1993 NBA Finals

Background

The Bulls entered the season aiming for a third straight NBA title, a feat not achieved since the Boston Celtics won eight in a row from 1959 to 1966. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen played for the Dream Team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, winning gold, and entered the season with little rest. Chicago finished 57–25, second in the Eastern Conference. They swept the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers in the first two playoff rounds, then fell behind 2–0 to the top-seeded New York Knicks before winning the next two games in Chicago.

The Bulls stole Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, aided by blocks on Charles Smith in the final seconds, and closed out the series in Game 6. The Suns, led by All-Star point guard Kevin Johnson, acquired Charles Barkley from the Philadelphia 76ers in a 1992 off-season trade. They promoted Paul Westphal to head coach, unveiled new logos and uniforms, and moved to America West Arena. Phoenix won a franchise-record 62 games, and Barkley won the MVP award.

In the playoffs, the Suns fell behind 2–0 to the Los Angeles Lakers before winning in five games, then defeated the San Antonio Spurs in six and the Seattle SuperSonics in seven to reach their second NBA Finals since 1976.

Series summary

Before Game 1, a moment of silence was observed for Dražen Petrović, who had died in a car crash two days earlier. The Bulls led from start to finish in Game 1, quelling several Suns rallies. In Game 2, Chicago took over in the second quarter with a higher shooting percentage. The Suns pressured the Bulls in the second half but ran into trouble when Kevin Johnson fouled out and Charles Barkley suffered an elbow injury.

Scottie Pippen blocked Danny Ainge's 3-point attempt to seal the win, and Phoenix became the first team to lose home-court advantage twice in the first two games of the NBA Finals. The Suns won Game 3 in triple overtime, 129–121. Horace Grant hit a game-tying 3-point play with 1:33 left in regulation; Tom Chambers hit a game-tying layup with 50.9 seconds left in the first overtime; Dan Majerle hit a game-tying shot with 3.2 seconds left in the second overtime.

Paul Westphal became the only person to appear in two triple-overtime finals games, having played in the 1976 Game 5. Westphal had Kevin Johnson guard Michael Jordan, which helped Johnson play better after poor performances in Games 1 and 2.

Media coverage

NBC aired the series with Marv Albert, Bob Costas, Mike Fratello, Magic Johnson (who missed Game 6 for his brother's wedding), Quinn Buckner, Ahmad Rashad, and Hannah Storm. After the series, Johnson left NBC and returned to the Lakers, and Fratello was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers; both were replaced by Matt Guokas. Albert and Fratello later reunited in 1999 calling NBA games on TNT. The championship documentary, Three-Peat, was the first since 1982 to use film in on-court or off-court action, though most footage was videotape. It was narrated by Hal Douglas.

Aftermath

A month after the Bulls' third straight championship, Michael Jordan's father, James R. Jordan, Sr., was murdered. Jordan announced his retirement a few weeks before the 1993–94 season, citing a loss of desire to play. Without Jordan, the Bulls won 55 games behind Scottie Pippen, but lost to the New York Knicks in the second round of the 1994 playoffs in Game 7 after a controversial call. Jordan returned in March 1995 following a brief baseball career and began another three-peat in 1996.

The 1993 Finals was Charles Barkley's only NBA Finals appearance. The Suns did not return to the Finals until 2021, when they lost in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks after leading 2–0. John Paxson, who hit the game-winning shot, remained with the Bulls organization after his playing career ended in 1994. He served on Phil Jackson's staff in 1995–1996, then worked as a part-time color commentator before becoming general manager in 2003. The Bulls have not returned to the NBA Finals since 1998.