Here’s the game which was removed a while ago. If I recall correctly, this is a different broadcast than Hoops so there shouldn’t be a problem. January 21, 1997 —————— OK, you know the story. A few days before this game, Jeff Van Gundy says in a radio interview that Jordan sometimes tries to “con” his opponents by befriending them off the court only to torch them on it. Well, Jordan sees Van Gundy’s words on chicago newspapers and… the rest is in the video. That aside, Bulls have some major problems coming into this game. Harper is injured and Rodman is suspended for kicking a cameraman. Randy Brown and Jason Caffey are the Bulls starters along with Jordan, Pippen and Longley. Here are some interesting facts about the game: * Knicks were the #1 defensive team in the NBA in 1996-97, measured by points allowed per 100 possessions. Jordan had another 50 point game this season which was against Miami Heat. Not surprisingly, Miami was the #2 defensive team that year. * In addition to scoring 58% of Bulls points, Jordan also guards Allan Houston in the entire game and totally frustrates him. Houston misses 12 of his first 13 shots. (Finishes with 5-18). * Bulls score 14 points in the 4th quarter. Jordan scores 12 of them and assists on the other two, a dunk by Caffey. * Jordan shoots 18-for-30 (60%) from the floor. The rest of the team are 16-for-46 (35%). * Jordan goes 5-for-8 from 3-point range. The other Bulls are 3-for-17 from beyond the arc. * Pippen scores …
February 18, 1997. Denver Nuggets visit The United Center in chicago. Scottie drops a career high 47! It coulda been 50+ if the game wasn’t a blowout. Nobody’s put this on YouTube yet so this one’s for you Pip!
The Utah Jazz looked fresh and re-energized playing in front of their home crowd at the Delta Center in game 3 of the 1997 Finals. Behind 37 points from the MVP Karl Malone, the Jazz beat chicago 104-93. Greg Foster had a huge game, finishing with 17 points. John Stockton also scored 17 and added 12 assists. Scottie Pippen paced the Bulls with 27 points, while Michael Jordan added 26. (Michael Buffer never gets old.)
This early regular season game between chicago and LA was seen as a part of the Bulls’ farewell tour, given their age and the time they had already spent together. Pippen was out for months and to make matters worse, sharp shooter Steve Kerr received an injury too. And from the start of the first quarter the Bulls looked very old indeed. Uncharacteristic mistakes and a terrible percentage from the field gave the Clippers an early lead. Jordan had a lot of problems with his shot release because of the dislocated finger, noticeable especially at the freethrow line. Despite a great game by Longley the Clippers led 27-14 after the 1st quarter. But the Bulls showed pride. They got back into the game with their defense and started a 18-3 scoring run to erase the Clippers’ big lead. At the end of a hard-fought 4th quarter, Barry hit two huge freethrows to tie the game at 92-92 with 10 seconds to go. A lot of time for Jordan to work his magic, but he missed at the buzzer and the game went into the first of two overtimes. The Clippers looked a bit fresher and got a four point lead with 40 seconds to go, but Jordan made two baskets to tie the game again at 102-102 and forced a second overtime. He then completely took over and scored all 9 Bulls points in the 2nd overtime. Overall he scored the last 13 points in the game, unanswered by the Clippers who couldn’t buy a basket and went scoreless on Jordan’s run. While the 34-year-old Jordan looked sharper as the game progressed, the …