We are here for another edition of NBA Tuesday, and it’s more of the same, at least for now. This decade belonged to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, and this season saw that group win its third straight NBA title, achieving a feat that had not been accomplished since the Boston Celtics of the 1960s. That makes this, perhaps, a less-than-exciting entry in our archive of sports history.

Remember also to check out the first miniseries entry on this year for context,
because knowledge is power.

1993 NBA FINALS MVP: Michael Jordan, SG, Chicago (original, confirmed)

Jordan scored over 40 points a game as the Bulls downed the Phoenix Suns in 6 games to claim their three-peat dream. Overall, his specific stats—41.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.7 spg, and 0.7 bpg—were typically dominant, while playing 45.7 mpg, too. The team around him was better than ever, to date, but Jordan himself was the maestro of it all. Not much else to say here.

1993 NBA DPOY: Hakeem Olajuwon, C, Houston (original); Derrick Coleman, PF, New Jersey (revised)

We’ve already awarded him this honor three times (1987, 1989, 1990), but this was the first year Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon won the vote. Shocking! Our long list of contenders is as follows, already vetted: Olajuwon (7.95 DWS), San Antonio Spurs C David Robinson (6.43), Jordan (5.24), Seattle SuperSonics power forward Shawn Kemp (5.13), and New Jersey Nets PF Derrick Coleman (5.06).

Robinson won this nod from us last year, but this comes down to playoff margins, as we all know by now: Houston (19), San Antonio (13), Chicago (16), Seattle (19), and New Jersey (3). Surprisingly, this award looks like it belongs to Coleman, as while Olajuwon was clearly “the best”? His defensive efforts for the Rockets were not as valuable as Coleman’s defensive contributions to the Nets.

Coleman’s numbers: 8.0 defensive rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game for a 43-39 team that only outscored its opponents by 1.2 points per game for the season. His presence got the N.J. organization into the postseason, and he did not earn any DPOY votes, oddly. Go figure!