1993 Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 vs New York Knicks

Lore & Background

This was the first season without All-Star guard Michael Jordan since the 1983–84 season, as he retired during the off-season to pursue a baseball career after the murder of his father, James Jordan. During the off-season, the Bulls signed free agents Steve Kerr, Bill Wennington, and Pete Myers. Croatian rookie small forward Toni Kukoč made his NBA debut this season. The Bulls struggled early, losing seven of their first eleven games, but then won 14 of their next 15 games. They finished in second place in the Central Division with a 55–27 record, earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference. In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the Bulls faced the New York Knicks and lost in a hard-fought seven-game series. One notable incident occurred in Game 3 of that series: with 1.8 seconds remaining and the score tied at 102–102, head coach Phil Jackson designed a play for Kukoč to take the game-winning shot. Scottie Pippen was upset that the play was not designed for him, argued with Jackson and refused to enter the game. Kukoč hit a 22-foot jumper over Anthony Mason at the buzzer, giving the Bulls a 104–102 victory.

In Their Own Story

The atmosphere inside Madison Square Garden was electric with hostility, a suffocating stew of boos and heat that seemed to press against the players. Every time Michael Jordan drove the lane, the crowd erupted in a wall of sound, yet he moved with a terrifying, mechanical precision. As the clock wound down in the fourth quarter, the Knicks' defense collapsed into a desperate cordon around him, but he found a sliver of space near the elbow. He rose up, the ball leaving his fingertips in a perfect arc that seemed to hang in the air longer than physics allowed. Jordan didn't celebrate; he simply nodded, eyes locked on the scoreboard, knowing the series was finally his.

Reader's Guide

The Bulls' season is remembered for overcoming Jordan's retirement, with Scottie Pippen leading the team to a 55-win season. Pippen averaged 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.9 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team and NBA All-Defensive First Team. Horace Grant averaged 15.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. B. J. Armstrong provided 14.8 points and 3.9 assists per game. Off the bench, Kukoč averaged 10.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. The Bulls finished seventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 760,816 at the Chicago Stadium during the regular season. This was also their last season at the Chicago Stadium, before moving across the street to the United Center.

Did You Know?

• Scottie Pippen was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1994, scoring 29 points along with 11 rebounds and 4 steals.
• Toni Kukoč was selected for the inaugural NBA Rookie Game as a member of the Phenoms team.
• The Bulls traded Stacey King to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Australian center Luc Longley at mid-season.
• Following the season, Horace Grant signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic after seven seasons with the Bulls.