Assuming any doubters remain regarding Jordan’s capacity to flourish in today’s game, heavily reliant on three-pointers, observing the Chicago Bulls’ 1991-92 Finals triumph against the Portland Trail Blazers provides ample evidence.
“Clyde posed a challenge,” Jordan commented on Portland’s Clyde Drexler during The Last Dance. “However, the comparison between him and me was something I personally resented.”
During the opening game against Drexler’s Blazers, Jordan executed six successful three-point shots in the first half, leading to his iconic shrug. Jordan concluded that dominant 33-point victory with a total of 39 points and 11 assists.
Across the series, his scoring average reached 35.8 points, with a three-point shooting accuracy of 42.9 percent (Drexler averaged 24.8 points with a three-point percentage of 15.0).
In the regular season, Pippen had an outstanding showing for the Bulls. The versatile forward posted averages of 21.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks. Grant also performed admirably, contributing averages of 14.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.2 steals. Additionally, Chicago featured four more players with scoring averages ranging from 7.0 to 9.9 points per game.
Even with many familiar faces, this iteration of the team possessed greater depth and balance compared to the 1992-93 squad, largely due to enhanced performances from both Pippen and Grant.
