SALT LAKE CITY, June 15: For one more and perhaps one last time, Michael Jordan delivered an NBA Championship to the Chicago Bulls almost single-handedly and with just seconds to go.Jordan scored 45 points and made the key play as only he could, stealing the ball from Karl Malone and hitting a jumper with 5.2 seconds left to give Chicago an 87-86 victory last night and a 4-2 series victory over the Utah Jazz.
It was an incredible moment for the greatest player in the game, as dramatic as anything he has done in a title-clinching game during his magnificent career.
With the Jazz ahead 86-85 and the clock ticking inside of 15 seconds, Jordan snuck up behind Malone and poked the ball away. The sound of 20,000 people gasping filled the Delta Center as Jazz fans collectively feared what was about to happen.
And Jordan did exactly what they feared, dribbling to the foul-line, pulling up to lose defender Bryon Russell and draining a jumper. The Jazz still had one more chance, but John Stockton missed athree-point attempt just before the buzzer. Jordan ran to mid-court and held up six fingers to signify six championships -- one for every full season he has played this decade.
"Of all the championships we've won, this was the toughest," Jordan said. "It was a long road with lots of bumps."
What made this championship even more special was the way Jordan had to work in the clinching game.
With Scottie Pippen severely hobbled by a sore back, Jordan pumped up 35 field goal attempts and 15 free throws.
He made 15 shots, including three 3-pointers, and had his highest scoring game in the finals since scoring 55 against Phoenix in 1993.
He was rewarded with his sixth finals MVP Trophy and avoided playing his first Game 7 in the finals.
The Bulls have never lost a Game 6, clinching the title four previous times beating Portland in 1992, Phoenix in 1993, Seattle in 1996 and Utah in 1997 without having to face a seventh game.
Now, the basketball world awaits the answer to the question of the season:Will this be the final championship for the Bulls or even Jordan's final game?
If it was, Jordan left everyone with something special to remember him by. But he said he'd "love" to have a chance to defend the title again.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
