Dramatic Shot Ends Frustration Of Poor Play

They did the Right Thing.

They already knew all too well the consequences of not getting the ball out of Michael Jordan’s hands at the end of games, and so this time the Utah Jazz sent platoons at No. 23, forcing him to relinquish the ball.

But Steve Kerr has a raison d’etre in this world, and that is to make open jump shots. He took the ball from Jordan and did what he has done thousands and thousands and thousands of times in his life. He has done it in empty gyms and in high school, AAU, and college games. He has done it so often he could probably do it with his eyes closed. But until Friday night he had never done it to win a world championship.

Now he has.

Kerr took that pass from Jordan and let the ball fly. It was as swishy as a jump shot can be, passing cleanly through the hoop with five seconds left. It was the biggest shot of his life, because it broke a tie at 86. A late steal and layup made the Bulls official 90-86 winners. For the fifth time in the past seven years, the Chicago Bulls are the champions of the known basketball universe.

It was, until the final seven minutes, a terrible game, unworthy of any “Finals” designation. In fact, much of the halftime conversation centered on the very real possibility that this was the worst Finals game ever perpetrated on the American public. After four minutes of play, the teams were tied at 2, and for the next 2-3/4 periods, it didn’t get substantially better.

The teams combined to shoot 37 percent in the first half (25 for 68). There were forced turnovers, unforced turnovers, over-and-back violations, three-second calls, missed layups, missed free throws (Karl Malone was an execrable 4 for 11 in the first half), bad decisions, and long stretches in which the game’s very integrity was under attack. The referees weren’t helping much, but in fairness to Joe Crawford, Steve Javie, and Bennett Salvatore, the players weren’t giving them much to work with, either, what with their stumbling and lurching around.

But none of this mattered in the end, because with 7:05 left, the teams were tied at 76 and the game was about to begin.

The Bulls were in the game thanks to the superb efforts of - get this - the Jordanaires. For with Himself getting a well-deserved rest, the Bulls were able to score 10 unanswered points to grab their first lead since 8-6 on a Kerr 3-pointer that made it 74-73.

Utah had already squandered its big chance. Now the Jazz would have to deal with a rested Jordan, and if there’s one thing he knows how to do, it is go for the jugular. Would it come as a great shock to learn that He would score 10 of the next 12 Chicago points?

Thus ends a good but not great Finals. Utah will long rue the missed opportunities, both in the short and long range. Consider, for example, Malone, the regular-season MVP. He coulda done this and he coulda done that, and he didn’t make any excuses when he didn’t. But 7-for-15 foul shooting for an MVP in such a big game? Unacceptable. The Jazz would be playing Sunday evening if he had done what any supposed MVP is supposed to do. And then there was young Shandon Anderson, who, after making a nice head fake, blew an astonishingly easy lefthanded layup with 28 seconds to go and the score tied at 86. You can’t do these things if you aspire to be a champion.

The Jazz led for 41 minutes of Game 1 but couldn’t finish the deal. They should have won Game 5 at home but couldn’t finish the deal. They led for all but seconds of the first three quarters in this one, and they had great opportunities to secure the lead in the fourth period, but for the third time in this series, they did not know how to close a deal.

The Bulls do.

They have now stared down five Western Conference opponents en route to these five championships. The Lakers, Portland, Phoenix, Seattle, and now Utah have all had their chance. If Jordan decides to play again, the Bulls will undoubtedly be waiting for a sixth team to blow its opportunities next year.

Jordan did what only a very few players have ever been capable of doing. He scored 39 points on a so-so night. At no time did he get into anything resembling a decent (for him) shooting rhythm, but he has such a vast repertoire of shots, and he is so proficient at getting himself to the line, that he found a way to score a quiet 39. Think of Luis Tiant throwing 162 pitches to beat the Reds and you get the idea.

The Bulls were hanging by their fingernails for the entire 1997 playoffs. They never played good offense as a team, but they are the champs today because they are the best defensive team in basketball, and because Jordan couldn’t hit the curveball. I hate to keep quoting Pat Riley, but what he said was the most prescient statement of the playoffs. In case you forgot, he said that nobody else will win this thing until Michael retires.

But even Michael needs a little help once in a while. Steve Kerr gets the honor of taking Michael’s red-and-blue cape to the cleaners.