Sixth Man of the Year, Ricky Pierce, Alvin Robertson and Jay Humphries. The Bulls won the first two games over the Bucks at home at the Chicago Stadium, before losing Game 3 on the road, 119–112 at the Bradley Center. The Bulls won Game 4 over the Bucks on the road, 110–86 to win the series in four games.

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Atlantic Division champion 76ers, who were led by Barkley, second-year star Hersey Hawkins, and Johnny Dawkins. The Bulls took a 2–0 series lead, before losing Game 3 to the 76ers on the road, 118–112 at The Spectrum. The Bulls managed to win the next two games, which included a Game 5 home win over the 76ers, 117–99 at the Chicago Stadium, thus winning the series in five games.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, and for the third consecutive year, the Bulls faced off against the top–seeded, and defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons, who won the Central Division title, and were led by the All-Star trio of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Defensive Player of the Year, Dennis Rodman. The Bulls lost the first two games to the Pistons on the road at The Palace of Auburn Hills, but managed to win the next two games at home at the Chicago Stadium. After losing Game 5 at The Palace of Auburn Hills, 97–83, the Bulls won Game 6 over the Pistons at the Chicago Stadium, 109–91 to tie the series at 3–3. However, the Bulls lost Game 7 to the Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills, 93–74, thus losing in a hard-fought seven-game series. The Pistons would go on to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in five games in the 1990 NBA Finals, winning their second consecutive NBA championship.

On March 28, 1990, Jordan scored a career-high of 69 points in a 117–113 overtime road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Coliseum at Richfield, the highest scoring output by an NBA player since David Thompson's 73 points on April 9, 1978, against the Detroit Pistons. In the summer of 1997, Jordan admitted in an interview that he went off for 69 points after the Cavaliers' fans cheered when he was fouled hard by Cavaliers forward Hot Rod Williams, with Jordan lying on the ground in pain; Jordan said that the Cavaliers' fans were more in tune to winning than someone else's health, stating "that right there pissed me off, that's when I went crazy".

On February 14, 1990, before a game against the Orlando Magic expansion team, Jordan's number 23 jersey was stolen from the Bulls' locker room at the Orlando Arena; Jordan had to wear a number 12 jersey, and scored 49 points as the Bulls lost to the Magic in overtime, 135–129.

Draft picks

Main article: 1989 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club team
1	6	Stacey King	C	United States	Oklahoma
1	18	BJ Armstrong	PG	United States	Iowa
1	20	Jeff Sanders	F	United States	Georgia Southern

Roster

Phil Jackson
Johnny Bach
Jim Cleamons
Tex Winter

Regular season

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Schedule

#	Date	Opponent	W/L	Score	Record	Streak
1	November 3, 1989	Cleveland Cavaliers	W	124–119 (OT)	1–0	Won 1
2	November 4, 1989	Boston Celtics	L	100–102	1–1	Lost 1
3	November 7, 1989	Detroit Pistons	W	117–114	2–1	Won 1
4	November 8, 1989	@ Minnesota Timberwolves	W	96–84	3–1	Won 2
5	November 10, 1989	@ New Jersey Nets	L	107–117	3–2	Lost 1
6	November 11, 1989	Seattle SuperSonics	W	109–102	4–2	Won 1
7	November 14, 1989	@ Sacramento Kings	W	96–94	5–2	Won 2
8	November 15, 1989	@ Utah Jazz	L	107–108	5–3	Lost 1
9	November 18, 1989	@ Seattle SuperSonics	L	110–119	5–4	Lost 2
10	November 21, 1989	@ Portland Trail Blazers	L	110–121	5–5	Lost 3
11	November 22, 1989	@ Phoenix Suns	W	95–90	6–5	Won 1
12	November 25, 1989	@ Golden State Warriors	W	104–91	7–5	Won 2
13	November 26, 1989	@ Los Angeles Clippers	L	96–120	7–6	Lost 1
14	November 28, 1989	Atlanta Hawks	W	113–98	8–6	Won 1
15	December 2, 1989	@ Miami Heat	W	114–107	9–6	Won 2
16	December 5, 1989	Denver Nuggets	W	119–99	10–6	Won 3
17	December 8, 1989	@ Indiana Pacers	L	104–106	10–7	Lost 1
18	December 9, 1989	Philadelphia 76ers	W	125–105	11–7	Won 1
19	December 12, 1989	Dallas Mavericks	W	105–97	12–7	Won 2
20	December 14, 1989	Orlando Magic	W	124–113	13–7	Won 3
21	December 16, 1989	Charlotte Hornets	W	115–104	14–7	Won 4
22	December 19, 1989	Los Angeles Lakers	W	93–83	15–7	Won 5
23	December 20, 1989	@ Orlando Magic	L	109–110	15–8	Lost 1
24	December 22, 1989	@ Atlanta Hawks	W	125–113	16–8	Won 1
25	December 23, 1989	@ Philadelphia 76ers	L	104–131	16–9	Lost 1
26	December 26, 1989	Minnesota Timberwolves	W	112–99	17–9	Won 1
27	December 29, 1989	San Antonio Spurs	W	101–97	18–9	Won 2
28	December 30, 1989	@ Washington Bullets	W	117–112 (OT)	19–9	Won 3
29	January 3, 1990	@ Cleveland Cavaliers	W	93–87	20–9	Won 4
30	January 5, 1990	Orlando Magic	W	127–116	21–9	Won 5
31	January 6, 1990	@ Milwaukee Bucks	L	111–118	21–10	Lost 1
32	January 9, 1990	@ Detroit Pistons	L	90–100	21–11	Lost 2
33	January 10, 1990	@ Indiana Pacers	L	113–120	21–12	Lost 3
34	January 12, 1990	@ Charlotte Hornets	W	107–95	22–12	Won 1
35	January 13, 1990	Los Angeles Clippers	W	117–111	23–12	Won 2
36	January 15, 1990	@ New York Knicks	L	106–109	23–13	Lost 1
37	January 18, 1990	Golden State Warriors	W	132–107	24–13	Won 1
38	January 19, 1990	@ Atlanta Hawks	W	92–84	25–13	Won 2
39	January 21, 1990	New York Knicks	W	117–109	26–13	Won 3
40	January 23, 1990	Detroit Pistons	L	95–107	26–14	Lost 1
41	January 26, 1990	@ Philadelphia 76ers	L	109–120	26–15	Lost 2
42	January 27, 1990	New Jersey Nets	W	110–107	27–15	Won 1
43	January 29, 1990	Atlanta Hawks	W	121–111	28–15	Won 2
44	February 1, 1990	@ Houston Rockets	L	112–139	28–16	Lost 1
45	February 3, 1990	@ San Antonio Spurs	L	111–112	28–17	Lost 2
46	February 7, 1990	@ Los Angeles Lakers	L	103–121	28–18	Lost 3
47	February 8, 1990	@ Denver Nuggets	L	98–123	28–19	Lost 4
48	February 13, 1990	@ Miami Heat	W	107–95	29–19	Won 1
49	February 14, 1990	@ Orlando Magic	L	129–135 (OT)	29–20	Lost 1
50	February 16, 1990	Miami Heat	W	119–105	30–20	Won 1
51	February 18, 1990	@ Milwaukee Bucks	W	111–88	31–20	Won 2
52	February 19, 1990	Houston Rockets	W	107–102	32–20	Won 3
53	February 23, 1990	Portland Trail Blazers	W	113–102	33–20	Won 4
54	February 25, 1990	@ New Jersey Nets	W	107–106 (OT)	34–20	Won 5
55	February 27, 1990	Milwaukee Bucks	W	106–96	35–20	Won 6
56	March 2, 1990	New Jersey Nets	W	112–91	36–20	Won 7
57	March 4, 1990	@ Boston Celtics	W	118–114	37–20	Won 8
58	March 6, 1990	@ Milwaukee Bucks	W	114–105	38–20	Won 9
59	March 8, 1990	Utah Jazz	L	94–98	38–21	Lost 1
60	March 10, 1990	Indiana Pacers	W	117–105	39–21	Won 1
61	March 13, 1990	@ New York Knicks	W	111–108	40–21	Won 2
62	March 16, 1990	Detroit Pistons	L	81–106	40–22	Lost 1
63	March 17, 1990	Philadelphia 76ers	W	114–109	41–22	Won 1
64	March 20, 1990	Washington Bullets	W	122–97	42–22	Won 2
65	March 21, 1990	@ Atlanta Hawks	W	99–89	43–22	Won 3
66	March 23, 1990	Cleveland Cavaliers	W	102–95	44–22	Won 4
67	March 24, 1990	Sacramento Kings	L	113–116	44–23	Lost 1
68	March 26, 1990	Phoenix Suns	W	121–92	45–23	Won 1
69	March 28, 1990	@ Cleveland Cavaliers	W	117–113 (OT)	46–23	Won 2
70	March 30, 1990	New York Knicks	W	107–106 (OT)	47–23	Won 3
71	April 1, 1990	Miami Heat	W	111–103	48–23	Won 4
72	April 3, 1990	Indiana Pacers	W	109–102	49–23	Won 5
73	April 5, 1990	Orlando Magic	W	111–104	50–23	Won 6
74	April 7, 1990	@ Dallas Mavericks	W	109–108	51–23	Won 7
75	April 11, 1990	Cleveland Cavaliers	W	107–86	52–23	Won 8
76	April 13, 1990	Milwaukee Bucks	W	116–106	53–23	Won 9
77	April 14, 1990	@ Washington Bullets	L	103–113	53–24	Lost 1
78	April 16, 1990	@ Indiana Pacers	L	102–111	53–25	Lost 2
79	April 17, 1990	Boston Celtics	W	111–105	54–25	Won 1
80	April 19, 1990	Washington Bullets	W	120–117	55–25	Won 2
81	April 20, 1990	@ Boston Celtics	L	116–120	55–26	Lost 1
82	April 22, 1990	@ Detroit Pistons	L	106–111	55–27	Lost 2

Playoffs

3–1
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
1
May 4
Philadelphia
W 105–92
Michael Jordan (29)
Horace Grant (9)
Scottie Pippen (7)
Chicago Stadium
18,676
1–0
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
2
May 6
Philadelphia
W 112–100
Michael Jordan (29)
Scottie Pippen (11)
Michael Jordan (9)
Chicago Stadium
18,676
2–0
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
3
May 10
@ Philadelphia
L 97–99
Michael Jordan (46)
Scottie Pippen (13)
Pippen, Jordan (6)
Spectrum
18,168
2–1
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
4
May 12
@ Philadelphia
W 101–85
Michael Jordan (25)
Horace Grant (11)
Michael Jordan (12)
Spectrum
17,514
3–1
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
5
May 14
Philadelphia
W 100–95
Michael Jordan (38)
Michael Jordan (19)
Michael Jordan (7)
Chicago Stadium
18,676
4–1
-
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
1
May 20
@ Detroit
L 77–86
Michael Jordan (34)
Horace Grant (9)
Michael Jordan (5)
The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454
0–1
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
2
May 22
@ Detroit
L 93–102
Michael Jordan (20)
Horace Grant (9)
Michael Jordan (7)
The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454
0–2
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
3
May 26
Detroit
W 107–102
Michael Jordan (47)
Pippen, Grant (11)
Scottie Pippen (5)
Chicago Stadium
18,676
1–2
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
4
May 28
Detroit
W 108–101
Michael Jordan (42)
Horace Grant (13)
Michael Jordan (9)
Chicago Stadium
18,676
2–2
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
5
May 30
@ Detroit
L 83–97
Michael Jordan (22)
Horace Grant (12)
Michael Jordan (8)
The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454
2–3
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
6
June 1
Detroit
W 109–91
Michael Jordan (29)
Horace Grant (14)
Pippen, Grant (5)
Chicago Stadium
18,676
3–3
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
7
June 3
@ Detroit
L 74–93
Michael Jordan (31)
Horace Grant (14)
Michael Jordan (9)
The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454
3–4
-

Player statistics

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
	81	0	15.9	.485	.500	.885	1.3	2.5	.6	.1	5.6
	71	71	30.4	.488		.811	6.5	2.0	.5	.5	11.4
	53	0	8.1	.367	.280	.875	1.5	.3	.2	.2	2.5
	80	80	34.4	.523		.699	7.9	2.8	1.2	1.1	13.4
†	11	0	5.3	.450		1.000	1.6	.4	.0	.1	2.3
	63	0	16.7	.438	.481	.909	.8	1.7	.5	.0	6.5
	82	82	39.0	.526	.376	.848	6.9	6.3	2.8	.7	33.6
	82	2	21.7	.504	.000	.727	4.7	1.1	.5	.7	8.9
	4	0	7.0	.250			.0	.3	.0	.0	1.0
	46	0	10.9	.529	.000	.732	3.0	.6	.3	.1	2.3
	82	82	28.8	.516	.359	.824	1.5	4.1	1.0	.1	10.0
	77	11	11.5	.414	.000	.692	2.8	.6	.2	.3	3.8
	82	82	38.4	.489	.250	.675	6.7	5.4	2.6	1.2	16.5
	31	0	5.9	.325		.500	1.3	.3	.1	.1	.9

Playoffs

GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
16	0	13.6	.339	.000	.917	1.3	1.8	.6	.0	4.0
16	16	28.9	.413		.674	4.7	1.0	.3	.3	8.1
6	0	3.3	.286	.000		.5	.2	.0	.0	.7
16	16	38.5	.509	.000	.623	9.9	2.5	1.1	1.1	12.2
16	1	15.9	.378	.293	.750	1.1	1.1	.3	.0	4.4
16	16	42.1	.514	.320	.836	7.2	6.8	2.8	.9	36.7
16	2	17.6	.407	.000	.766	3.2	.6	.4	.5	6.9
15	0	15.2	.472	.000	.619	3.5	.3	.7	.1	3.1
15	15	26.3	.425	.444	1.000	1.5	3.6	.6	.0	6.1
13	0	6.0	.464	.500	.722	1.5	.2	.0	.4	3.1
15	14	40.8	.495	.323	.710	7.2	5.5	2.1	1.3	19.3
3	0	1.0	1.000			.0	.0	.0	.0	.7

† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Bulls only.

Player statistics citation:

Awards and records

Craig Hodges, NBA All-Star Weekend Three-Point Shootout Winner
Michael Jordan, All-NBA First Team
Michael Jordan, NBA All-Defensive First Team
Stacey King, NBA All-Rookie Team 2nd Team
Michael Jordan, NBA All-Star Game
Scottie Pippen, NBA All-Star Game

Transactions

Free agents

Subtractions	Player	Date signed	New team
Sam Vincent	Expansion Draft June 15, 1989	Orlando Magic

References

"1989-90 Chicago Bulls Roster and Stats".
Goldaper, Sam. (June 28, 1989). "Kings Take Ellison First in N.B.A. Draft; Clippers Pick Ferry". The New York Times.
McManis, Sam. (June 28, 1989). "THE NBA DRAFT: The Other Teams: Sacramento's Secret Is Out: It's Ellison". Los Angeles Times.
"1989 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.
Brunelli, Richard. (July 7, 1989). "Jackson Leading Candidate for Bulls' Job". United Press International.
Smith, Sam. (July 10, 1989). "Phil Jackson Gets the Chicago Bulls Coaching Job in 1989". Chicago Tribune.
(July 11, 1989). "Bulls Elevate Phil Jackson to Head Coach". The New York Times.
"NBA Games Played on February 8, 1990". Basketball-Reference.
"1989–90 Chicago Bulls Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
"1989–90 Chicago Bulls Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
Howard-Cooper, Scott. (February 11, 1990). "NBA ALL-STAR GAME: Entire Family Is Back Together--Almost". Los Angeles Times.
(September 13, 2021). "1990 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
"1990 NBA All-Star Game: East 130, West 113". Basketball-Reference.
Brown, Clifton. (February 11, 1990). "PRO BASKETBALL; Hodges Goes the Distance". The New York Times.
"NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference.
(February 9, 1990). "NBA All-Star Weekend". The Hour.
(May 23, 1990). "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; M.V.P. Controversy". The New York Times.
"1989–90 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
(May 4, 1990). "Bulls Go to Next Round: NBA Playoffs: Chicago Plays Tough Inside and Clinches Series in Milwaukee, 110-86". Los Angeles Times.
(May 4, 1990). "Bulls, Lakers Move Along in NBA Playoffs". Deseret News.
"1990 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Bucks vs. Bulls". Basketball-Reference.
Brown, Clifton. (May 17, 1990). "Jordan and Bulls Have a Date with Pistons". The New York Times.
Wilbon, Michael. (May 17, 1990). "Bulls Send 76ers Packing". The Washington Post.
"1990 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: 76ers vs. Bulls". Basketball-Reference.
Goldaper, Sam. (June 4, 1990). "Piston Defense Reigns Supreme". The New York Times.
Howard-Cooper, Scott. (June 4, 1990). "Pistons: Job Still to Be Done: Pro Basketball: Detroit Finishes Chicago, 93-74, But the Celebration Is Muted, Because NBA Final Series with Portland Is Ahead". Los Angeles Times.
"1990 NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Bulls vs. Pistons". Basketball-Reference.
Brown, Clifton. (June 15, 1990). "Pistons Rally to Repeat as N.B.A. Champions". The New York Times.
McManis, Sam. (June 15, 1990). "Vinnie, Vidi, Vici: Pistons Repeat Feat: NBA Finals: Johnson Hits Game-Winner in Last Second as Detroit Rallies from Seven-Point Deficit for a 92-90 Victory. Thomas Is the Unanimous Choice as MVP". Los Angeles Times.
"1990 NBA Finals: Trail Blazers vs. Pistons". Basketball-Reference.
(March 29, 1990). "Basketball; 69 Points for Jordan". The New York Times.
(March 29, 1990). "Among Jordan's Great Games, This Was It". Los Angeles Times.
"Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers Box Score, March 28, 1990". Basketball-Reference.
Ashish Mathur. (August 2, 2021). "Michael Jordan Scored Career-High 69 Points Against Cavs Because Fans Cheered After He Got Hurt: "That Right There Pissed Me Off, That's When I Went Crazy"". Sportscasting.
Povtak, Tim. (February 15, 1990). "Orlando Thief Gets Jordan's Number". Orlando Sentinel.
Harris, John. (February 15, 1990). "Magic Tops Bulls in OT, 135-129; Orlando Overcomes Jordan's 49 Behind Catledge, Theus and Skiles". Tampa Bay Times.
(April 21, 2020). "Orlando Magic Reveal Real Story of Michael Jordan No. 12 Jersey Game". NBC Sports.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

chicago-bulls-seasons 1989–90-nba-season-by-team 1989-in-sports-in-illinois 1990-in-sports-in-illinois

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about 1989–90 Chicago Bulls season — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report