David Stern famously said the NBA’s ideal Finals matchup was “Lakers vs. Lakers,” but in 1991, he was pretty, pretty happy with how things turned out: Lakers vs. Bulls … and, really … Magic vs. Michael.
Magic was already, well, Magic. He’d driven the “Showtime” Ferrari to a ridiculous five titles since earning Finals MVP as a rookie in 1980, and was about to start his ninth Finals series in 12 seasons. A true living legend, Magic – with a little help from Larry Bird – had already no-look-passed the NBA to new heights. Meanwhile, Jordan’s legend was growing fast as he prepared to take the League to an even greater zenith.