Off the pass from Cliff Livingston, he drives down the lane for what seems to be an easy dunk with his right hand. Instead, he hangs in the air and banks it in reverse, off his left hand.
“Cliff threw it back to me and I saw a clear lane to the basket,” Michael Jordan began explaining the play at the postgame press conference. “So, I was going to dunk the ball but then I saw long-armed Sam Perkins there, and it was just instincts to change it. I changed it to my left hand and was able to get it off.”
After losing Game 1, their first Finals game in franchise history, by just a couple of points (93-91) in the final seconds, the Bulls fought back strongly and won Game 2 by a convincing margin of 21 points (107-86).
The Bulls were led by their dynamic wing duo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, each of whom recorded a points-assists double-double to combine for 23 of the team’s 35 assists. Jordan finished with 33 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds on 15-of-18 shooting from the field in 36 minutes while Pippen finished with 20 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds on 8-of-16 shooting from the field in 44 minutes.
“It was his [Jordan] game tonight,” said Lakers point guard Magic Johnson after the game.
In the game 2 loss, Johnson finished with 14 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, and two steals in 43 minutes. For the series, he nearly averaged a triple-double but couldn’t lead the Lakers to their 12th championship in franchise history.
Instead, the Bulls wrapped the Finals series in five games and clinched their first-ever NBA Championship. Across the five games, Jordan averaged 31.2 points, 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.8 steals on 55.8% shooting from the field.
Other notable events on June 5th
In 1977, the Portland Trail Blazers clinched their first and only NBA championship in franchise history by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 109-107 in Game 6. In the clincher, Finals MVP Bill Walton finished with 20 points, 23 rebounds, seven assists and then an NBA Finals record eight blocks.
In 1992, Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Chicago Bulls in Game 2 of the Finals 115-104. In overtime, Danny Ainge, who scored nine of the Blazers’ 18 points, tied a Finals record set by John Havlicek (1974) and Bill Laimbeer (1990).
In 1996, the global television coverage of the Finals between Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics reaches a record 169 countries on six continents in 40 different languages. The Bulls’ 107-90 win in Game 1 at the United Center earns a 16.8 rating and a 31 share on NBC and is viewed in a record 16,111,200 homes.
Game-winning buzzer-beater on June 5th
Dennis Johnson vs. Los Angeles Lakers in 1985
Notable playoff eliminations on June 5th
In 1994, the New York Knicks advanced to their seventh Finals in franchise history with a 94-90 Game 7 victory over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals behind Patrick Ewing’s 24 points, 22 rebounds, seven assists, and five blocks. The 1994 Finals was the franchise’s first championship series appearance since 1973.
In 1993, the Phoenix Suns defeat the Seattle SuperSonics 123-110 in Game 7 of the 1993 Western Conference Finals led by Charles Barkley’s monster double-double of 44 points and 24 rebounds. The victory helped the franchise advance to their second Finals appearance in franchise history and the first since 1976.
News
“I didn’t love MJ, and I thought MJ was difficult and unnecessarily harsh on his teammates” – Luc Longley’s true feelings about Michael Jordan
One of the glaring omissions in the famous Chicago Bulls documentary “The Last Dance” was the absence of prominent Center Luc Longley in the 10-part series. Longley was an integral figure of the Bulls’ second three-peat between 1996 to 1998,…
Michael Jordan Would’ve Been Destroyed if Cleveland Hadn’t Made Their Potentially Biggest Mistake, As Per 3x NBA Champion
Michael Jordan didn’t have the easiest path to becoming a champion. The Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons were the two major obstacles His Airness overcame to claim his first NBA championship, but what if he had failed at an earlier stage…
Michael Jordan Suffered From a Painful Condition That Only 10% of American Adults Have, Ex-Nike Executive Reveals Shocking Details
It’s no mean feat to create a legendary career on and off the court, but Michael Jordan did it, thanks to his hooping skills and the iconic collaboration with Nike. His retirement from the game has been two decades yet the Jordans…
Michael Jordan card sells for record-high price
A rare autographed Michael Jordan Logoman card sold for $2.928 million, the most ever paid for a Jordan card. Credit AP Photo/John Swart An autographed Michael Jordan Logoman card sold for $2.928 million on marketplace Goldin. The card, which is the most…
Michael Jordan sports card sets new auction record
A sports card of basketball great Michael Jordan recently sold at auction for nearly $3 million. 🚨 BREAKING: there is a NEW ALL-TIME HIGHEST-SELLING MICHAEL JORDAN CARD 🚨 Final Sale Price on the 2003 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Michael Jordan…
Michael Jordan Opens Up For The First Time About His Billion-Dollar Business: ‘i Made 4 Times More Than My Entire Nba Career
**Michael Jordan Opens Up for the First Time About His Billion-Dollar Business: ‘I Made 4 Times More Than My Entire NBA Career’** Basketball legend Michael Jordan recently opened up about his incredible success off the court, revealing for the first…
End of content
No more pages to load