An old but cold picture shows how concerned Jerry Sloan when Michael Jordan took the ball against Bryon Russell in the 1998 NBA Finals.
Michael Jordan was a nightmare with the basketball in his hands. The Chicago Bulls legend is arguably the greatest scorer of all time, and whenever he went one-on-one against a defender, it was very likely that Jordan would come out victorious of those matchups.
That happened during his entire career and, more especially, during the Finals, where MJ took things to the next level in his attempts to win as many championships as possible. In 1998, after already bagging five titles, the GOAT wanted to retire from the game in the best possible way.
That's how he landed in Utah, trying to beat the Jazz once again, but this time the job looked harder than ever. The good thing is that Jordan was great on both ends of the ball, and after making Karl Malone turn the ball over, he went on to do what he best did: score the ball.
Coach Jerry Sloan Refused To Look Before Michael Jordan Scored Over Bryon Russell
Knowing how deadly Jordan was in one-on-one situations, especially from mid-range, rival coach Jerry Sloan looked really concerned. An old picture shows Sloan looking at a different place while Jordan had the ball in his right hand against Bryon Russell.
Facebook page 'Team Jordan' recently shared it with the world, giving a short but clear explanation of what was happening.
"He knew," was the caption of the pic.
During that series, Jordan was a nightmare for the Jazz, especially Russell. His Airness was on another level, and after Russell dared to disrespect him, he took things personally. Given the colors of the uniforms, this picture was presumably taken in Game 5 of the series, where the Jazz beat the Bulls 83-81 at the United Center.
Even though the Jazz survived in Chicago, Jordan wouldn't let that happen again and made sure to beat his rivals in the next matchup. In Game 6 of that memorable Chicago Bulls-Utah Jazz Finals series, and after stealing the ball from Karl Malone, MJ got the ball in his hands, ready to face and beat his opponent, Bryon Russell.
MJ did it, closing out a terrific run with the Chicago Bulls and retiring for the second time. It took a little longer to arrive, but Sloan knew what was coming when his team faced Michael Jordan. His Airness made another memorable play on Russell, scoring a mid-range to give the Bulls the lead and the championship.
More must-reads: