1997 NBA Finals Game 6 Utah Jazz at Chicago Bulls, June 13, 1997, Drive for Five Championship

Описание: UTA 86, CHI 90 - The Chicago Bulls' second "three-peat" presented numerous challenges, many of which came from the Utah Jazz. On June 13, 1997, Michael Jordan and the Bulls had to dig deep to defeat the Jazz in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals. It was then that the Bulls found a new hero in Steve Kerr.

With the game tied at 86 and just seconds remaining on the clock, everyone in the United Center knew the ball was going to MJ. Already with 39 points, Jordan had sunk the Jazz with a buzzer-beater in Game 1, and they weren't going to let it happen again.

** “When Phil drew up the play at the end, everybody in the gym, everybody on TV knew was coming to me. I looked at Steve and said, 'This is your chance,' because I knew Stockton is going to come over and help, and I'm going to come to you," said Jordan.

** For context, plays were broadcast live on TV at the time, allowing opposing teams to learn about and counteract the drawn plays. As a result, changes were implemented in the current era.

Kerr recalled telling Jordan he'd be ready for the pass and that he'd knock it down. The rest was history as Jordan shed a double-team and kicked the ball out to a waiting Kerr, who sank a straightaway jumper to give the Bulls an 88-86 lead. One defensive stop later, and the Bulls were champions once again.

At the Bulls' championship parade, Kerr had his time at the podium and shared his version of the events that happened late in Game 6. Safe to say, it was far different from what actually happened, much to the delight of his teammates and the crowd.

"A lot of people have been asking me about the shot the other night, and there have been some misconceptions about what actually happened. I wanted to clear it up. When we called timeout with 25 seconds to go, we went into the huddle, and Phil told Michael, 'I want you to take the last shot.' And Michael said, 'You know what, Phil, I don't feel real comfortable in these situations. So maybe we ought to go in another direction—why don't we go to Steve?' So I thought to myself, 'Well, I guess I gotta bail Michael out again. Anyway, the shot went in, and that's my story. And I'm sticking to it," Kerr jokingly shared.

Finals MVP: Michael Jordan, 32.3 PTS, 46 FG%, 32 3PT%, 76 FT%, 7.0 REB, 6.0 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.8 BLK, Game Score: 23.4

Game performance and efficiency by Game Score distribution:

Michael Jordan: 23.4 (CHI)
Karl Malone: 16.8 (UTA)
Scottie Pippen: 15.1 (CHI)
John Stockton: 14.9 (UTA)
Bryon Russell: 7.2 (UTA)
Jeff Hornacek: 7.1 (UTA)
Toni Kukoc: 6.7 (CHI)
Ron Harper: 5.5 (CHI)
Luc Longley: 4.9 (CHI)
Greg Ostertag: 4.6 (UTA)
Greg Foster: 4.5 (UTA)

By examining the Game Score distribution, it is evident that Karl Malone received more support from his teammates than Michael Jordan did. While both players had secondary stars with marginal performances, the key difference was that Jordan's performance was comparable to a true All-Star MVP, whereas Malone's was more typical of an All-Star player. Additionally, Utah's role players outperformed the majority of Chicago's starters.

Dennis Rodman struggled in this series due to a knee sprain, resulting in a Game Score contribution of just 2.4, possibly the worst of his career. He averaged 2.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.

Side note: In my opinion, the 1996-97 Bulls were incredibly impressive given the hurdles they had to overcome. Despite being plagued by injuries throughout the season and not aiming for back-to-back 70-win seasons, they managed to achieve 69 wins without even trying. This was accomplished with a roster of aging and injury-ridden players and a starting lineup that changed throughout the season.