by Mitch Albom | Jun 10, 1991 | Detroit Free Press
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The question is no longer can the Bulls win it, or will they win it, or, when they win it, will Michael Jordan wind up with more money than OPEC? No. The question is now: Why are we waiting until Wednesday to finish this thing? Even Dyan Cannon can tell you these NBA Finals are history, done, stick a fork in them. Michael Jordan and his CapaBulls will not be beaten, not by challengers, not by defending champions, not even by all those yellow banners hanging from the Forum walls.
by Mitch Albom | Jun 9, 1991 | Detroit Free Press
I was the healthy one. That was my role. My mother nearly died from an allergic reaction to penicillin. My father suffered a kidney stone. My older sister was rushed to the hospital during her pregnancy, fibroid tumors threatening to choke off her unborn child. My kid...
by Mitch Albom | Jun 8, 1991 | Detroit Free Press
“I say two prayers when I get up in the morning. First I thank God for letting me wake up. Then I pray that Vlade Divac is on top of his game.”
by Mitch Albom | Jun 7, 1991 | Detroit Free Press
LOS ANGELES — Before I tell you the most amazing statistic I have learned about these NBA Finals — that Will Perdue, who could stunt double for Mister Ed, is actually the best shooter on the Bulls — I should inform you, the people of Detroit, of the...
by Mitch Albom | Jun 3, 1991 | Detroit Free Press
CHICAGO — As a Detroiter I must admit that watching Michael Jordan’s last-second jumper spin out of the basket into the hand of an LA Laker, and catching Jordan’s frown which seemed to say, “Miss? I don’t miss. How could I miss?” and hearing the Chicago crowd fall deathly silent as the Lakers jogged off the court with a Game 1 victory, and seeing the Bulls droop their shoulders and slink away, as if to say “Lose? We don’t lose.
by Mitch Albom | Jun 2, 1991 | Detroit Free Press
I can’t be sure how these NBA Finals between Chicago and LA — a.k.a. Michael vs. Magic — are going to go.But I have a pretty good idea . . . * Game 1, Chicago: In a pre-game interview on NBC, Jordan insists that “nothing has changed just...
by Mitch Albom | May 31, 1991 | Detroit Free Press
For some people, the Pistons losing their title wasn’t enough. They want them to suffer.I base this on newspaper columns I have been reading from around the country. Goodness. Such venom! You would have thought the Pistons burned the flag, robbed little old...
by Mitch Albom | May 28, 1991 | Detroit Free Press
One by one, they walked off the court, surrendering the title like old sheriffs turning in their badges. Joe Dumars dropped on a table and tossed his head back. Isiah Thomas hugged Bill Laimbeer. Dennis Rodman, who looked stunned enough to cry, found Vinnie Johnson and slapped his hands. Then, with a few seconds left on the clock, they exited the Palace floor together, the deposed kings, heading down the tunnel where their wives stood clapping in the echoing silence.
Say good-bye to glory.
No tears.
by Mitch Albom | May 26, 1991 | Detroit Free Press
Great. As if Michael Jordan wasn’t enough, now we’ve got to deal with Bill Murray? That’s right. Bill Murray. The actor. The comedian. Mr. Ghostbuster himself . . .
A Bulls fan?
He told me so. The other day. Said he might just show up at a Detroit-Chicago playoff game, ready to taunt the Pistons. “Maybe I’ll wear one of those Bill Laimbeer masks,” he said. “You know, I heard Laimbeer never really suffered a cheek injury. He’s just having his face lifted. It’s true. He’s getting redone so he can do TV work when he’s finished with basketball.”
by Mitch Albom | May 23, 1991 | Detroit Free Press
CHICAGO — Pressure is a funny word. There is the pressure a sports team feels when it needs to win a playoff game, like the pressure the Pistons are feeling, celebrated, famous pressure that inspires big stories on the 11 o’clock news.
