‘The Last Dance’ Redux: Michael Jordan and the Bulls Avenge an Ugly Loss to the Cavaliers With an Ugly Win
Just four days after taking a 21-point road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the “Last Dance” Chicago Bulls got an opportunity for revenge in the friendly confines of the United Center on November 15, 1997.
And while it wasn’t pretty, Michael Jordan & Co. got themselves a 79-70 victory to move to 6-4 on the young season.
As per usual, Jordan led the way for Chicago with 27 points, making 11 of 26 shots from the floor and four of seven from the foul line. Luc Longley was the only other Bull in double figures, posting 15 points while adding nine boards. Back in the starting lineup, Dennis Rodman chipped in with seven points and grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds.
The Bulls shot just 39.8% from the floor, but the Cavs were even worse.
In the Veterans Day win over Chicago, Cleveland shot 55.4%. But on this night in the Windy City, the Cavs connected on just 37.2% of their attempts and made only one of nine three-pointers. They also shot a dreadful 55% from the free-throw line.
Derek Anderson led the visitors in scoring with a dozen points, while Shawn Kemp added 11 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.
| Bulls | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Jordan | 27 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Ron Harper | 2 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Dennis Rodman | 7 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Luc Longley | 15 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Toni Kukoc | 9 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Randy Brown | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Scott Burrell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jason Caffey | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Kleine | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jud Buechler | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Cavaliers | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawn Kemp | 11 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Brevin Knight | 10 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Derek Anderson | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Wesley Person | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Zydrunas Ilgauskas | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vitaly Potapenko | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cedric Henderson | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Bob Sura | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Ferry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mitchell Butler | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shawnelle Scott | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Here’s a look at the NBA standings following all the action on November 15, 1997.
| Eastern Conference | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Hawks | 9 | 0 |
| Miami Heat | 6 | 3 |
| New York Knicks | 6 | 3 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 5 | 3 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 5 | 3 |
| Chicago Bulls | 6 | 4 |
| New Jersey Nets | 4 | 3 |
| Orlando Magic | 5 | 4 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 4 | 4 |
| Boston Celtics | 4 | 5 |
| Indiana Pacers | 4 | 5 |
| Washington Wizards | 4 | 5 |
| Detroit Pistons | 4 | 6 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 2 | 6 |
| Toronto Raptors | 1 | 8 |
| Western Conference | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| LA Lakers | 7 | 0 |
| Phoenix Suns | 5 | 1 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 6 | 2 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 6 | 3 |
| Seattle Supersonics | 6 | 3 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 5 | 3 |
| Utah Jazz | 5 | 4 |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 4 | 5 |
| Houston Rockets | 3 | 4 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 3 | 5 |
| Sacramento Kings | 2 | 7 |
| LA Clippers | 1 | 7 |
| Denver Nuggets | 0 | 8 |
| Golden State Warriors | 0 | 8 |
Up next for the “Last Dance” Bulls was a matchup with the Phoenix Suns.
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