The 1992-1993 Bulls regular season wasn't especially notable. Both Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were fresh off their gold medal effort in the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Both players were visibly tired, and the team got off to a slow start. But as the rule goes for all sports, it's not how you start but how you finish. The Bulls' 57-25 regular season was more than enough to get them into the playoffs.
Jordan was awarded the scoring title for the seventh consecutive season, however, the MVP honors eluded him. The league MVP was awarded to the Phoenix Suns' new power forward, Charles Barkley. After demanding a trade from the 76ers, Barkley found success in his new home as the Suns advanced to the finals to meet the Chicago Bulls.
The Suns had the best record in the league and home-court advantage throughout the finals. That edge was not enough to keep Jordan and the Bulls from winning game one in the new America West Arena. The Suns hosted game two, but again they failed to take advantage of the home crowd. Behind 42 points from Jordan, the Bulls took a 2-0 series lead.
The series headed east to Chicago, where the Suns won game three in a thrilling triple overtime victory with seven Suns players scoring in double digits. The Bulls bounced back in game four, taking a 3-1 series lead. Despite a strong performance from Jordan in game five, the Bulls dropped the game in Phoenix. Game six would prove to be one for the ages. The Bulls carried a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter, but struggled mightily after that, only scoring nine points. The Suns crept back into the game and took a 98-96 lead. With 14 seconds left, the Bulls quickly moved the ball up the court. After a quick pass into the paint, Horace Grant kicked the ball out to a wide-open John Paxson, who drained a three-pointer to take a 99-98 lead. The Suns' Kevin Johnson had one last attempt, but was blocked by Grant. The Bulls had won the NBA championship again.
To relive the moments of the three-peat, check out The Chicago Bulls Three-peat! by The Chicago Tribune or The Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia by Alex Sachare.
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