Michael Jordan's first retirement gave the Chicago Bulls a chance to uncover new talented players, who would later on help them win another three NBA titles. One of those players was Toni Kukoc, a Croatian who joined the team in 1993 as a 25-year-old rookie and had an amazing career as part of the Bulls' roster.
Though his first year in the Association had its fair share of bumps on the road, he also managed to showcase his shotmaking skills. And as Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers found out, Kukoc had a clutch gene that could be very valuable in crunch time.
Buzzer-beater
Although Kukoc was a rookie in the NBA, he had already logged in an incredible amount of time in professional European leagues, so he was no stranger to big-game scenarios. It was that wealth of experience that allowed him to go up against the Pacers and hit a three-pointer as time expired to give the Bulls a thrilling 96-95 win in a regular season game in January.
"One of top 10 shots," Kukoc said about his incredible triple that came after Miller hit a long two-pointer with just 0.8 of a second remaining.
Kukoc explained that the play was not intended for him. However, with all other options covered, he received the inbound pass and did not hesitate to shoot the long jumper.
"I was like the fourth option," said Kukoc. "The play was not designed for me. Nothing special, really. We won the game, and that's the most important thing. It's not just the last shot."
Celebrated far too soon
Aside from giving the Bulls the win, Kukoc's jumper also spoiled Miller's heroics. Right after making the go-ahead jumper for the Pacers, the brash guard from UCLA went to midcourt and gave several bows, much to the chagrin of the Chicago faithful. Fortunately, Kukoc and the Bulls had the last laugh.
"As you can see, you never really have it until the buzzer goes off," said Miller. "But give Kukoc credit. He hit a big-time shot. I thought we had all the shooters covered, but he got a good look."
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