| Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls-- 97-98 Season | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Bulls win their 6th Championship!! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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For one more and perhaps one last time, Michael Jordan almost single-handedly delivered an NBA championship to the Chicago Bulls. Jordan scored 45 points and made the key play as only he could, stealing the ball from Karl Malone and hitting a jumper with 5.2 seconds left to give Chicago an 87-86 victory on Sunday night and a 4-2 series victory over the Utah Jazz. The Jazz still had one more chance, but John Stockton missed a 3-point attempt just before the buzzer. Jordan, whose driving layup with 37 seconds left pulled the Bulls to within 86-85, ran to midcourt and held up six fingers to signify six championships -- one for every full season he has played this decade. "Of all the championships we've won, this was the toughest," said Jordan, who was named series MVP. With Scottie Pippen severely hobbled by a sore back, Jordan pumped up 35 field goal attempts -- making 15. Malone led the Jazz with 31 points. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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It was one more stroke of genius, this time from the top of the key. The master of basketball's greatest moments and biggest trophies did it again. He seized his sixth NBA championship with a game-winning shot Sunday night that ripped the hearts from the Utah Jazz. Then he walked away -- for the last time? -- with his sixth NBA Finals MVP trophy. Now the question is, will Michael Jordan do it again? "That's something we will have to determine over the summer," said Jordan, who had 45 points and hit a jumper with 5.2 seconds left to give the Bulls an 87-86 victory over the stunned Jazz in Game 6. Somehow, he made what could have been his last game one of the best of his incomparable career. He dazzled and amazed and sent basketball historians to rewrite his resume yet again. When it is over -- and it could be already -- someone had better write down all of Jordan's accomplishments and have them notarized. Future generations might not believe it. Coach Phil Jackson called it "the best performance I've seen by Michael Jordan in a critical situation in a critical series." With Chicago trailing 86-85 in the closing seconds, Jordan stole the ball from Karl Malone, then drove on Bryon Russell, stopping on a dime and pulling up for yet another game-winning shot. He crushed the Jazz the way he's crushed so many teams. Last year, he burned Utah in the opener of the NBA Finals with a jumper over Russell. Then, in Game 5, playing despite a draining virus, he punctuated a 38-point game with the 3-pointer that decided the game. In Game 6 last year, he passed to Steve Kerr for the winning shot. This time, he did what no one does better. "You can double him, you can push him, but great players make those kind of plays," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "We're not going to change our whole structure of basketball just for one player." The most unbelievable part of all this is that Jordan, who has said he won't play for a coach other than Jackson, could be walking away while he's still on top of his sport. Jackson doesn't have a contract for next season. Of the Chicago nucleus, Jackson is the most likely not to return. He said in a taped interview with NBC aired at halftime that he had already cleared out his office at the United Center. "We're celebrating like this is our last one," Jackson said. "Unless something absolutely unusual comes out of left field, I don't expect us to be back here." Even if Jordan stays, Dream Teamer Scottie Pippen and rebounding machine Dennis Rodman, along with more than half the players on the Bulls roster, are free agents. Pippen stated all year this would be his last in a Bulls jersey, but has recently left the door open for a possible return. Leaving no doubt that he is the best ever, Jordan still left one question unanswered. Is he retiring? Is this the end? Jordan and Pippen are among seven Chicago players who can become free agents. Before Jordan sank the shot he may be most remembered for, he drove to the basket to pull Chicago within 86-85 with 37 seconds left. And then there was the winning shot -- a crowning moment and confusing dagger all at once. Was this it? | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Jordan stole so much from Karl Malone on Sunday | night. Jordan stole what was perhaps Malone's best chance for a championship with his 45-point performance in Chicago's 87-86 victory in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Jordan stole the only basketball dream Malone has left and added a sixth championship ring to his already burgeoning collection. And when Malone had the ball in his hands with a chance to ensure a Utah win, Jordan stole that, too. "That's part of all this," Malone said shortly after the game, tears starting to well in his eyes. "We just didn't get it done down the stretch." With 20 seconds to play and the Jazz up by a point, Malone backed into the low block and picked up his dribble to turn and shoot. >From his blind side, Jordan came behind Malone and batted the ball away. Malone fell to the court and, for a moment, was completely still. He knew that he had been robbed of more than the basketball. His final turnover was an unfortunate end to another standout performance by Malone as Jordan came down and buried the game-winning jumper with 5.2 seconds to play. The Jazz were more than willing to live and die with the ball in Malone's hands. "I like my chances of going to Karl Malone every time," said John Stockton, whose missed 3-point attempt at the buzzer was Utah's final chance to extend the best-of-7 series. "He makes great passes, he makes great decisions and he scores." "Our guy did everything he could," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "Karl Malone left his heart on the court, like he always does." Malone's 31 points came on 11-for-19 shooting, and he led the Jazz with 11 rebounds. He was even 9-for-11 from the free throw line. Malone left his own physical mark on the series. Scottie Pippen laughed when he was asked what caused his back injury that limited his effectiveness in Game 6. "I took too many charges from Karl Malone," he said. On Sunday, Malone picked up exactly where he left off in his heroic 39-point performance in Game 5. He made his first four shots of the game, each tougher than the last, and carried that momentum throughout the game. Malone often scored at will against Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley and Bill Wennington. In the second quarter, Jordan and Malone played a high-stakes game of H-O-R-S-E, each draining shot after shot. Jordan finished the quarter with 17 points, two more than Malone. But Malone's last points of the season came with 2:32 to play. The battle continued into the final minute, when Jordan took over the game and Malone made the last of his five turnovers. Jordan accepted the MVP trophy shortly after the game, and a teary-eyed Malone could only watch. The Mailman sat in the trainer's room for 45 minutes after the game, and then he left the Delta Center without doing any more interviews. Robbed again. THE CHAMPS 1946-47 - Philadelphia Warriors 1947-48 - Baltimore Bullets 1948-49 - Minneapolis Lakers 1949-50 - Minneapolis Lakers 1950-51 - Rochester Royals 1951-52 - Minneapolis Lakers 1952-53 - Minneapolis Lakers 1953-54 - Minneapolis Lakers 1954-55 - Syracuse Nationals 1955-56 - Philadelphia Warriors 1956-57 - Boston Celtics 1957-58 - St. Louis Hawks 1958-59 - Boston Celtics 1959-60 - Boston Celtics 1960-61 - Boston Celtics 1961-62 - Boston Celtics 1962-63 - Boston Celtics 1963-64 - Boston Celtics 1964-65 - Boston Celtics 1965-66 - Boston Celtics 1966-67 - Philadelphia 76ers 1967-68 - Boston Celtics 1968-69 - Boston Celtics 1969-70 - New York Knicks 1970-71 - Milwaukee Bucks 1971-72 - Los Angeles Lakers 1972-73 - New York Knicks 1973-74 - Boston Celtics 1974-75 - Golden State Warriors 1975-76 - Boston Celtics 1976-77 - Portland Trail Blazers 1977-78 - Washington Bullets 1978-79 - Seattle SuperSonics 1979-80 - Los Angeles Lakers 1980-81 - Boston Celtics 1981-82 - Los Angeles Lakers 1982-83 - Philadelphia 76ers 1983-84 - Boston Celtics 1984-85 - Los Angeles Lakers 1985-86 - Boston Celtics 1986-87 - Los Angeles Lakers 1987-88 - Los Angeles Lakers 1988-89 - Detroit Pistons 1989-90 - Detroit Pistons 1990-91 - Chicago Bulls 1991-92 - Chicago Bulls 1992-93 - Chicago Bulls 1993-94 - Houston Rockets 1994-95 - Houston Rockets 1995-96 - Chicago Bulls 1996-97 - Chicago Bulls 1997-98 - Chicago Bulls NBA FINALS MVP 1969 - Jerry West, L.A. Lakers 1970 - Willis Reed, New York 1971 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee 1972 - Wilt Chamberlain, L.A. Lakers 1973 - Willis Reed, New York 1974 - John Havlicek, Boston 1975 - Rick Barry, Golden State 1976 - Jo Jo White, Boston 1977 - Bill Walton, Portland 1978 - Wes Unseld, Washington 1979 - Dennis Johnson, Seattle 1980 - Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1981 - Cedric Maxwell, Boston 1982 - Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1983 - Moses Malone, Philadelphia 1984 - Larry Bird, Boston 1985 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers 1986 - Larry Bird, Boston 1987 - Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1988 - James Worthy, L.A. Lakers 1989 - Joe Dumars, Detroit 1990 - Isiah Thomas, Detroit 1991 - Michael Jordan, Chicago 1992 - Michael Jordan, Chicago 1993 - Michael Jordan, Chicago 1994 - Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston 1995 - Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston 1996 - Michael Jordan, Chicago 1997 - Michael Jordan, Chicago 1998 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
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