1998 NBA Finals Game 6 (June 14, 1998)
Michael Jordan is indisputably the greatest basketball player of all time. What is disputed is the following question, what is Michael Jordan's greatest moment? This can be very hard to answer since we're talking about a man who has won six NBA titles, six NBA Finals MVP's, five regular season MVP's, a fourteen-time all-star selection, a ten-time scoring champion, and enough other honors satisfy the rest of this post. In my mind Jordan's finest moment also happens to be his last (if you disregard his playing stint with the Washington Wizards).
The 1998 NBA Finals featured a matchup between Jordan's Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz. The Bulls were on a quest to capture their 6th NBA title in eight years while the Jazz, led by future hall of famers John Stockton and Karl Malone, were looking to deliver the franchise its first championship. The series looked all but over when the Bulls beat the Jazz in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. Thanks to Karl Malone's 39 points in Game 5, the Jazz staved off elimination in Chicago. Suddenly the momentum had shifted in the Jazz's favor as the series moved back to Salt Lake City for Game 6.
The anticipation going into Game 6 was huge. Michael Jordan in all likelihood was set to retire after the 1998 season. Not only was his career coming to an end but so was the Chicago Bulls dynasty that dominated the 1990's. Bull's general manager Jerry Krause showed no signs of keeping the team together after the 1998 season. Key players including Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman along with head coach Phil Jackson would not be back the following season due to either trades or expiring contracts. The possibility of Game 6 being Jordan's last game and the end of the Bull's dynasty only added to the hype.
It was clear at the start of Game 6 that the Chicago Bulls were in for a barnburner. Scottie Pippen aggravated his back in the first few moments of the game. He'd be limited to just 26 minutes of action which required Jordan to perform at an even higher level. The Jazz jumped out to a small lead early on and maintained that lead for most the game. Jazz fans had built the reputation of being the most raucous fans in the NBA. The Utah fans knew this was their best shot at a title and they were going to make the most of the opportunity.
Through three quarters the Jazz led 71-66. The Bulls had seemingly survived up to that point in the game. Michael Jordan looked gassed going into the fourth quarter. With Pippen's back injury, the added responsibility placed on Jordan appeared to be taking a toll. Despite Chicago's challenges, Jordan sunk two free throws to tie the game 83-83 with 59 seconds remaining. The Jazz came right back with a huge three-pointer by John Stockton with 42 seconds left. The Bulls immediately called a timeout to regroup.
What occurs next will go down as Michael Jordan's greatest sequence. On the very next play Jordan takes the inbound pass, drives hard to the basket and scores with 37 seconds left. Less than five seconds came off the game clock which guaranteed the Bulls another possession without fouling. John Stockton takes the ball down the court looking to feed it to Karl Malone on the right block. Malone gets the ball in a spot where he'd scored thousands of times throughout his career. Malone turns his head away from the baseline for a quick moment when Jordan leaves his man and cleanly strips the ball from Malone with 20 seconds remaining. Suddenly the Jazz were in a position no opposing team wants to be against Jordan's Bulls. After stealing the ball from Malone, Jordan slowly brings the ball up the court, letting the game clock tick away. Everyone watching knew Michael wasn't going to give up the ball in this moment. The man given the task of guarding Jordan throughout the game, Byron Russell, had been waiting years for this moment.
In Michael Jordan's hall of fame induction speech, he mentions some unlikely names. One of those names happened to be Byron Russell. Back in 1994 during Jordan's first retirement from the game of basketball, Russell approached Michael with a friendly challenge. Byron called out Jordan for quitting basketball and threatened that if he ever saw Michael in a pair of shorts he'd guard him and shut him down. Fast forward four years later and sure enough Byron Russell and Michael Jordan would face off with the game and the championship on the line.
Michael crosses half-court court with 16 seconds left and sets up on the right wing. Russell doesn't give an inch of space as he rides along Jordan's left hip. With the clock at just under 9 seconds Jordan makes his move. He takes one hard dribble to his right to get just inside the 3-point line at the top of the key. At this point Russell's momentum is headed towards the basket. In one swift move, Jordan gives Russell a light push with his left hand then crosses over back to his left. As Russell slips to the ground and attempts to recover, Michael rises up and let's the ball fly.
The picture taken is the instant the ball is at it's highest point in the air. There are so many things to admire about this frame. The centerpiece is of course Michael Jordan. He is alone in the air, above all the other players, holding a perfect follow through. Every basketball player understands the importance of holding his or her follow through after a shot and Michael does it perfectly. The biggest loser of the frame has to be Byron Russell. It's a good thing this picture wasn't taken a second earlier when he was practically on the ground. Even in the picture you can tell Russell doesn't look imposing as he's hunched over with his back turned, failing to contest Jordan's jumper.
The rest of the people in the photo watch with intent except John Stockton to the far right and and Antoine Carr just to Jordan's left looking to box out their men. Those watching include not only the fans in the stands but also the players on the court and even the referee. Everyone is focused on the ball. You can sense the fear of the Jazz fans simply by looking at their faces. Many have their hands on their heads or faces while others have their mouths open in disbelief. A select few think screaming will somehow prevent the shot from going in.
Some of the fans have the most telling face of all, one of defeat. Their faces are stone cold. These are the people who knew the end result before Michael Jordan even shot the ball. Basketball fans had seen what Michael was capable of doing time and time again in the last seconds of any basketball game. The Utah fans guessed this would be no different. You can even sense Utah's players including Karl Malone (left of John Stockton) and Jeff Hornacek (left of Antoine Carr) knew how the story was going to end. It is difficult to imagine the feeling Malone must have felt it in that instant. He worked so hard to deliver the Utah Jazz a championship, and that year was certainly his best shot at it. As the ball travels through the air, you can see Karl Malone's and the Jazz fans' hopes and dreams hang in the balance.
It turned out the Jazz fans guessed right. Michael Jordan's shot hit nothing but net. The once deafening Delta Center fell silent. The Jazz still had 5.2 seconds left to set up a final desperation shot. John Stockton had a pretty good look at a 3-pointer at the top of the key that clanged off the rim as time expired. Final score: Bulls 87 Jazz 86. The game certainly had historic proportions. It would be Michael Jordan's last game ever as a Chicago Bull and what a way to go out scoring 45 points with 16 in the 4th quarter. The Bulls dynasty came to a close as Dennis Rodman (who by the way had some noteworthy hair in the frame) along with Scottie Pippen and coach Phil Jackson would not return the following year. As for the Jazz, their shot at a championship had come and gone. The epic duo of Karl Malone and John Stockton was coming to an end. Without their dominance the Jazz had no shot of getting as close as they did in 1998. Since that game neither the Jazz or the Bulls has made it back to the NBA Finals.
Although this image shows arguably Michael Jordan's greatest moment, it also indicates the end of an era. Game 6 of the 1998 Finals was and still is the highest rated NBA game of all time. This indicates that today's NBA doesn't have the same intrigue as it did in the 80's and 90's. Current superstars don't have the same worldwide reach Jordan had. This picture is what inspired me to take on a blog devoted solely to sports images. Even after all these years we can look at Jordan's last shot, hanging in the air, captivating fans in a moment to be remembered forever.
The 1998 NBA Finals featured a matchup between Jordan's Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz. The Bulls were on a quest to capture their 6th NBA title in eight years while the Jazz, led by future hall of famers John Stockton and Karl Malone, were looking to deliver the franchise its first championship. The series looked all but over when the Bulls beat the Jazz in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. Thanks to Karl Malone's 39 points in Game 5, the Jazz staved off elimination in Chicago. Suddenly the momentum had shifted in the Jazz's favor as the series moved back to Salt Lake City for Game 6.
The anticipation going into Game 6 was huge. Michael Jordan in all likelihood was set to retire after the 1998 season. Not only was his career coming to an end but so was the Chicago Bulls dynasty that dominated the 1990's. Bull's general manager Jerry Krause showed no signs of keeping the team together after the 1998 season. Key players including Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman along with head coach Phil Jackson would not be back the following season due to either trades or expiring contracts. The possibility of Game 6 being Jordan's last game and the end of the Bull's dynasty only added to the hype.
It was clear at the start of Game 6 that the Chicago Bulls were in for a barnburner. Scottie Pippen aggravated his back in the first few moments of the game. He'd be limited to just 26 minutes of action which required Jordan to perform at an even higher level. The Jazz jumped out to a small lead early on and maintained that lead for most the game. Jazz fans had built the reputation of being the most raucous fans in the NBA. The Utah fans knew this was their best shot at a title and they were going to make the most of the opportunity.
Through three quarters the Jazz led 71-66. The Bulls had seemingly survived up to that point in the game. Michael Jordan looked gassed going into the fourth quarter. With Pippen's back injury, the added responsibility placed on Jordan appeared to be taking a toll. Despite Chicago's challenges, Jordan sunk two free throws to tie the game 83-83 with 59 seconds remaining. The Jazz came right back with a huge three-pointer by John Stockton with 42 seconds left. The Bulls immediately called a timeout to regroup.
What occurs next will go down as Michael Jordan's greatest sequence. On the very next play Jordan takes the inbound pass, drives hard to the basket and scores with 37 seconds left. Less than five seconds came off the game clock which guaranteed the Bulls another possession without fouling. John Stockton takes the ball down the court looking to feed it to Karl Malone on the right block. Malone gets the ball in a spot where he'd scored thousands of times throughout his career. Malone turns his head away from the baseline for a quick moment when Jordan leaves his man and cleanly strips the ball from Malone with 20 seconds remaining. Suddenly the Jazz were in a position no opposing team wants to be against Jordan's Bulls. After stealing the ball from Malone, Jordan slowly brings the ball up the court, letting the game clock tick away. Everyone watching knew Michael wasn't going to give up the ball in this moment. The man given the task of guarding Jordan throughout the game, Byron Russell, had been waiting years for this moment.
In Michael Jordan's hall of fame induction speech, he mentions some unlikely names. One of those names happened to be Byron Russell. Back in 1994 during Jordan's first retirement from the game of basketball, Russell approached Michael with a friendly challenge. Byron called out Jordan for quitting basketball and threatened that if he ever saw Michael in a pair of shorts he'd guard him and shut him down. Fast forward four years later and sure enough Byron Russell and Michael Jordan would face off with the game and the championship on the line.
Michael crosses half-court court with 16 seconds left and sets up on the right wing. Russell doesn't give an inch of space as he rides along Jordan's left hip. With the clock at just under 9 seconds Jordan makes his move. He takes one hard dribble to his right to get just inside the 3-point line at the top of the key. At this point Russell's momentum is headed towards the basket. In one swift move, Jordan gives Russell a light push with his left hand then crosses over back to his left. As Russell slips to the ground and attempts to recover, Michael rises up and let's the ball fly.
The picture taken is the instant the ball is at it's highest point in the air. There are so many things to admire about this frame. The centerpiece is of course Michael Jordan. He is alone in the air, above all the other players, holding a perfect follow through. Every basketball player understands the importance of holding his or her follow through after a shot and Michael does it perfectly. The biggest loser of the frame has to be Byron Russell. It's a good thing this picture wasn't taken a second earlier when he was practically on the ground. Even in the picture you can tell Russell doesn't look imposing as he's hunched over with his back turned, failing to contest Jordan's jumper.
The rest of the people in the photo watch with intent except John Stockton to the far right and and Antoine Carr just to Jordan's left looking to box out their men. Those watching include not only the fans in the stands but also the players on the court and even the referee. Everyone is focused on the ball. You can sense the fear of the Jazz fans simply by looking at their faces. Many have their hands on their heads or faces while others have their mouths open in disbelief. A select few think screaming will somehow prevent the shot from going in.
Some of the fans have the most telling face of all, one of defeat. Their faces are stone cold. These are the people who knew the end result before Michael Jordan even shot the ball. Basketball fans had seen what Michael was capable of doing time and time again in the last seconds of any basketball game. The Utah fans guessed this would be no different. You can even sense Utah's players including Karl Malone (left of John Stockton) and Jeff Hornacek (left of Antoine Carr) knew how the story was going to end. It is difficult to imagine the feeling Malone must have felt it in that instant. He worked so hard to deliver the Utah Jazz a championship, and that year was certainly his best shot at it. As the ball travels through the air, you can see Karl Malone's and the Jazz fans' hopes and dreams hang in the balance.
It turned out the Jazz fans guessed right. Michael Jordan's shot hit nothing but net. The once deafening Delta Center fell silent. The Jazz still had 5.2 seconds left to set up a final desperation shot. John Stockton had a pretty good look at a 3-pointer at the top of the key that clanged off the rim as time expired. Final score: Bulls 87 Jazz 86. The game certainly had historic proportions. It would be Michael Jordan's last game ever as a Chicago Bull and what a way to go out scoring 45 points with 16 in the 4th quarter. The Bulls dynasty came to a close as Dennis Rodman (who by the way had some noteworthy hair in the frame) along with Scottie Pippen and coach Phil Jackson would not return the following year. As for the Jazz, their shot at a championship had come and gone. The epic duo of Karl Malone and John Stockton was coming to an end. Without their dominance the Jazz had no shot of getting as close as they did in 1998. Since that game neither the Jazz or the Bulls has made it back to the NBA Finals.
Although this image shows arguably Michael Jordan's greatest moment, it also indicates the end of an era. Game 6 of the 1998 Finals was and still is the highest rated NBA game of all time. This indicates that today's NBA doesn't have the same intrigue as it did in the 80's and 90's. Current superstars don't have the same worldwide reach Jordan had. This picture is what inspired me to take on a blog devoted solely to sports images. Even after all these years we can look at Jordan's last shot, hanging in the air, captivating fans in a moment to be remembered forever.
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