Michael Jordan: Legends in Sports (13 page)

The 1995–96 Bulls were a well-oiled machine. Jordan’s return helped teammate Scottie Pippen regain his place as one of the
best forwards in the game, and flamboyant Dennis Rodman scooped up nearly every rebound and got the Bulls started with quick
outlet passes. Tony Kukoc and Steve Kerr were deadly from the outside, and Coach Jackson kept the Bulls working hard on defense.
They finished the regular season 72–10, the best record in league history. But they knew that it would mean nothing unless
they won another championship.

In the early rounds of the playoffs, the Bulls were almost unstoppable, losing only once. Not until they reached the finals
against the Seattle Supersonics were they tested. After winning the first three games they got sloppy, dropping the next two.
Entering game six, an NBA championship was only one win away.

Game six took place on Father’s Day. Before the game, Jordan couldn’t help but think of his own father. As he told one reporter,
“I think about him every day. I’m pretty sure I always will.”

But once the game started, Jordan was able to focus on basketball. He and the Bulls took command early and refused to let
up. They coasted to an easy 87–75 victory to win their fourth title with Jordan.

After the game he was emotional and broke into tears when he thought about his dad. “I had a lot of things on my heart,” he
said. “But I had the good fortune to achieve.” He did that and more, earning the MVP award for the finals.

With Jordan back, fans and sportswriters began referring to the Bulls as a dynasty. The next year, they cruised through the
regular season and again reached the finals, this time facing the Utah Jazz. Utah guard John Stockton and forward Karl M alone
were still among the best players in the league. Some observers thought the Jazz had more talent than the Bulls and had a
good chance to pull an upset.

But the Bulls had Michael Jordan. With the series knotted at two games each, Jordan, sick with the flu, crawled out of his
sickbed and scored 38 points,
including the game-winning three-pointer, as the Bulls won, 90–88.

And in game six the Bulls clawed their way back from a deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter. With the score at 86–86
and only seconds remaining, Chicago got the ball. Everyone expected Jordan to take the shot, but the experienced Bulls knew
that. Steve Kerr drained a three-pointer and the Bulls were champions again.

The Bulls and Jordan began the 1997–98 season looking to win yet another NBA championship, referring to their goal as a “three-peat.”
But NBA insiders wondered if that was realistic. Jordan and his teammates were getting older, and the competition was getting
better.

But beyond that, many expected Bulls management to break up the team at the end of the season. There were rumors that coach
Phil Jackson planned to retire, and Jordan indicated that if Jackson left, he didn’t expect to return. Forward Scottie Pippen
and other Bulls were due new contracts at the end of the year and Bulls management indicated that they didn’t believe they
could afford to keep the team together. As the season progressed it became clear
that the campaign might represent a last hurrah for Jordan and the Bulls.

Although they struggled at times, the Bulls still won the division championship and took aim at the NBA title. In the first
two rounds of the playoffs the Bulls easily dispatched the New Jersey Nets and Charlotte Hornets, losing only one game. But
in the conference finals against the Indiana Pacers, the Bulls were pushed to the limit. They won in seven games, beating
the Pacers, 88–83. But at the end of the game Jordan was so tired that instead of celebrating, he just bent down, gasping
for air. They entered the finals against Utah exhausted.

Both teams gave it everything they had. Entering game six in Utah, the Bulls led the series three games to two. They were
one game away from another championship.

But the Bulls were at something less than full strength. A sore back bothered Scottie Pippen, and the long season had taken
a toll on the team. It would be up to Jordan to lead his team to victory.

Just a few moments into the game, Pippen was forced to the bench when his back started acting up. Jordan took over, scoring
23 points in the first half to
keep the Bulls in the game. At the half, they trailed by four points.

Although Pippen returned in the second half, his aching back limited what he could do. Jordan appeared to be running out of
steam himself. Early in the fourth quarter he missed five straight shots. Nevertheless, the Bulls hung close, knowing that
if they were forced to play a seventh game they would be more fatigued than they already were.

With only 42 seconds left in the game, Jazz guard John Stockton drained a long three-pointer to give the Jazz an 86–83 lead.
Bulls fans feared the worst.

But Chicago put the ball in Michael Jordan’s hands. Everyone watching knew that if anyone could win the game singlehandedly,
it was Jordan.

He dribbled the ball downcourt, probing the defense as the Jazz scrambled to contain him. He hesitated twenty feet from the
basket and then made his move.

He spun around guard Byron Russell and shot toward the hoop. Burly forward Antoine Carr moved over to stop him.

Since Jordan’s return from retirement, basketball fans had grown accustomed to seeing him start to
drive, then stop and shoot a deadly fadeaway jumper. He rarely attacked the basket anymore.

Antoine Carr may have been thinking the same thing. Only this time, Jordan attacked.

He soared in the air above the bigger player, and before Carr could react, Jordan shoveled a layup off the glass for two points.
With 37 seconds remaining, the Bulls trailed by one.

Utah tried to run the clock down as far as possible, then put the ball in the hands of Karl Malone. Jordan reacted immediately.

He spun behind the big man, then reached in and tipped the ball away. Jordan had stolen the ball!

The clock was ticking down. The Jazz sprinted downcourt to stop the Bulls. Jordan streaked toward the basket. Fifteen feet
short of the basket, he stopped. Byron Russell tried to skid to a stop and stick with Jordan, but Jordan took a short step
back and then lofted a seventeen-foot jump shot. Russell, too late, went up to stop the shot.

The ball seemed to hang in the air forever as Jordan dropped to the ground and kept his hands in the precise position they
were when he had released the shot. The ball dropped through the hoop.

The Bulls led! Jordan had hit the last shot!

The Jazz had time to throw up a desperation shot in the final second, but it missed the basket. The Bulls won, 87–86, their
third straight championship. Jordan’s 45-point performance, capped by his late-shot heroics, made the game perhaps the most
memorable of his career. “It just keeps getting sweeter every time,” he said afterward.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
2001–2003

In the weeks and months that followed this historic Bulls three-peat, rumors began to spread that the game-winning shot against
Utah would be the last of Jordan’s career. Coach Jackson did decide to retire, and the Bulls decided to rebuild. At the same
time, a labor dispute between the players’ union and the NBA owners caused the start of the season to be delayed by a lockout.

Every day the lockout went on, it seemed more and more likely that Jordan would retire. There were reports that he wasn’t
even working out anymore.

Finally, on January 6 the labor dispute was settled. Jordan flew to Chicago and told his teammates of his decision. Then,
on January 13, he made it official.

“After a great deal of thought,” he said, “I have
decided to retire from basketball.” The Jordan era appeared over.

Over the next year Jordan spent time doing what he wanted to do — golfing, spending time with his family, and taking care
of his business interests. He even purchased a small portion of the Washington Wizards of the NBA.

There was immediate speculation that Jordan would mount another comeback. But he laughed off those suggestions, insisting
that he had no plans to return.

But in the spring of 2001, there were persistent rumors that Jordan was working out again and playing basketball. He didn’t
deny the rumors, but insisted that he had put on a few pounds and simply wanted to get back in shape.

No one was fooled. As spring turned into summer it became clear that Jordan was ready to return. When he sold his share of
the Wizards, it became apparent the rumors were true, as NBA rules prohibit a player from owning a portion of a team.

Many people thought Jordan was making a huge mistake. The Wizards were terrible, and at age thirty-eight, even Jordan’s supporters
had to admit that there was little chance that he could come back
and resume his place as the best player in basketball. Many criticized Jordan for his decision, believing he was returning
only for the money and that it was certain to damage his reputation as the greatest player in the game.

Jordan didn’t care. He missed the competition and challenge of playing. He had also discovered that he hadn’t really enjoyed
retirement.

In his first few weeks back in the NBA, it seemed as if Jordan’s critics were right. The Wizards were terrible and won only
two of their first eleven games. And Jordan wasn’t playing very well. His knees were bothering him, and he often had to sit
out practices. He rarely went to the basket, and his patented fade-away jump shot seemed to have deserted him. The comeback
appeared to have been a mistake.

But the bigger mistake has always been in underestimating Jordan. Suddenly, he and the Wizards started playing better. They
won eight straight, and Jordan appeared to be getting his game back.

As 2001 turned into 2002, Jordan turned back the clock. In back-to-back games he exploded for a total of 96 points. His jump
shot was falling and his quickness returned as he got his legs in game shape. Moreover,
his young teammates began to learn to play with him, to expect the passes that few other players in the game could make, and
to take advantage of the space on the floor that opened up when the opposition found that they had to start double-teaming
Jordan again.

On January 3 he scored 25 first-half points against the Bulls, including the 30,000th point of his NBA career. He was just
the fourth player to reach that milestone, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Karl Malone.

But Chicago fought back in the second half, and with fifteen seconds left, Bulls guard Ron Mercer swooped in for a layup.
Jordan went up with him.

And up. And up. At the top of his leap, he reached for the ball.

He didn’t block the shot. He
caught
it. And when he came back down to earth it was clear to everyone that Michael Jordan could still do things on a basketball
court that few others could.

The crowd went wild, and the Wizards hung on to win. After the game, a smiling Jordan admitted, “I can jump pretty high.”

But all was not well for Jordan. Though he continued to play hard throughout January and February,
he was plagued by continuous pain in his right knee. Doctors at first suspected it was tendonitis. When nothing they did seemed
to help, Jordan knew it was time to take a closer look.

At the end of February, he went into the hospital for exploratory surgery. Jordan was fearful doctors would fine a career-ending
injury. To his relief, the problem turned out to be loose cartilage, a condition that can often be corrected. Surgery was
performed, and Jordan was placed on the Wizards’ injured list.

Soon after the surgery, rumors began circulating that Michael Jordan was going to announce his retirement. Speculation lasted
days, until at last Jordan put all rumors to rest. He would return to the game as soon as his recovery allowed.

Jordan worked hard to get back in top form in the months that followed. When the 2002 season began, he made it clear he was
ready, emotionally and physically.

“My love for the game of basketball continues to drive my decision [to play],” he stated. “I am feeling very strong, and feel
that the steps I took in the off-season have allowed me to return to the game in great condition.”