‘The Last Dance’ Redux: Michael Jordan Missed the Most Shots of His Entire NBA Career but Hit the Ones That Mattered Most in a Double-OT Win, Ruining Rookie Tim Duncan’s Breakout Party
Michael Jordan missed a lot of shots in the third game of the Chicago Bulls‘ “Last Dance” season on November 3, 1997. In fact, he missed more shots on this day than he did in any game during his entire NBA career.
But as he did so many times, he made the ones that mattered most as the Bulls won a wild double-overtime thriller over the San Antonio Spurs, 87-83.
Jordan attempted 39 shots that night at the United Center, the most he’d take all season, and missed 27 of them. And some of the misses were genuinely awful. But when crunch time arrived, MJ delivered, hitting the final shot in regulation and each of the two extra periods.
With the clock winding down in the fourth quarter and the Bulls trailing by three, Jordan drained his first three-pointer of the season as time expired to give the fans some free basketball. With 22 seconds remaining in the first overtime, he hit a game-tying jumper.
And with Chicago clinging to a one-point lead in the second overtime, he hit a 15-footer from the left corner with 32 seconds remaining. The two teams traded free throws, and that was that.
Jordan finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, five steals, and a pair of blocks. Luc Longley was the only other starter for the Bulls in double figures with 17 points, also adding nine boards and six blocks. Coming off the bench for the third straight game to open the year, Dennis Rodman nabbed 22 rebounds against his former team.
David Robinson was the leading scorer for San Antonio with 21 points, but it was rookie Tim Duncan who truly impressed that night in the Windy City. Playing just his third NBA game, the No. 1 pick scored 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting and grabbed 22 rebounds of his own. Duncan would obviously go on to have a few more games like that during his career.
| Bulls | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Jordan | 29 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Luc Longley | 17 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Ron Harper | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Randy Brown | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Jason Caffey | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dennis Rodman | 3 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Steve Kerr | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Toni Kukoc | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jud Buechler | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Joe Kleine | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Spurs | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Robinson | 21 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Tim Duncan | 19 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Avery Johnson | 12 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Sean Elliott | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vinny Del Negro | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Jaren Jackson | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Monty Williams | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Will Perdue | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cory Alexander | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Carl Herrera | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reggie Geary | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Here’s a look at the NBA standings following all the action on November 3, 1997.
| Eastern Conference | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Hawks | 2 | 0 |
| Detroit Pistons | 2 | 0 |
| New Jersey Nets | 2 | 0 |
| Chicago Bulls | 2 | 1 |
| Miami Heat | 2 | 1 |
| Boston Celtics | 1 | 1 |
| Indiana Pacers | 1 | 1 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 1 | 1 |
| New York Knicks | 1 | 1 |
| Orlando Magic | 1 | 1 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 1 | 2 |
| Washington Wizards | 1 | 2 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 0 | 2 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 0 | 2 |
| Toronto Raptors | 0 | 2 |
| Western Conference | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 0 |
| Houston Rockets | 2 | 0 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 2 | 0 |
| LA Lakers | 1 | 0 |
| Phoenix Suns | 1 | 0 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 2 | 1 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 1 | 1 |
| Seattle Supersonics | 1 | 1 |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 1 | 1 |
| Utah Jazz | 1 | 2 |
| Denver Nuggets | 0 | 2 |
| Golden State Warriors | 0 | 2 |
| LA Clippers | 0 | 2 |
| Sacramento Kings | 0 | 2 |
I’m a bit surprised this game wasn’t mentioned in The Last Dance documentary when the Bulls’ rough start was discussed.
Perhaps Jordan instructed director Jason Hehir not to include it due to his poor shooting performance. But to me, it’s a prime example of just how much of the load MJ was forced to carry with Scottie Pippen on the shelf with a foot injury. But perhaps that didn’t fit the narrative because Chicago won the game.
Up next for Jordan and the Bulls was a matchup with Penny Hardaway, Horace Grant, and the Orlando Magic.
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