Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 21, 1993 TAG: 9306210146
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PHOENIX LENGTH: Medium
They beat the Phoenix Suns 99-98 on Sunday night to win their third consecutive NBA title on John Paxson's 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds to play. Phoenix's last chance at extending the NBA Finals to a seventh game ended when Horace Grant blocked Kevin Johnson's drive just inside the free-throw line with a second to play.
Michael Jordan, who led the Bulls to their first two titles, ran into the stands to retrieve the ball.
"This is a dream," Jordan said. "What a great feeling. I can't describe what I feel."
The Bulls clearly were a team in trouble before setting up for their last shot, when they decided to win the game right then and there. They had scored but nine points in the quarter - all by Jordan - until Paxson's wide-open 23-footer from the left wing.
The play started with Jordan passing to Scottie Pippen, who drove and dished to Grant along the baseline. Grant then passed the ball out to Paxson at the 3-point arc. With Phoenix collapsing to stop Pippen and Grant, the 6-foot-2 guard hit all net and gave the Bulls a finals record 10 3-pointers in the game.
"That was just instinct," Paxson said. "You catch and you shoot. It's something I've done hundreds of thousands of times in my life."
Added Phoenix coach Paul Westphal: "It's something everybody dreams about, and John Paxson got to live that dream out."
Chicago joined the Minneapolis Lakers from 1952-54 and the Boston Celtics from 1959-66 as the only teams to win as many as three consecutive NBA titles.
"Very few teams have done this, especially with the parity in the league," Jordan said. "This was something I looked forward to because of Magic [Johnson] and [Larry] Bird. This is something neither of them did."
Jordan scored 33 points for the Bulls and finished with the highest scoring average in finals history, 41.0, eclipsing Rick Barry's 1967 standard of 40.8 with San Francisco.
The Suns, who held Chicago without a field goal for the first 6 minutes, 39 seconds of the fourth quarter, led 98-94 before Jordan's court-length drive for a layup cut the Bulls' deficit to two. Dan Majerle's airball caused a 24-second violation, giving Chicago possession and setting up Paxson's winner.
The Bulls' place among NBA champions will be debated. But one thing is indisputable: They are the most successful road team in the finals. In winning three consecutive titles, they are are 8-1 in the championship series away from Chicago and just 4-4 at home.
Chicago won despite blowing an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter and hitting just five of 18 shots from the field in the final period. The Suns, who got 21 points and 17 rebounds from Charles Barkley and 21 points from Majerle, were 5-for-21 in the last 12 minutes and missed seven of their last eight shots. Johnson had 19 points and 10 assists.
"We never could get a hold of this basketball team," Bulls coach Phil Jackson said of the Suns. "They found ways to squiggle out. We're very fortunate to come out of that game with a win."
The Bulls made 10 of 14 3-point attempts, surpassing the finals record of nine set by Phoenix in its triple-overtime victory in Game 3.
The Suns scored the first seven points of the period, cutting their deficit to one as Chicago missed its first nine shots of the quarter.
After a free throw by Jordan gave Chicago its first point of the period with 5:51 left, Barkley tied it 88-88 with a layup 16 seconds later.
After Jordan got Chicago's first field goal with 5:21 to go to make it 90-88, Majerle gave the Suns their first lead since the first period with a 3-pointer.
Despite Jordan's scoring heroics, defense was largely responsible for Chicago's third title.
Phoenix shot 39 percent from the field in the final game, the fifth time in six games in the series the Suns were held under 50 percent.
Chicago, which needed five games to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in 1991 and six to beat the Trail Blazers last year, had a 15-4 playoff record. Phoenix was 13-11 after finishing an NBA-best 62-20 during the regular season.
Chicago had to return to Phoenix after losing Game 5 108-98 at home on Friday night. The Bulls won Game 4 111-105 behind Jordan's 55 points, matching the second-highest total in finals history, after losing the third game 129-121 in the second triple-overtime game in finals history.
The Suns lost the first two games of the series at Phoenix as Chicago became the first team to take a 2-0 lead on the road in the finals.
"I think our play spoke for itself," Johnson said. "We're not satisfied, but this is our first goal run and we'll be back."
by CNB