The 1998 Eastern Conference Finals marked a historic milestone in a journey that paved the way for the Chicago Bulls dynasty. On their way to winning their sixth NBA championship in eight years, Michael Jordan and the Bulls faced a tough Indiana Pacers team, led by none other than Reggie Miller. And despite the series being even at three games apiece, MJ’s confidence ahead of Game 7 was unfazed.
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Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls took an early 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series. But the Pacers wasted no time in defeating the Bulls in back-to-back games to make up for the first two matchups.
The Bulls took Game 5 and the Pacers immediately struck back with a Game 6 win over the Bulls. It wasn’t until Game 7 that Bulls fans may have actually broken a sweat over the thought of seeing their icon lose, that too in his final year with the franchise.
Not only was the Black Cat unfazed as he sat down with the media; but he also tried to break the tension with a somewhat amusing response.
“We’re gonna win Game 7… I never make promises. I don’t even make promises to my wife but we will win Game 7.”
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Not an ounce of doubt in his mind, Jordan kept his word as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 and advanced to the NBA Finals. Chicago barely edged by the Pacers as they came out with an 88-83 final score, winning the game by a five-point margin.
The Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana was often labeled as the toughest matchup for the Bulls, period. Reggie Miller and the Pacers gave MJ and his squad a run for their money as he took them to seven grueling games for Jordan to come out on top.
Despite an impressive attempt in the hopes of bringing down the Bulls dynasty, one man made it his mission to prevent that from happening. His Airness finished the game with 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists for the game, nearly notching a triple-double.
Constantly being double-teamed by the Pacers’ defense while also guiding his teammates, Jordan’s Game 7 performance against the Pacers may have been one of the best performances in ECF history.
Reggie Miller’s first time trash-talking MJ
Coming into the league three years after Jordan’s draft, Miller averaged double-digit points for the Indiana Pacers right from the get-go. He had already started making a name for himself in the league with his sharpshooting and athleticism. However, the Indiana Pacers legend ended up making one big mistake; trash-talking Michael Jordan.
Reggie narrated how he had some words for MJ who was on the bench. It did not take ‘Black Jesus’ long to step onto the court and show him why he is, what he is. Though Miller was already aware of the things Mike could do on the court, he was convinced that the ‘98 Pacers squad could’ve taken down the Bulls.
And since the league was well aware of the fact that the Bulls front office will be parting ways with head coach, Phil Jackson, that also meant that Jordan wouldn’t be coming back the next year. But at the end of the game, Mike had 44 points and Miller had just 12. While Jordan walked past, he warned Miller and said,
“Be careful, you never talk to black Jesus like that.”
That was enough to fuel Jordan and win the championship that year.
