June 11, 1997: Michael Jordan had so many famous games that it's hard to say which one is his signature game. But it could be the Flu Game.
Jordan had led the Chicago Bulls to the NBA Championship in 1991, 1992 and 1993. Then, he was forced to chose to step aside for a while, because Commissioner David Stern found out about his gambling addiction, but didn't want to ban his big cash-cow player for life, so he talked him into "retiring" he was depressed over the recent murder of his father, James Jordan, and his heart wasn't in it anymore.
But late in the 1994-95 season, Stern decided that the Houston Rockets were boring champions, and the Orlando Magic were in too small a market to generate much revenue as the league's next signature team, even with commercial magnet Shaquille O'Neal, so he let Jordan return Jordan returned, and helped the Bulls win another title in 1996. In 1997, he got them back into the NBA Finals.
Their opponents were the Utah Jazz, who had been the New Orleans Jazz from their 1974 entry into the NBA until 1979. They'd had good teams for a while, led by guard John Stockton and forward Karl Malone. Interestingly, before Jordan, the Bulls' best player ever might have been Jerry Sloan, who was now head coach of the Jazz.
In Game 1, at the United Center in Chicago, the Jazz gave the Bulls all they could handle: The Bulls only won it 84-82. They were stronger in Game 2, winning 97-85. The series moved to Salt Lake City, to the Delta Center, which upheld its reputation as the loudest arena in the NBA. The Jazz took over, winning Game 3, 104-93 thanks to 37 points from Malone; and Game 4, 78-73. Bulls coach Phil Jackson chose to wear earplugs through Game 4, and many NBC viewers claimed they couldn't hear broadcaster Marv Albert at the end of the game, the Utah fans were yelling so loudly.
The Bulls didn't have to win Game 5 in Salt Lake City to successfully defend their title: They could have gone back to Chicago and taken Games 6 and 7. But it would have helped a lot if they could win Game 5 on Tuesday night.
But at 2:00 AM, 17 hours before tipoff, Jordan called Tim Grover, his personal trainer, to his hotel room. He was sweating profusely, and didn't even have the strength to sit up in bed. Although it was reported that he had influenza, and the game became known as "The Flu Game," in the 2020 ESPN miniseries The Last Dance, Jordan claimed it was actually food poisoning, from a pizza he'd ordered the night before. (This was 9 years before the Tottenham lasagne incident in English soccer. And who orders pizza in Utah? He should have had it flown in from Chicago with him.)
When the morning came, the Bulls' athletic trainers examined Jordan, and told him there was no way he could play. His ego now in as much pain as his stomach, he got as much rest as he could, left his hotel bed at 5:50 PM, and was suited up in time for the 7:00 tipoff.
He was going to have to play in a weakened condition. On the road. At altitude. (Salt Lake City is over 4,200 feet above sea level, compared to Chicago's approximately 600.) In front of the loudest crowd in the NBA.
Midway through the 2nd quarter, Jordan had been a nonfactor, and the Jazz took a 36-20 lead. But Jordan got it together, scored 17 points in the quarter, and at the half, the Jazz' lead was down to 53-49. Jordan took his only rest of the game in the 3rd quarter, and at its end, the Jazz led 77-69.
Playing on sheer force of will, Jordan scored 15 points in the 4th quarter. With 46 seconds left, he was fouled. He made the 1st free throw to tie the game 85-85, but missed the 2nd. Eventually, the ball got back to him, and he shot a 3-pointer to make it 88-85 with 25 seconds left. The Bulls hung on, winning 88-87.
Jordan played 44 of the game's 48 minutes, scoring 38 points, with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot. Most importantly, the Bulls now had a 3-games-to-2 lead. It was the 1st time the Jazz had lost at home in that year's Playoffs, having previously gone 10-0.
Two nights later, back in Chicago, still not fully recovered, Jordan scored 39, and the Bulls won, 90-86, taking their 5th title, all in the last 7 seasons. Steve Kerr scored the winning basket, and a Scottie Pippen steal in the final seconds sealed it. Jordan was named the Finals' Most Valuable Player, as he had on the 4 previous occasions.
The Bulls would beat the Jazz again the next season, leading to Jordan's 2nd retirement. The Bulls were then broken up, while the Jazz held their core together a while longer. Neither team has made the NBA Finals since.
If you believe that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time, The Flu Game -- even though the flu is not what he had -- may well be your best argument. After all, Wilt Chamberlain may have scored 100 points in a game on no sleep, but it was hardly against a Finals-worthy opponent, and he wasn't sick.
*
June 11, 1997 was a Wednesday. Dieuson Octave, later to be the rapper known as Kodak Black, was born.
Football was out of season. The hockey season had ended 4 days earlier, when the Detroit Red Wings completed a 4-game Finals sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers, to win their 1st Stanley Cup in 42 years. And these Major League Baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 7-5 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees trailed 5-0 after 5 innings, but scored 4 runs in the 6th inning and 3 in the 8th to win it. Derek Jeter went 0-for-4, but Cecil Fielder hit a home run, and Tino Martinez went 3-for-4 with an RBI, as Mike Stanton won in relief of Kenny Rogers.
* The New York Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Scott Servais scored the winning run in the bottom of the 8th, when Greg McMichael uncorked a wild pitch. (Wild pitches and wine bottles are the only things that are ever "uncorked.")
* The Montreal Expos beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 10-1 at Fenway Park in Boston.
* The Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1 at the SkyDome in Toronto. (It was renamed the Rogers Centre in 2005.)
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-3 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. (It was renamed Progressive Field in 2007.) Omar Vizquel singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-1 at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati. (It had been known as Riverfront Stadium from 1970 to 1995.)
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics, 4-2 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.
* The Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins, 9-6 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
* The Kansas City Royals beat the Anaheim Angels, 6-1 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
* The Colorado Rockies beat the Atlanta Braves, 9-6 at Coors Field in Denver.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres, 8-3 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. (It had been San Diego Stadium from 1967 to 1980, and Jack Murphy Stadium from 1980 to 1996.)
* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Astros, 10-5 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
* And the Florida Marlins beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-3 at Candlestick Park (then named 3Com Park at Candlestick Point) in San Francisco.
No comments:
Post a Comment