1998 NBA Finals

1998 Finals

Team Coach Wins Chicago Bulls Phil Jackson 4 Utah Jazz Jerry Sloan 2
Dates	June 3–14
MVP	Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)
Hall of Famers	Bulls: Michael Jordan (2009) Scottie Pippen (2010) Dennis Rodman (2011) Jazz: John Stockton (2009) Karl Malone (2010) Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007) Jerry Sloan (2009) Tex Winter (2011) Officials: Dick Bavetta (2015)
Eastern finals	Bulls defeat Pacers, 4–3
Western finals	Jazz defeat Lakers, 4–0

The 1998 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1998 playoffs of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the conclusion of the 1997–98 NBA season. The Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls played against the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz, with the Jazz holding home-court advantage with the first 2 games in Salt Lake City. In a repeat of the previous year's Finals, the Bulls won the series 4 games to 2 for their third consecutive NBA title and their sixth in eight seasons. Michael Jordan was voted the NBA Finals MVP 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. Until 2014, it was the last consecutive Finals rematch between two teams.

The 1998 Finals garnered the highest Nielsen TV ratings in NBA history at 18.7, and even surpassed the Nielsen ratings for the 1998 World Series, marking the first time the NBA had a higher rating in its championship round than of Major League Baseball's championship round.

The 1998 NBA season documentary "Unforgettabulls" was the first of five narrated by Will Lyman through NBA Entertainment, which recaps the entire Bulls' season. Rick Telander narrates on the opening credits. Marv Albert narrates the timeline of Michael Jordan's career with the Bulls.

Background

The series marked the first time since 1989 that the same two teams met in the Finals in consecutive years. The Jazz earned the league's best record by virtue of sweeping the two-game regular season series with the Bulls despite both teams finishing at 62 wins. In the playoffs, the Jazz were pushed to the brink by the Houston Rockets before winning Game 5 in Utah, and then overcame Rookie of the Year Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs 4–1. They then swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. The Bulls swept the New Jersey Nets and then took out the Charlotte Hornets in five, but it took seven games to overcome the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.

Road to the Finals

Main article: 1998 NBA Playoffs

Utah Jazz (Western Conference Champion)		Chicago Bulls (Eastern Conference Champion)
# Western Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 z-Utah Jazz 62 20 .756 – 2 y-Seattle SuperSonics 61 21 .744 1 3 x-Los Angeles Lakers 61 21 .744 1 4 x-Phoenix Suns 56 26 .683 6 5 x-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 6 6 x-Portland Trail Blazers 46 36 .561 16 7 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 45 37 .549 17 8 x-Houston Rockets 41 41 .500 21 9 Sacramento Kings 27 55 .329 35 10 Dallas Mavericks 20 62 .244 42 11 Vancouver Grizzlies 19 63 .232 43 11 Golden State Warriors 19 63 .232 43 13 Los Angeles Clippers 17 65 .207 45 14 Denver Nuggets 11 71 .134 51 1st seed in the West, best league record	Regular season		# Eastern Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 c-Chicago Bulls 62 20 .756 – 2 y-Miami Heat 55 27 .671 7 3 x-Indiana Pacers 58 24 .707 4 4 x-Charlotte Hornets 51 31 .622 11 5 x-Atlanta Hawks 50 32 .610 12 6 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 47 35 .573 15 7 x-New York Knicks 43 39 .524 19 8 x-New Jersey Nets 43 39 .524 19 9 Washington Wizards 42 40 .512 20 10 Orlando Magic 41 41 .500 21 11 Detroit Pistons 37 45 .451 25 12 Boston Celtics 36 46 .439 26 12 Milwaukee Bucks 36 46 .439 26 14 Philadelphia 76ers 31 51 .378 31 15 Toronto Raptors 16 66 .195 46 1st seed in the East, 2nd best league record
Defeated the (8) Houston Rockets, 3–2	First Round		Defeated the (8) New Jersey Nets, 3–0
Defeated the (5) San Antonio Spurs, 4–1	Conference Semifinals		Defeated the (4) Charlotte Hornets, 4–1
Defeated the (3) Los Angeles Lakers, 4–0	Conference Finals		Defeated the (3) Indiana Pacers, 4–3

Regular season series

The Utah Jazz won both games in the regular season series:

January 25, 1998

Utah Jazz 101, Chicago Bulls 94

United Center, Chicago, Illinois

February 4, 1998

Chicago Bulls 93, Utah Jazz 101

Delta Center, Salt Lake City

Starting Lineups

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame‡

Chicago	Position	Utah
Ron Harper	PG	John Stockton‡
Michael Jordan‡	SG	Jeff Hornacek
Scottie Pippen‡	SF	Adam Keefe
Toni Kukoč	PF	Karl Malone‡
Luc Longley	C	Greg Foster

1998 NBA Finals rosters

Chicago Bulls

1998 Chicago Bulls Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From SF 22 Booth, Keith 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 226 lb (103 kg) Maryland SG 1 Brown, Randy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) New Mexico State SF 30 Buechler, Jud 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Arizona SF 24 Burrell, Scott 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Connecticut PG 9 Harper, Ron 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Miami (OH) SG 23 Jordan, Michael 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) North Carolina PG 25 Kerr, Steve 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Arizona C 53 Kleine, Joe 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Arkansas SF 7 Kukoc, Toni 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Croatia PG 5 LaRue, Rusty 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Wake Forest C 13 Longley, Luc 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 265 lb (120 kg) New Mexico SF 33 Pippen, Scottie 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Central Arkansas PF 91 Rodman, Dennis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) SE Oklahoma State PF 8 Simpkins, Dickey 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 248 lb (112 kg) Providence C 34 Wennington, Bill 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) St. John's	Head coach Phil Jackson (North Dakota) Assistant coach(es) Bill Cartwright (San Francisco) Frank Hamblen (Syracuse) Jim Rodgers (Iowa) Tex Winter (USC) Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Utah Jazz

1998 Utah Jazz Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From SG 40 Anderson, Shandon 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Georgia PF 55 Carr, Antoine 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Wichita State PG 10 Eisley, Howard 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 177 lb (80 kg) Boston College C 44 Foster, Greg 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) UTEP SG 14 Hornacek, Jeff 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Iowa State PG 25 Hudson, Troy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Southern Illinois SF 31 Keefe, Adam 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Stanford PF 32 Malone, Karl 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Louisiana Tech SF 34 Morris, Chris 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Auburn C 00 Ostertag, Greg 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 280 lb (127 kg) Kansas SF 3 Russell, Bryon 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Long Beach State PG 12 Stockton, John 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Gonzaga PG 11 Vaughn, Jacque 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Kansas	Head coach Jerry Sloan (Evansville) Assistant coach(es) Gordon Chiesa (St. Thomas Aquinas College) David Fredman (Loyola New Orleans) Phil Johnson (Utah State) Kenny Natt (Louisiana–Monroe) Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Series summary

Game	Date	Home Team	Result	Road Team
Game 1	Wednesday, June 3	Utah Jazz	88–85 OT (1–0)	Chicago Bulls
Game 2	Friday, June 5	Utah Jazz	88–93 (1–1)	Chicago Bulls
Game 3	Sunday, June 7	Chicago Bulls	96–54 (2–1)	Utah Jazz
Game 4	Wednesday, June 10	Chicago Bulls	86–82 (3–1)	Utah Jazz
Game 5	Friday, June 12	Chicago Bulls	81–83 (3–2)	Utah Jazz
Game 6	Sunday, June 14	Utah Jazz	86–87 (2–4)	Chicago Bulls

Bulls win the series 4–2.

NBC

June 3

Boxscore

Chicago Bulls 85, Utah Jazz 88 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 17–17, 23–28, 19–22, 20–12, Overtime: 6–9
Pts: Michael Jordan 33 Rebs: Pippen, Longley 8 Asts: Steve Kerr 5		Pts: John Stockton 24 Rebs: Karl Malone 14 Asts: John Stockton 8
Utah led the series, 1–0

Delta Center, Salt Lake City Attendance: 19,911 Referees: Ron Garretson Steve Javie Bennett Salvatore

NBC

June 5

Boxscore

Chicago Bulls 93, Utah Jazz 88
Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 27–26, 20–27, 23–15
Pts: Michael Jordan 37 Rebs: Kukoč, Rodman 9 Asts: Scottie Pippen 4		Pts: Jeff Hornacek 20 Rebs: Karl Malone 12 Asts: John Stockton 7
Series tied, 1–1

Delta Center, Salt Lake City Attendance: 19,911 Referees: Dan Crawford Joe Crawford Bill Oakes

NBC

June 7

Boxscore

Utah Jazz 54, Chicago Bulls 96
Scoring by quarter: 14–17, 17–32, 14–23, 9–24
Pts: Karl Malone 22 Rebs: Greg Ostertag 9 Asts: John Stockton 7		Pts: Michael Jordan 24 Rebs: Ron Harper 10 Asts: Ron Harper 7
Chicago led series, 2–1

United Center, Chicago Attendance: 23,844 Referees: Dick Bavetta Hue Hollins Ronnie Nunn

NBC

June 10

Boxscore

Utah Jazz 82, Chicago Bulls 86
Scoring by quarter: 19-21, 18-18, 20-22, 25-25
Pts: Karl Malone 21 Rebs: Karl Malone 14 Asts: John Stockton 13		Pts: Michael Jordan 34 Rebs: Dennis Rodman 14 Asts: Scottie Pippen 5
Chicago led series, 3–1

United Center, Chicago Attendance: 23,844 Referees: Hugh Evans Steve Javie Jack Nies

NBC

June 12

Boxscore

Utah Jazz 83, Chicago Bulls 81
Scoring by quarter: 16–18, 14–18, 29–19, 24–26
Pts: Karl Malone 39 Rebs: Karl Malone 9 Asts: John Stockton 12		Pts: Toni Kukoč 30 Rebs: Scottie Pippen 11 Asts: Scottie Pippen 11
Chicago led series, 3–2

United Center, Chicago Attendance: 23,844 Referees: Joe Crawford Bill Oakes Bennett Salvatore

NBC

June 14

Boxscore

Chicago Bulls 87, Utah Jazz 86
Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 23–24, 16–17, 26–20
Pts: Michael Jordan 45 Rebs: Dennis Rodman 8 Asts: Kukoč, Pippen 4		Pts: Karl Malone 31 Rebs: Karl Malone 11 Asts: Karl Malone 7
Chicago won NBA Finals, 4–2

Delta Center, Salt Lake City Attendance: 19,911 Referees: Dick Bavetta Dan Crawford Hue Hollins

Game summaries

Games 1 and 2

Unlike the 1997 Finals, the Jazz and Bulls entered this series as equals. The Jazz had won both regular season meetings with the Bulls, and many analysts predicted a hard-fought seven-game series. The two teams entered the Finals on completely different notes; the Jazz had swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and would have a total of ten days rest before the Finals began. The Bulls, meanwhile, needed all seven games to get past the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals and had just two days rest before having to travel to Utah. Predictions of a Jazz championship were strengthened with their 88–85 Game 1 victory in overtime in Utah, with Scottie Pippen just missing a 3 pointer at the buzzer. True to form, the Bulls tied 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 with some misses including one layup in Game 2 that hit the underside of the rim.

Games 3–5

The finals moved to Chicago with control of the series at stake in Game 3. Though anticipation was high, no one could have expected the blow-out seen in Game 3. In a 96–54 loss, the Jazz set the record for the lowest points scored in Finals history, as well as the lowest number of points scored in any NBA game (since eclipsed by a score of 49 from the Bulls on April 10, 1999) since the inception of the shot clock. Also, every player on the Bulls roster scored.

The Jazz pulled themselves together in Game 4 in a better, though vain attempt to tie the series.

The Jazz' early series-lead seemed like a distant memory, a false indication of a tough series as they entered Game 5 down 3–1. Chicago fans prepared for the last game they would host with the Jordan-led Bulls of the 1990s. But any notions of a championship on the home floor died when Michael Jordan missed a 3 pointer at the buzzer, preserving Utah's 83–81 victory after they almost blew a 7-point lead in the last 2 minutes. Karl Malone had his best game of the series, scoring 39 points. Antoine Carr made all 5 of his field goal attempts, mainly on 20-foot jumpers in the second half. With the series shifting back to Utah with a 3–2 Bulls lead, the promise of another Chicago championship wasn't so certain.

Game 6

Main article: Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals

As they arrived at the Delta Center for Game 6, things didn't look good for the Bulls. Scottie Pippen, whose back was already injured going into the game, aggravated his injury when he dunked the opening basket of the game. He scored only 8 points the entire game. To keep pace with Utah, the Bulls were forced to rely almost entirely on Jordan, who scored 23 points in the first half. Emotions ran high at the Delta Center when the Jazz suffered a critical shot clock violation in the second quarter. Referee Dick Bavetta ruled that Howard Eisley did not get a successful 3-point shot off in time, although TV replays showed that the ball was out of Eisley's hands just before the shot clock hit zero. Later in the fourth quarter, Michael Jordan tied the game with only a minute left. The Jazz then received some relief as John Stockton hit a 3 with 41.9 seconds left to give Utah an 86–83 lead and sent the Delta Center into a frenzy.

After Jordan made a layup to make it 86–85, the Bulls needed to stop the Jazz from scoring again. When John Stockton passed the ball to Karl Malone, Jordan stole the ball away and dribbled down the court. Guarding him was Bryon Russell, one of the Jazz's best defenders. With 10 seconds remaining, Jordan started to dribble right, then crossed over to his left. Jordan hit the 20-foot jumper to give the Bulls an 87–86 lead with 5.2 seconds left. After a time-out, Stockton missed a game-winning 3-pointer, giving the Bulls their sixth NBA title in 8 years. Jordan, who scored 45 points, and whose game-winning shot has been immortalized around the world, was once again named Finals MVP.

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Randy Brown	2	0	3.5	.333	.000	.000	1.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	1.0
Jud Buechler	6	0	5.2	.600	.667	.000	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.2	1.3
Scott Burrell	6	0	14.0	.409	.250	.667	2.5	0.0	1.2	0.0	3.5
Ron Harper	6	6	28.7	.364	.167	.583	4.5	2.8	1.5	0.7	5.3
Michael Jordan	6	6	41.7	.427	.308	.814	4.0	2.3	1.8	0.7	33.5
Steve Kerr	6	0	20.7	.350	.385	1.000	0.3	2.5	0.3	0.0	3.8
Toni Kukoč	6	6	37.0	.500	.304	.615	4.7	2.7	1.2	0.7	15.2
Luc Longley	6	6	21.7	.444	.000	.750	4.8	1.5	0.8	0.8	5.0
Scottie Pippen	6	6	39.5	.410	.231	.833	6.8	4.8	1.7	0.8	15.7
Dennis Rodman	6	0	30.5	.462	.000	.667	8.3	1.0	1.2	0.3	3.3
Dickey Simpkins	2	0	6.0	.500	.000	.000	1.5	0.5	0.0	0.5	1.0
Bill Wennington	3	0	4.3	.400	.000	.000	1.0	0.3	0.0	0.3	1.3

Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Shandon Anderson	6	0	21.0	.500	.333	.818	2.7	0.3	0.2	0.2	7.3
Antoine Carr	6	0	14.3	.500	.000	.750	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	4.2
Howard Eisley	6	0	17.5	.375	.143	1.000	2.0	3.8	0.3	0.2	4.7
Greg Foster	6	2	10.5	.267	.000	.000	2.3	0.0	0.2	0.3	1.3
Jeff Hornacek	6	6	34.2	.411	.333	.833	2.7	2.7	0.8	0.2	10.7
Adam Keefe	5	3	12.0	.429	.000	.500	3.4	0.2	0.4	0.0	2.8
Karl Malone	6	6	40.5	.504	.000	.789	10.5	3.8	1.0	1.2	25.0
Chris Morris	6	0	17.5	.393	.000	.667	2.5	0.5	0.3	0.2	4.3
Greg Ostertag	5	1	11.0	.417	.000	1.000	3.2	0.0	0.0	0.2	2.2
Bryon Russell	6	6	36.0	.409	.286	.688	5.0	1.3	1.2	0.2	8.8
John Stockton	6	6	32.3	.490	.222	.727	2.5	8.7	2.0	0.0	9.7
Jacque Vaughn	1	0	7.0	.000	.000	.000	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Television coverage

The Finals were televised in the United States by NBC, with Bob Costas on play-by-play and Doug Collins and Isiah Thomas serving as color analysts. Hannah Storm hosted the pre-game show, assisted by Bill Walton, John Salley and Peter Vescey, and Ahmad Rashad and Jim Gray reported from the sidelines. This was the first time since NBC took over the broadcasting rights to the NBA Finals in 1991 that Marv Albert was not the play by play commentator. He was fired from NBC on September 25, 1997 for sodomizing a woman.

Quotes from the Finals

Jordan... open... Chicago with the lead!! Timeout, Utah; 5.2 seconds left; Michael Jordan running on fumes with 45 points.

— NBC's Bob Costas calling Michael Jordan's title-winning shot in Game 6

11... 10... Jordan... Jordan, a drive! Hangs, fires, SCORES!! He scores! The Bulls lead 87–86 with five and two-tenths left, and now they are one stop away! Oh my goodness!

— Bulls announcer Neil Funk calling the same play

Stockton... Harper's on him. Behind the screens! Harper got a piece of it, it comes off... (time expires) The Chicago Bulls have won their 6th NBA championship, and it's their second three-peat.

— NBC's Bob Costas calling the end of Game 6 and the series

Aftermath

To date, the series remains the last Finals appearances for both the Bulls and Jazz. After the season, the Bulls dynasty broke up. Without its key personnel, the Bulls missed the playoffs in the lockout-shortened 1999 season, winning just 13 of 50 games. The Bulls would not make the postseason again until 2005, win a playoff series until 2007, and earn the Eastern Conference top seed until 2011. The city of Chicago would not see another championship until Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox won the 2005 World Series. Like the Bulls, the White Sox are owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, whose 2005 World Series championship is his seventh overall. The United Center would not host another championship series until the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.

Phil Jackson declined an offer from the team president to coach another season. He would come back as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999, winning five NBA titles in two separate stints with the team before retiring in 2011. This would give Jackson 11 NBA Titles, the most for a coach in the history of the four major American sports leagues. Ron Harper followed Jackson to the Lakers and won championships during his final two seasons, in 2000 and 2001.

In January 1999, Michael Jordan announced his retirement for the second time; he would come out of retirement for the second and final time in 2001 with the Washington Wizards and played two seasons with the team. Scottie Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets during the offseason and played his last season (2003–04) with the Bulls. Rodman, released by the Bulls in the offseason, signed with the Lakers mid-season, playing only 23 games before being released. In January 1999, the Bulls re-signed Steve Kerr and traded him to the San Antonio Spurs, where he would win two more championships in 1999 and 2003, his last year in the NBA. Luc Longley also retired in 2001.

The Jazz would continue to make the postseason until 2003, John Stockton's last season, and next made the Western Conference Finals in 2007 but lost in five games to the San Antonio Spurs. For the next three seasons, the Jazz made the postseason but each time was eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers (2008 conference semifinals, 2009 first round, 2010 conference semifinals). Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan resigned in February 2011.

Antoine Carr and Chris Morris became free agents after the Finals, signed with other teams, and retired by 2000. Jeff Hornacek retired in 2000 after two more seasons with Utah. After five more seasons with the Jazz, Karl Malone spent his final season of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals.

The 2005–06 postseason saw the retirement or departure from the NBA of these former members of the 1998 Finals teams: Howard Eisley, Greg Ostertag, Shandon Anderson, Bryon Russell, and Toni Kukoč. Eisley remained with the Jazz the next two seasons and ended his career with the Denver Nuggets. In July 2006, the Nuggets traded Eisley to the Chicago Bulls, but the Bulls later waived Eisley before the 2006–07 season. Ostertag retired in 2006 after having played all but one season since the 1998 Finals with the Jazz; he played for the Sacramento Kings in 2004-05. In his second season with the team and final season of his career, Anderson won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006. Like Eisley, Russell played his final NBA season with the Denver Nuggets in 2005–06; Russell played three years afterward with teams in the American Basketball Association and International Basketball League.

See also

• 1998 NBA Playoffs

External links

From NBA official site

• 1998 Playoff Results
• 1998 NBA Finals Recap
• Official Website on NBA.com at the Wayback Machine (archived January 17, 1999)
• Michael Jordan's Shot in Game 6

Other sites on the internet

• 1998 NBA Finals Summary and Linescores
• Greatest Finals Moments
• Former NBA official's take on Jordan's series-winning shot