1997 NBA Finals Game 6 (The Flu Game)
The Bulls won their fifth title in 1997, with Michael Jordan named Finals MVP for the fifth time.
The 1997 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1996–97 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Utah Jazz took on the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls for the title, with the Bulls holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the first 2 games in Chicago, the next 3 games in Salt Lake City, and the last 2 games in Chicago. The Bulls won the series 4 games to 2. For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP.
- event_name
- 1997 NBA Finals Game 6
- date_played
- June 12, 1997
- location
- Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
- winning_team
- Chicago Bulls
- final_score
- Bulls 90, Jazz 86
- mvp_points
- 38 points by Michael Jordan
Lore & Background
The Bulls and Jazz won a combined 133 regular season games, the second most in Finals history behind the previous year's 136. Until 2016, the 1997 NBA Finals was the last to feature teams that won a total of at least 130 regular season games.
In Their Own Story
The arena lights hummed over the squeaking hardwood, but inside Michael Jordan's head, there was only a roaring silence and a burning fever. He sat on the bench, eyes closed, fighting the urge to collapse as sweat soaked through his red jersey. The crowd roared for the Jazz, sensing victory within reach, but when he finally rose, legs trembling, he moved with a ghost-like grace. Every dribble was a battle; every jump shot, a defiance of biology. As the final buzzer shattered the noise, he didn't celebrate wildly—he simply exhaled, knowing he had conquered more than just a game.
Reader's Guide
The Finals were played using a 2–3–2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage's (Chicago's) home court (United Center). All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4).
Did You Know?
- Michael Jordan joined Cliff Hagan in Game 6 in 1957, Jerry West in Game 3 in 1962, Larry Wright in Game 1 in 1979, and Dennis Johnson in Game 4 in 1985 as the only NBA Finals buzzer-beaters. To date, there has not been a
- The 78–73 score in Game 4 was one of the lowest scores in NBA Finals history.
- Dennis Rodman was fined a then record $50,000 for a vulgar remark denigrating Mormons after Game 3, and CKE Restaurants dropped his television commercials permanently.
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