Dennis Rodman first takes the title of NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, then puts it on display against James Worthy
History shows the Los Angeles Lakers did go back to the NBA Finals to face the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, but they weren’t going to win. The Lakers upset the Portland Trail Blazers to get back to the Finals that year. Michael Jordan’s reign over the NBA started after the Bulls beat Rodman’s Pistons.
The 1989 Finals was the year that the window closed on “Showtime”. It was also the year that the world got to know how much of a freakish athlete Dennis Rodman was. After a tear-filled press conference where Rodman accepted his award and played his part in executing the “Jordan Rules”, he turned his sights to James Worthy in the Finals.
In the previous NBA Finals, James Worthy was the MVP and cemented his “Big Game James” nickname forever destroying the Pistons in the pivotal game scoring 36 points while corralling 16 rebounds and 10 assists. It turned out to be Worthy’s only triple-double of his career as the Lakers outlasted the Pistons 108-105 to repeat as NBA champions.
One year later, injuries to Magic Johnson and Byron Scott left Worthy as the main target. The Pistons, led by Dennis Rodman, harassed Worthy to no end as the Pistons swept the Lakers 4-0.
It would be the first of back to back titles for the Pistons as they defeated Portland the next year. The next year, the Bulls caught up and blew past the Pistons. The roster was blown up soon after and Rodman was traded to the Spurs.