Countdown To The 2018 NBA Finals - No. 3: 1998 Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz
As of May 22, 2018 – the start of this countdown – we’re officially 10 days away from the NBA Finals. So with that in mind I started thinking about the best Finals since I really remember started watching the games. I was born in 1987, which basically goes in line of remembering Jordan’s first trip to Finals in 1991. So we’ll use that as our starting point. What were the 10 best NBA Finals since 1991. Each day we’ll reveal one as we countdown to No. 1 on the start of the NBA Finals.
No. 10 – 2008
No. 9 – 2004
No. 8 – 2005
No. 7 – 2011
No. 6- 2010
No. 5 – 1993
No. 4 – 1994
No. 3 – 1998 Finals – Chicago Bulls 4, Utah Jazz 2
MVP: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)
Notable players: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, Karl Malone, John Stockton
Head coaches: Phil Jackson (Chicago Bulls) Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz)
Best game: Game 1 (Jazz won 88-85 in OT)
Biggest moment: Come on, what else could it be? Jordan getting loose (possibly pushing off) against Bryon Russell to create space for a game-winning jumper. It was so much more than that though. It started with Jordan getting the steal from Malone to set up the shot. You know what? It’s actually the entire last minute of the game. Remember, the incorrect shot clock violation call? Yeah, reffing was bad back then too. Dick Bavetta incorrectly called a shot clock violation on a Howard Eisley three, which was made. Then you had Stockton hit a three to give the Jazz a three point lead. Jordan hit a layup to cut the lead to one, before the steal and made shot happened.
Background: This was the second of the back-to-back NBA Finals between the two teams, because parity never happened in the NBA. Unlike 1997 though, many thought this would be more equal. That showed as most of the games were close besides game 3 when the Jazz scored just 54 points. That was gross. Both teams were the No. 1 seeds from their respective conferences and had a somewhat easy road to the NBA Finals. The Jazz were pushed to 5 games in Round 1 (back when it was a best of 5) before losing just 1 game to the Spurs and sweeping the Lakers. The Bulls went the opposite way. They swept the Nets, lost one game to the Hornets then got pushed to 7 by the Pacers.
Historical standpoint: This is where it all gets interesting to me. This was the last back-to-back Finals until the Warriors and Cavs met two years in a row (now four obviously). This was also the end of the Bulls dynasty. Phil Jackson declined an offer in the offseason. Many thought Jordan’s last shot – arguably the most historic photo in the NBA history – would be the last shot of his career. He obviously came back with the Wizards a few years later. The Bulls faded away after this NBA Finals. They went until 2005 before making the playoffs again. This was also the last shot for the Stockton/Malone duo. Despite returning the following year, they were on the decline and never made the Western Conference Finals again until 2007. This really moved the league towards the Lakers and Spurs for the next few years. But between the historical shot and 5 incredibly close games, this will be one of the more memorable Finals we’ll see.