1993 NBA Finals Game 6 vs Phoenix Suns

Lore & Background

In Game 6, the Bulls got off to a good start but struggled in the fourth quarter, squandering a double-digit lead to trail 98–94. Michael Jordan made a layup to cut the lead to 2 points, and Dan Majerle's 30-foot three-pointer fell short on the Suns' next possession. Trailing 98–96 and playing a Game 7 on the road if they lost that day, Chicago ran a play that Phil Jackson called "Blind Pig" that had them increasing the play's "thrust" by bringing the ball from 3/4 back of the basket. Although Westphal's sole instruction on the play was for none of the players to double-team any of the Bulls (even Michael Jordan), Danny Ainge left John Paxson to try and either steal the ball or foul Horace Grant, who had missed all five of his shot attempts in the game and wasn't a good crunch-time free throw shooter. Grant saw Paxson alone 25 feet from the basket and fired a perfect pass, and Paxson then made a three pointer with 3.9 seconds left, giving the Bulls a 99–98 lead. Paxson's three-point field goal was the only score by any Bulls player other than Michael Jordan in the entire fourth quarter. The victory was secured by a last-second block from Grant on Kevin Johnson, thanks to Paxson's game-winning 3-point field goal.

In Their Own Story

The air inside America West Arena was thick enough to choke on, a humid mix of Arizona heat and the roar of a home crowd desperate for glory. Charles Barkley had done everything he could, but the shadow of Michael Jordan loomed larger with every possession. The clock ticked down in the final minute, the score knotted at 98-96. Scottie Pippen drove hard, drawing the defense, and kicked it out to John Paxson on the wing. The world seemed to slow as Paxson caught the ball, the crowd's roar turning into a collective gasp. He rose up, his form perfect against the bright arena lights, and released the arc. The ball spun through the air, a silent promise of history, before swishing through the net with 4.2 seconds left. The buzzer sounded, not as an end, but as a coronation.

Reader's Guide

Michael Jordan averaged a Finals-record 41.0 PPG during the six-game series and became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Awards. He joined Magic Johnson as the only other player to win the award three times. The NBA started awarding the Finals MVP in 1969. Across 17 games in the NBA Finals from 1991-1993, Jordan averaged 36.2 PPG, 7.8 APG, 6.6 RPG on 52% from the field and 42% from 3.

Did You Know?

• John Paxson's game-winning 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left was the only score by any Bulls player other than Michael Jordan in the entire fourth quarter.
• Michael Jordan averaged a Finals-record 41.0 PPG in the 1993 NBA Finals.
• The Bulls became the first team since the Boston Celtics of the 1960s to win three consecutive championship titles.