Being a year older (8), I remember a little more from this one than the first, but like last time, let's go back to when I found out I was going. I was in my driveway with my miniature basketball hoop I had gotten the previous Christmas, frustrated that air was escaping my ball to the point I couldn't dribble it. In retrospect, it was not very durable, which should be expected from a product made by Little Tikes. Maybe I should have moved on from that size a hoop already, but that's not what matters here.
My mom called me inside and told me my dad was on the phone. He asked if I wanted to go to the game that night, to which I responded "Thanks!" My spirits were quickly uplifted. My reaction this time was admittedly not as excited, but when your dream experience at the time has already been checked off, the euphoria wears off a bit. Next thing I knew, my dad came home and we were off.
We got to the game early enough that the pregame warmups hadn't started yet. Once in our seats, the video board showed the Bulls in the tunnel getting ready to take the court. This way, I was able to see them perform the pregame chant they had become renowned for. Naturally, the crowd went nuts when they emerged, ready to play the Orlando Magic in the fourth game of the 1997-98 season. It was a nationally televised game on TBS, explaining a 7:00 start rather than the usual 7:30 at the time.
The Bulls at this time were adjusting to life without Scottie Pippen, whose foot injury would keep him out the first 35 games of the season. On Opening Night, they had lost to a bad Celtics team. After blowing out the lowly 76ers next, they needed double overtime to keep the Spurs from stealing one on their home court. Although they still had some key pieces from the '95 Eastern Conference championship team, the Magic weren't the threat they had been with Shaq. Plus, they were now learning under a new coach in the late Chuck Daly. Even with Pippen temporarily gone, the Bulls were clear favorites here.
It was an unusual starting lineup for the Bulls that night. Randy Brown and Jason Caffey were included, but the rest consisted of the usual Luc Longley, Ron Harper and Michael Jordan. Unlike last time, I could hear MJ's name as Ray Clay belted it out. After Jordan did his usual dust-off with Johnny "Red" Kerr, Orlando won the opening tip. It took a couple of minutes for either team to get on the board, but Jordan finally dunked for the first two points. Because I got to see this great athlete do what he was best known for with my own eyes (well, maybe I saw it on the video board instead), it will forever be my favorite moment of his career.
As great as that dunk was, there was one other moment involving His Airness that I know I looked down on. I think it captured the essence of just how much people loved to watch this man play. At some point during the game, he stepped to the free throw line. Whenever he got into his set motion, dozens of flash bulbs behind the glass went off. It looked so automatic that I thought a camera had been set up in that area to take a bunch of pictures with the push of a button. Of course, I also knew that couldn't have been the case. With the future of the Bulls dynasty in doubt, people wanted to savor every moment they could with its centerpiece. Plus, at 34 years old, nobody knew how much he had left in the tank. This was history right here. A once-in-a-lifetime player. If you got that kind of photo opportunity from those seats and passed it up, you would have kicked yourself for the rest of your life. Us Bulls fans knew what we had and never took it for granted.
In a theme that would repeat itself many times that year, Jordan carried most of the load and did so splendidly. He made the Bulls' first and last buckets of the game, finishing with 29 points and 17 rebounds, one off his career high. Toni Kukoc came off the bench to score 14, Ron Harper collected nine and Dennis Rodman, whom I'd missed in my first game, had seven boards to place second in that area behind Jordan.
As for Orlando, I recall seeing a lot of Rony Seikaly that night. It was for good reason, too. He led all scorers with 34 points. During a timeout, he was even shown as part of a celebrity lookalike feature on the video board (I think the subject was "Seinfeld"). Penny Hardaway lived up to the household name he was at the time by dropping 20. Veteran forward Derek Strong had 10 off the bench.
For two Magic players however, it was a night to forget. Nick Anderson missed all eight shots from the field and Horace Grant was 1-for-3, leading me to another memorable moment for me. Having brushed up on Bulls history for over a year, I knew Grant had once been an integral part of the Bulls. He made one trip to the charity stripe, during which the 8-year-old smart alec in me came out. I shouted things like the club didn't need him anymore. After all, the Bulls teams of the last two years had won more games than his teams ever had. Sitting in the first row of the 300 level, I doubt he heard me. Still, he clunked both shots, leaving me with a rather satisfactory feeling.
It was another successful game for me as the Bulls emerged victorious 94-81. After we left our seats and got to the 100 level concourse, we saw the arena lights had been dimmed and the court being taken apart for the Blackhawks game the next night. I was able to get my hands on one of the "Brick" signs somebody had left behind. It might have actually been handed to me by a staff worker, but the bottom line is I came away with one more memento of the evening.
A 3-1 start seemed pretty good, but it soon became clear that Pippen would be missed. The Bulls lost six of their next 11, putting their record at 8-7. Of course, this story has a happy ending: Pippen returned, the team regained its form and it all culminated in a sixth championship that took harder work than anyone would have liked. Still, a rally in Grant Park at the end of the season is all that mattered. No one ever judged a title based on style.
My next Bulls game came in 2000, so these 15-year time capsules will come to an end. The early 2000s were not happy days for the franchise. Even though I remained undefeated until late 2003, I'd still rather not remind you of names I'm sure you'd rather forget. Instead, I will fondly remember the two games where I got to witness one of the best teams in sports history. Here's the box score from my second game, which indicates a later infamous referee named Tim Donaghy blew one of the whistles that night. If that's not enough, here are some Jordan highlights from the game featuring a postgame interview with a normally-dressed Craig Sager.
Many know him for calling The Shot, and even then, he did a terrific job of capturing the mood on both sides. It was a moment that showed Michael Jordan was clutch as well as flashy. He brought that moment to us and it's the most famous call ever uttered by a Bulls announcer. Fewer know that he also called Jordan's other famous shot, but this time, for ESPN Radio. Perhaps it's fitting that they use his call on the sixth championship film as opposed to Neil Funk or Bob Costas: the announcer for their first title calling their last. RIP Jim. You will be greatly missed.
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