Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz
The Last Dance: Chicago's final championship of the 1990s dynasty.
The 1997–98 Chicago Bulls season was the 32nd season for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association. The Bulls entered the regular season as the 2-time defending NBA champions, and in the Finals, they met the Utah Jazz in a rematch from the prior year's NBA Finals and just like that year, they would go on to defeat the Jazz in six games to win their sixth championship in eight years and complete the franchise's second '3-peat'.
Quick Facts
- Era of peak intensity
- 1997–1998 NBA Finals
- Key bulls figures
- Michael Jordan
- Scottie Pippen
- Dennis Rodman
- Key jazz figures
- Karl Malone
- John Stockton
- Jerry Sloan
- Finals series outcome
- Bulls won both 4-2 (1997) and 4-2 (1998)
- Defining game moment
- 'The Last Shot' (Game 6, 1998 Finals)
Lore & Background
The Bulls faced the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals, a rematch from the 1997 NBA Finals. Despite both teams finishing with a league-best 62–20 record, the Jazz had home-court advantage since they defeated the Bulls twice during the regular season. The Bulls lost Game 1 in overtime, 88–85, but won Game 2, 93–88. At the United Center, the Bulls won Game 3 by a 42-point margin, 96–54, then won Game 4, 86–82 to take a 3–1 series lead. The Jazz won Game 5, 83–81. In Game 6 at the Delta Center, despite Scottie Pippen hurting his back after a dunk early in the game, Michael Jordan scored 45 points and hit a game-winning shot over Bryon Russell, as the Bulls won 87–86 to win the series in six games. Jordan was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player for the sixth and final time.
Reader's Guide
The Bulls won their sixth championship in eight years and completed the franchise's second '3-peat'. At an average age of 32.096 years, they became the oldest team to win an NBA championship. The Bulls also led the NBA in home-game attendance with 983,444 at the United Center during the regular season.
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