Free Michael Jordan: Legends in Sports by Matt Christopher Page A

win the gold medal. In that game, Michael
     led the United States in scoring, going 10–16 from the field to finish with 21 points. For the second time in as many tries,
     a gold medal hung around Michael Jordan’s neck.
    As satisfying as that accomplishment was, when the Olympics were over, both Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were exhausted.
     They had gone right from the NBA Finals straight to the Olympics, so it seemed as if their basketball season had never ended.
     Now, only a few weeks after the Olympics, it was time to begin working toward another NBA championship.
    Everyone was wondering whether or not Michael Jordan and the Bulls could “three-peat” — win the championship for the third
     time in a row. Not even Magic Johnson’s Lakers or Larry Bird’s Celtics had been able to accomplish that. In fact, no NBA teamexcept for the Boston Celtics of the 1960s, who won 11 titles in 13 years, and the Minneapolis Lakers of the 1950s had ever
     won three titles in a row.
    Early in the 1992–93 season, it didn’t look as if the Bulls had much of a chance. They got off to a slow start and in January
     actually lost more games than they won. The Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks were both much improved and were playing
     better than the Bulls. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were tired, Bill Cartwright’s knees were bothering him, and John
     Paxson was sidelined with an injury.
    But the team got its second wind in the second half of the season. The Bulls started running again and closed with a rush,
     winning the Central Division with a 57–25 record, third best in the league behind Phoenix and New York. Michael himself finished
     with a flourish and won his seventh consecutive scoring title with a 32.6 average.
    The Bulls started the playoffs playing as if they didn’t know how to lose. They beat the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers
     in rounds one and two without a defeat. Then the Bulls ran into a stone wall: the New York Knicks.
    The Knicks’ tough defense slowed the Bulls’ fast-breaking offense. New York center Patrick Ewing was dominant down low. Chicago
     lost the first two games of the series.
    Things were even worse for Michael Jordan. In game two, he played poorly, and afterward a newspaper reported that before the
     game he had been seen in a casino in Atlantic City until the early hours of the morning.
    The report upset Michael. While he admitted he had been at the casino, he also knew he had been back at his hotel by midnight.
     He did not appreciate the implication that he had not been ready to play.
    He took his anger out on the Knicks. In game three, he led Chicago to a 103–83 win. Then, in game four, he scored 54 points
     to tie the series at two games. Inspired, the Bulls went on to beat the Knicks in six. It had been a difficult climb up the
     ladder, but once again, the Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, had made it to the finals.
    Their opponents, the Phoenix Suns, had the best record in the league during the regular season. Impressive on paper, that
     didn’t mean much in the finals. The Bulls had Michael Jordan.
    In game one, in Phoenix, Michael scored 14 fourth-quarter points. The Bulls won, 100–92. When Chicago took game two, 111–108,
     the three-peat looked like a sure thing.
    But the Suns refused to give up. In game three, in Chicago, they shut down Michael and hung on for a gritty 129–121 victory
     in triple overtime.
    Michael didn’t like losing on his home court. In fact, he didn’t like losing at all. In game four, he responded with one of
     the best games of his career, hitting for 55 points and giving the Bulls a three-games-to-one lead. Afterward, Michael reminded
     everyone, “We’re one game away.”
    The Bulls were still one game away after game five, as the Suns bounced back to beat the Bulls, 108–98. The series went back
     to Phoenix.
    Game six was as tough and hard fought as any in the finals. The Bulls kept creeping ahead only to allow the Suns