1997 NBA Finals
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Dates | June 1–13 | |||||||||
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MVP | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) | |||||||||
Hall of Famers | Robert Parish (2003) Michael Jordan (2009) John Stockton (2009) Karl Malone (2010) Scottie Pippen (2010) Dennis Rodman (2011) Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007) Jerry Sloan (2009) Tex Winter (2011) | |||||||||
Eastern finals | Bulls defeat Heat, 4-1 | |||||||||
Western finals | Jazz defeat Rockets, 4-2 | |||||||||
The 1997 NBA Finals was the concluding series of the 1997 NBA Playoffs that determined the champion of the 1996–97 NBA season. The Utah Jazz of the Western Conference took on the Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Bulls holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, in the 2-3-2 NBA Finals format, with the first 2 games in Chicago, then 3 games in a row in Salt Lake City and the last 2 in Chicago.
The Bulls won the series 4 games to 2. For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Michael Jordan was named Finals MVP.
Hal Douglas narrated the season-ending documentary for NBA Entertainment.
Background
The Utah Jazz made the NBA Finals for the first time, mainly due to the exploits of its All-Star duo in John Stockton and league MVP Karl Malone. Stockton joined the Jazz as the 16th pick of the 1984 NBA Draft, while Malone arrived as the 13th pick of the 1985 NBA Draft. They initially played backup to Adrian Dantley and Rickey Green before coming into their own by 1987. The Jazz would break through in the 1988 NBA Playoffs, losing a hard-fought seven-game series to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the conference semifinals. Early in the 1988–89 season Frank Layden stepped aside from the coaching ranks and assistant Jerry Sloan took over.
By 1992, the Jazz were an NBA power, reaching their first Western Conference Final that year, and then advanced to that level two more times in the next four seasons. The 1996 NBA Playoffs would see Utah lose a hard-fought seven-game conference final series to the Seattle SuperSonics, which many saw as the beginning of their ascension to the NBA's elite. They would put it all together the next season, winning 64 games to earn the top seed in the Western Conference. They would sweep the Los Angeles Clippers in the opening round, then eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games of the second round, and then with John Stockton hitting the buzzer-beating trey in Game 6, eliminated the Houston Rockets to advance to their first NBA Final in franchise history.
For the Chicago Bulls, the campaign was almost identical to their record-breaking 1995–96 season, although they would finish a game shy of another 70-win season. They swept the Washington Bullets in the first round, then dispatched the Atlanta Hawks in a five-game second round series, and then defeat the Miami Heat in five games of the conference finals.
Road to the Finals
Utah Jazz (Western Conference Champion) | Chicago Bulls (Eastern Conference Champion) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regular season |
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Defeated the (8) Los Angeles Clippers, 3–0 | First Round | Defeated the (8) Washington Bullets, 3–0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Defeated the (4) Los Angeles Lakers, 4–1 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (4) Atlanta Hawks, 4–1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Defeated the (3) Houston Rockets, 4–2 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (2) Miami Heat, 4–1 |
Regular season series
Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team:
Series scoring summary
The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the quarter numbers are replaced by game numbers.
Team | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Wins |
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Utah (West) | 82 | 85 | 104 | 78 | 88 | 86 | 2 |
Chicago (East) | 84 | 97 | 93 | 73 | 90 | 90 | 4 |
1997 NBA Finals roster
1997 Chicago Bulls Playoff roster
1997 Utah Jazz Playoff roster
Series summary
Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
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Game 1 | Sunday, June 1 | Chicago Bulls | 84-82 (1-0) | Utah Jazz |
Game 2 | Wednesday, June 4 | Chicago Bulls | 97-85 (2-0) | Utah Jazz |
Game 3 | Friday, June 6 | Utah Jazz | 104-93 (1-2) | Chicago Bulls |
Game 4 | Sunday, June 8 | Utah Jazz | 78-73 (2-2) | Chicago Bulls |
Game 5 | Wednesday, June 11 | Utah Jazz | 88-90 (2-3) | Chicago Bulls |
Game 6 | Friday, June 13 | Chicago Bulls | 90-86 (4-2) | Utah Jazz |
The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage's (Chicago's) home court (United Center).
Had the Western Conference Finals between the Jazz and the Houston Rockets reached a Game 7, the Finals would have begun on Wednesday, June 4, and follow the similar Wednesday-Friday-Sunday rotation.
- All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4).
Game 1
June 1
7:30 et |
Utah Jazz 82, Chicago Bulls 84 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 18–17, 24–21, 22–24, 18–22 | ||
Pts: Karl Malone 23 Rebs: Karl Malone 15 Asts: John Stockton 12 |
Pts: Michael Jordan 31 Rebs: Dennis Rodman 12 Asts: Michael Jordan 8 | |
Chicago leads the series, 1–0 |
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 24,544 Referees:
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Despite injuring his foot in the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami, Scottie Pippen helped the Bulls to an 84-82 victory over Utah on Sunday. He scored 27 points while Jordan scored 31. The Bulls trailed by one in the 4th, yet were able to grab an 81-79 lead after Pippen blocked Antoine Carr, then made his third 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining. However, John Stockton answered with a 3 of his own with 51.7 seconds left to give Utah an 82-81 lead. Michael Jordan made 1 of 2 free throws with 35.8 seconds left to tie it at 82. Then, Karl Malone was fouled by Rodman with 9.2 seconds left and had a chance to give Utah the lead. Scottie famously psyched him out, saying, "Just remember, the mailman doesn't deliver on Sundays, Karl," before he stepped up to the line. He missed them both. Jordan got the rebound and quickly called a time-out with 7.5 seconds left. With the game on the line, the Bulls put the ball in Jordan's hands. He dribbled out most of the waning seconds, then launched a 20-footer that went in at the buzzer to give Chicago a 1-0 series lead.
Game 2
June 4
9:00 ET |
Utah Jazz 85, Chicago Bulls 97 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 11–22, 28–31, 26–19 | ||
Pts: Karl Malone 20 Rebs: Karl Malone 13 Asts: John Stockton 7 |
Pts: Michael Jordan 38 Rebs: Michael Jordan 13 Asts: Michael Jordan 9 | |
Chicago leads the series, 2–0 |
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 24,544 Referees:
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The Bulls simply dominated Game 2. After a hard-fought first quarter, the Bulls took control of the game with a 12-0 second quarter run. Utah's 31 points in the first half was only one point above an NBA low. Karl Malone, who missed those two key free throws in Game 1, had another bad night, making only 6 of 20 field goals. Dennis Rodman nailed a late 3-pointer to put the Bulls up 97-85.
Game 3
June 6
9:00 et |
Chicago Bulls 93, Utah Jazz 104 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 23–30, 15–16, 33–27 | ||
Pts: Scottie Pippen 27 Rebs: Ron Harper 7 Asts: Michael Jordan 6 |
Pts: Karl Malone 37 Rebs: Karl Malone 10 Asts: John Stockton 12 | |
Chicago leads the series, 2–1 |
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 19,911 Referees:
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Utah's fans welcomed their proud Western Conference champs with force. During the introductions of the Jazz's starting lineups, the Bulls players plugged their ears, due to the loud cheers and fireworks within the Delta Center. The Chicago Bulls started off the first three quarters with mediocre play, despite Scottie Pippen tying a then-Finals record with seven 3-pointers. Utah was led by Karl Malone, who scored 37 points and had 10 rebounds. Chicago attempted a 4th quarter comeback, cutting a 24-point deficit down to 7, but Utah ultimately won its first game of the series. With the Bulls trailing by 24 points in the second quarter, Michael Jordan threw down an alley oop slam which drew loud boos from the crowd.
Game 4
June 8
7:30 et |
Chicago Bulls 73, Utah Jazz 78 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 24–14, 16–21, 17–22 | ||
Pts: Michael Jordan 22 Rebs: Scottie Pippen 12 Asts: Jordan, Kukoč, Pippen 4 each |
Pts: Karl Malone 23 Rebs: Karl Malone 10 Asts: John Stockton 12 | |
Series tied, 2–2 |
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 19,911 Referees:
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Due to the extremely loud Jazz fans in Game 3, Bulls coach Phil Jackson wore a pair of ear plugs. A tight game with many lead changes throughout, the Jazz led by 5 after the first quarter, but trailed by 5 at halftime. The score was tied going into the fourth quarter. Late in the game, Michael Jordan made a fast break dunk to give the Bulls a 71-66 lead, but John Stockton made a momentum-shifting 3 at the top of the key to cut the deficit to 71-69. Jordan made a jumper to give the Bulls a 73-69 lead, but the Bulls would not score again. The Jazz pulled to within 1 when Stockton stole the ball from Jordan and made 2 free throws at the other end. On the next possession John Stockton grabbed a rebound from a Jordan miss and threw a full court pass to Karl Malone for a layup with 44.5 seconds left that put Utah in front for good, 74-73. After Stockton made the assist, he jumped up into the air several times pumping his fist. After some Bulls misses, Karl Malone made two free throws with 17 seconds left to put the Jazz up by 3. On the next possession, Michael Jordan's potential game-tying 3 with less than 10 seconds left rattled out; Stockton grabbed the rebound and threw another full court pass to Bryon Russell, who escaped the intentional foul and dunked with 00.5 left in the game to seal it, drawing a huge roar from the crowd. The Jazz's 12-2 run tied the series at two games apiece. The Delta Center grew so loud that during the final moments of the game when Bryon Russell made the dunk that iced the game, Marv Albert was unable to be clearly heard. The 78-73 score was one of the lowest scores in NBA Finals history.
Game 5: The Flu Game
June 11
9:00 et |
Chicago Bulls 90, Utah Jazz 88 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 16–29, 33–24, 18–19, 23–16 | ||
Pts: Michael Jordan 38 Rebs: Scottie Pippen 10 Asts: Jordan, Pippen 5 each |
Pts: Karl Malone 19 Rebs: Greg Ostertag 15 Asts: Karl Malone 6 | |
Chicago leads the series, 3–2 |
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 19,911 Referees:
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Game 5, known as "The Flu Game", was one of Michael Jordan's most memorable. At 2 a.m on Tuesday morning, Jordan called his personal trainer to his hotel room, where he was lying in the fetal position and sweating profusely. He hardly had the strength to sit up in bed and was diagnosed with a stomach virus or food poisoning, likely caused by a pizza ordered the night before.[1] The Bulls' trainers told Jordan that there was no way he could play the next day. The Jazz had just won Games 3 & 4 to tie the series at 2 wins apiece, and a third consecutive win would give them the momentum. The Bulls needed their leader for this critical swing game, and despite his ailments, Jordan got out of bed at 5:50 p.m on Wednesday, just in time for the 7 o'clock tip-off at the Delta Center.[2]
Jordan was visibly weak and pale as he stepped on the court for Game 5. At first, he displayed little energy, and John Stockton, along with reigning MVP Karl Malone, led the Jazz to a 16-point lead (36-20) in the second quarter. But Jordan slowly began to make shots despite lacking his usual explosive speed. He scored 17 points in the quarter as the Bulls ended the half with a large run. While Jordan was fatigued in the third and sitting on the bench, Utah was able to reclaim the lead and stretched it to 8 points (77-69). Jordan shot well again in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points. With 46.4 seconds left and Chicago down 85-84, he was fouled and went to the free throw line. He made the first to tie the game, but missed the second. Toni Kukoc tapped the offensive rebound to Jordan, who dribbled back to allow the offense to set up. He passed the ball to Pippen, who was quickly double-teamed. Pippen then passed the ball back to a now-unguarded Jordan, who made a 3-point shot to give the Bulls an 88-85 lead with 25 seconds remaining in the game. A Greg Ostertag dunk brought the Jazz back within one point, but Luc Longley answered with a dunk of his own, and Chicago held on for a narrow victory when John Stockton missed the first of two free throws in front of the stunned crowd. With only a few seconds remaining and the game's result safely in Chicago's favor, Jordan collapsed into Scottie Pippen's arms, creating an iconic image that has come to symbolize The Flu Game.[2]
Malone was the high scorer for the Jazz with 19 points but shot poorly during the game, air-balling an off-balance shot on the possession prior to Jordan's big 3-pointer. Malone finished the second half 1-for-6 from the field. Jordan played 44 minutes, finishing the game with 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.
Game 6
June 13
9:00 et |
Utah Jazz 86, Chicago Bulls 90 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 23–17, 21–20, 26–27, 16–26 | ||
Pts: Karl Malone 21 Rebs: Greg Ostertag 8 Asts: John Stockton 5 |
Pts: Michael Jordan 39 Rebs: Jordan, Rodman 11 each Asts: Michael Jordan 4 | |
Chicago wins the series, 4–2 |
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 24,544 Referees:
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Michael Jordan hadn't fully recovered from the flu, but he was feeling much better and led the Bulls with 39 points. Chicago struggled in the first half, scoring just 37 points and making only 9 of 27 field goals. With the Bulls struggling in the third quarter, Michael Jordan dunked after a steal, bringing the crowd to its feet and Jud Buechler buried a 3 to help give the Bulls the momentum. The Bulls trailed by 9 early in the 4th, but went on a 10-0 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes when Steve Kerr hit a 3, but the Jazz regained the lead and the game remained one possession until the final score. In the final minutes, Jordan's fadeaway jumper extended the Bulls lead to 3, before Bryon Russell hit a 3 with 1:44 left to tie it at 86. The two teams failed to score on their next possessions. Shandon Anderson then missed a reverse layup, in part due to Scottie Pippen grabbing the rim and causing the basketball standard to shake. The officials missed this automatic goaltending call that would have put Utah up 2, and Chicago grabbed the rebound and called time-out with 28 seconds left in a tie game. The Jazz expected Jordan to take the final shot. Instead, Jordan drew a double-team, then passed to a wide-open Steve Kerr, who hit a 17-footer with 5 seconds left to send the United Center into a frenzy. The Jazz looked for a final shot to stay alive, but Scottie Pippen made a massive defensive play as he knocked away Bryon Russell's inbounds pass intended for Shandon Anderson and rolled the ball over to Toni Kukoc, who dunked the final 2 points of the game before the roaring crowd to bring the Finals to an end, despite there being 00.6 left in the game. Afterwards, Jordan was named Finals MVP for the 5th time.
"I Believe I Can Fly" was the closing credits after Game 6 of the following championship ceremony.[3]
Quotes from the Finals
Just remember, The Mailman doesn't deliver on Sundays, Karl.
— Scottie Pippen, to Karl Malone before he took two free throws near the end of Game 1. Malone missed both free throws with 9.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter, keeping the game tied at 82. Jordan's shot at the buzzer won the game for the Bulls.
MJ, top of the circle, against Russell. Michael hangs, fires...SCORES!! The Bulls win!! He knocked it in at the buzzer, Bulls win! How many times has he done that?
— Bulls announcer Neil Funk after Jordan's buzzer-beater gave Chicago an 84-82 win in Game 1
We're down to five, Jordan putting moves on Russell. We're down to two, down to one. Here's Jordan. YES! It is all over! The Chicago Bulls have won at the buzzer in Game 1 of the best-of-7, on a jump shot by Michael Jordan.
— NBC commentator Marv Albert during the aforementioned game
It’s difficult to get in sync with all of the fucking Mormons out here.
Stockton fires down to Malone...And the Jazz have taken a one-point lead!
— Marv Albert on Stockton's key play in Game 4. Utah won 78-73 to tie the series at 2.
Rebound Stockton, ahead to Karl Malone, he's got it, he scores!!! Stockton to Malone!! Jazz take the lead.
— "Hot Rod" Hundley on the aforementioned play.
A courageous, classic performance by the flu-ridden Michael Jordan.
— Marv Albert after Michael's improbable performance in Game 5, which gave the Bulls a 3-2 series lead.
It is Michael Jordan time. Scottie Pippen, looking, looking for Michael Jordan. Checks the clock, 5 on the 24, here's Jordan. Did not have the shot, Kerr did...YES!! Steve Kerr with 5 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter! The Jazz take a timeout.
— Marv Albert on Steve Kerr hitting a jumper to give the Bulls the lead in Game 6. The Bulls won this game and their fifth NBA championship.
Kerr, still with the dribble. Looking...dump to Pippen. Scottie, bumped by Shandon Anderson, hands it to Michael. Six seconds (on the shot clock)...five. Michael, in traffic, to Kerr. Fifteen-footer...YES!! He knocked it in! Kerr buried the jumper, five seconds left! The Bulls lead is two! Stevie Kerr knocked it in! He took the pass from Michael and stuffed the jumper! Wow!
— Neil Funk on the aforementioned play.
Five seconds remaining in regulation. The inbounds...batted away by Pippen! Pippen rolls it to Kukoc...and the Chicago Bulls have won their fifth championship in the last seven years!
— Marv Albert calling the final seconds of Game 6
Broadcasting
Marv Albert was the play-by-play announcer for his seventh straight NBA Finals for the NBA on NBC. It was his third straight NBA Finals working with color analysts Matt Guokas and Bill Walton. This would be the last NBA Finals that Albert would announce in the 1990s because of a sex scandal that would force NBC Sports to fire him later in 1997.
During these NBA Finals, NBC Sports’ Hannah Storm became the first woman to serve as pre-game host of an NBA Finals. She would continue in this role for the next three NBA Finals.
NBC Sports also used Ahmad Rashad (Bulls sideline) and Jim Gray (Jazz sideline) as the sideline reporters.
This would be the only NBA Finals on NBC during the 1990s that would not include Bob Costas in any capacity. He had served as the pre-game host from 1991-1996. The next year, during the 1998 NBA Finals, Costas served as the play-by-play announcer, a role in which he would continue until the 2000 NBA Finals.
The closing credits was "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly replace after "Winning It All" by The Outfield, this was the featured Space Jam during Game 6 of the NBA Finals.[6]
Aftermath
Both teams would meet again in the Finals in 1998, the first time the same two teams met in the NBA Finals since 1989, when the Lakers and Pistons went up against each other. Only this time, the Jazz had home-court advantage even though both teams won 62 games, because they won the regular season series 2-0. However, the Bulls still won the series in 6 games, highlighted by Michael Jordan's last shot as a Bull in Game 6.
References
- ^ Grover, Tim. "Trainer: MJ had food poisoning". ESPN. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ a b Weinberg, Rick (2004). "79: Jordan battles flu, makes Jazz sick". ESPN.
- ^ 1997 NBA Finals Tribute on YouTube
- ^ Jet Magazine staff (1997-06-30). "Rodman fined $50,000 for remarks about Mormons". Johnson Publishing Co. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ Wise, Mike (1997-06-13). "N.B.A. Fines Rodman $50,000 for Remarks on Mormons". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ 1997 NBA Finals Tribute on YouTube