The 1990s were an explosive time for the NBA, with the rise of Michael Jordan’s stardom and the dynasty that became the Chicago Bulls. With aging stars from the 80s like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson coming out of the league in the early 90s, Jordan and the Bulls were able to dominate against franchises that had been bullying them for years. They came up against the Jazz for the 1997 NBA Championship ring.

The 1997 NBA Finals

The Chicago Bulls were at the peak of their powers, after 3-peating in 1991-1993 and winning the previous year in 1996, they were daring any team to take them on. The Utah Jazz had a roster fronted by Hall of Fame power forward and 1997 NBA MVP, Karl “Mailman” Malone and playmaking point guard, John Stockton. They reached a franchise record 64 wins that season and came out with the Western Conference Finals Championship.

The Chicago Bulls went 62-20 in the regular season and finished 1st in the Central Division. Jordan obtained his 10th scoring title averaging 28.7 points per game. The Bulls now had a roster filled with rebounding Power Forward Dennis Rodman, perennial All Star wing Scottie Pippin, leathal shooter Steve Kerr and Toni Kukoc.

Game 1

Game 1 of the NBA Finals was a close battle of the teams stars. In the last minute, Pippin hits a 3 to go up and John Stockton immediately answers with a 3 of his own, putting Utah up 82-81. Rodman fouls which puts Karl Malone at the line where he misses both free throws. With less than 10 seconds to go Jordan is inbounded the ball, goes towards the basket, stops and knocks down a midrange jumper to win the game.

Game 1 Highlights

Game 2

Game 2 was another master class by Jordan. He put up 39 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists. The Bulls dominated the Jazz and it never looked like much of a contest after the 1st quarter. Karl Malone only made 6-20 field goals and the Bulls won 97 – 85, coffin nailed in with a Dennis Rodman 3.

Game 2 Highlights

Game 3

When the venues switched and Utah were at home, the crowd gave the team a much needed boost. Scottie Pippin hit a record (at the time) 7 3 pointers. However, the Bulls did not play like a team that wanted to put the series away. Karl Malone finished the game with 37 points and 10 rebounds. The Jazz won the game 104 – 93 even though the Bulls cut the lead from 24 points to 7 in the 4th quarter.

In the post game, Rodman made a remark about mormons that got him fined $50,000 by the NBA – clearly upset about his bad play. He finished the game with 0 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

Michael Jordan finished the game with 26 points and Scottie finished with 27 points.

Game 3 highlights

Game 4

Game 4 was back in Utah and was neck and neck with multiple lead changes throughout. At the end of the game, Karl Malone scored 2 free throws to put the Jazz up 3. Jordan missed a potential game tying 3 and the Jazz got an easy dunk to put the game out of reach. The Jazz won Game 4:  78 – 73.

Game 4 Highlights

Game 5

Game 5 of the 1997 Finals will forever been known as ‘The Flu Game’. According to Michael Jordan himself, he ordered a pizza the evening before Game 5 to his hotel room from a Utah pizza restaurant. He spent all night vomiting, turning up to the game dehydrated and barely able to stand. Jordan started slow, but score 17 points in the second quarter. Jordan helped the Bulls erase a 8 point lead by going on a 10 – 0 run. He scored a 3 to put the Bulls up and they won the game 90 – 88.

Game 5 Highlights

Game 6

Steve Kerr hit the game winner of Game 6 in spectacular fashion as Michael was being doubled by the Jazz.

Steve Kerr’s famous Game 6 shot:

1997 Chicago Bulls Championship Parade

Steve Kerr explains the final shot at the Championship parade in Chicago jokingly saying,

‘There’s been some misconceptions about what actually happened I wanted to clear it up. When we called timeout with 20 seconds to go, we went into the huddle.. Phil told Michael I want you to take the last shot and Michael said Phil I told feel comfortable in these situations, so maybe we ought to go in another direction. Why don’t we go to Steve. So I thought to myself well I guess I’ve got to bail Michael out again.”

What actually happened was Jordan knew the Jazz were going to double him so he told Steve Kerr in the huddle,

“When the double comes, be ready”

This is how Kerr knew to be ready and knock down the 2 point shot to win the game.

The 1997 NBA Championship ring

The 1997 NBA Championship ring has the famous Chicago Bulls branding of the angry bull encrusted in diamonds. On one side the words read, ‘World Champions team of the decade 96 97’ with the NBA logo. On the other side of Michael Jordan’s ring, the words ‘Jordan’ appear with an image of 5 Larry O’Brien Championship trophies symbolizing the 5 championships won by Michael Jordan to this point.

1997 NBA Championship Ring Photo by Chad Bunger Flickr

The Ring Ceremony

The Chicago Bulls ring ceremony was held on November 1st 1997, before the Bulls played the Philadelphia 76ers at the United Center.

Who is the best 1 on 1 NBA player according to NBA fans?

A tricky question considering basketball is a team game where teams are rarely successful in a iso-heavy system (just see the James Harden Houston Rockets).

But nevertheless, here is our top 5 best 1 on 1 NBA players (in no particular order):

1. Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant – Golden State Warriors Photo by: Curt Johnson Flickr

Kevin Durant has been torching the league since he was drafted No. 2 by the Seatle Supersonics in 2007. His ball handling skills are amongst the best all time for a player that is 6 ft 8 +. What makes KD so unstoppable is his ability to knock down what seems like 99% of his midrange shots. His length means that he can shoot over everyone which is why KD has to be on this list.

Why KD is on the list:

• Ball handling skills for his size
• Deadly midrange pull up which is near on unstoppable
• Versatility – shooting, layups, dunks, lob threats, you name it
• 3 point shooting – 38.4% from 3 (from a player that can play solid defence

2. James Harden

James Harden Photo by: The Celebs Fact Flickr

Fans are still unclear whether James Harden has taken a step down in his basketball ability or has been playing injured during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers. Either way, Harden is the NBA’s epitome of iso. During his Houston Rocket days, Mike D’Antoni implemented an iso heavy system that allowed Harden to rack up insane statistical numbers. He had a ferocious first step that left perimeter defenders for dust, and if met in the paint was such a good playmaker that he would lob it to his center for the easy dunk. James also has a leathal 3 pointer, one that would have resulted in at least 1 NBA Championships if he had not run into the Warriors dynasty (and missed 27 3 pointers in a row).

Why James Harden is on the list:

• Lightning fast first step
• 3 point shooting
• Playmaking
• Made centers look like prime Shaq

3. Ja Morant

Ja Morant – Photo by: Casino Connection Flickr

The 2021-2022 Most Improved Player of the Year has had an incredible 3rd season with the Memphis Grizzlies. He led his team to the NBA playoffs but unfortunatly suffered a knee injury and lost to the NBA finalists, Golden State.

Ja is very reminicent of Allen Iverson and young Derick Rose as he has unbelievable athleticism and can somehow contort his body making blocking his layups near on impossible. Ja is one of those players that believe he is the best in the league and holds himself like a winner. He relishes the big moments and rarely lets his fans down.

Why Ja Morant is on the list:

• Incredible athleticism
• Top dog mentality
• Clutch
• Shines in big moments

4. Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry – Photo by: Casino Connection

Steph Curry is back on form this season after suffering a broken wrist and missing most of the 2019 season. Last season he won the scoring title, this season has won the All-Star MVP, the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP and his team is ready to make a play in the NBA finals.

Curry is the greatest shooter of all time – something very few people can repute. His ability to hit 3’s from 30, 40, 50 feet away has baffled NBA analysts for years. Guarding Staph is a nightmare for this reason, but not this reason alone. He is a guard that consistantly covers the most ground during games. The Golden State motion offence sees Steph constantly running around set screens for the slightest bit of distance for a shot. He is incredibly difficult to guard. Not only this, but Steph might be the most unselfish player in the league. He is very happy passing to his team mate Klay so that he can beat his own 3 pointer record. The only person to stop Steph Curry seems to be Steph himself – as he’s known to go into a brief shooting slumps, something he very quickly pulls himself out of.

Why Steph Curry is on the list:

• 3 pointers – this can’t be understated
• Motion offence – constantly moving
• Unselfish
• Shooting

5. LeBron James

Lebron James – Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

LeBron is still the face of the NBA, although his team, the Los Angeles Lakers had an abysmal season. LeBron still manage to put up 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 56 games at the age of 38 – something nobody this age has got near to. LeBron’s ability to deny Father Time’s grip on him is truly impressive.

Despite his age, LeBron still seems to be able to get the rim at will. His athleticism is not what prime Cavs/Heat LeBron was but he’s adapted his game – put on more muscle, developed his 3 point shooting and learnt when best to coast and when to turn the jets on.

Why LeBron James is on the list:

• Powerful bully-ball type plays
• Clutch
• Well developed offensive game
• Ability to posterise and suck the will out of opposing team

Who would you add to the list?

The NBA has been around for 75 years as it celebrates its Birthday on 6th June, established in 1946. In that time we have had 74 Championship winners with the winner of Warriors vs Celtics becoming the 75th.

Who was the team with the worst record to go to the NBA Finals? (pre-1961)

Pre-1961 NBA teams played less than 75 games so we’ve split this into pre-1961 and post-1961.

The pre-1961 winner? The Minneapolis Lakers in 1959. They finished the 1958-1959 regular season with a 33-39 record with a winner percentage of .402.

The Minneapolis Lakers made it all the way to the finals beating Detroit and the St Louis Hawkes. Unfortunately, this team lost to the Boston Celtics in the finals.

Who was the team with the worst record to go to the NBA Finals? (post-1961)

The team with the worst record to go to the NBA finals post-1961 was again… The Los Angeles Lakers. They had a 49-31 record in 80 games played, reaching the finals but lost to again… The Celtics.

The Championship winner with the worst regular season

Answer: The Washington Bullets in 1978. They had a record of 44-38 in 82 games with a winning percentage of .537

They beat the Seatle Supersonics to take home the Champtionship trophy – both teams had a winning percentage under .500. Wes Unseld, the Bullets star Power Forward/Center was the Finals MVP averaging 9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 7 games.

The Washington Bullets were also the team with the lowest regular season wins to win a Championship – rather impressive.

The Washington Wizards – 1978

19 franchises have won the NBA Championship

Here is a list of the NBA teams with a Championship

• Los Angeles Lakers 17
• Boston Celtics 17
• Golden State Warriors 6
• Chicago Bulls 6
• San Anotnio Spurs 5
• Philadelphia 76ers 3
• Miami Heat 3
• Detroit Pistons 3
• Houston Rockets 2
• Milwaukee Bucks 2
• New York Nicks 2
• Cleveland Cavaliers 1
• Atlanta Hawks 1
• Oklahoma City Thunder 1
• Washington Wizards 1
• Dallas Mavericks 1
• Portland Trailblazers 1
• Toronto Raptors 1
• Sacremento Kings 1

Which teams have never won a NBA Championship?

Here is a list of teams that have never won an NBA Championship

• Phoenix Suns
• Utah Jazz
• Brooklyn Nets
• Indiana Pacers
• Denver Nuggets
• Los Angeles Clippers
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Orlando Magic
• Charlotte Hornets
• Memphis Grizzlies