Michael Jordan believed Reggie Miller-led 1998 Indiana Pacers were the greatest threat to the Chicago Bulls in 13 years.
Michael Jordan is the crowned king of basketball. Of all the conquests this game has ever seen, have to by far be the greatest ever.
Only three franchises have ever registered a three-peat in league history. The list included Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls, in fact, have registered two three-peats in their franchise history. Michael Jordan was the core around whom both those three-peat teams were built. That is not a chance. It was by design, by Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson’s design.
Now, we are not saying that the other names on the roster were meaningless. Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, and Tony Kukoc, among others, were all essential for that significant feat.
But on the other hand, the same squad without MJ and Phil would not have had such an impact on the league.
Jordan’s dominance gave his team a berth on the list of greatest squads. Yet, he was a bane for other active legends. Stars like Charles Barkley, Kevin Malone, and Reggie Miller retired ringless.
It’s not an overreach to wonder if perhaps they could have won championships if not for Michael Jordan. Especially Reggie who came awfully close to winning the NBA title in 1998.
The battle against Indiana Pacers left Michael Jordan shaken up
In May of 1998, the Bulls met Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The winning team was to face Utah Jazz for the championship.
After game 7, Jordan confessed to Scottie Pippen how Indiana was Chicago Bulls’ most difficult matchup in the last 13 years.
MJ: ““That’s huge. That’s huge, man. That’s the hardest we worked in 13 years.”
The Pacers had won 58 of their games, while Chicago had registered 60. Jordan on his second three-peat campaign made the Bulls a fan favorite heading. No one anticipated the series that followed.
Bulls quickly won the first two. Jordan dropped 31 in the first and 41 in the second. Reggie seemed out of form and was unable to cross even 20 points in those two games.
The third and fourth games were a different story though. Uncle Reg found his switch and raised the heat. He scored 28 in the third game and landed 60% of his threes in the fourth. The Pacers made a comeback and tied the series at 2-2.
The 5th went to Chicago and the 6th to Pacers. Larry Bird coached Indiana, against all odds, had taken the invincible Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls to Game 7.
In a classic Jordanesque way, MJ outscored and registered more assists than the entire Pacers. Jordan and his squad went on to win their 6th championship in just 8 years.
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