Michael Jordan dominated the 1990s, winning six NBA titles. His last one saw him nail an impressive game-winning shot to beat the Utah Jazz for the second straight year.
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Jordan’s NBA career is filled with clutch shots and moments that truly showcase how legendary of an NBA player he really was. At the height of his powers, there was nobody who could stop him.
In his final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1998, Jordan was running on fumes, however. He was still the best player in the league, but he was 35, and he did seem absolutely gassed. With the Bulls leading 3-2 against the Utah Jazz, there was a real chance that Jordan could find himself in his first ever game seven in the NBA Finals.
With the Bulls down 86-83 with only 41 seconds left, things seemed bleak. However, those next 41 seconds would go down in NBA history.
Michael Jordan Had His Bulls Teammates In Awe With His Late Game Heroics
First, Jordan would take a hard drive to the basket and finish a tough layup with 37 seconds remaining to make it 86-85. However, Utah now had possession of the ball, and they could run the clock down if they really wanted to, leaving the Bulls in another tough situation.
Michael Jordan wasn’t having any of it. He plucked the ball right out of Karl Malone’s hands with 18 seconds left, bringing the ball up the court. Head coach Phil Jackson chose not to call a timeout, knowing he had the greatest player on the planet on his side.
Jordan would line up his defender as he had done in his career countless times before. He drove hard to the basket before crossing the ball back to his other hand (haters will call it a pushoff), generating enough space for the shot of a lifetime.
With five seconds left, the Bulls led 87-86 as Jordan drilled one of the most historic shots in NBA history. John Stockton couldn’t replicate the heroics of the Bulls legend and Jordan wrapped up his sixth ring and his time in Chicago.
His teammate, Steve Kerr, couldn’t believe what he had just seen and rushed over to congratulate Jordan, saying “You’re f**king unbelievable.”
Kerr couldn’t have put Jordan’s performance any better. He scored 45 points that game out of the Bulls 87, more than half their total output. He carried through while Pippen was injured and showed everyone that even at 35, he was still the best in the world.
