1997–98 Chicago Bulls season
Encyclopedia
The 1997–98 Chicago Bulls
were an elite team in the NBA's Eastern Conference, as they had been throughout the decade, and defeated the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals
. The championship was their sixth in eight years and completed the franchise's second "three-peat". This was Michael Jordan's final season as a Bull (he would make a brief comeback with the Washington Wizards
). Also leaving were starters Scottie Pippen
and Dennis Rodman
as well as head coach Phil Jackson
. Because of these departures, this season is considered the end of the Bulls dynasty that had headlined the NBA throughout the 1990s. What followed was a long rebuilding process, and the Bulls did not return to the postseason until 2005.
who injured his foot during the offseason. The Bulls would limp to an 8-7 record to start. Michael Jordan
had to carry the load. The team would pick up slack later in the first half of the season, but would go into the All-Star
break with only the second-best record in the Eastern Conference to the Indiana Pacers
. The Bulls, however would go on a roll in the second-half of the season with a healthy Scottie Pippen, winning 13 straight and reclaiming the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #D40026; color: white; text-align: center;" | 1997-98 Chicago Bulls roster
|- style="background-color: black; color: #D40026; text-align: center;"
! Players !! Coaches
|-
| valign="top" |
{| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;"
! Pos. !! # !! Nat. !! Name !! Ht. !! Wt. !! From
|-
!width="40"|Pos.
!width="165"|Starter
!width="165"|Bench
!width="165"|Reserve
!width="165"|Inactive
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:white"
! style="background:#C41E3A" | C
| Luc Longley
|| Bill Wennington
|| || style="background:#C41E3A" | Joe Kleine
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:white"
! style="background:#C41E3A" | PF
| Dennis Rodman
|| || Dickey Simpkins
|| style="background:#C41E3A" |
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:white"
! style="background:#C41E3A" | SF
| Scottie Pippen
|| Toni Kukoč
|| || style="background:#C41E3A" | Keith Booth
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:red"
! style="background:#C41E3A" | SG
| Michael Jordan
|| Scott Burrell
|| Jud Buechler
|| style="background:#C41E3A" |
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:white"
! style="background:#C41E3A" | PG
| Ron Harper
|| Steve Kerr
|| Randy Brown
|| style="background:#C41E3A" | Rusty LaRue
|}
|-
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="10%" | Player
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | GP
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | GS
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | MPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | FG%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | 3P%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | FT%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | RPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | APG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | SPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | BPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | PPG
|-
|
| 6 || 0 || 2.8 || .333 || .000 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 1.000 || .7 || .2 || .00 || .00 || 1.7
|-
|
| 71 || 6 || 16.2 || .384 || .000 || .718 || 1.3 || 2.1 || 1.00 || .17 || 4.1
|-
|
| 74 || 0 || 8.2 || .483 || .385 || .500 || 1.0 || .7 || .30 || .20 || 2.7
|-
|
| 80 || 3 || 13.7 || .424 || .354 || .734 || 2.5 || .8 || .80 || .46 || 5.2
|-
|
| 51 || 8 || 13.9 || .503 || .000 || .660 || 3.4 || .7 || .25 || .33 || 5.3
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 82 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 82 || 27.9 || .441 || .190 || .750 || 3.5 || 2.9 || 1.32 || .59 || 9.3
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 82 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 82 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 38.8 || .465 || .238 || .784 || 5.8 || 3.5 || 1.72 || .55 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 28.7
|-
|
| 50 || 0 || 22.4 || .454 || style="background:black;color:white;" | .438 || .918 || 1.5 || 1.9 || .52 || .10 || 7.5
|-
|
| 46 || 1 || 8.6 || .368 || .000 || .833 || 1.7 || .7 || .09 || .11 || 2.0
|-
|
| 74 || 52 || 30.2 || .455 || .362 || .708 || 4.4 || 4.2 || 1.03 || .50 || 13.3
|-
|
| 14 || 0 || 10.0 || .408 || .250 || .625 || .6 || .4 || .21 || .07 || 3.5
|-
|
| 58 || 58 || 29.4 || .455 || .000 || .736 || 5.9 || 2.8 || .59 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 1.07 || 11.4
|-
|
| 44 || 44 || 37.5 || .447 || .318 || .777 || 5.2 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 5.8 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 1.80 || .98 || 19.1
|-
|
| 80 || 66 || 35.7 || .431 || .174 || .550 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 15.0 || 2.9 || .59 || .22 || 4.7
|-
|
| 21 || 0 || 11.3 || .634 || .000 || .591 || 1.5 || .8 || .19 || .14 || 3.7
|-
|
| 3 || 0 || 2.0 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 1.000 || .000 || .500 || .3 || .0 || .00 || .00 || 1.3
|-
|
| 48 || 8 || 9.7 || .436 || .000 || .810 || 1.7 || .4 || .08 || .10 || 3.5
|}
|-
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="10%" | Player
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | GP
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | GS
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | MPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | FG%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | 3P%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | FT%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | RPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | APG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | SPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | BPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | PPG
|-
|
| 14 || || 5.1 || .167 || .000 || .833 || .6 || .6 || .14 || .00 || .6
|-
|
| 16 || || 4.0 || .364 || style="background:black;color:white;" | .600 || .000 || .7 || .2 || .19 || .06 || .7
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 12.4 || .438 || .300 || style="background:black;color:white;" | .909 || 2.0 || .5 || .90 || .14 || 3.8
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 26.8 || .459 || .263 || .615 || 3.7 || 2.3 || .95 || .86 || 6.7
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || style="background:black;color:white;" | 41.5 || .462 || .302 || .812 || 5.1 || 3.5 || 1.52 || .57 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 32.4
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 19.8 || .434 || .463 || .818 || .8 || 1.7 || .33 || .00 || 4.9
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 30.3 || .486 || .377 || .645 || 3.9 || 2.9 || 1.24 || .48 || 13.1
|-
|
| 18 || || 25.3 || .450 || .000 || .872 || 5.0 || 1.9 || .67 || .83 || 7.9
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 39.8 || .415 || .228 || .679 || 7.1 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 5.2 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 2.14 || style="background:black;color:white;" | .95 || 16.8
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 34.4 || .371 || .250 || .605 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 11.8 || 2.0 || .67 || .62 || 4.9
|-
|
| 13 || || 5.7 || .375 || .000 || .444 || 1.0 || .2 || .15 || .08 || 1.2
|-
|
| 16 || || 7.4 || style="background:black;color:white;" | .526 || .000 || .500 || .9 || .2 || .38 || .12 || 2.8
|}
|-
!Chicago Bulls!!Utah Jazz
|-
|Head Coach: Phil Jackson
||Head Coach: Jerry Sloan
|-
|Michael Jordan
||Karl Malone
|-
|Scottie Pippen
||Jeff Hornacek
|-
|Dennis Rodman
||John Stockton
|-
|Luc Longley
||Bryon Russell
|-
|Ron Harper
||Shandon Anderson
|-
|Steve Kerr
||Adam Keefe
|-
|Jason Caffey
||Howard Eisley
|-
|Scott Burrell
||Antoine Carr
|-
|Randy Brown
||Greg Foster
|-
|Dickey Simpkins
||Greg Ostertag
|-
|Rusty LaRue
||Chris Morris
|-
|Bill Wennington
||Jacque Vaughn
|-
|Jud Buechler
||Troy Hudson
|-
|Joe Kleine
||William Cunningham
|-
|Keith Booth
||
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Game !! Date !! Home Team!! Result!! Road Team
|-
| Game 1 || June 3 || Utah || 88-85 (OT) || Chicago
|-
| Game 2 || June 5 || Utah || 88-93 || Chicago
|-
| Game 3 || June 7 || Chicago || 96-54 || Utah
|-
| Game 4 || June 10 || Chicago || 86-82 || Utah
|-
| Game 5 || June 12 || Chicago || 81-83 || Utah
|-
| Game 6 || June 14 || Utah || 86-87 || Chicago
|-
|}
Bulls win series 4-2
The early Jazz series-lead seemed like a distant memory, a false indication of a tough series as they hit the floor for Game 5 behind 3-1. Chicago fans prepared for the last game they would host with the Jordan-led Bulls of the 90's. But any notions of a championship at the United Center would be snuffed out when Michael Jordan airballed a off-balance 3 to the right of the basket giving the Jazz a narrow 83-81 win. With the series shifting back to Utah with a far more generous 3-2 Bulls advantage, the promise of another Chicago championship was not so certain.
As they arrived at the Delta Center for Game 6, things didn't look good for the Bulls. Scottie Pippen's back gave out when he dunked the opening basket of the game and he was slowed down and held to just 8 points. Tensions ran high in the Delta Center when the Jazz discovered the problems of their own. They suffered a couple shot-clock violations but television replays showed that Howard Eisley got the ball out of his hands for a 3 before the shot clock reached 0 and the referees missed the call. In the 4th quarter, the Bulls closed the gap. Then things got worse as John Stockton hit a clutch 3 with 41.9 seconds left to give Utah an 86-83 lead that blew the roof off the Delta Center. Down by 3, the Bulls had one last chance to stay alive. Running perilously low on energy, it would be imperative for Chicago to win the series before the game went into OT.
After Michael Jordan made a layup to cut the Jazz lead to one, the Bulls needed to stop the Jazz from scoring again. When John Stockton passed the ball to Karl Malone, Michael Jordan stole the ball away and dribbled to the front. Guarding him was Bryon Russell
, one of the Jazz's best perimeter defenders. Jordan drove inside the 3-point line, executed a quick cross-over, and made a 20-ft. jump shot to give the Bulls an 87-86 lead with 5.2 seconds left. After Utah took a timeout, Stockton's 3 hit the rim and bounced away, giving the Bulls their 6th title in 8 years. The famous winning shot
has been immortalized in many records. Jordan was afterwards named the Finals MVP.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
were an elite team in the NBA's Eastern Conference, as they had been throughout the decade, and defeated the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals
1998 NBA Finals
The 1998 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1997-98 National Basketball Association season. The Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference played against the Utah Jazz of the Western Conference, with the Jazz holding home-court advantage with the first 2 games in Salt Lake City...
. The championship was their sixth in eight years and completed the franchise's second "three-peat". This was Michael Jordan's final season as a Bull (he would make a brief comeback with the Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
). Also leaving were starters Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen
Scottie Maurice Pippen is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association . He is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, with whom he was instrumental in six NBA Championships and their record 1995–96 season of 72 wins...
and Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Keith Rodman is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, he was nicknamed "Dennis the Menace" and "The...
as well as head coach Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson is a retired American professional basketball coach and player. Jackson is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association . His reputation was established as head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 through 1998;...
. Because of these departures, this season is considered the end of the Bulls dynasty that had headlined the NBA throughout the 1990s. What followed was a long rebuilding process, and the Bulls did not return to the postseason until 2005.
NBA Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Keith Booth Keith Booth Keith Eugene Booth is an American basketball coach and former player. Booth played college basketball at the University of Maryland from 1994 to 1997. He was an assistant coach at his alma mater under Gary Williams from 2004 to 2011... |
F | Maryland Maryland Terrapins men's basketball The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition... |
|
| 2 | 58 | Roberto Dueñas Roberto Dueñas Roberto Dueñas Hernandez is a retired Spanish basketball player. He was drafted with the last overall pick of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls but never played in the NBA. Dueñas played professionally with FC Barcelona from 1996-2005, during which time he won a Euroleague championship in... |
C | FC Barcelona (Spain Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto The Liga ACB, known as the Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Spain. It was founded in 1956 with the name of Liga Nacional. The league changed its name to the current one in 1983. The league is rated as one of the three "A" level European... ) |
|
Regular season
The Bulls would begin the regular season without star forward Scottie PippenScottie Pippen
Scottie Maurice Pippen is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association . He is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, with whom he was instrumental in six NBA Championships and their record 1995–96 season of 72 wins...
who injured his foot during the offseason. The Bulls would limp to an 8-7 record to start. Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
had to carry the load. The team would pick up slack later in the first half of the season, but would go into the All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
break with only the second-best record in the Eastern Conference to the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. The Bulls, however would go on a roll in the second-half of the season with a healthy Scottie Pippen, winning 13 straight and reclaiming the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Roster
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;"|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #D40026; color: white; text-align: center;" | 1997-98 Chicago Bulls roster
|- style="background-color: black; color: #D40026; text-align: center;"
! Players !! Coaches
|-
| valign="top" |
{| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;"
! Pos. !! # !! Nat. !! Name !! Ht. !! Wt. !! From
|-
Depth chart
{| style="text-align: center; background:black; color:white"!width="40"|Pos.
!width="165"|Starter
!width="165"|Bench
!width="165"|Reserve
!width="165"|Inactive
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:white"
! style="background:#C41E3A" | C
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
| Luc Longley
Luc Longley
Lucien James "Luc" Longley is a retired Australian professional basketball player, who was the first Australian to play in the NBA, where he played for eleven seasons...
|| Bill Wennington
Bill Wennington
William Percey Wennington is a retired Canadian basketball player in the National Basketball Association who won three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. A center, he was also a member of two Canadian Olympic Basketball Teams and the 1983 World University Games team that won gold against...
|| || style="background:#C41E3A" | Joe Kleine
Joe Kleine
Joseph William Kleine is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.Kleine, a seven-foot center, graduated from Slater High School in Slater, Missouri and originally enrolled to play basketball at the University of Notre Dame...
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:white"
! style="background:#C41E3A" | PF
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
| Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Keith Rodman is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, he was nicknamed "Dennis the Menace" and "The...
|| || Dickey Simpkins
Dickey Simpkins
LuBara Dixon "Dickey" Simpkins is an American former professional basketball player best known for his tenure with the Chicago Bulls in the late 1990s...
|| style="background:#C41E3A" |
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:white"
! style="background:#C41E3A" | SF
Small forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...
| Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen
Scottie Maurice Pippen is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association . He is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, with whom he was instrumental in six NBA Championships and their record 1995–96 season of 72 wins...
|| Toni Kukoč
Toni Kukoc
Toni Kukoč is a retired Croatian professional basketball player. He was renowned for his versatility and passing ability; although his natural position was small forward, he played all five positions on the court with prowess and demonstrated court vision and an outside shooting touch that were...
|| || style="background:#C41E3A" | Keith Booth
Keith Booth
Keith Eugene Booth is an American basketball coach and former player. Booth played college basketball at the University of Maryland from 1994 to 1997. He was an assistant coach at his alma mater under Gary Williams from 2004 to 2011...
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:red"
! style="background:#C41E3A" | SG
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
| Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
|| Scott Burrell
Scott Burrell
Scott David Burrell is an American retired professional basketball player and current assistant coach for Quinnipiac University. He has played internationally and was also a professional baseball player...
|| Jud Buechler
Jud Buechler
Judson Donald "Jud" Buechler is a retired American professional basketball player. He grew up in Poway, CA and attended Poway High School, where he was a top basketball recruit as well as a Top-50 men's volleyball prospect....
|| style="background:#C41E3A" |
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:white"
! style="background:#C41E3A" | PG
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
| Ron Harper
Ron Harper
Ronald "Ron" Harper is a retired American professional basketball player whose career spanned from 1986 to 2001 with four teams in the NBA. At 6 ft 6 in , his position was shooting guard/point guard.- Collegiate career :...
|| Steve Kerr
Steve Kerr
Stephen Douglas "Steve" Kerr is a retired American professional basketball player. He shot .454 from three point range over his career and currently holds the record as the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history...
|| Randy Brown
Randy Brown
Randy Brown is a retired American basketball player. A 6'2" guard who played at New Mexico State University, Brown was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft...
|| style="background:#C41E3A" | Rusty LaRue
Rusty LaRue
Rusty LaRue is an American former multi-sport athlete who played basketball, baseball, and football at Wake Forest University. He later played for the Chicago Bulls team that won the 1998 National Basketball Association Championship...
|}
Regular season
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"|-
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="10%" | Player
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | GP
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | GS
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | MPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | FG%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | 3P%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | FT%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | RPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | APG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | SPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | BPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | PPG
|-
|
| 6 || 0 || 2.8 || .333 || .000 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 1.000 || .7 || .2 || .00 || .00 || 1.7
|-
|
| 71 || 6 || 16.2 || .384 || .000 || .718 || 1.3 || 2.1 || 1.00 || .17 || 4.1
|-
|
| 74 || 0 || 8.2 || .483 || .385 || .500 || 1.0 || .7 || .30 || .20 || 2.7
|-
|
| 80 || 3 || 13.7 || .424 || .354 || .734 || 2.5 || .8 || .80 || .46 || 5.2
|-
|
| 51 || 8 || 13.9 || .503 || .000 || .660 || 3.4 || .7 || .25 || .33 || 5.3
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 82 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 82 || 27.9 || .441 || .190 || .750 || 3.5 || 2.9 || 1.32 || .59 || 9.3
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 82 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 82 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 38.8 || .465 || .238 || .784 || 5.8 || 3.5 || 1.72 || .55 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 28.7
|-
|
| 50 || 0 || 22.4 || .454 || style="background:black;color:white;" | .438 || .918 || 1.5 || 1.9 || .52 || .10 || 7.5
|-
|
| 46 || 1 || 8.6 || .368 || .000 || .833 || 1.7 || .7 || .09 || .11 || 2.0
|-
|
| 74 || 52 || 30.2 || .455 || .362 || .708 || 4.4 || 4.2 || 1.03 || .50 || 13.3
|-
|
| 14 || 0 || 10.0 || .408 || .250 || .625 || .6 || .4 || .21 || .07 || 3.5
|-
|
| 58 || 58 || 29.4 || .455 || .000 || .736 || 5.9 || 2.8 || .59 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 1.07 || 11.4
|-
|
| 44 || 44 || 37.5 || .447 || .318 || .777 || 5.2 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 5.8 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 1.80 || .98 || 19.1
|-
|
| 80 || 66 || 35.7 || .431 || .174 || .550 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 15.0 || 2.9 || .59 || .22 || 4.7
|-
|
| 21 || 0 || 11.3 || .634 || .000 || .591 || 1.5 || .8 || .19 || .14 || 3.7
|-
|
| 3 || 0 || 2.0 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 1.000 || .000 || .500 || .3 || .0 || .00 || .00 || 1.3
|-
|
| 48 || 8 || 9.7 || .436 || .000 || .810 || 1.7 || .4 || .08 || .10 || 3.5
|}
Playoffs
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"|-
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="10%" | Player
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | GP
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | GS
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | MPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | FG%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | 3P%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | FT%
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | RPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | APG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | SPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | BPG
! style="background:#C41E3A;color:black;" width="6%" | PPG
|-
|
| 14 || || 5.1 || .167 || .000 || .833 || .6 || .6 || .14 || .00 || .6
|-
|
| 16 || || 4.0 || .364 || style="background:black;color:white;" | .600 || .000 || .7 || .2 || .19 || .06 || .7
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 12.4 || .438 || .300 || style="background:black;color:white;" | .909 || 2.0 || .5 || .90 || .14 || 3.8
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 26.8 || .459 || .263 || .615 || 3.7 || 2.3 || .95 || .86 || 6.7
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || style="background:black;color:white;" | 41.5 || .462 || .302 || .812 || 5.1 || 3.5 || 1.52 || .57 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 32.4
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 19.8 || .434 || .463 || .818 || .8 || 1.7 || .33 || .00 || 4.9
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 30.3 || .486 || .377 || .645 || 3.9 || 2.9 || 1.24 || .48 || 13.1
|-
|
| 18 || || 25.3 || .450 || .000 || .872 || 5.0 || 1.9 || .67 || .83 || 7.9
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 39.8 || .415 || .228 || .679 || 7.1 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 5.2 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 2.14 || style="background:black;color:white;" | .95 || 16.8
|-
|
| style="background:black;color:white;" | 21 || || 34.4 || .371 || .250 || .605 || style="background:black;color:white;" | 11.8 || 2.0 || .67 || .62 || 4.9
|-
|
| 13 || || 5.7 || .375 || .000 || .444 || 1.0 || .2 || .15 || .08 || 1.2
|-
|
| 16 || || 7.4 || style="background:black;color:white;" | .526 || .000 || .500 || .9 || .2 || .38 || .12 || 2.8
|}
1998 NBA Finals Roster
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"|-
!Chicago Bulls!!Utah Jazz
|-
|Head Coach: Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson is a retired American professional basketball coach and player. Jackson is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association . His reputation was established as head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 through 1998;...
||Head Coach: Jerry Sloan
Jerry Sloan
Gerald Eugene "Jerry" Sloan , is an American former National Basketball Association player and head coach, and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. NBA commissioner David Stern called Sloan "one of the greatest and most respected coaches in NBA history." Sloan had a career regular-season...
|-
|Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
||Karl Malone
Karl Malone
Karl Anthony Malone , nicknamed "The Mailman", is a retired American professional basketball power forward who spent the majority of his career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association . Malone spent his first 18 seasons with the Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate...
|-
|Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen
Scottie Maurice Pippen is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association . He is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, with whom he was instrumental in six NBA Championships and their record 1995–96 season of 72 wins...
||Jeff Hornacek
Jeff Hornacek
Jeffrey John Hornacek is a retired American basketball player who played at the shooting guard position in the NBA from 1986–2000.-Elementary and high school:...
|-
|Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Keith Rodman is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, he was nicknamed "Dennis the Menace" and "The...
||John Stockton
John Stockton
John Houston Stockton is a retired American professional basketball player who spent his entire career as a point guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA from 1984 to 2003. Stockton is regarded as one of the best point guards of all time, holding the NBA records for most career assists and steals by...
|-
|Luc Longley
Luc Longley
Lucien James "Luc" Longley is a retired Australian professional basketball player, who was the first Australian to play in the NBA, where he played for eleven seasons...
||Bryon Russell
Bryon Russell
Bryon Demetrise Russell is an American basketball player. During an NBA career that spanned from 1993 to 2006, he played for the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers and was a key member of the Utah Jazz, helping them reach back-to-back NBA finals appearances in 1997 and 1998...
|-
|Ron Harper
Ron Harper
Ronald "Ron" Harper is a retired American professional basketball player whose career spanned from 1986 to 2001 with four teams in the NBA. At 6 ft 6 in , his position was shooting guard/point guard.- Collegiate career :...
||Shandon Anderson
Shandon Anderson
Shandon Rodriguez Anderson is an American former professional basketball forward and guard who played in the National Basketball Association from 1996 to 2006...
|-
|Steve Kerr
Steve Kerr
Stephen Douglas "Steve" Kerr is a retired American professional basketball player. He shot .454 from three point range over his career and currently holds the record as the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history...
||Adam Keefe
|-
|Jason Caffey
Jason Caffey
Jason Andre Caffey is an American former professional basketball player who won two championship rings with the Chicago Bulls in the late 1990s...
||Howard Eisley
Howard Eisley
Howard Jonathan Eisley is a retired American professional basketball point guard and current assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association . Born in Detroit, Eisley played college basketball at Boston College and was drafted in 1994 by the Minnesota Timberwolves...
|-
|Scott Burrell
Scott Burrell
Scott David Burrell is an American retired professional basketball player and current assistant coach for Quinnipiac University. He has played internationally and was also a professional baseball player...
||Antoine Carr
Antoine Carr
Antoine Labotte Carr is a retired American basketball player. A 16-year NBA journeyman, he was known for the goggles he wore onto the court.-Early life:Antoine Carr was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...
|-
|Randy Brown
Randy Brown
Randy Brown is a retired American basketball player. A 6'2" guard who played at New Mexico State University, Brown was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft...
||Greg Foster
Greg Foster (basketball)
Gregory Clinton Foster is a retired American professional basketball player.-College years:Foster was born in Oakland, California and attended Skyline High School where he played alongside future NBA point guard Gary Payton. He began his collegiate basketball career at UCLA, playing for the Bruins...
|-
|Dickey Simpkins
Dickey Simpkins
LuBara Dixon "Dickey" Simpkins is an American former professional basketball player best known for his tenure with the Chicago Bulls in the late 1990s...
||Greg Ostertag
Greg Ostertag
Gregory Donovan Ostertag is a retired American basketball player who spent most of his professional career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association.- High School and College :...
|-
|Rusty LaRue
Rusty LaRue
Rusty LaRue is an American former multi-sport athlete who played basketball, baseball, and football at Wake Forest University. He later played for the Chicago Bulls team that won the 1998 National Basketball Association Championship...
||Chris Morris
Chris Morris (basketball)
Christopher Vernard Morris is a retired American professional basketball player. In his 11 season NBA career, the 6' 8" small forward played for the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, and Phoenix Suns. He is a graduate of Atlanta's Douglass High School where his jersey has been retired and played for...
|-
|Bill Wennington
Bill Wennington
William Percey Wennington is a retired Canadian basketball player in the National Basketball Association who won three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. A center, he was also a member of two Canadian Olympic Basketball Teams and the 1983 World University Games team that won gold against...
||Jacque Vaughn
Jacque Vaughn
Jacque Vaughn is an American former professional basketball player. He last played for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA and is currently serving as an assistant coach for the team.-High school career:...
|-
|Jud Buechler
Jud Buechler
Judson Donald "Jud" Buechler is a retired American professional basketball player. He grew up in Poway, CA and attended Poway High School, where he was a top basketball recruit as well as a Top-50 men's volleyball prospect....
||Troy Hudson
Troy Hudson
Troy Hudson is a former American professional basketball player at the point guard position.-Basketball career:After a college career at the University of Missouri and Southern Illinois University that finished in his junior year,Hudson was not selected in the 1997 NBA draft, and played his first...
|-
|Joe Kleine
Joe Kleine
Joseph William Kleine is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.Kleine, a seven-foot center, graduated from Slater High School in Slater, Missouri and originally enrolled to play basketball at the University of Notre Dame...
||William Cunningham
William Cunningham (basketball)
For the former NBA player and coach with a similar name, see Billy Cunningham.William "Will" Cunningham is an American professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA....
|-
|Keith Booth
Keith Booth
Keith Eugene Booth is an American basketball coach and former player. Booth played college basketball at the University of Maryland from 1994 to 1997. He was an assistant coach at his alma mater under Gary Williams from 2004 to 2011...
||
|}
Series summary
Legend: OT denotes a game decided in overtime{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Game !! Date !! Home Team!! Result!! Road Team
|-
| Game 1 || June 3 || Utah || 88-85 (OT) || Chicago
|-
| Game 2 || June 5 || Utah || 88-93 || Chicago
|-
| Game 3 || June 7 || Chicago || 96-54 || Utah
|-
| Game 4 || June 10 || Chicago || 86-82 || Utah
|-
| Game 5 || June 12 || Chicago || 81-83 || Utah
|-
| Game 6 || June 14 || Utah || 86-87 || Chicago
|-
|}
Bulls win series 4-2
Games 1 and 2
This was the first time in the 1990s that the same two teams played each other in two consecutive finals. The Jazz had won both regular season match-ups, and many analysts predicted a hard fought seven game series. Predictions of a Jazz championship were strengthened with their game one victory in overtime in Utah. The Bulls would tie the series in game 2 putting together a fourth quarter run to silence the Delta Center and holding on to win 93-88, finally securing their first victory against Utah all season.Games 3, 4 and 5
The Finals would move to Chicago with control of the series at stake in Game 3. Though anticipation was high, no one could have expected a blow-out of the proportions seen in Game 3. With a 96-54 triumph over Utah, the Bulls would help the Jazz set an embarrassing record for the lowest points scored in Finals history and biggest margin of defeat, while everyone on the Bulls scored. The Jazz would pull themselves together in Game 4 in a better attempt to tie the series, but lost 86-82.The early Jazz series-lead seemed like a distant memory, a false indication of a tough series as they hit the floor for Game 5 behind 3-1. Chicago fans prepared for the last game they would host with the Jordan-led Bulls of the 90's. But any notions of a championship at the United Center would be snuffed out when Michael Jordan airballed a off-balance 3 to the right of the basket giving the Jazz a narrow 83-81 win. With the series shifting back to Utah with a far more generous 3-2 Bulls advantage, the promise of another Chicago championship was not so certain.
Game 6
The Chicago Bulls had never let a Finals series go to a Game 7.As they arrived at the Delta Center for Game 6, things didn't look good for the Bulls. Scottie Pippen's back gave out when he dunked the opening basket of the game and he was slowed down and held to just 8 points. Tensions ran high in the Delta Center when the Jazz discovered the problems of their own. They suffered a couple shot-clock violations but television replays showed that Howard Eisley got the ball out of his hands for a 3 before the shot clock reached 0 and the referees missed the call. In the 4th quarter, the Bulls closed the gap. Then things got worse as John Stockton hit a clutch 3 with 41.9 seconds left to give Utah an 86-83 lead that blew the roof off the Delta Center. Down by 3, the Bulls had one last chance to stay alive. Running perilously low on energy, it would be imperative for Chicago to win the series before the game went into OT.
After Michael Jordan made a layup to cut the Jazz lead to one, the Bulls needed to stop the Jazz from scoring again. When John Stockton passed the ball to Karl Malone, Michael Jordan stole the ball away and dribbled to the front. Guarding him was Bryon Russell
Bryon Russell
Bryon Demetrise Russell is an American basketball player. During an NBA career that spanned from 1993 to 2006, he played for the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers and was a key member of the Utah Jazz, helping them reach back-to-back NBA finals appearances in 1997 and 1998...
, one of the Jazz's best perimeter defenders. Jordan drove inside the 3-point line, executed a quick cross-over, and made a 20-ft. jump shot to give the Bulls an 87-86 lead with 5.2 seconds left. After Utah took a timeout, Stockton's 3 hit the rim and bounced away, giving the Bulls their 6th title in 8 years. The famous winning shot
Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals
Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals took place on June 14, 1998 in Salt Lake City between the visiting Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center, now known as EnergySolutions Arena, in Salt Lake City. The Bulls won 87–86, clinching their sixth NBA title in eight years...
has been immortalized in many records. Jordan was afterwards named the Finals MVP.
Awards and honors
- Michael JordanMichael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, All-NBA Team, First Team - Michael JordanMichael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, All-Star Game MVP - Michael JordanMichael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, Guard, NBA MVP - Michael JordanMichael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, Guard, NBA Finals MVP - Michael JordanMichael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, NBA All-Defensive First Team