“Don’t let Jordan catch it, double team him!”: Suns coach Paul Westphal couldn’t do anything to stop Michael Jordan from putting up video game numbers in the 1993 NBA Finals

Michael Jordan was so unstoppable during the 1993 NBA Finals that the Suns coach had to get his team to double-team the superstar at every possession.

The Chicago Bulls faced the Phoenix Suns during the 1993 Finals in a quest to 3-peat. Suns star Charles Barkley was the regular-season MVP during the year. The Suns were the top seed in the NBA with 62 wins.

Jordan was crowned the scoring champion the same year and led the league in steals as well. The Bulls superstar had won back-to-back championships, defeating the likes of Magic Johnson and Clyde Drexler.

As the Bulls faced the Suns in the Finals, Jordan seemed to dominate Charles Barkley and co, especially in the first 2 games of the series.

The 6x Finals MVP had video-game-like stats in the Finals. Jordan averaged a whopping 41.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 6.3 APG, and 1.7 SPG, on an incredible 50.8% shooting and 40.0% from the 3-point line.

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The Bulls legend was so dominant during the game that Suns coach Paul Westphal had to force his squad to double-team him and let someone else on the Bulls roster score.

Michael Jordan and co destroyed the Phoenix Suns during the 1993 NBA Finals in the quest for a 3-peat

The 10x scoring champion had complete control over the Phoenix Suns during the Finals. The situation was such that Phoenix coach Westphal was seen yelling, “Michael is not beating us! Don’t let him catch. Double him. Make somebody else win the game.”

The 1992-93 MVP Charles Barkley averaged 27.3 PPG, 13.0 RPG, 5.5 APG, and 1.2 SPG on a 47.6% shooting from the field during the Finals.

MJ showed us why he’s the all-time leader in PPG as he torched a 55-point performance in Game Four of the Finals. Though the Bulls won the first 2 games, the Suns tried to bounce back in the series, winning games Three and Five.

On This Date: In 1995, Michael Jordan played his first game after announcing his return to the NBA. pic.twitter.com/ja4VOK4qqe

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 19, 2019

However, the Bulls ended the Suns’ phenomenal season in Game Six, thus having their first 3-peat. The Bulls won by one point, John Paxson hit the game-winning 3-pointer, under 3.0 seconds left in regulation.

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While MJ would go on to 3-peat twice in his career, Charles Barkley didn’t end up winning any ring in an otherwise Hall of Fame career.