To date, Michael Jordan is considered by many as the greatest ever to have stepped on the basketball court. While playing for the Chicago Bulls, Jordan would win 6 rings. Furthermore, these 6 titles would be composed of 2 three-peats. Partnered with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, Jordan and Bulls would dominate the league for several years, giving fans plenty of memories.
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One thing that Jordan was well known for was his trash talk. He’d often intimidate his opponents to have a mental edge over them. But sometimes the trash talk would come after the game. One of these post-game comments would game after Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1998.
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Jordan Stuns Larry Bird
The Eastern Conference Finals of the 1997-98 season would feature the Indiana Pacers – one of the Bulls’ toughest opponents. Led by coach Larry Bird and NBA legend Reggie Miller, the Pacers would push Jordan and the Bulls to 7 games. But in the end, it was Jordan who had the upper hand.
After the game, MJ would run into Bird in the hallway where he’d stun the former Celtics star with some hilarious trash talk. This event would feature in Netflix’s show ‘The Last Dance.’
The trash talk might hurt even more than the L 🤣#TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/aZE8lf4nvg
— ESPN (@espn) May 18, 2020
“Enjoy yourself, dog. You b***h, f**k you. Y’all gave us a run for our money,” said MJ to Larry Bird.
“Alright, take care. Now you can work on that golf game of yours,” he added.
Clearly, the Pacers had pushed MJ to the point where it took massive efforts from the Bulls to take the series. Hence, the trash talk from Jordan.
The 1997-98 NBA Finals
The 1997-98 season was the one where Jordan would win his 6th and final ring for the Bulls. MJ would lead a group of solid players that included the likes of Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Steve Kerr to win the championship against the Utah Jazz in the finals in 6 games. The final moments of game 6 would feature Jordan in a defensive play where he’d steal the ball from Karl Malone and hit the game-winning shot at the other end.
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The Utah Jazz featured one of the best pairings in NBA history – Karl Malone and John Stockton. Stockton would feature as the playmaker for the Jazz while Malone would be their primary scorer. On the Bulls, Dennis Rodman wasn’t much of a scorer, but he was a strong in defense and in grabbing rebounds. Pippen provided scoring along with both playmaking and rebounding, while MJ would be the primary point of offense.
Despite the solid performances from Stockton and Malone, the Jazz would fall short of the title. At the end, it was MJ and Bulls who prevailed.
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