Oklahoma Noodlers 49-33 (3-5)

So Cal Surf 50-32 (5-3)

Score (click for boxscore)	Game MVP	Hi Points	Hi Rebounds	Hi Assists
1. Surf 103, Noodlers 85	John Stockton	28 Terry Porter	15 Dennis Rodman	12 Terry Porter
2. Surf 119, Noodlers 111	Mitch Richmond	29 Mitch Richmond	12 Moses Malone	9 John Stockton
3. Noodlers 113, Surf 104	Terry Porter	29 Chris Mullin	13 Dennis Rodman	14 John Stockton
4. at Oklahoma
5. at So Cal
6. at Oklahoma
7. at So Cal

Game 1 – April 17, 1990. The Fabulous Forum. A scene set not merely for a basketball contest, but for a sporting tableau that unfolded like a Shakespearean drama. This… is Howard Cosell. Ladies and gentlemen, what we witnessed tonight was not simply a game of basketball—it was a dissection. A dismantling. A dismantling, I say, of a once-proud Oklahoma squad by a So Cal machine orchestrated with surgical precision. The protagonists? John Stockton, the diminutive dynamo from Spokane, the cerebral architect of the hardwood. Nineteen points. Ten assists. He played the game not with brute force but with guile—like a chess grandmaster who sees twelve moves ahead. Chris Mullin—ah yes, that left-handed assassin with the silken jumper—twenty-three points, ice-cold from the stripe and deadlier than a tax auditor in April. He moved with the rhythm of a Broadway number, his every release a metronome of scoring artistry. Now let’s speak of Terry Porter—Oklahoma’s lone beacon in an otherwise overcast affair. Twenty-eight points, twelve assists, and a spirit that refused to yield. A brilliant performance drowned in a sea of inefficacy as his comrades floundered with a woeful 34.7% from the field. It was, frankly, a shooting performance that brought to mind the phrase: “can’t hit the broad side of a barn.” And Dennis Rodman—The Worm. Eight rebounds, four points, but always in the thick of it, hustling like the rent was due yesterday. But the story, friends, is told in the numbers and the numbers alone: So Cal, 103. Oklahoma, 85. Efficiency, elegance, and execution. So Cal didn’t merely win. They delivered a statement. And the message was clear: “We are not here to participate. We are here to dominate.” From the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, this is Howard Cosell—saying goodnight, and may the game always be this grand.

Game 2 – This is Howard Cosell… and tonight, from the gleaming wood of The Fabulous Forum, we bring you a tale told in two acts—each more captivating than the last. It is the story of So Cal and Oklahoma. A tale of contrast, of comeback, of command. Act II: April 19, 1990. The Blitz. Oklahoma came storming out, spurred by a more balanced attack. Hugh Grant—pardon me, Horace—was Herculean: 21 points, 10 rebounds. The bench roared to life with 53 points, outscoring So Cal’s reserves nearly two to one. At halftime, the scoreboard read 53–52 in favor of Oklahoma—a sliver of hope flickering in the California lights. And then came the third quarter. Ah, that fateful third quarter. So Cal unleashed a 39-point barrage, a hurricane of ball movement, defensive tenacity, and clutch shooting. Mitch Richmond, the game’s eventual MVP, attacked like a man with something to prove—29 points, 13 of them from the stripe. Mullin? Surgical once again. Stockton? The conductor of chaos. It was a twelve-minute takeover. Oklahoma managed 28 points of their own, but it felt hollow in the face of So Cal’s ascendance. From that point forward, it was merely academic. So Cal held firm, sealing a 119–111 victory and commanding a 2–0 series lead. So, ladies and gentlemen, what do we make of this twin-bill tale? We saw Porter’s poise, Grant’s grit, and Oklahoma’s spirit. But ultimately, it was So Cal—flexing depth, discipline, and destiny—who emerged not just victorious, but vindicated. In back-to-back performances, they demonstrated the poetry of teamwork and the power of timing. From The Fabulous Forum, where legends collide and moments crystallize into memory, this is Howard Cosell—reminding you, as ever: the game is not merely played… it is revealed.

Game 3 – This is Howard Cosell… from McNichols Arena in Denver, where the thin air was matched only by the thin margin separating destiny from defeat. On this brisk April evening in 1990, the Oklahoma squad, once down in this compelling series, roared back with the fire of redemption to claim a pivotal 113–104 victory over So Cal, cutting the series deficit to 2–1. And the driving force? That indomitable floor general, Terry Porter—a maestro with 21 points and 8 assists—whose calm under pressure and precision passing earned him rightful claim to the Game MVP crown. But let’s not overlook the supporting cast. Dell Curry lit it up with 24 on pure marksmanship. Dennis Rodman, all elbows and energy, yanked down 13 rebounds, dived for loose balls, and patrolled the paint like a border guard on high alert. And off the bench—ah yes, the bench!—Jeff Hornacek’s 16-point burst turned momentum like a roulette wheel finally landing in red. So Cal, for their part, did not go quietly. Chris Mullin, as graceful as a ballerina, poured in 29 on an ultra-efficient 13-for-22 clip. And Mitch Richmond, the firebrand from Fort Lauderdale, added 26, refusing to concede an inch of hardwood real estate. John Stockton, steady as ever, handed out 14 assists with the poise of a surgeon—but alas, not even his wizardry could halt the Oklahoma surge. The tale of the tape? Oklahoma’s bench outscored So Cal’s 37–17, while they also shot a steely 81% from the free throw line, sealing the deal in the final frame. Despite trailing by as many as 21, Oklahoma turned this contest around with a 35-point fourth quarter, leaving no doubt who owned the closing curtain. And so, the series now stands at 2–1, momentum twisting its head like a confused referee watching a Rodman rebound scrum. What lies ahead? Only the game knows—and it never reveals its secrets early. From the Mile High City, this is Howard Cosell. And tonight, the thunder belonged to the underdogs.

Game 4 –

Game 5 –

Game 6 –

Game 7 –