PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Detroit Pistons gained entrance into the exclusive club of repeat champions Thursday night, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 92-90 to complete a record-tying road sweep in the NBA Finals.
Vinnie Johnson, dormant in the first three quarters, nailed a 15-foot jumper with seven-tenths of a second left to snap a 90-90 tie as Detroit won the best-of-seven series 4 games to 1 to join the Celtics and Lakers as the lone franchises in league history to capture the crown in consecutive seasons.
Johnson scored 15 of his 16 points in the final period, including 7 of his team's last 9 points, as the Pistons stormed back from a 90-83 deficit with two minutes to play.
Pistons playmaker Isiah Thomas, who averaged 27.6 points a game in the series, was choice for the Most Valuable Player award in the Finals.
Detroit, which swept the Lakers last year, needed only nine games in the championship round to win back-to-back titles. That bettered the previous record of 10 set by Boston in 1964 and 1965.
The Pistons also joined the 1953 Minneapolis Lakers as the only teams to win three road games in the Finals. The two also are the only clubs to capture the middle three road games in the 10 title series to feature the 2-3-2 format.
What made this all so amazing was the fact Detroit had entered Game 3 at Memorial Coliseum with a 16-year, 20-game losing streak at Portland. And the Trail Blazers had won their first nine home games in the playoffs.
Portland, though, faltered after winning Game 2 in overtime at the Palace, and thus failed in its bid to win its second NBA title and first since 1977.
The Trail Blazers lost three straight home games for the first time since Jan. 1989. The Pistons set a Finals record with their fifth straight road victory dating to last year.
