Road to the Finals

In the regular Season the Seattle Sonics had a little trouble with their "Division-Rivals", especially the L.A. Lakers. But they also had some great games against other top teams. At home the Sonics beat the Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls. With an record of ....... the Sonics went into the First-Round of the 1996 NBA Playoffs.      
     

The Sacramento Kings were their First-Round-Rival in the 1996 NBA Playoffs. The two years before, the Supersonics couldn't win the First-Round-Series. Denver and L.A. Lakers was their "Dead End". But that year was the year of the Supersonics and not the year of the Sacramento Kings.
Despite playing without Shawn Kemp in the first game, the Sonics showed everyone, that they want more than just make it through the First-Round.

 

First-Round-Series vs the Sacramento Kings:

April, 26th: Seattle 97 - Sacramento 85
April, 28th: Sacramento 90 - Seattle 81
April, 30th: Seattle 96 - Sacramento 89
May, 2nd: Seattle 101 - Sacramento 87

  
     
The Houston Rockets were their next opponent in the 1996 NBA Playoffs. The back-to-back NBA Champion seemed to be a tough task for Shawn Kemp and the Sonics. But everyone was wrong, because the Seattle Supersonics swept the Houston Rockets in the Western-Conference Semi-Finals 4 to 0. Shawn Kemp played his strongest Playoffs ever and the Sonics showed up as a team more than ever.  

Western-Conference-Semi-Finals vs the Houston Rockets:

May, 4th: Seattle 108 - Houston 75
May, 6th: Seattle 105 - Houston 101
May, 10th: Seattle 115 - Houston 112
May, 12th: Seattle 114 - Houston 107 (OT)

  
       
The Western-Conference-Finals would be the biggest task for the Seattle Supersonics to make it to the 1996 NBA Finals. The "old" Utah Jazz vs the "young" Seattle Supersonics was the name of the best-of-seven series. The 6-day-rest would be the biggest advantage for the Supersonics over the Jazz. Because Utah needed six games to defeat the Spurs in the Western-Conference-Semi-Finals. So the Sonics powered from the first game on till the last one, which was the most thrilling game, that I have ever watched live on television. Shawn Kemp played like an MVP and made some crucial free-throws at the end of the game which sealed the win and the entry to the 1996 NBA Finals, where the Chicago Bulls waited for them.  

Western-Conference-Finals vs the Utah Jazz:

May, 18th: Seattle 102 - Utah 72
May, 20th: Seattle 91 - Utah 87
May, 24th: Utah 96 - Seattle 76
May, 26th: Seattle 88 - Utah 86
May, 28th: Utah 98 - Seattle 95 (OT)
May, 30th: Utah 118 - Seattle 83
June, 2nd: Seattle 90 - Utah 86

  

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The NBA Finals 1996

Game 1 of the NBA Finals 1996
    Game Summary
Article by CRAIG DANIELS Toronto Sun CHICAGO
   Top-Scorers: Chi - Jordan 28 / Sea - Kemp 32
    Top-Rebounders: Chi - Rodman 13 / Sea - Payton 10
  Top-Assistants: Chi - Harper 7 / Sea - Payton 6
    Shawn Kemp
    FieldGoals: 9-14 FreeThrows: 14-16 Pts: 32
How appropriate that Princess Di is in town, what with the Bulls and their crown prince, Michael Jordan, headed back to the NBA's throne. She can, as one wag quipped yesterday, kiss Jordan's ... ring. Make that rings. Surely he's about to winhis fourth. The Bulls, and Jordan, and Toni Kukoc, handled the Sonics 107-90 last night at the United Center, in Game 1 of the best-of-seven NBA final. It surely was the beginning of the inevitable - the return of the Bulls to the league title after an absence of two years. Oh, the Sonics, the best team in the West this season, but not good enough to last in this series, gave the Bulls a game last night. If that's what you call the courtside rope-a-dope before 24,544. But, as they have done all season, the Bulls found a way to win it. This time the way was Kukoc. Mired in a dreadful slump - he averaged just seven points in the Eastern Conference final, and missed three games of the series before that due to back problems - Kukoc stepped to the fore last night. He buried the Sonics in the fourth quarter with some sensational three-point shooting and work inside. Midway through the fourth quarter, Kukoc hit two three-pointers back-to-back, and one of those was a four-point play. That quickly, the NBA's sixth man of the year gave the Bulls a 10-point lead. The crowd suddenly turned rabid and the Sonics never recovered. Until that point, the Sonics had put some doubt in the minds of the Chicagoans. Mostly, they had done it with Shawn Kemp's 32 points and Gary Payton's defence. The Bulls' bench was sluggish. The entire team was shooting poorly. It wasn't playing with the fire of the team that won 72 games during the regular season and had marched through the playoffs with an 11-1 record. Truth was, the Bulls were playing like a team that thought the crown would be handed over, just by showing up. Then Kukoc showed up. He electrified the crowd by going one-on-one with Detlef Schrempf on the baseline, and beating him for a resounding jam. Then, a minute or two later, Kukoc followed up with the first of his threes. The Sonics had the Bulls right where they wanted them. Jordan, who finished with 28, was merely average. Scottie Pippen was missing shots. Dennis Rodman was on the bench in foul trouble. But the Bulls have so much weaponry, the law of large numbers dictates that at least one of those weapons finds his range. Last night, it was Kukoc. The Bulls, coming off a nine-day layoff, had a horrible time in the first half finding anything like a rhythm. In part, that was a credit to Seattle's defence. The Seattle plan was to give Jordan his shots, accept that he would get his points, and shut down his teammates. To that end, the Bulls' next most dangerous weapon, Pippen, was covered by defensive player of the year Payton. The plan more or less worked, snuffing out the Bulls' outside shooting. Try 36% from the field for the half. The poor shooting then allowed the Sonics to help out more on Jordan, who was held to 18 in the half, on 5-for-11 shooting. Pippen was held to nine, and the Bulls had to rely on Luc Longley's banging inside for their offence. He had 12. Still, the Bulls were able to open up a nine-point first-quarter lead, in large part to some sloppy ball-handing by Seattle (10 turnovers in the half), caused in part by some half-court pressure by the Bulls. But Seattle clawed back and kept things close by out-rebounding the Bulls in the half - something of a surprise - 26-18, and outscoring Chicago's bench 18-4. Sonics forward Kemp held his own, matching Jordan's 18, and doing much of his damage from the perimeter. Still, the Bulls left the floor at the half with a five-point lead and an emotional edge. Rodman, sporting a new hairdo, got under the skin of Seattle centre Frank Brickowski, who was ejected after picking up his second technical. And Seattle ball thief Nate McMillan was forced out of the game with a back injury. That quickly, as the third quarter opened, the Bulls opened up an 11-point lead.    
     
Game 2 of the NBA Finals 1996
   
    Game Summary
Article by CRAIG DANIELS Toronto Sun CHICAGO
   Top-Scorers: Chi - Jordan 29 / Sea - Kemp 29
    Top-Rebounders: Chi - Rodman 20/ Sea - Kemp 13
  Top-Assistants: Chi - Jordan 8/ Sea - Schrempf, Payton 3
    Shawn Kemp
    FieldGoals: 8-18 FreeThrows: 13-16 Pts: 29
The theory was that if the Chicago Bulls had a wobbly wheel to kick, a loose thread to pull, a place you could get a knife up and under their considerable armor, it was through Dennis Rodman, their enigmatic, cross-dressing, psychedelic-haired, rebounding wonder. The theory was that if you poked and prodded him enough, if you assaulted him psychologically, elbowed him, punched him, trashed him -- he might go off, like a grenade missing its pin, like he did in the playoffs while playing for the San Antonio Spurs last season. And the ensuing shrapnel just might mortally wound his team, like it did the Spurs last season. Last night, Rodman coolly picked up the grenade -- he probably pulled if off the offensive boards -- and tossed it back, smile on his face, into the Seattle SuperSonics' fox hole. The result is the Bulls lead the best-of-seven NBA final 2-0 following a 92-88 victory and the Sonics may never get up again. Rodman? Ten points, 20 rebounds --11 of them at the offensive end, tying an NBA finals record, 10 of them in the third quarter alone -- and a free-throw with 3.7 seconds left that sealed the victory. "Rodman was definitely the difference, " Seattle's Hersey Hawkins said. As Seattle's Vincent Askew put it, "Rodman killed us." And given the things Seattle had tried in the previous two days to set Rodman off his game, the performance was nothing short of sublime. "I give him a lot of credit," Bulls legend Michael Jordan said. "I think he came in with a lot of heart, especially down the stretch." In Game 1, Seattle threw out tough guy Frank Brickowski against Rodman with the obvious hope of pushing him over the brink. But Rodman, despite the pushes, the shoves, didn't bite, and Brickowski quickly found himself with two technicals and out of the game. On the off-day Thursday, it coach George Karl's turn. He tried to poke at Rodman's weakest point -- his self-esteem. "Dennis Rodman is laughing at basketball," Karl said. "It's silly to give him any credibility for what he does out there." Hmm. Wasn't that Karl giving Rodman credibility after last night's game? "Give Dennis Rodman his due," Karl said when it was over. "He was probably their MVP." The importance of Rodman's performance cannot be overstated. Last night's game see-sawed back and forth most of the way. If Seattle had won -- and they nearly did -- the series is tied and heading back to Key Arena for three consecutive games. Had that happened, the seemingly invincible Bulls, for the first time this playoff, would actually have a measure of doubt pressing up against them. Then Rodman happened. With Rodman feeding the ball, Toni Kukoc was able to step up late in the third quarter and can a pair of back-to-back threes. The Sonics, much as they did in Game 1, caved and that quickly the Bulls built a 13-point lead. To Seattle's credit, it fought back in the fourth and made a game of it. Chicago missed seven shots in a row late in the game, didn't hit a field goal in the last six minutes, and Scottie Pippen bricked two free-throws with seconds left and the game a three-point affair. But Rodman dove after a loose ball with nine seconds left, forced a jump ball, won it, then hit the free throw that, finally put the game away. When the Bulls acquired Rodman in the off-season, the worst was feared. They were certain the Bulls wouldn't be able to control him, certain he would upset the chemistry of their team. Instead, the Bulls didn't try to control him. They gave him somefreedom -- with conditions -- and that freedom has largely been respected. The Bulls are reaping the benefits this playoff season. "Dennis came into Chicago with one purpose in mind and that was to rebound and get us to the championship," Jordan said. "I think we've adapted (to him) and we've certainly tried to support him offensively. He has done one heck of a job on the boards." Who would have thought -- you can bet the Sonics didn't --that the Bulls' apparent weakest link was actually the rock that has them on their way to yet another NBA title?    
     
Game 3 of the NBA Finals 1996    
    Game Summary
Article by CRAIG DANIELS Toronto Sun CHICAGO
   Top-Scorers: Chi - Jordan 36/ Sea - Schrempf 20
    Top-Rebounders: Chi - Rodman 10/ Sea - Payton, Brickowski 7
  Top-Assistants: Chi - Pippen 9/ Sea - Payton 9
    Shawn Kemp
    FieldGoals: 4-7 FreeThrows: 6-6 Pts: 14
By CRAIG DANIELS Toronto Sun SEATTLE -- The sign at Key Arena said, "Our Fans are the Key." The Chicago Bulls had the lock picked by the end of the first quarter. They are, in the parlance of the industry, professionals. And nobody - not NBA security, not the FBI, and particularly not the Seattle SuperSonics -is going to stop the Bulls from taking a fourth NBA title in six seasons. The Bulls, with a cakewalk 108-86 victory yesterday, good for a 3-0 series lead, are now one game away from another NBA championship. They'll probably get it on Wednesday in Game 4 of this best-of-seven series. The thinking was that if the Sonics were going to win a game, it was last night. They had a 44-5 record at home during the regular season and even beat the Bulls here early in the season. The Key Arena can get noisy and be intimidating. But this Chicago team, led by walking legend Michael Jordan, was not about to be denied. Once the Bulls got inside the joint, they simply trashed the place. Bulls in a china shop. And they weren't about to apologize. Hell, they were laughing, taunting the Sonics, by the fourth quarter. To Seattle's credit, down by 24 at the half, it changed the locks at the break, and turned in a remarkable third quarter. The Sonics got out early and scored, played tough defence, got their frenzied fans back in the game. They put the Bulls back on their heels for the first time, outscoring Chicago 23-13 and getting themselves back in the game - sort of. But Jordan came out in the fourth, hit his first two shots, converted a three-point play, and that quickly the Bulls had another 20-point lead. That quickly the crowd was out of it. That quickly, the series was over. Then again, this series was over before it began. It'll just take the Sonics four games to figure it out. Keep in mind that no team has ever come back from a 3-0 lead to win an NBA playoff series. And the Sonics aren't about to become the first. In the fourth quarter, Chicago's Dennis Rodman, who had an average night on the scoreboard with 10 rebounds and five points, but an all-star night of intimidating, was mocking the Sonics' Frank Brickowski, who was sent in to get Rodman off his game. Rodman stood on the key during a free throw and turned toward Brickowski with a smug smile on his face that had the world's media laughing out loud. Not long after, Brickowski, as happened in Game 1, was tossed from the game. "Dennis was able to get inside their heads," Bulls forward Scottie Pippen said. The first half - and particularly the first quarter - was embarrassing. It was as if the Bulls were playing against little more than a sparring partner. They had an 18-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Jordan, who had 27 in the half, scored 15 consecutive points to close out the second quarter. The Bulls, with yesterday's win, have totally crushed the Sonics' spirit. They have now actually played better in Seattle's arena than in their own. "When we get out on the road, we become a little more focused," Jordan said afterward. "We took away some of their momentum early. There simply is no NBA team capable of beating Chicago, a team that will now make people wonder is the best ever. Is this one over? "I would say so," Rodman said. The best this post-season? "Probably," Pippen said. DECENT GAME The Sonics got a decent game from guard Gary Payton for the first time in the series, 19 points and nine assists, but it ultimately didn't matter. Forward Shawn Kemp was shut down, held to 14. Jordan finished with 36, his best outing of the series. "Michael has been feeling out this series," Pippen said. "He was going to have a big game eventually, you could see it coming." The Sonics didn't see it coming. They had their house picked clean last night. By professionals.  
     
Game 4 of the NBA Finals 1996    
    Game Summary
Article by CRAIG DANIELS Toronto Sun CHICAGO
   Top-Scorers: Chi - Jordan 23/ Sea - Kemp 25
    Top-Rebounders: Chi - Rodman 14/ Sea - Kemp 11
  Top-Assistants: Chi - Pippen 8/ Sea - Payton 11
    Shawn Kemp
    FieldGoals: 12-17 FreeThrows: 1-1 Pts: 25
The very big woman sitting a few rows up at Key Arena had it right. "I'm the fat lady," her sign read. "And I refuse to sing." Put the brooms back into the closet. Apparently the Chicago Bulls - even these right-hand-of-God Chicago Bulls - have to do this the old-fashioned way. The Seattle SuperSonics sat bolt upright on their death beds last night and proclaimed that their demise had indeed been greatly exaggerated, or at least over-anticipated. The Sonics did so with a surprising 107-86 victory before a crowd, and a city, that already had written its heroes off as so much Bull-kill. The win staves off a sweep of the NBA final and forces a Game 5 here tomorrow. The Sonics, who were utterly embarrassed at home in Game 3, played for a change like the team that won 64 games during the regular season. They opened up a 21-point halftime lead, withstood a half-hearted Chicago third-quarter run, then rode the wave of emotion from their fans to their first win of this series - salvaging a little of their pride in the process. That quickly, the Bulls, being talked about as the most vaunted team in the history of the game, became the first NBA team in 45 years to have a 3-0 lead in the final and lose Game 4. That quickly, their opportunity to finish the playoffs with the best winning percentage ever has evaporated. Still, no NBA has ever lost a playoff series it led 3-0. It's unlikely the Bulls will be denied. Delayed, perhaps, but not denied. Seattle's big men, Shawn Kemp - the same Shawn Kemp who criticized his teammates for a lack of heart on Tuesday -and Sam Perkins banged and slammed their way to 25 and 17 points, respectively. And Gary Payton, who had struggled all series, rifled off 21 points from the perimeter, his best output of the series. The end - the definitive end - came with a little more than nine minutes left. Hersey Hawkins drained a three-pointer and the Sonics followed up with a fast-break layup. That opened up a 27-point lead that even the Bulls, even Michael Jordan, couldn't overcome. It's just the 12th loss for the Bulls all season, and only the second this post-season. Chicago had won nine straight coming into last night's game. The Bulls, trailing 53-32 after a terrible first half, opened the second with a 7-0 run, serving notice the game was not quite over. But Seattle equally served notice that indeed it was. Kemp, despite being double-teamed, overpowered Luc Longley and Dennis Rodman down low. Jordan was just 6-for-19. Scottie Pippen was 4-for-17. The Bulls were utterly out if sync throughout the entire first half. Shots didn't fall. They couldn't establish any presence inside. They threw the ball away 11 times. They got caught napping in transition. But even when they got good looks, they couldn't hit - try 38% in the half. Try just 1-for-8 from the three-point line. Pippen was just 1-for-8 for two points. Jordan was a remarkably mortal 3-for-9 for seven points. The Bulls offence was provided by centre Longley, who had 10. When Longley is your offensive presence, you know something isn't working. And at the other end, Seattle did everything it hadn't been able to do in the first three games, starting on the backboards. For a change, Seattle, with some help from overzealous officials, didn't let Rodman establish himself inside. He had just four boards in the half and the Sonics actually out-rebounded the Bulls 19-17. Once again the Bulls worked a double-team on Kemp, but this time the open shots that created for Seattle on the perimeter began to fall. Payton had 13 points. Perkins, with two three-pointers, scored inside and outside. The Sonics - a dead team coming into the game, just waiting for the pronouncement of death - also were boosted by the presence of swingman Nate McMillan, who had missed Games 2 and 3 with a bad back.  

     
Game 5 of the NBA Finals 1996    
    Game Summary
Article by CRAIG DANIELS Toronto Sun CHICAGO
   Top-Scorers: Chi - Jordan 26/ Sea - Payton 23
    Top-Rebounders: Chi - Rodman 12/ Sea - Kemp 10
  Top-Assistants: Chi - Pippen 5/ Sea - Payton 6
    Shawn Kemp
    FieldGoals: 8-16 FreeThrows: 6-8 Pts: 22
What's this? Do our eyes deceive us? The would-be greatest team of all time with a chronic case of the yips? The NBA final is headed back to Chicago after the Seattle SuperSonics, written off for dead two games ago, shocked the Bulls, and all of basketball, with a 89-78 victory last night, narrowing the Bulls' series lead to just one game. Game 6 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tomorrow. It's a stunning, unexpected development. If nothing else, the Sonics have turned what appeared to be a Bulls coronation into a bona fide series. The Bulls were poised to sweep the series, and lay claim to not only the NBA title, but the mantle of possibly the greatest team ever. There's some significant re-evaluating taking place today. "I think (last night's) game was our biggest test all season," Seattle coach George Karl said when it was over. "Our men showed up." The Bulls didn't. Not even the Bull named Michael Jordan. The Sonics worked the ball inside at will last night and took advantage of some sloppy Chicago ball handling, some favorable calls by the officials, some swarming, relentless defence, and a powerful night at the offensive end from power forward Shawn Kemp, who had 22 points, and guard Gary Payton, who had 23. "Our team has shown some pride, and some heart," Payton said as the delirious Key Arena crowd erupted around him. It's just the second time all season the Bulls have lost two in a row. They have not lost three straight all season. And keep in mind no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit. "I think, right now, we've turned the momentum," said Payton. "They know we can play defence now." Do they. The Sonics neutralized Dennis Rodman on the boards, and in the mind-game department, and held Chicago to just 37.7% shooting. Payton, along with Hersey Hawkins, kept Jordan to 26 points and prevented him from taking control of the game. Moreover, the Sonics held every other Bull player to less than 15 points. Until Chicago forward Scottie Pippen, who was smothered for the second game in a row and clearly hobbled by injuries, hit a three with three minutes left, the Bulls had missed 20 consecutive three-point attempts. They finished the game a miserable 3-for-26 from long range. "We got the looks," said Jordan, "but couldn't make them fall." And that quickly, doubt is placed in the minds of the Bulls, who were not expected to have to return home to finish the series. "The team is very disappointed," Jordan admitted afterward. "Hopefully, the home court can work in our favor." That the Bulls even need to rely on their home court is an incredible turnaround. The Sonics had been beaten in Games 1 and 2 without the Bulls playing particularly well. When Chicago hammered the Sonics in Game 3 on Seattle's own court, it seemed certain that the series was over. To their credit, the Sonics didn't cave in. "We know we're out if we lose," Karl said. "Maybe that has helped us." Leading by one last night at the half, the Sonics opened with an 8-2 run to start the third quarter, then broke the game open with seven straight stops midway through the fourth quarter, creating a 13-point lead. Everyone waited for Jordan, the league's MVP, to take control. Remarkably, it never happened. The Sonics played a textbook first half, and most of the lessons took place on defence, where they refused to allow the Bulls any kind of room, prevented them from reversing the ball. They also forced the Bulls to use up the shot clock and take low percentage shots. And for the second consecutive game Nate McMillan, injured in Games 2 and 3, returned to help Seattle emotionally and on the scoreboard. He drained a three-pointer in the second quarter that lifted the roof off the arena, and planted the seed of doubt in the minds of the Bulls. In fact, even if the Bulls win the series now, the Sonics have won a victory by showing them to be mortal -- just a little.  
     
Game 6of the NBA Finals 1996    
    Game Summary
Article by CRAIG DANIELS Toronto Sun CHICAGO
   Top-Scorers: Chi - Jordan 22/ Sea - Schrempf 23
    Top-Rebounders: Chi - Rodman 19/ Sea - Kemp 14
  Top-Assistants: Chi - Jordan 7/ Sea - Payton 7
    Shawn Kemp
    FieldGoals: 8-17 FreeThrows: 2-2 Pts: 18
The greatest team of all time? It'll be debated that for a long, long time. What's not debatable is that the Chicago Bulls have returned to the NBA champion's throne. Two games later than expected, the Bulls, buoyed by a rabid home-court crowd, earned their fourth NBA title in six seasons last night, defeating the Seattle SuperSonics 87-75 in Game 6 of the NBA final. When it was over, Bulls superstar Michael Jordan fell prone to the United Center floor with the ball in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably. For Jordan, the triumph is nothing less than the completion of a mission, begun when he returned to the league part way through the 1994-95 season from a self-imposed retirement. He finally made his way into the Bulls' locker room, and fell to the floor again, crying. "This is for my daddy," Jordan, selected as the series MVP, said afterward. Jordan's father was murdered shortly after he retired. "That this could happen on Father's Day means a great deal to me." But this best-of-seven series was by no means the cake-walk everyone thought would take place when the Bulls went ahead 3-0. Seattle won two games on its own court to put a measure of doubt in the minds of the Bulls. But will history remember that? If you look back on this season, you see what isn't disputable: a 72-10 season and a 15-3 record in the playoffs, and yet another NBA title. Still, more was expected from this team after it swept the Orlando Magic and then threatened to do the same to the Sonics. Then again, the Bulls finally did deliver. They played well in only two games during the entire series, yet still won it. The question now is whether this team will be intact to do it again when the NBA tips off its 50th season in November. Jordan is a free agent and will demand far more than he now makes. Coach Phil Jackson has said he wants considerably more money, too. Will he be back? "If the management wants me back, I'll be back," Jackson told the crowd. Chicago broke the game open in the third quarter on a 12-2 run, opening a 17-point lead. Jordan hit a pair of free-throws to put the Bulls up by 12. Rodman came through with back-to-back baskets, and a three-point play. The crowd, looking for any excuse, erupted. To their credit, the Sonics didn't cave. Coach George Karl called a time out, and not long after, Gary Payton hit a three-pointer to pull the Sonics to within 10. Shawn Kemp followed with big rebound and fought off two Bulls to lay in another two, and the lead was trimmed to eight. But Steve Kerr, who had been in a terrible shooting slump throughout the series, came through with a three-pointer to stem the Seattle run at 9-0. The Bulls didn't shoot well in the first half, but they opened a 12-point second-quarter lead by feasting on sloppy Seattle ball handling and owning the backboards. The Sonics turned the ball over 11 times in the half, and the Bulls started to fast break and converted for 14 points, and an 8-0 run. On the boards, Chicago had 27 rebounds to the Sonics' 18. Shawn Kemp kept the Bulls from running away with the game, rejecting Jordan at one end, then pulling up for a 14-foot jumper that closed the gap to four. As it was, the Bulls went to the locker room at the half ahead by seven. The Bulls received a much-needed boost from guard Ron Harper, who started the game after playing just one minute in Game 5. It was similar to the lift Nate McMillan gave the Sonics in Games 4 and 5. With Harper in the game, Jordan was able to hand over ball-handing duties and post up off the perimeter. Still, Jordan was only 3-for-11 from the field by the end of the half, although he did hit a three-pointer on the Bulls' second possession of the game. Scottie Pippen was much more involved than he had been, stealing the ball four times in the first half. NBA commissioner David Stern presented Larry O'Brien Trophy to Jackson and the rest of the Bulls. "This was a fairy-tale season," Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said.