1996 NBA Finals Game 4 vs Seattle SuperSonics

Lore & Background

Seattle did not want to suffer the ignominy of a sweep. In an attempt to spark his team, Coach George Karl gave Jordan's defensive assignment to Gary Payton, a move which showed immediate results. The Sonics were helped by the return of team captain Nate McMillan whose presence entering the game brought the KeyArena crowd to its feet. Seattle's victory prevented the NBA Finals from being swept in two consecutive years.

In Their Own Story

The Kingdome erupted in a deafening wall of green and yellow, but inside the Bulls' huddle, silence reigned. Jordan wiped sweat from his brow, eyes locked on Phil Jackson's signal for a defensive switch that would haunt Seattle all night. When a Sonics guard drove hard into the paint, expecting a simple layup, he found not help, but Scottie Pippen waiting like a coiled spring. *Swat.* The ball careened loose, sparking a scramble that shifted the momentum instantly. The crowd's roar curdled into dread as Chicago began their methodical, suffocating march toward the title. In those final minutes, the 72-win regular season ceased to be a statistic and transformed into an inescapable prophecy.

Reader's Guide

The Bulls lost Game 4, so the series continued. Chicago would go on to win the series 4 games to 2.

Did You Know?

• Seattle's 107–86 win prevented the NBA Finals from being swept in two consecutive years.
• As of 2026, no NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 playoff series deficit.