Flashback: Game 6, 1998 NBA Finals

The tenth anniversary was Saturday, but the DVD of my favorite NBA game ever didn't come in the mail until today. That game was Game Six of the 1998 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan's last game as a Chicago Bull.

(Quick sidenote: you may remember I already did a tenth-anniversary retrospective on the Denver Broncos' first Super Bowl win. And in a few months I could write a look back on Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa's home run record chase. Has any year in sports ever come close to 1998?)

So I just re-watched the game and this is my report.

1. I knew this game was a classic, but forgot just how classic until I saw the NBC logo's feathers lighting up right before the "NBA on NBC" music kicked in. Yes, I bought a version of this song on iTunes a couple years back, but there's nothing quite like the original in context. (For the record, the song is by John Tesh and is called "Roundball Rock".)

2. Our announcers for the game? Bob Costas, Doug Collins, and yes, Isiah Thomas. Could there have been a better trio? Absolutely.

3. Some pregame stuff: I'd forgotten, but Utah had won Game Five in Chicago to force this Game Six back in Salt Lake. Karl Malone had scored 39 points, while Jordan had shot just 9-of-26 from the field. Worth mentioning after I just ran Kobe through the ringer, though to be fair, Jordan didn't play like that three games in a row. Also in Game Five, Jazz reserve Antoine Carr had hit five shots in the second half, so the announcers talked about him throughout Game Six like he was going to come in and do it all again.

While announcing the starting lineups, the Utah PA guy called out Karl Malone as the 1996-97 NBA MVP. I know you can't say that during the year the guy wins it, for obvious reasons, but didn't they learn their lesson about upsetting Michael the year before? It was sort of funny because Jordan had already received the 1997-98 MVP award, too.

4. Though it's considered a more-recent trend, the Bulls started two foreign-born players in the game: Toni Kukoc and Luc "Skywalker" Longley. With the Breakfast Club (Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Ron Harper) making up the other three, Dennis Rodman starts the game on the bench. Apparently this was normal because no one says anything.

5. The first quarter had a few interesting moments. Early on, Costas plugs NBC's website, and they show a screenshot of it running on a museum-piece version of Internet Explorer. Noteworthy is that the shot contained no ads. This was back when people just coming to your website was supposed to make you money somehow.

As for the game, Rodman checked in and quickly tangled with Malone for a rebound, followed by Malone immediately falling to the floor. Yesterday I was discussing the new flopping rules with co-workers and we agreed that Vlade Divac is the grandfather of the problem. But after watching Malone in action for a night, I'm tempted to change my vote. He fell several times in this game for no apparent reason. (Divac was around throughout the '90s, of course, but I recall he wasn't notorious until he was with the Kings.)

It's also worth pointing out how young everyone looks, especially the guys you still see occasionally—Jordan, Malone, and Phil Jackson. Okay, Jackson never looked young, but younger. Jordan was 35 and Malone was 34 at the time. Both were considered old then but they really didn't look it.

In the first half, the Bulls were called several times for illegal defense. (At the time, of course, zone defense was against the rules.) Chicago's defense in Game Three, as I mentioned a post ago, held the Jazz to the lowest scoring output in the shot-clock era. But I remember the broadcasters during Game Four showing instances of when Chicago had played illegal defense in that third game. I mostly remember Pippen setting up just below the foul line when he was still supposed to be above it. It was fascinating how such a small change could throw off the offense of one of the NBA's best scoring offenses so badly. Of course, there was probably more to it, but it's a textbook example of how complaints about officiating end up shaping how games are called later in a series.

6. Most notably in the first quarter, Pippen left the game with a lingering back injury. Before he left, the announcers wouldn't stop talking about how much pain he was in. Throughout the rest of the half we keep hearing that he's stretching so he can try to get back and play.

7. Stylistically Malone was a bit unique, and still no one plays quite like him. In this game he did some post moves that were more like drives, and also took a few runners. He always kept his legs under him on the running shots, something no one else does. And, believe it or not, in their twelfth Finals game together he wasn't letting Rodman get under his skin. With his terrific Game Five, it almost makes you wonder how it would have gone if the teams had played in the Finals one more time. Then again, he wouldn't exactly close out this game well...

8. Early in the second quarter (I think), Howard Eisley hit a long three as the shot clock buzzer goes off that gets waved off, though he definitely got it off in time. Harper later made a basket in the fourth that probably should have been waved off, but wasn't.

Later in the second, Phil Jackson argued vehemently that Malone should have been called for traveling on the other end, though the Bulls now have the ball. Jordan then gets called for traveling. Malone catches the ball on the other end, travels egregiously and scores, but all anyone said is how hard Malone is to guard when he catches the ball that close to the basket.

9. Also in the second, Costas makes a brief mention of something written by some guy named Skip Bayless of the Chicago Tribune...kind of cracked me up.

10. Jordan finished the first half with 23 points. He barely dribbled and was incredibly decisive with the ball. Though he's blamed for all the one-on-one that happens today, in this game it really doesn't feel like he's dominating the ball because he chooses his move so quickly. On defense, you'd say he was playing very lazily except he's never caught napping. Jordan was definitely conserving his energy, and in this game he raised it almost to an art form.

11. Pippen started the third quarter, and ended up grimacing through most of the rest of the game. He was used mostly as a decoy on offense, though he would go on to hit some key baskets in the fourth.

12. Two exchanges between Collins and Thomas in the third quarter were interesting, especially when I found myself siding with Thomas. At one point Luc Longley got beat, I think by the Mailman. Collins said Longley's just not quick enough to guard him. Thomas immediately jumped in and said that Longley was not guarding Malone smart enough. Later Chris Morris checked in to the game, and Collins suggested Carr wasn't checking in so he could be fresh for later. Thomas said he wouldn't mess around with Morris and would just play Carr now. Good points if you ask me. And let's not forget Collins talking earlier in the series about how he'd give the Jazz a day off after their horrible performance in Game Three.

13. One of my favorite moments from the Utah-Chicago rivalry, and I didn't even know it was in this game: Rodman and Malone get tangled up as the play continues at the other end, then knock each other to the floor three times. Eventually Malone got the call and two free throw attempts. Meanwhile Bryon Russell was bumping Jordan, who gives him a hard shot to the chest with his shoulder. Russell pushed Jordan, who stareds jawing at him. Great sequence.

14. It's at this point I notice that NBC shows WAY fewer graphics than we are used to today. It's almost shocking. Even the clock and score are rarely shown. And they NEVER use ridiculous camera angles, but occasionally have great shots of the action from different vantage points on the replays. It totally makes the game the focus, and I love it. However, I'm now so used to seeing the score that it's almost unnerving. Sort of like how I always knew the yardage to go in football until the yellow line came along.

15. Jordan took two hard shots on drives in the third. He made no effort to sell it and, aside from Malone tripping over himself, almost no one in this game did. Part of that might just be that these were two veteran teams and that the pace of the game was sort of slow to begin with. Jordan had 29 points after three, but Costas points out that he had hit just one of his last nine shots. Around this time he mentioned that Jordan had played the most minutes and in the most games that year of any season in his career.

16. The epic fourth quarter stands out the most. Early in it, Rodman got the ball to the left of the top of the key, and sunk a 20-footer. He ran up the court with his hands up and asked, "Who knew?" On the next play, someone passed to a cutting Adam Keefe, who completely blew an open dunk. He complained that he was fouled, but even Costas admitted he should have made the shot.

17. With about seven and a half minutes to play, Jordan was at the line and hits two free throws. They had to stop after the first as the camera focused on Jordan chewing gum. Costas told us the game was stopped because of an offensive sign. But remember, Jazz fans are all class!

On the other end, Costas said Rodman was the only one to protest the sign's removal, and I can't tell if he's kidding.

18. With four minutes to go, the Jazz were in control. The Bulls kept tying, but the Jazz kept going ahead. Jordan had missed three shots in a row.

19. Make that four, but when Hornacek tried to push a long pass to Russell, Jordan jumped and intercepted it. It was 81-79 Utah with three minutes to play. Jordan passed the ball in to Rodman, who's cutting down the lane but is called for an offensive foul. Jordan argued that Rodman was catching the ball and should have been allowed to land. He's ticked but not losing his head. At this point Jordan had 37 points on 13/32 shooting.

20. The next time up the floor, Malone scored on a long jumper off the pick-and-roll. Jazz 83-79. Jordan gets fouled on the other end and makes both with just over two minutes remaining. Stockton missed. Russell grabbed the rebound, but threw the ball away to Pippen. Jordan missed on the other end.

21. On the next trip down, Stockton passed in to Malone on the left block. Rodman slapped it away and the ball went out of bounds. He and Jackson argued the call but I can't understand why. On the replay, though, it looks like Stockton may have discretely swiped the ball away from Rodman and tipped it out. Pretty crafty if I saw that right. Stockton took and missed a three-pointer and Jordan got the rebound. He immediately took the ball up and drove baseline on Russell, but Stockton jumped in front and was called for blocking. Jordan hit both free throws to tie the game at 83 and was then eight for eight from the line for the quarter.

22. The Jazz take the ball up, and Stockton passes to Malone on the left block again. Pippen comes over to double, but Stockton runs around to the right side, where he catches a pass from Malone and hits a huge three to put Utah up 86-83. The Bulls call a timeout with 41.9 seconds to go. And that's where the fun begins.

23. Pippen inbounds the ball to Jordan at the Jazz logo, and Jordan immediately drives right for a lay-up to cut the lead to one.

24. The Jazz run a play to set up Malone on the left block again. This time Hornacek (Jordan's man) is in the key to set a screen on Rodman. Unfortunately for Utah, that decision leaves Jordan in the key. He stays for a split second, then quickly slaps the ball away from Malone for the famous steal. Malone falls to the ground for no apparent reason, but to his credit at least gets up quickly.

25. The Bulls don't call timeout. Instead, Jordan takes the ball up, drives on Russell, pushes a little, and then pulls up for the winning shot. He hits it. Utah calls a timeout with 5.2 seconds left.

It's hard to tell how much of a difference the push made. At first it was barely noticeable, and Russell falls pretty far, but with Jordan's coordination it's possible he pulled off a decent shove while on the move. I recall thinking when watching the game live that Jordan had posed for a second on the shot, but I later read that he was just following through because his shots had been short. (And, indeed, they had been.)

26. The Jazz inbound to Stockton, who has to shoot his three just a little too fast and misses. The Bulls win. Again. With Pippen's injury and Jordan's obvious fatigue it called to mind Tiger's recent win in the Open, only more impressive.

Jordan would go on to play for the Wizards, of course, and his star has diminished a lot the last few years, but he'd definitely given himself an ending straight out of Hollywood. He finished with 45 points, a sixth ring, and a sixth NBA Finals MVP award. And that, my friends, is as good as it gets.

And now it's time to watch the Flu Game.