NBA
‘The Last Dance’ Redux: Michael Jordan and the Bulls Get Their Rings and Their First Win of the 1997-98 NBA Season
Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sportscasting. Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes. In addition to his work here at Sportscasting, Luke's work has appeared on The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated.
Get to know Luke Norris betterPublished01 Nov 2022
Ahead of their “Last Dance” home opener on November 1, 1997, the Chicago Bulls raised a banner to the rafters and received their glitzy championship rings for the fifth time in seven years.
Amid all the hoopla, of course, Michael Jordan & Co. still had a game to play. And coming off an opening-night loss to the Boston Celtics, one in which they blew a 20-point lead, this matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers became a little more important.
Ring night often brings a lack of focus on the game itself, but the Bulls were determined to get into the win column and did just that with an easy 94-74 win.
Phil Jackson tinkered with the starting lineup a touch, opting to start Randy Brown over Toni Kukoc. Dennis Rodman rode the pine to kick things off for the second straight night.
As it went the night before against Boston, Chicago got off to a fast start, holding a 27-15 lead after the first quarter and a 44-31 advantage at the halfway point.
But instead of squandering the lead in the third as they’d done against the Celtics, the Bulls ran away with this one coming out of the locker room, hitting 16 of 21 shots from the floor to outscore the Sixers 35-18. And they coasted to a 20-point win from there.
Ron Harper led the way for the champs and was one of four Bulls in double figures. Michael Jordan bounced back from a rough shooting night in Beantown to hit seven of 14 field goals, scoring 16 points in just over 24 minutes. Jason Caffey chipped in with 14, while Luc Longley added a dozen points and 10 rebounds.
Jerry Stackhouse led the Sixers with 15 points, with Allen Iverson and Jim Jackson each adding 13. Philadelphia struggled to get the ball in the basket all night, making just 37.2% of its shots. The loss dropped Larry Brown’s group to 0-2.
| Bulls | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Harper | 17 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Jason Caffey | 14 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Luc Longley | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Randy Brown | 8 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Michael Jordan | 16 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Dennis Rodman | 6 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Toni Kukoc | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Scott Burrell | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Steve Kerr | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Bill Wennington | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jud Buechler | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Kleine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 76ers | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Iverson | 13 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Jim Jackson | 13 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerry Stackhouse | 15 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Derrick Coleman | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Eric Montross | 2 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Clarence Weatherspoon | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tim Thomas | 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Mark Davis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Williams | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Terry Cummings | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Rex Walters | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Here’s a look at the NBA standings following all the action on November 1, 1997.
| Eastern Conference | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Hawks | 2 | 0 |
| Miami Heat | 2 | 0 |
| New Jersey Nets | 2 | 0 |
| Boston Celtics | 1 | 0 |
| Detroit Pistons | 1 | 0 |
| New York Knicks | 1 | 0 |
| Chicago Bulls | 1 | 1 |
| Indiana Pacers | 1 | 1 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 1 | 1 |
| Orlando Magic | 0 | 1 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 0 | 2 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 0 | 2 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 0 | 2 |
| Toronto Raptors | 0 | 2 |
| Washington Wizards | 0 | 2 |
| Western Conference | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 0 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 2 | 0 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 2 | 0 |
| Houston Rockets | 1 | 0 |
| LA Lakers | 1 | 0 |
| Phoenix Suns | 1 | 0 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 1 | 1 |
| Seattle Supersonics | 1 | 1 |
| Utah Jazz | 1 | 1 |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 1 | 1 |
| Sacramento Kings | 0 | 1 |
| Denver Nuggets | 0 | 2 |
| Golden State Warriors | 0 | 2 |
| LA Clippers | 0 | 2 |
Up next for the “Last Dance” Bulls was a double-overtime thriller with the San Antonio Spurs.
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