1998 NBA Finals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2008 | National Basketball Association Finals | 1998 in basketball | Sports in Salt Lake City, Utah | Chicago Bulls | Utah Jazz
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)
1998 NBA Finals RosterSeries summaryLegend: OT denotes a game decided in overtime
Bulls win series 4-2 Games 1 and 2Unlike the 1997 Finals, the Jazz and Bulls entered this series as equals. The Jazz had won both regular season match-ups with the Bulls, and many analysts predicted a hard-fought seven-game series. Predictions of a Jazz championship were strengthened with their Game 1 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 while 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. Game 3, 4 and 5The 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, as well as the lowest number of points scored in any NBA game since the inception of the Shot clock. Also, every player on the Bulls roster scored. The Jazz would pull themselves together in Game 4 in a better, though vain attempt to tie the series, but lost 86-82. Dennis Rodman, who skipped practice between games to attend a wrestling event, was an unlikely hero, hitting the critical free-throws at the end of game 4. The Jazz' early series-lead seemed like a distant memory, a false indication of a tough series as they entered Game 5 with a 3-1 series deficit. 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 an off-balance, potential game-winning 3-point shot, preserving the Jazz' 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. Game 6The Chicago Bulls had never let a Finals series go to a Game Seven. Thus, winning Game Six in Salt Lake City was imperative for Chicago. Yet, as they arrived at the Delta Center for Game 6, things did not look good for the Bulls. Scottie Pippen's back gave way when he dunked the opening basket of the game and he was slowed down, scoring only eight points all game. Tensions ran high in the Delta Center when the Jazz discovered problems of their own. They suffered several shot clock violations, including one on a successful three-point attempt by Howard Eisley. Television replays showed, however, that Eisley got the ball out of his hands in time before the shot clock hit zero and the referees missed the call.[citation needed] In the fourth quarter, the Bulls closed the gap. With 41.9 seconds left, the Bulls suffered a jolt as John Stockton hit a clutch 3-point shot to give Utah an 86-83 lead and send the Delta Center into a frenzy. Down by three, the Bulls had one last chance to stay alive. Running perilously low on energy, the Bulls knew they must win the game or else face 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 (it is argued that he pushed off on Russell [1]), and hit a 20-foot jump shot to give the Bulls an 87-86 lead with 5.2 seconds left. After a time-out, Stockton's three-point attempt hit the rim and bounced away, giving the Bulls their sixth NBA title in 8 years. Jordan, who scored 45 points, and whose game-winning shot has been immortalized in many records, was named the Finals MVP. Quotes from the Finals
Trivia
See alsoExternal linksThe following sites are all from the NBA official site: The following links are to other sites on the Internet:
Broadcasters | Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy | Most Valuable Player Award | Walter A. Brown Trophy | WNBA Finals
References
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
