1997 NBA Finals

1997 NBA Finals

Team Coach Wins Chicago Bulls Phil Jackson 4 Utah Jazz Jerry Sloan 2
Dates	June 1–13
MVP	Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)
Television	NBC (U.S.)
Announcers	Marv Albert, Matt Guokas and Bill Walton
Radio network	ESPN
Announcers	Brent Musburger and Jack Ramsay
Referees
Game 1: Dan Crawford, Bill Oakes, Ed T. Rush Game 2: Hugh Evans, Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore Game 3: Joe Crawford, Hue Hollins, Jack Nies Game 4: Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Ed T. Rush Game 5: Dan Crawford, Hugh Evans, Bill Oakes Game 6: Joe Crawford, Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore
Hall of Famers	Bulls: Robert Parish (2003) 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 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, with the first 2 games in Chicago, the next 3 games in Salt Lake City, and the last 2 games in Chicago.

The Bulls won the series 4 games to 2. For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP.

Hal Douglas narrated the season-ending documentary for NBA Entertainment.

Background

The Utah Jazz qualified for 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, advancing to their first Western Conference Finals that year, and then advanced to that round of the playoffs 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 the club's 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, eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games of the second round, and then with John Stockton making the buzzer-beating three-point field goal in Game 6, eliminated the Houston Rockets to advance to their first NBA Finals in franchise history.

For the Chicago Bulls, the campaign was almost identical to their record-breaking 1995–96 season, although they would finish a win shy of another 70-win season. They swept the Washington Bullets in the first round (which was also that team's final season before it was re-branded as the Wizards), dispatched the Atlanta Hawks in a five-game second round series, and then defeated the Miami Heat in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Road to the Finals

Utah Jazz (Western Conference Champion)		Chicago Bulls (Eastern Conference Champion)
# Western Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 c-Utah Jazz 64 18 .780 – 2 y-Seattle SuperSonics 57 25 .695 7 3 x-Houston Rockets 57 25 .695 7 4 x-Los Angeles Lakers 56 26 .683 8 5 x-Portland Trail Blazers 49 33 .598 15 6 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 40 42 .488 24 7 x-Phoenix Suns 40 42 .488 24 8 x-Los Angeles Clippers 36 46 .439 28 9 Sacramento Kings 34 48 .415 30 10 Golden State Warriors 30 52 .366 34 11 Dallas Mavericks 24 58 .293 40 12 Denver Nuggets 21 61 .256 43 13 San Antonio Spurs 20 62 .244 44 14 Vancouver Grizzlies 14 68 .171 50 1st seed in the West, 2nd best league record	Regular season		# Eastern Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 z-Chicago Bulls 69 13 .841 – 2 y-Miami Heat 61 21 .744 8 3 x-New York Knicks 57 25 .695 12 4 x-Atlanta Hawks 56 26 .683 13 5 x-Detroit Pistons 54 28 .659 15 6 x-Charlotte Hornets 54 28 .659 15 7 x-Orlando Magic 45 37 .549 24 8 x-Washington Bullets 44 38 .537 25 9 Cleveland Cavaliers 42 40 .512 27 10 Indiana Pacers 39 43 .476 30 11 Milwaukee Bucks 33 49 .402 36 12 Toronto Raptors 30 52 .366 39 13 New Jersey Nets 26 56 .317 43 14 Philadelphia 76ers 22 60 .268 47 15 Boston Celtics 15 67 .183 54 1st seed in the East, best league record
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:

November 23, 1996

Chicago Bulls 100, Utah Jazz 105

Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

January 6, 1997

Utah Jazz 89, Chicago Bulls 102

United Center, Chicago, Illinois

Starting lineups

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame‡ 

Chicago	Position	Utah
Ron Harper	PG	John Stockton‡
Michael Jordan‡	SG	Jeff Hornacek
Scottie Pippen‡	SF	Bryon Russell
Dennis Rodman‡	PF	Karl Malone‡
Luc Longley	C	Greg Ostertag

1997 NBA Finals rosters

Chicago Bulls

Utah Jazz

Series summary

Game	Date	Home Team	Result	Road Team
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

NBC

June 1 7:30 et

Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived September 2, 2000)

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: No. 43 Dan Crawford No. 21 Bill Oakes No. 4 Ed T. Rush

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, after which he pumped his fist in triumph. The fist-pumping often draws comparisons to another famous Jordan reaction to a buzzer-beater, when he leaped into the air after hitting The Shot that eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the 1989 Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

Game 2

NBC

June 4 9:00 ET

Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived February 10, 2001)

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: No. 25 Hugh Evans No. 29 Steve Javie No. 15 Bennett Salvatore

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

NBC

June 6 9:00 et

Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived February 8, 2001)

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: No. 17 Joe Crawford No. 42 Hue Hollins No. 35 Jack Nies

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

NBC

June 8 7:30 et

Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived January 18, 2001)

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: No. 27 Dick Bavetta No. 45 Joe Forte No. 4 Ed T. Rush

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

NBC

June 11 9:00 et

Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived February 10, 2001)

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: No. 43 Dan Crawford No. 25 Hugh Evans No. 21 Bill Oakes

Game 5, known as "The Flu Game", was one of Michael Jordan's most memorable games. 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 and 4 to tie the series at 2 wins a piece, and a third consecutive win would give them the lead. The Bulls needed their leader for this critical game, and despite his sickness, 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 weak 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 speed. He scored 17 points in the quarter as the Bulls ended the half with a large run cutting the Jazz lead to four (53-49). 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 got 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 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 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

NBC

June 13 9:00 et

Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived February 10, 2001)

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: No. 17 Joe Crawford No. 29 Steve Javie No. 15 Bennett Salvatore

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 pointer, 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 pointer with 1:44 left to tie the game at 86. The two teams failed to score on their next possessions. Shandon Anderson then missed a reverse layup. The Jazz argued that this was due to Pippen grabbing the rim before the shot, causing the basketball standard to shake. However, the officials ruled that the ball had no chance of going in. 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 inbound 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. This would also be the last United Center championship celebration until the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks beat the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the 2015 Stanley Cup.

Following the championship ceremony, NBC Sports concluded their broadcast of the NBA Finals by playing R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly", a song that has been commonly associated with the NBA (and Jordan in particular) due to its inclusion in the movie Space Jam, as the credits rolled.^[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.

— Dennis Rodman defending his poor performance in Game 3. Rodman was later fined $50,000 for this remark. He apologized, claiming he wasn't insulting Mormons, but obnoxious Jazz fans.^[4][5]

Jordan comes up short. 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.

It's 73-72, Chicago. One minute left in the game. Jordan, right side. Michael up top, 20-footer...no good! Rebound Stockton, ahead to Karl Malone, he's got it, he scores!!! Stockton to Malone!! Jazz take the lead! Incredible! The 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

Russell, to inbound. Looking, looking, looking...skipped across, PIPPEN THE STEAL!! Scottie, saves it to Toni, he runs...(Bulls have done it to them!) The Bulls win!

— Neil Funk calling the aforementioned play.

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.

For the first time during their NBA coverage, NBC did not play "Winning It All" by The Outfield, choosing instead to play the aforementioned "I Believe I Can Fly" over the credits.^[3]

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.

Game 6 of this Finals series was also the last time a championship was clinched in the United Center until the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks won the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals on their home ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Like the 1997 NBA Finals, that Stanley Cup Finals was broadcast on NBC, and decided in six games.

References

1. Grover, Tim. "Trainer: MJ had food poisoning". ESPN. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
2. Weinberg, Rick (2004). "79: Jordan battles flu, makes Jazz sick". ESPN.
3. 1997 NBA Finals Tribute on YouTube
4. Jet Magazine staff (1997-06-30). "Rodman fined $50,000 for remarks about Mormons". Johnson Publishing Co. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
5. Wise, Mike (1997-06-13). "N.B.A. Fines Rodman $50,000 for Remarks on Mormons". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-12-16.

External links

• NBA History
• Official Website on NBA.com at the Wayback Machine (archived January 17, 1999)