The 1988âÂÂ89 Chicago Bulls season was the 23rd season for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association. The Bulls had the eleventh overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, and selected center Will Perdue out of Vanderbilt University. During the off-season, the team acquired Bill Cartwright from the New York Knicks, and then later on acquired three-point specialist Craig Hodges from the Phoenix Suns in December.
With the addition of Cartwright, the Bulls struggled with a 6âÂÂ8 start to the regular season, but played above .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season. The team posted a six-game winning streak in January, and later on held a 27âÂÂ19 record at the All-Star break. The Bulls posted another six-game winning streak in March, but posted a six-game losing streak in April, while losing eight of their final ten games of the season. The Bulls finished in fifth place in the Central Division with a 47âÂÂ35 record, earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, and qualified for the NBA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.
Michael Jordan led the league in scoring averaging 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 2.9 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, second-year forward Scottie Pippen showed improvement, replacing Brad Sellers as the team's starting small forward during the regular season, and averaging 14.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, while Cartwright provided the team with 12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, and second-year forward Horace Grant provided with 12.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Hodges contributed 10.0 points per game in 49 games after the trade, Sam Vincent provided with 9.4 points and 4.8 assists per game, John Paxson contributed 7.3 points and 3.9 assists per game, Sellers contributed 6.9 points per game, and Dave Corzine averaged 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas, Jordan was selected for the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Jordan scored 28 points along with 5 steals, despite the Eastern Conference losing to the Western Conference, 143âÂÂ134. Meanwhile, Hodges participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout for the fourth consecutive year. Jordan finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, and also finished in fifth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Pippen finished tied in seventh place in Most Improved Player voting.
In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1989 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Bulls faced off against the 3rdâÂÂseeded Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that featured the quartet of All-Star center Brad Daugherty, All-Star guard Mark Price, All-Star forward Larry Nance, and Ron Harper. The Bulls took a 2âÂÂ1 series lead before losing Game 4 to the Cavaliers at home in overtime, 108âÂÂ105 at the Chicago Stadium. With the series tied at 2âÂÂ2, the Bulls won Game 5 over the Cavaliers on the road, 101âÂÂ100 at the Coliseum at Richfield, in which Jordan hit a memorable game-winning shot over Cavaliers guard Craig Ehlo at the buzzer; the Bulls won the series over the Cavaliers in five hard-fought games.
In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 2ndâÂÂseeded, and Atlantic Division champion New York Knicks, who were led by All-Star center Patrick Ewing, All-Star guard Mark Jackson, and former Bulls forward Charles Oakley. With the series tied at 1âÂÂ1, the Bulls won the next two games at home, including a Game 4 win over the Knicks at the Chicago Stadium, 106âÂÂ93 to take a 3âÂÂ1 series lead. After losing Game 5 on the road, 121âÂÂ114 at Madison Square Garden, the Bulls won Game 6 over the Knicks at the Chicago Stadium, 113âÂÂ111 to win the series in six games.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, and also for the second consecutive year, the Bulls faced off against the topâÂÂseeded, and Central Division champion Detroit Pistons, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer. The Bulls managed to take a 2âÂÂ1 series lead, after winning Game 3 over the Pistons at the Chicago Stadium, 99âÂÂ97. However, the Bulls lost the next three games, including a Game 6 loss to the Pistons at the Chicago Stadium, 103âÂÂ94, thus losing the series in six games. The Pistons would advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year, and defeat the 2-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in a four-game sweep in the 1989 NBA Finals, winning their first ever NBA championship in franchise history.
The Bulls finished fourth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 736,962 at the Chicago Stadium during the regular season. Following the season, head coach Doug Collins was fired after three seasons with the Bulls, while Vincent was left unprotected in the 1989 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Orlando Magic expansion team, Sellers was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics, and Corzine was released to free agency.
In the 1988âÂÂ89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field. The Bulls finished with a 47âÂÂ35 record, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. On March 11, 1989, head coach Doug Collins moved Jordan to the point guard position. Two days later, Jordan finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists in just 30 minutes of a blowout win against the Pacers. Jordan continued at point guard through the rest of the regular season.
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | November 4, 1988 | Detroit | L 94âÂÂ107 | | | | Chicago Stadium | 0âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | November 8, 1988 | @ New York | L 117âÂÂ126 | | | | Madison Square Garden | 1âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 13 | November 29, 1988 | @ Golden State | L 99âÂÂ109 | | | | OaklandâÂÂAlameda County Coliseum Arena | 6âÂÂ7
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 17 | December 7, 1988 | @ Detroit | L 89âÂÂ102 | | | | The Palace of Auburn Hills | 8âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 18 | December 9, 1988 | Milwaukee | W 118âÂÂ100 | | | | Chicago Stadium | 9âÂÂ9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 22 | December 17, 1988 | @ Milwaukee | W 112âÂÂ93 | | | | Bradley Center | 12âÂÂ10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 23 | December 20, 1988 | L.A. Lakers | W 116âÂÂ103 | | | | Chicago Stadium | 13âÂÂ10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 26 | December 29, 1988 | New York | W 108âÂÂ106 | | | | Chicago Stadium | 14âÂÂ12
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 37 | January 21, 1989 | Phoenix | L 107âÂÂ116 | | | | Chicago Stadium | 22âÂÂ15 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 41 | January 31, 1989 | Detroit | L 98âÂÂ104 (OT) | | | | Chicago Stadium | 24âÂÂ17
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 44 | February 5, 1989 | @ Detroit | L 102âÂÂ113 | | | | The Palace of Auburn Hills | 25âÂÂ19 |- align="center" |colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Break |- style="background:#cfc;" |- bgcolor="#bbffbb" |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 48 | February 16, 1989 | Milwaukee | W 117âÂÂ116 | | | | Chicago Stadium | 28âÂÂ20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 49 | February 19, 1989 | @ Milwaukee | W 108âÂÂ106 | | | | Bradley Center | 29âÂÂ20
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 55 | March 3, 1989 | Milwaukee | W 102âÂÂ96 | | | | Chicago Stadium | 34âÂÂ21 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 56 | March 4, 1989 | @ New York | L 104âÂÂ122 | | | | Madison Square Garden | 34âÂÂ22 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 59 | March 11, 1989 | Seattle | W 105âÂÂ88 | | | | Chicago Stadium | 35âÂÂ24 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 62 | March 17, 1989 | New York | W 129âÂÂ124 | | | | Chicago Stadium | 37âÂÂ25 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 64 | March 21, 1989 | @ L.A. Lakers | W 104âÂÂ103 | | | | Great Western Forum | 38âÂÂ26 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 65 | March 22, 1989 | @ Phoenix | W 112âÂÂ111 | | | | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 39âÂÂ26 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 67 | March 25, 1989 | @ Seattle | W 111âÂÂ110 | | | | Seattle Center Coliseum | 41âÂÂ26 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 68 | March 28, 1989 | Golden State | W 115âÂÂ106 | | | | Chicago Stadium | 42âÂÂ26 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 69 | March 29, 1989 | @ Milwaukee | W 106âÂÂ102 | | | | Bradley Center | 43âÂÂ26
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 73 | April 6, 1989 | @ Detroit | L 108âÂÂ115 | | | | The Palace of Auburn Hills | 45âÂÂ28 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 74 | April 7, 1989 | Detroit | L 112âÂÂ114 (OT) | | | | Chicago Stadium | 45âÂÂ29 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 79 | April 17, 1989 | New York | W 104âÂÂ100 | | | | Chicago Stadium | 46âÂÂ33
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 28, 1989 | @ Cleveland | W 95âÂÂ88 | Jordan (31) | Grant (13) | Jordan (11) | Richfield Coliseum<br>19,312 | 1âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 30, 1989 | @ Cleveland | L 88âÂÂ96 | Jordan (30) | Grant (14) | Jordan (10) | Richfield Coliseum<br>20,273 | 1âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 3, 1989 | Cleveland | W 101âÂÂ94 | Jordan (44) | Grant (17) | Jordan (10) | Chicago Stadium<br>17,721 | 2âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | May 5, 1989 | Cleveland | L 105âÂÂ108 (OT) | Jordan (50) | Grant (16) | Hodges,<br>Pippen (5) | Chicago Stadium<br>18,264 | 2âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | May 7, 1989 | @ Cleveland | W 101âÂÂ100 | Jordan (44) | Pippen (10) | Jordan (6) | Richfield Coliseum<br>20,273 | 3âÂÂ2 |-
|- |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | May 9, 1989 | @ New York | W 120âÂÂ109 (OT) | Jordan (34) | Cartwright (14) | Jordan (12) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,591 | 1âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | May 11, 1989 | @ New York | L 97âÂÂ114 | Paxson (16) | Davis (9) | Pippen (5) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,591 | 1âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 13, 1989 | New York | W 111âÂÂ88 | Jordan (40) | Jordan (15) | Jordan (9) | Chicago Stadium<br>18,599 | 2âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 14, 1989 | New York | W 106âÂÂ93 | Jordan (47) | Jordan (11) | Pippen (8) | Chicago Stadium<br>18,637 | 3âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 16, 1989 | @ New York | L 114âÂÂ121 | Jordan (38) | Pippen (9) | Jordan (10) | Madison Square Garden<br>19,591 | 3âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | May 19, 1989 | New York | W 113âÂÂ111 | Jordan (40) | Cartwright (8) | Jordan (10) | Chicago Stadium<br>18,676 | 4âÂÂ2 |-
|- |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | May 21, 1989 | @ Detroit | W 94âÂÂ88 | Jordan (32) | Jordan,<br>Pippen (11) | Pippen (6) | The Palace of Auburn Hills<br>21,454 | 1âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | May 23, 1989 | @ Detroit | L 91âÂÂ100 | Jordan (27) | Grant (20) | Paxson (6) | The Palace of Auburn Hills<br>21,454 | 1âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 27, 1989 | Detroit | W 99âÂÂ97 | Jordan (46) | Pippen (8) | Hodges,<br>Jordan (5) | Chicago Stadium<br>18,676 | 2âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | May 29, 1989 | Detroit | L 80âÂÂ86 | Jordan (23) | Grant (12) | Hodges (5) | Chicago Stadium<br>18,676 | 2âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 31, 1989 | @ Detroit | L 85âÂÂ94 | Hodges (19) | Cartwright (12) | Jordan (9) | The Palace of Auburn Hills<br>21,454 | 2âÂÂ3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 6 | June 2, 1989 | Detroit | L 94âÂÂ103 | Jordan (32) | Grant (13) | Jordan (13) | Chicago Stadium<br>18,676 | 2âÂÂ4 |-
Player statistics citation: