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The Blazers led 90-80 with seven minutes left and looked poised to steal one on the road. But, after a timeout, Isiah Thomas got the Pistons going with a layup and a jumper. Then Joe Dumars completed a three-point play and Aguirre scored on an offensive rebound. In less than three minutes, Detroit had tightened the game to 92-89. Buck Williams hit a jumper to make the score 94-89, but then Thomas scored seven straight points on two free throws, a three-point shot, and an 18-footer to give the Pistons their first lead. With 1:49 left, Thomas put a final dagger into the Blazers by sticking an open three-pointer for a 99-94 lead. The Pistons went on to win, 105-99.

The Blazers, playing surprisingly well on the road, had control of the game past the third quarter. Behind Bill Laimbeer, however, the Pistons made a comeback in the fourth period. Laimbeer, who had scored only seven points over the first three periods, went wild in the fourth and overtime, making 19 points over the last 17 minutes. For the game, he successfully converted six three-pointers, tying a Finals record set by the Lakers' Michael Cooper in 1987. The Pistons had a 94-91 lead with 49 seconds left after a John Salley tip-in. Five seconds later, Clyde Drexler, who would finish with 33 points, made a free throw. With 23 seconds left, Isiah Thomas missed a potential game-clinching layup. Terry Porter tied the game at 94 with a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left, and the game went to overtime when Thomas missed an 18-footer at the buzzer. A hook shot by James Edwards and two three-pointers by Laimbeer gave the Pistons a 102-98 lead with 1:30 left in overtime. Porter hit another set of free throws to trim the lead to two; then Drexler tied it at the one-minute mark with a 17-footer. Portland took the lead at 104-102 when Thomas fouled out with 1:10 left. Laimbeer promptly bailed the Pistons out with 4.1 seconds remaining by hitting a 25-foot three-pointer for a 105-104 lead. Portland gave the ball to Drexler, who was fouled by Dennis Rodman, playing on a sore ankle, with two seconds left. Drexler made both foul shots to give the Blazers the 106-105 lead. The Pistons quickly passed the ball to Edwards, who tried a shot from the left of the paint, but rookie Clifford Robinson blocked it at the last second. With that, the Blazers won the game and took away the home-court advantage.

Two things were stacked against the Pistons. One, they had not won in Portland in 17 years. Two, they would be without Dennis Rodman, whose ankle had stiffened. But, Vinnie Johnson found his range for the first time, making 9 of 13 shots for 21 points. The consummate professional Dumars was the most potent, however, leading Detroit with 33 points on an array of shots. One such shot was a three-pointer that stifled a Blazer run after they had cut the Piston lead to 68-60 in the third. Detroit won, 121-106. Dumars' wife then used a phone to inform Joe of his father's death. Dumars decided he would play the next game, but declined press interviews.

The Pistons were plagued with shooting problems as the Blazers raced off to a 32-22 lead at the end of the first period. But Vinnie Johnson and Joe Dumars took over, leading a 9-0 run that pulled the Pistons to 32-31 with 7:49 left in the half. The Pistons led 51-46 at intermission as the suffocating Detroit defense held the Blazers to 14 second-quarter points. Isiah Thomas scored 22 points in the third and capped his onslaught with a three-pointer at the 2:15 mark that gave the Pistons an 81-65 lead and seemed to quiet the Portland crowd. The Blazers suddenly remembered the pressure defense and running game that had gotten them to the NBA Finals. They went on a 28-11 run of their own, and Terry Porter drove for a layup to give them a 93-92 lead with 5:20 left. The game became a nip-and-tuck affair until Detroit led 106-102 on a jumper by Dumars at 1:16, but the Blazers fought back and had a chance to tie it with 35 seconds left. Buck Williams missed one of two free throws and Portland trailed 106-105. In a scramble under the Pistons' basket, Bill Laimbeer drew his sixth foul, and Clyde Drexler made both free throws to give Portland the lead, 107-106, with 31.8 seconds left. But Thomas responded by sinking a 22-footer that returned the edge to Detroit 108-107. With nine seconds left, Porter attempted to drive on Dumars, but Joe blocked his path. Thomas scooped up the ensuing loose ball and headed the other way. Danny Young quickly fouled him as he let fly a 55-footer that went in. The officials quickly ruled it no good, but Thomas made the free throws for a 110-107 lead with 8.4 seconds showing. Mark Aguirre then fouled Porter with 6.5 seconds left, and he made both, drawing Portland to 110-109. On the ensuing play, James Edwards got the ball downcourt to a wide-open Gerald Henderson for an easy layup and a 112-109 lead. Portland now had the ball and 1.8 seconds to get a shot. The Blazers whipped the ball upcourt to Young, who promptly knocked down a 35-footer from the right sideline. Immediately players from both benches came onto the floor, the Blazers believing the game was now tied and the Pistons believing otherwise. Veteran referee Earl Strom, calling his final NBA game, huddled the officials amid the din and signalled that the shot was too late. Videotaped replays later confirmed the accuracy of the call. The Blazers were down, three games to one.

The Pistons shot poorly starting out, missing seven of their first 11 shots, but still led 26-22 after one quarter. They held the same four-point edge at the half, 46-42, but the Blazers rallied in the third period, and with 10 minutes to play in the game, they led 76-68. Vinnie Johnson then went on the first of two scoring streaks. "The Microwave" scored all of Detroit's points in a 9-0 run to give his team a 77-76 edge with 6:35 to go. The Blazers stepped up their pressure and again built a 90-83 lead with 2:05 left. But, when Clyde Drexler fouled out, Portland could not score the rest of the way and "The Microwave" heated up again. Johnson scored seven points in Detroit's astounding 9-0 run to close the game and the series. His last shot was a 15-footer from the right sideline with Jerome Kersey draped all over him and 0:00.7 showing on the clock.