1998 NBA Finals
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The 1998 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1997-98 National Basketball Association season. The Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference played against the Utah Jazz of the Western Conference, with the Jazz holding home-court advantage. In a repeat of the previous year's Finals, the Bulls won the series 4 games to 2 to give the Bulls their third consecutive NBA title and their sixth in eight seasons. Michael Jordan was voted the Most Valuable Player of the series (He also had won the award the last five times the Bulls won the Finals: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, and 1997). This would be his sixth NBA championship and sixth Finals MVP award in six full basketball seasons, an unprecedented feat.
The 1998 Finals garnered the highest Nielsen TV Rating in NBA history at 18.7, and even surpassed the Nielsen Ratings for the 1998 World Series, making it the first time the NBA had a higher rating in its championship round than of Major League Baseball's title round. This was a result of many factors, including the rumors of Michael Jordan's imminent retirement and the fact that the Bulls achieved a level of fame at the time that transcended sports.
Television: NBC (Bob Costas, Isiah Thomas and Doug Collins announcing)
Contents |
[edit] 1998 NBA Finals Roster
[edit] Series summary
Legend: OT denotes a game decided in overtime
| Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | June 3 | Utah | 88-85 (OT) | Chicago |
| Game 2 | June 5 | Utah | 88-93 | Chicago |
| Game 3 | June 7 | Chicago | 96-54 | Utah |
| Game 4 | June 10 | Chicago | 86-82 | Utah |
| Game 5 | June 12 | Chicago | 81-83 | Utah |
| Game 6 | June 14 | Utah | 86-87 | Chicago |
Bulls win series 4-2
[edit] Game 1 and 2
Unlike the 97 Finals, the Jazz entered this series as equals. They had won both regular season match-ups, and many analysts predicted a hard fought seven game series. Predictions of a Jazz championship were strengthened with their game one victory in overtime in Utah but they won it in ugly fashion, with Scottie Pippen badly missing a wide open 3-pointer at the buzzer. True to form, the Bulls would tie the series in game 2 putting together a huge fourth quarter run to silence the Delta Center and holding on to win 93-88, finally securing their first victory against Utah all season. Karl Malone shot very poorly in the first two games of the series.
[edit] Game 3, 4 and 5
The finals would move to Chicago with control of the series at stake in Game 3. Though anticipation was high, no one could have expected a blow-out of the proportions seen in Game 3. With a 96-54 triumph over Utah, the Bulls would help the Jazz set an embarrassing record for the lowest points scored in Finals history, while everyone on the Bulls scored. The Jazz would pull themselves together in Game 4 in a better, though vain attempt to tie the series but lost 86-82.
The early Jazz series-lead seemed like a distant memory, a false indication of a tough series as they hit the floor for game 5 behind 3-1. Chicago fans prepared for the last game they would host with the Jordan led Bulls of the 90's. But any notions of a championship on the home floor would be snuffed out when Michael Jordan missed (airballed) the off-balance, game-winning, 3-point shot to the left of the basket sending the Jazz to a narrow 83-81 win. Karl Malone had his best game of the series scoring 39 points. With the series shifting back to Utah with a far more generous 3-2 Bulls advantage, the promise of another Chicago championship was not so certain.
[edit] Game 6
The Jazz had dedicated themselves all season to specifically winning a Game 6 against the Chicago Bulls.[citation needed] And the Chicago Bulls had never let a Finals series go to a game seven.
As they arrived at the Delta Center for Game 6, things didn't look good for the Bulls. Scottie Pippen's back gave away when he dunked the opening basket of the game and he was slowed down and held to just 8 points. Tensions ran high in the Delta Center when the Jazz discovered the problems of their own. They suffered a couple shot clock violations but television replays showed that Howard Eisley got the ball out of his hands for a three-pointer before the shot clock reached to zero and the referees missed the call. In the 4th quarter, the Bulls closed the gap. Then with 41.9 seconds left, things got worse as John Stockton came up huge with a clutch 3-point shot to give Utah an 86-83 lead that blew the roof off the Delta Center. Down by three, the Bulls had one last chance to stay alive. Running perilously low on energy, it would be imperative for Chicago to win the series before the game went into overtime.
After Michael Jordan made a layup to cut the Jazz lead to one, the Bulls needed to stop the Jazz from scoring again. When John Stockton passed the ball to Karl Malone, Michael Jordan stole the ball away and dribbled to the front. Guarding him was Bryon Russell, one of the Jazz's best perimeter defenders. Jordan drove inside the 3-point line, crossed over (while apparently pushing off[1]), took a jumpshot from 20 feet and made it to give the Bulls an 87-86 lead with 5.2 seconds left. After a time-out, Stockton's three-pointer hit the rim and bounced away, giving the Bulls their sixth NBA title in 8 years. The famous winning shot has been immortalized in many records. Jordan was afterwards named the Finals MVP.
[edit] Quotes from the Finals
| “ | 17 seconds from Game 7, or from Championship number 6, Jordan, open, Chicago with the lead. Time out Utah, 5.2 seconds left, Michael Jordan running on fumes with 45 points. - NBC's Bob Costas making the call of Michael Jordan's game-winning shot. | ” |
| “ | If that's the last image of Michael Jordan...how magnificent is it!? - Bob Costas | ” |
| “ | All that's missing for Utah is a blindfold and a cigarette - Bob Costas on Chicago's blowout of Utah in Game 3. | ” |
| “ | Malone...stripped by Michael, to the floor, stolen by M.J.! Michael the steal! 16 seconds left, Bulls down 1. Michael against Russell, 12 seconds...11...10. Jordan, Jordan a drive, hangs...fires...SCORE! He scores! The Bulls lead 87-86 with five and two tenths left, and now they're one stop away. Oh my goodness. Oh, my goodness. - Neil Funk calling Jordan's steal and game-winner on the Bulls' radio network. | ” |
[edit] Trivia
- The Bulls clinched their second three-peat in similar fashion to their first three-peat, having led both series 3-1, losing Game 5 in Chicago and winning Game 6 on the road to win the series. The first threepeat came against the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals.
- The Bulls faced only their second Game 7 (Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana) in their championship run dating back to 1991. In the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bulls beat the New York Knicks in Game 7 at Chicago Stadium.
- Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan have appeared on all six Bulls championship teams.
- World Championship Wrestling was quick to capitalize on the mainstream media interest in the Finals, by featuring a match involving both Rodman and Malone. NBC play-by-play announcer Bob Costas, in particular, was a vocal critic of their involvement. At the 1998 Bash at the Beach, Rodman teamed with Hulk Hogan to defeat Malone and Diamond Dallas Page. It was the second appearance at the event for Rodman, having drawn controversy, an NBA fine, and the ire of Jackson the previous year for skipping practice for his involvement in professional wrestling then.
- This is the only NBA Finals series to best the ratings for that year's World Series.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
The following sites are all from the NBA official site:
The following links are to other sites on the Internet:
- 1998 NBA Finals Summary and Linescores
- Greatest Finals Moments
- Michael Jordan's Final Shot 98
- Top NBA on NBC sports moments
- Nike Commercial spoof of "The Shot"
- Former NBA official's take on Jordan's series-winning shot
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