Chicago Bulls Flashback: Bulls Beat Suns 4-2 In ’93 Finals, Capturing Third Straight Title

By James D. Tillman III | Jun 20, 2015

Apr 22, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view of the NBA Playoffs logo before game two between the Washington Wizards at Chicago Bulls during the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

On this date in NBA playoff history, the Chicago Bulls stampeded to their third consecutive championship and into the record books with a 99-98 win over the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the 1993 NBA Finals.

Coming into the 1992-93 season, the Chicago Bulls were attempting to do something that had not been accomplished in nearly three decades. The feat in question was winning three consecutive championships.

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While Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas were all great players who won multiple rings, neither of them were able to lead their respective clubs to three straight titles. And Johnson offered a warning to his good friend Michael Jordan as to what was ahead for the Bulls before the season began:

"“If they (the Bulls) thought winning two in a row was hard, they’ll find out that winning three in a row will be the hardest thing they ever do.”"

And although the Bulls were still the team to beat, they did not cruise through the regular season as they had done during their previous title runs. In fact, following two seasons in which they had won 61 and 67 games respectively, and were the top dog in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls finished the 1992-93 campaign with a 57-25 mark.

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This was the third-best record in the league behind the Phoenix Suns (62-20) and the New York Knicks (60-22).

As expected, the Bulls coasted through the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping both the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in convincing fashion. And in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls defeated the Knicks in six games despite dropping the first two contests in Madison Square Garden.

Now, the only obstacle standing between them and their ultimate goal was Charles Barkley and the Suns.

Like the Knicks, the Suns were one of the teams many predicted would derail Chicago’s hopes of capturing the three-peat that eluded the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons during the 1980s. But as they had done so many times before, the Bulls focused on the task at hand, promptly winning the first two games of the series on the Suns’ home court.

With the venue shifting to the Windy City for the next three games, the Bulls were looking to close out the Finals at the Chicago Stadium for the second straight season. But just like the Bulls had stunned the Suns with victories in Games 1 and 2, the Suns returned the favor, recording victories in Games 3 and 5, forcing a pivotal Game 6 back in Phoenix.

Despite their perfect 5-0 record in elimination games, the Suns trailed 87-79 going into the final frame. But with their season on the line, the Suns made one final push, outscoring the Bulls 19-7 to take a 98-94 lead late in regulation.

However, thanks to a stretch in which they came up empty six times in seven possessions, the Suns left the door open for the Bulls—something you cannot do against a defending champion.

Jordan converted a layup, cutting the deficit to 98-96. And the Suns followed that up by committing a shot clock violation on the ensuing possession, setting up one of the most memorable moments in Finals history.

With just more than 14 seconds to play, Chicago inbounded the ball to Jordan. After a few dribbles, Jordan gave it up to Pippen, who in turn, fed the ball to Horace Grant. Although Grant could have probably scored being that he was so close to the basket, he opted to pass the ball to a wide-open John Paxson, who calmly hit the three-pointer, giving the Bulls a 99-98 lead.

Although the Suns players had to be somewhat shaken, they still had one final possession. But Grant made sure there would be no last-second heroics for the home team, blocking Kevin Johnson’s shot attempt as the game clock expired.

And with that sequence, the Bulls became just the third NBA team to win three straight titles and the first to accomplish the feat in 27 years. While Jordan was named Finals MVP, with averages of 41.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists, it was the crucial plays made by his teammates that enabled the Bulls to become champions once again, cementing their place in NBA history.

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