Not Michael Jordan‘s offense but a defensive strategy that maintained MJ’s 6-0 record in the Finals series?

The instance in discussion is the 1993 playoffs. The only time when a team with a better regular season record challenged His Airness for the championship title. The 6x NBA champ averaged jaw-dropping numbers with 41 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game through the series. But appearing on a recent episode of The Steam Room, Charles Barkley revealed it was the defense from two players on him that might’ve prevented the Suns’ win in Game 6 of the series. Thus preserving MJ’s unique 6-0 record in the NBA Finals.

During the recent episode of The Steam Room, Barkley opened up on the moment that he can’t let go from his mind to this day. “I go back and think about the last quarter [against the Bulls] in my mind and there was three plays I would like to have back where I wasn’t aggressive,” Chuck said.

As mentioned earlier, Chuck is referring to Game 6, where Barkley’s Phoenix Suns had a 6-point lead on Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls with 8 minutes left on the clock. But give it to coach Phil Jackson for his timely accurate decisions. He put the double-team of Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant on Barkley.

“I accepted the double team… I made a good basketball play [by passing the ball in 3 instances] but I was saying to myself ‘do you trust yourself against two guys or somebody else…'” the 11x All-Star said, re-emphasizing that his decision to not take a chance against Pippen and Grant still bothers him.

“To this day, it eats me… I should have been aggressive, selfish and aggressive. At least if I turned it over, I’d feel better about me screwing up.” But as we all know it, the defensive duo of Pip and Grant made Chuck pass the ball three times. Meanwhile, Michael Jordan’s Bulls scored 7 straight points. And thus beat the Suns by one point.

Surprisingly, though, the winning shot was a clutch moment. Arguably the greatest by any non-star in NBA history.

The non-star from the Bulls who broke Charles Barkley’s heart

Every sports fan loves an underdog story, but for Barkley and the Suns, it came at the worst possible time. In the 1993 NBA Finals, the Suns had fought tooth and nail to keep their title hopes alive. Enter John Paxson, a name no one expected to define the series. Yet, with just seconds remaining in Game 6, he delivered a dagger that still echoes in NBA history.

Barkley had reportedly declared before the game that God wanted the Suns to win the championship. The Suns, down 3-2 in the series, needed a win to force a Game 7 at home in America West Arena (now Footprint Center). A game that could have changed everything. But fate had other plans.

With Chicago trailing 98-96, the ball found Paxson wide-open. Danny Ainge, drawn into help defense despite coach Paul Westphal’s instructions, left him unguarded. And thus came Paxson’s three-pointer with a perfect blend of precision and timing. As the shot swished, Barkley’s prophecy unraveled.

Horace Grant then blocked Kevin Johnson’s final shot. Thus sealing the Suns’ heartbreak and etching Paxson’s name in Finals lore forever. Quite ironic that despite facing the arguable GOAT of the NBA, Michael Jordan, in the Finals, it was not him who quashed Chuck’s hopes of a championship.