Vinnie Johnson

Vinny Johnson had earned his nickname by pouring in points faster than any reserve the league had seen, and with 0.7 seconds left in Game 5 of the 1990 NBA Finals, "The Microwave" delivered his greatest burst. The Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers had traded punches across four previous games, but it came down to this: Johnson catching a pass, squaring up, and burying a jumper before Portland could exhale. The shot gave Detroit a 92-90 victory and their second consecutive NBA championship, completing a back-to-back run built on physicality, defensive menace, and reserves who could close out the biggest moments of a postseason run. Johnson was the embodiment of the Bad Boys' depth, a scorer capable of igniting at any moment from the bench and changing the complexion of a game in seconds. His final stat line on June 14, 1990 put Detroit's name on two consecutive championship banners.

Championship Year