“Bench Michael Jordan!”: Phil Jackson’s assistant made the 1992 NBA final’s winning decision

Former Bulls assistant coach Tex Winter, pleaded with Phil Jackson to take Michael Jordan out of Game 6 of the 1992 NBA finals because he was hogging the ball too much.

Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball legend in history. Many people consider Jordan to be the greatest basketball player of all time. MJ is a legend, a superstar who any team would love to have on their roster.

In 1992, the Bulls won their second consecutive championship after setting another franchise record with 67 wins.

They swept the Miami Heat in the first round, the Knicks in seven games in the second round, and the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the third round, advancing to the Finals for the second year in a row.

Jordan and the Bulls were unstoppable and looked set to defend their championship. The Bulls went on to win three consecutive championships, with Jordan cementing his place as one of the league’s all-time greats. There were times when his Airness was taking over games and winning matches for the Bulls on his own.

The defending champion Chicago Bulls faced the Portland Trail Blazers, led by Clyde Drexler, in the 1992 NBA Finals. During Game 6, the deciding game for the Bulls to win the NBA championship, the coaching staff had reservations about Jordan’s performance.

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Phil Jackson was once advised by one of his former assistant coaches to bench Michael Jordan during the 1992 NBA Finals

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1992 NBA Finals, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and coached by Phil Jackson and Tex Winter. They won their second straight championship in six games, with Jordan winning his second consecutive Finals MVP award.

According to Scottie Pippen’s new book, Chicago Bulls assistant coach Tex Winter advised Phil Jackson to remove Michael Jordan from the game because he was being too ball-dominant and costing the Bulls the game, potentially sending them to their first (and only) Game 7.

“Michael, on the other hand, was trying to do too much.” And it was backfiring on them. Tex Winter, one of our assistant coaches, pleaded with Phil, ‘You have to get him out of there.’ ‘He’s holding the ball for too long, which is ruining the action.'”

Jordan was taken out of the game when the Bulls were trailing by 14 points, per Tex’s advice. The Bulls went on a 14-2 run led by Scottie Pippen while he was on the bench. Jordan returned to the game with the score 81-78, and the Bulls won the game 97-93.

Jordan had a good game against the Trail Blazers in Game 6, scoring 33 points. However, his fourth-quarter slump could have cost the Bulls the chance to win their second consecutive NBA championship. While Jordan was dissatisfied with the decision, Tex Winter aided Jordan and the Bulls in winning the championship.

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