swept at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Portland Trail Blazers The Trail Blazers were destined to meet the Bulls the previous year, having won a franchise record 63 games. The Los Angeles Lakers had other ideas, defeating Portland in six games of the conference finals. Retaining the same core that led the Blazers to the finals in , the team won the Pacific Division title with a 57–25 record. They took advantage of a weakened Lakers team that lost Magic Johnson to retirement earlier in the season, winning 3–1 in the first round. They followed that up with a five-game defeat of the Phoenix Suns in the second round, before booking another trip to the finals with a six-game elimination of the Utah Jazz in the conference finals. The 1992 NBA Finals cemented the reputations of both Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler (placing the latter firmly in the former's shadow). Road to the Finals Regular season series The Chicago Bulls won both games in the regular season series: Team rosters Chicago Bulls Portland Trail Blazers Series summary Game 1 Michael Jordan dominated from the beginning, breaking the record for most points in a first half in the playoffs once held by Elgin Baylor (Michael had 35, Baylor had 33). This included six first-half threes (also a record). It was after the sixth three-pointer that Jordan turned towards the broadcast table and famously shrugged to indicate his surprise. Jordan's shrug became a highlight reel mainstay. Portland held their final lead at 45–44 in the second quarter before Chicago went on a 22–6 run to grab a 66–51 halftime lead and take control. The Bulls finished with a 122–89 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Game 2 With the Blackhawks playing for the Stanley Cup when the Bulls reached the Finals, Game 2 would have had conflict with Game 6 of the Blackhawks' series, as both teams would have played on the same day at Chicago Stadium. However, the Blackhawks series ended in 4 games, so no rescheduling was needed. Portland built an eight-point lead in the first quarter, and held a nine-point lead at the half. However, as in Game 1, their lead started to disappear as the Bulls made their run – Jordan scored 14 points while Paxson scored 9, taking a seven-point lead by the end of the third quarter. Chicago was looking to take a commanding 2–0