Emotions Spill Over For Jordan On Father's Day -- Bull Recalls Slain Dad After Victory
CHICAGO - The last time Michael Jordan won an NBA title, his father, James, was at his side as he sat on a locker-room stool clutching the trophy as if it were the Hope Diamond while teammates poured champagne on his head.
It was the most memorable moment of the 1993 NBA Finals.
The lasting images of the 1996 Finals will again center on Jordan.
As the clock expired on an 87-75 Chicago victory that clinched a fourth NBA title in six years for the Bulls, Jordan succumbed to unbridled emotion.
He lay on the United Center floor, with the basketball nestled in his arms as he curled up at the top of the key and wept unabashedly.
For several seconds he remained, writhing as teammates danced around him in celebration.
Then suddenly he jumped up, sprinted off the floor and into the Chicago locker room, where he continued to sob.
The past three years have been difficult for Jordan - the 1993 slaying of his father, his abrupt retirement from basketball, a failed attempt at a professional baseball career and a return to basketball last season that ended in defeat.
All of it seemed to hit him at once and did what the Heat, Knicks, Magic and Sonics could not - topple Michael Jordan.
During postgame celebrations, Jordan said he dedicated the season and the championship to the memory of his deceased father. He said the Father's Day holiday made it difficult for him to concentrate on Game 6.
"This is probably the hardest time for me to play the game of basketball," Jordan said. "I had a lot of things on my heart, on my mind.
"I just had a lot to think about and maybe my mind wasn't geared to where it was. But I think deep down inside it was geared to what was most important to me, which was my family and my father not being here to see this."
Without his father to embrace, Jordan clinged to his wife, Juanita, and three children. As he left the court for the last time this season, he carried his daughter, Jasmine, in one arm and the basketball in the other.
"That's how you get when you win a championship," Bull forward Dennis Rodman said. "I remember with Isiah (Thomas), Bill (Laimbeer) and Joe (Dumars), those guys are very emotional individuals. It's very sweet when you take a year off and come back and do what he did."
Jordan beat out Sonic Shawn Kemp for the Finals MVP and became the only player to win the award four times, having won it in 1991, '92 and '93.
He averaged 31.5 points and led the Bulls in scoring in all but one postseason game.
Yesterday, he finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 43 minutes.
"Michael Jordan was the MVP of this Final," Chicago Coach Phil Jackson said. "I thought Scottie (Pippen) had a good moment in Game 2, . . . but Michael was consistently the force and factor for us in this series."
Said Pippen: "Michael is Michael. There's nobody like him. No one can do what he does. Some people may say he struggled, but we all did. He carried us when we were down."
Many had begun to jump off the Jordan bandwagon after subpar performances in Games 4 and 5, when he struggled in the fourth quarter. His age (33) became a question, and some wondered if Jordan had the ability to win another title.
"The motivation wasn't quite the same," Jordan said. "I didn't feel as secure or as confident as I've been in the past. But what made the difference was my family's support and my friends' support. My wife and kids.
"My wife pushed me every day. On days I didn't feel like getting up and working with my trainer, she pushed me. She set the alarm clock and made sure I got up."
In Game 6, Jordan missed 14 of 19 shots but made 11 of 12 free-throw attempts.
"He's going to find a way to beat you," Bull guard Ron Harper said. "He's Michael Jordan, the greatest player to ever play. You're not going to keep him down."
--------------- NBA finals MVPs ---------------
1996 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
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1995 - Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston
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1994 - Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston
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1993 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
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1992 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
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1991 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
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1990 - Isiah Thomas, Detroit
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