1. Michael Jordan, 1998 vs. Utah Jazz
The last NBA Finals appearance for Michael Jordan was his most memorable. Utah went into the series with home-court advantage and was determined to avenge its loss to the Bulls in the Finals the previous year. Utah had the Bulls on the ropes in Game 6 when Michael Jordan reminded the Jazz and the rest of the world why he is the best player to ever play the game.
The Bulls had to have a stop on the defensive end with less than a minute remaining. Michael Jordan came from behind Karl Malone and stole the ball, much to Malone’s surprise. Jordan then ignored coach Phil Jackson‘s wish for a timeout and hit a memorable shot over Bryon Russell from outside the free-throw line to seal the victory.
Jordan finished the game with 45 points and secured his sixth NBA championship. For the series Jordan averaged 33.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. This would be Jordan’s last NBA championship and Finals appearance and he made it one to remember.
Determining where each players NBA Finals performance ranks is worthy of debate. Narrowing the list down to only 10 ensures that a number of deserving players are left off of this list. Tell us below who you feel should be included in this list and why.