1997 NBA Finals
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The 1997 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1996-1997 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 Bulls won the series 4 games to 2. For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Bulls guard Michael Jordan was named the Most Valuable Player of the series.
[edit] Background
In the 1996-1997 season, Michael Jordan led the Bulls to a 69-13 record. In 1996-1997, the Jazz had a legendary team, with such players as John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jeff Hornacek, Bryon Russell, Greg Ostertag, Antoine Carr, Howard Eisley, and Shandon Anderson. The Jazz had their best record in franchise history at 64-18. They finally reached the NBA Finals for the first time ever after sweeping the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers 4-1, and Houston Rockets 4-2 to meet the Bulls in the Finals. A three-pointer at the buzzer by John Stockton over Charles Barkley in Game 6 of the 1997 Western Conference Championship sent the Jazz to the Finals. This shot remains one of the highlight shots of the Jazz franchise.
The series between the Bulls and Jazz featured two of the more memorable clutch efforts of Michael Jordan's career. He won Game 1 for the Bulls with a buzzer-beating jump shot. The Jazz would eventually fight the first four games to a 2-2 tie. In Game 5, with the series tied 2-2, Jordan gamely scored 38 points despite suffering from a stomach virus that had rendered him feverish and dehydrated at the start of the game. The Bulls won the contest 90-86 after Steve Kerr made the game-winning basket, and then Scottie Pippen made the steal and Toni Kukoč made the clinching dunk. The Bulls win the series in six games (with a 90-86 victory in Game 6).
[edit] Series scoring summary
The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the quarter numbers are replaced by game numbers.
| Team | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah (West) | 82 | 85 | 104 | 78 | 88 | 86 | 2 |
| Chicago (East) | 84 | 97 | 93 | 73 | 90 | 90 | 4 |
[edit] Schedule
- Game 1 - June 1, Sunday @Chicago, Chicago 84, Utah 82: Chicago leads series 1-0
- Game 2 - June 4, Wednesday @Chicago, Chicago 97, Utah 85: Chicago leads series 2-0
- Game 3 - June 6, Friday @Utah, Utah 104, Chicago 93: Chicago leads series 2-1
- Game 4 - June 8, Sunday @Utah, Utah 78, Chicago 73: Series tied 2-2
- Game 5 - June 11, Wednesday @Utah, Chicago 90, Utah 88: Chicago leads series 3-2
- Game 6 - June 13, Friday @Chicago, Chicago 90, Utah 86: Chicago wins series 4-2
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).
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