Chapter 885: Chapter 52 Facing Ah Gan_3
Joining them in retaliation was exactly what the Pistons wanted. The game would become even more intense, which suited their preferred style—a mud-wrestling match.
But when we didn’t retaliate, they didn’t know how to respond. They were finished.
For me, this game was tremendously significant, not just for winning the Eastern Conference championship.
On this very court, just a year before, Game 7: I scored only 2 points.
Whether or not I had a migraine, it remains an indelible stain on my basketball career.
I couldn’t undo the concussion that left me dazed. We could lament, but we couldn’t change anything about the past.
I had to live with those two disappointing performances for the rest of my life, until the day I die.
At least beating the Detroit Pistons in 1991 brought some solace to my heart.
I tallied 23 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.
After the game, leaving The Palace of Auburn Hills, the celebrations on the team bus will forever be etched in my memory—except for Jerry Krause dancing. I wish I could forget that.
Honestly, beating the Detroit Pistons felt just like winning the championship.
I don’t know about others, but for me, the entire regular season revolved around targeting Detroit.
Chicago fans were ecstatic. When we landed at the airport on Monday night, people lined up cheering and shouting for us.
They were thrilled, but I knew our task wasn’t over yet—we were only stepping onto the grandest stage.
That’s when Phil Jackson stepped forward to remind us incessantly that our journey was far from over until we claimed the championship.
He would show us his 1973 championship ring from when he played for the New York Knicks, saying, ’Fellas, you want one? Then go win the Finals.’
We were brimming with confidence, yet deeply anxious. You’ve got to understand—the Bulls in June 1991 weren’t the dynasty that would later dominate countless Finals.
We were just a hungry, youthful team chasing dreams, yearning for success, unaware of what the future held, simply focused on the present.
And who was the opponent now? Deep down, we all knew, especially Michael.
We had been waiting for a long time—to face the Bulls’ destined rival—the Portland Trail Blazers.
The day after returning to Chicago, the result of the Western Conference Finals Game 5 came in. The entire team watched the matchup on a TV in the practice facility.
Reinsdorf and Jerry Krause were with us. The game was fiercely competitive. We were all hoping for a quick resolution, no more dragging it out.
The Suns were still leading in the first half. At that moment, I thought the series might return to Phoenix.
Michael said, ’No, Ah Gan will settle the Suns and Barkley in the third quarter.’
Sure enough, Ah Gan scored 15 points and blocked 6 shots in the third quarter alone, completely shattering the Suns.
The Trail Blazers took the lead and then crushed the Suns in the fourth quarter, winning the series 4–1.
It was their fifth Western Conference championship in 7 years, and they were establishing a dominance akin to the Boston Celtics back in the day.
As the game ended, Michael turned off the TV and said, ’Enough watching. Let’s go train.’
Come on, it was already past eleven at night—why train now?
But somehow, we all agreed. We turned on the lights in the practice gym and trained for over an hour together.
Everyone was focused on practice. The atmosphere was silent and heavy. We were all a bit tense.
Because we were headed to Portland—to face Ah Gan in the Finals.
———— Excerpt from Scottie Pippen’s 2021 autobiography "Unguarded."
