Michael Jordan’s Last Shot Brings Bulls Sixth Larry O’Brien Trophy – TBT #21

It’s June 14th, 1998. The Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz are playing Game 6 of the NBA Finals series at the famous Delta Center in Utah. The Bulls are leading 3-2 in the Finals and want to return home with another Larry O’Brien trophy. 

They were close to winning Game 5 against the Jazz, but Michael Jordan missed the 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Bulls lost 83-81 against the Jazz in front of their home fans. The Bulls look to avenge that loss tonight by beating the Utah Jazz in their hometown.

Regarding the best players from both teams, the Bulls are led by MJ and Pippen, while Stockton and Malone lead the Jazz. MJ is the best scorer on his team, scoring over 30 PPG in the series, while Malone has averaged nearly 25 PPG so far. 

The referee sends the ball into the air, and Game 6 begins. Things weren’t looking good from the start for the Bulls since Pippen already had an injured back before the game, and he aggravated it further after he dunked the ball at the beginning of the quarter. The Jazz take the 1st quarter 25-22. The second quarter also goes to the Jazz, 24-23. The Bulls rely entirely on Jordan, who scored 23 points so far. The Jazz take the 3rd quarter as well, 17-16. 

The fourth quarter starts and the Bulls are looking much better. With one minute to go, MJ ties the game at 83-83 with two free throws. The Jazz answer back with a 3-pointer from Stockton and lead 86-83. Soon after, Jordan makes the layup, and the Bulls are trailing with only one point. The Jazz have the ball in their hands, but Jordan steals it and dribbles down the court. 

Utah’s great defender, Russell, is guarding MJ. Michael dribbles to the right with only 10 seconds on the clock but quickly crosses to the left and scores from 20 feet. With only 5.2 seconds left, the Bulls lead 87-86. A timeout is called. 

 

After the timeout, Stockton goes for the game-winning 3-pointer but misses it, and the Chicago Bulls win the 2nd three-peat in the ’90s. Jordan scored a phenomenal 45 points and cemented his legacy as the best ever with this game-winning shot.

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