1998 Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 vs. Chicago Bulls

Lore & Background

Game 6 was the final game with the Bulls for Michael Jordan and coach Phil Jackson; both would retire from the NBA, then eventually return. It is widely cited as one of the most intense and iconic games in NBA history. It earned, and still holds, the highest television ratings of an NBA game of all time. The Bulls defeated the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals, setting up a rematch of the prior year's NBA Finals, which the Bulls won in six games. The Jazz swept the regular season series against the Bulls 2–0, giving them the tiebreaker for home-court advantage. In the Finals series, the Jazz won Game 1, while the Bulls won Games 2–4. At the United Center in Game 5, Michael Jordan missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, allowing the Jazz to stave off elimination with an 83–81 victory and return to Utah for Game 6 and a potential Game 7. None of the previous five Finals appearances for the Bulls had gone to a Game 7.

Reader's Guide

Scottie Pippen scored the opening basket on a slam dunk that aggravated a back injury, causing him pain and difficulty moving throughout the game. Pippen was limited to 8 points on 4–7 shooting in 26 minutes played. Michael Jordan took 35 of the Bulls' 67 shots, leading the team in scoring and minutes played with 45 points in 44 minutes. Jordan's 45 points set a Finals record for the most points in a championship-clinching game on the road, a feat only matched 28 years later by Jalen Brunson (2026, Game 5). Karl Malone led the Jazz in both categories with 31 points in 43 minutes. In the first half, Jazz guard Howard Eisley hit a 3-pointer that referee Dick Bavetta ruled was released after the shot clock expired, though replays showed the ball left Eisley's hands with a second left on the shot clock. In the second half, Bulls guard Ron Harper made a jump shot as the shot clock went off that tied it at 79; replays suggested it may have been a shot clock violation. Although the Jazz held a 49–45 lead at halftime and a 66–61 at the end of the 3rd quarter, they let them slip away in the fourth. John Stockton hit a 3-pointer with 41.9 seconds left to give the Jazz an 86–83 lead. Michael Jordan scored a layup on the following possession to cut the lead to one. With 18.9 seconds left and the Jazz in possession, Jordan stole the ball from Karl Malone in the low post and dribbled down the court. Bryon Russell guarded Jordan as time wound down. Jordan drove inside the 3-point line, executed a quick cross-over, then hit a 20-footer to give the Bulls an 87–86 lead with 5.2 seconds left. Utah called timeout to set up the final play; John Stockton missed a game-winning 3-pointer, and the Bulls celebrated. The game was Jordan's final shot as a Bulls player and his 25th game-winning shot for Chicago.

Did You Know?

• Michael Jordan debuted the Air Jordan 14 during Game 6, a black and varsity red colorway of the shoe.
• The game registered a 22.3 Nielsen rating and 38 share with average 35.9 million viewers – the highest rated and most watched game in the history of the NBA; 72 million people in the US watched at least part of the game.
• Bryon Russell remarked in 2009: 'Whether he pushed off or not, he was making that shot.' John Stockton said Jordan did push off, but he would not have called it as an offensive foul.