Top 30 Moments in Chicago Bulls History
1a. “The Flu Game”
The Chicago Bulls found themselves tied with the Utah Jazz at two games apiece in the 1997 NBA Finals. Utah had all of the momentum in the series, the league’s MVP and a crowd ready to explode during Game 5 of the series.
The Bulls still had Michael Jordan, but a very ill Michael Jordan.
How ill was Jordan? He could barely move whenever the Bulls were on the bench. He was sweating endlessly throughout the night. The stories and rumors behind how sick Jordan really was could give Babe Ruth tales a run for their money.
Some say he was drunk and gambling the night before. Some say he had bad pizza during the wee hours of the morning. Some say he actually was sick.
Regardless, Jordan put on one of the most memorable performances in NBA history, scoring 38 points in 44 minutes. Jordan’s three-pointer with 25 seconds left gave the Bulls a three-point lead and the Bulls would go on to win Game 5 in the most improbable way possible.
“No matter how sick I was, how tired I was … I felt the obligation to go out there for my team and for the city of Chicago and give that extra effort,” Jordan said after his performance in Game 5.
(Related note: In 2013, Jordan’s shoes from Game 5 were sold at an auction for over $104,000.)
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1b. “The Last Dance”
The 1997-98 NBA season was dubbed “The Last Dance” by Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson. Many knew that the run of dominance was coming to an end for the Bulls. Rumors circulated about Michael Jordan’s second retirement after the season, along with Jackson’s issues with former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause.
So, of course, the Bulls not only won 62 games, they won the franchise’s sixth and final title in eight years.
The final run had plenty of ups and downs. Scottie Pippen missed 38 games during the season. Luc Longley missed 24 games. Toni Kukoc missed a handful of games. The Bulls were getting older, but their championship mentality would prevail in the end.
After sweeping the New Jersey Nets in the opening round of the playoffs, the Bulls made fairly quick work of former Bulls guard B.J. Armstrong and the Charlotte Hornets in the second round.
However, in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls were tested harder than any other series in their run to their six titles. Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers pushed the Bulls to seven incredible games, but the Bulls somehow came out on top.
During their rematch with Utah in the NBA Finals, The Bulls won Game 3 by … hold on to your hats … 42 points.
It wasn’t all that easy for the Bulls, as the Jazz stole Game 5 in Chicago (Bulls led the series 3-1 at one point) and took them down to the wire at home in Game 6.
But, once again, the Bulls had Michael Jordan.
Did the greatest of all-time get away with a slight push on Byron Russell? It’s debatable. (OK, he totally did, but the shot was perfection.)
Still, Jordan’s final dagger was the perfect finish to one of the greatest dynasties in the history of sports.