NBA Championship (1993)

Lore & Background

The Bulls aimed at an elusive 'three-peat' after two consecutive NBA championships. No team had won a third consecutive NBA title since the Boston Celtics won eight in a row from 1959 to 1966. In the off-season, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen played for the Dream Team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, winning the gold medal. They entered the new season with little rest, but led the Bulls to a 57–25 record, good for second in the Eastern Conference. Chicago began its push with back-to-back sweeps of the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Against the top-seeded New York Knicks, the Bulls fell behind 2–0 before winning the next two games in Chicago, tying the series. In Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, the Bulls stole a rare road victory, aided by an array of blocks on Charles Smith in the final seconds, before wrapping up the series in Game 6 at Chicago Stadium. The Suns were a team on the rise, led by All-Star point guard Kevin Johnson. In the 1992 off-season, they acquired Charles Barkley from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang. They also promoted assistant coach Paul Westphal to head coach, unveiled new logos and uniforms, and moved to the brand-new America West Arena. The Suns won a franchise record 62 games, and Barkley won the MVP award. In the playoffs, the Suns fell down 2–0 to the Los Angeles Lakers before rallying to defeat them in five games, then defeated the San Antonio Spurs in six games, and beat the Seattle SuperSonics in seven in the conference finals.

In Their Own Story

The air inside America West Arena was thick with humidity and disbelief. The scoreboard read 99-98, Chicago clinging to a one-point lead as the final seconds evaporated. Michael Jordan stood near the sideline, his jersey soaked through, chest heaving after pouring in a staggering 55 points—he didn't need to take the final shot; John Paxson’s clutch jumper with 3.9 seconds remaining had already sealed it. As the buzzer sounded, the Bulls didn't just win; they conquered the desert, completing the first three-peat while the Suns' dreams evaporated on the hardwood.

Reader's Guide

The Bulls won the series 4–2. Game 1: Bulls led from start to finish. Game 2: Bulls won after Scottie Pippen blocked Danny Ainge's 3-point attempt. Game 3: Suns won in triple overtime, 129–121. Game 4: Michael Jordan scored 55 points, Bulls won 111–105. Game 5: Suns won 108–98. Game 6: Bulls won 99–98 on John Paxson's game-winning 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left.

Did You Know?

• Michael Jordan averaged a Finals-record 41.0 PPG during the six-game series.
• Jordan became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Awards.
• The Suns appeared in a triple-overtime Finals game in 1976, losing 126–128 to the Boston Celtics.
• Paul Westphal appeared in a triple-overtime Finals game as a player in 1976, but not as head coach in 1993.