Who Won the 1994 NBA Finals?
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The 1994 NBA Finals was the Championship Series of the National Basketball Association’s 1993-1994 season. The Western Conference champion Houston Rockets played the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks for the title, with the Rockets winning the series 4-3.
Who won the 94 NBA Finals?
The Houston Rockets won the 1994 NBA Finals their first championship in franchise history. The Rockets went on to win two more championships in the next four years.
The Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls won the 1994 NBA Finals defeating the Houston Rockets in six games. The Finals were played between June 9 and 20, with the Bulls winning the first three games and the Rockets winning the next two. The sixth and final game was played on June 20, with the Bulls winning 87-86. Michael Jordan was named Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career.
The Houston Rockets
The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 1993-94 season, and the conclusion of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion Houston Rockets played the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks for the title, with Houston winning in seven games. It was the first time since 1971 that an NBA Finals featured two teams from Texas, as well as being both teams’ first appearance in the NBA Finals
The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the Rockets holding home-court advantage as they had a better regular season record than the Knicks. The first two games of the series were split between Houston and New York, before the Rockets won three straight games to take a 3–1 lead in the series. The Knicks then won game five 92–89 in New York to keep their hopes alive going back to Houston for game six. In front of a hostile crowd at The Summit, then-home of the Rockets, Olajuwon dominated Ewing by outscoring him 32–30 and outrebounding him 18–9 en route to a 107–101 victory that put Houston one win away from their first ever NBA Championship
In Game 7 back in Houston, several Key Players for both teams struggled with foul trouble; Ewing fouled out while Olajuwon, Kenny Smith and Greg Anthony all had five fouls each at some point in regulation. However, in overtime Clyde Drexler scored 8 points (including two crucial three pointers) while John Starks was held scoreless as part of an 11–2 run which gave Houston a 112–104 lead they would not relinquish; Drexler finished with 27 points while Starks was limited to only 12 points on 4-for-18 shooting overall. Hakeem Olajuwon was named MVP of both the finals and playoffs; he became only the second player ever (after Willis Reed) to receive such honors after averaging 27 points per game 11 rebounds per game and 4 blocks per game for the entire series.
The New York Knicks
The New York Knicks beat the Houston Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals becoming the first team in NBA history to win the championship after trailing in all four playoff series. The Knicks were led by Finals MVP Pat Riley and superstar center Patrick Ewing
The Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers won the 1994 NBA Finals defeating the Houston Rockets in Game Six. The Blazers were led by star forward Clyde Drexler who averaged 28.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game during the Finals. Second-year guard Damon Stoudamire also played a key role for the Blazers, averaging 19.2 points and 9.3 assists per game
The San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs, led by MVP David Robinson won the 1994 NBA Finals defeating the New York Knicks 4–3. The Spurs became the first team in NBA history to win a championship after losing the previous year’s final.
The Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz won the1994 NBA Finals beating the Houston Rockets 4-2. The series was notable for being the first ever Finals appearance for the Jazz, as well as for being the last time that a team from outside of California won an NBA Championship until the Boston Celtics won in 2008. Karl Malone was named MVP of the series.
The Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers won the 1994 NBA Finals defeating the New York Knicks four games to three. The winning team was led by Head Coach Phil Jackson and superstars Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant This was the first of five championships that the Lakers would win with this core group of players.
The Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1994 NBA Finals The Pistons won the series in five games, with small forward Dennis Rodman being named Finals MVP This was the first time since 1969 that a team from outside California had won an NBA Championship
The Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors won the 1994 NBA Finals defeating the Chicago Bulls in four games. The Warriors were led by point guard Tim Hardaway and center Chris Webber who were both named to the All-NBA First Team