Playoff 97-98

FINALS QUOTE

"When I saw the moment of opportunity to take advantage of (the Jazz defense), I took advantage of that moment. And I never doubted myself." -- on his jump shot that clinched the Bulls' sixth championship in eight years

PLAYOFFS AND FINALS NOTES

Named Finals Most Valuable Player for the sixth time after averaging 33.5 ppg to lead the Bulls to a 4-2 series victory
Hit the game-winning jumper with 5.2 seconds left, posting a game-high 45 points and 4 steals, in an 87-86 win over the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the NBA Finals
Registered a game-high 37 points, 5 rebounds and 3 rebounds in a 93-88 win over the Utah Jazz in Game 2 of the NBA Finals
Recorded a game-high 33 points and 3 rebounds against the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of the NBA Finals
Averaged 31.9 ppg and 5.5 rpg against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals
Passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to became the NBA's all-time leading playoff scorer (5,762 points) and passed Dennis Johnson into fourth place on the NBA's all-time playoff assists list (1,006), in an 88-83 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals
Totaled a game-high 41 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals in a 104-98 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals
Averaged 29.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 4.6 apg against the Charlotte Hornets in the Eastern Conference Semifinals
Averaged 36.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 2.7 apg against the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference First Round
Posted a game-high 39 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in a 96-93 win over the New Jersey Nets in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round

1997-98 NOTES

Named to the 1997-98 NBA All-Interview First Team
Named NBA Most Valuable Player for the fifth time in 1997-98 and a unanimous selection to the 1997-98 All-NBA First Team
Named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for a record ninth time in 1997-98
Totaled a game-high 44 points (22-24 FT), 3 rebounds and 3 assists in a 111-109 victory over the New York Knicks on 4/18
Notched his 5,000th career assist, recording a game-high 37 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals, in an 87-78 win over the Orlando Magic on 4/11
Registered a game-high 40 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 109-94 victory over the Houston Rockets on 4/5
Named NBA Player of the Week for the week ending 4/5, averaging a league-high 35.7 ppg, 5.0 apg and 4.3 rpg for the 3-0 Bulls
Scored his 29,000th career point, posting a game-high 41 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, in a 107-93 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on 4/3
Named NBA Player of the Month for March, averaging a league-leading 28.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.07 spg for the 13-1 Bulls
Totaled a game-high 42 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in a 102-89 victory over the New York Knicks on 3/8
Named All-Star Game MVP for the third time, recording a game-high 23 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game in New York
Registered a game-high 40 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists against the Utah Jazz on 2/4
Posted a game-high 45 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 106-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on 1/18
Totaled a game-high 44 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in a 90-89 victory over the New York Knicks on 1/9
Recorded game-highs of 34 points and 9 assists and grabbed 9 rebounds in a 105-96 win over the Detroit Pistons on 1/3
Registered a game-high 44 points (15-22 FG) and 5 rebounds in a 114-100 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on 1/2
Named NBA Player of the Month for December, averaging a league-best 28.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 3.2 apg for the 11-3 Bulls
Broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record by scoring in double-digits for the 788th consecutive game, scoring a game-high 33 points, against the Minnesota Timberwolves on 12/30
Posted a game-high 47 points (18-26 FG, 11-13 FT), 4 rebounds and 3 steals in a 97-90 win over the Atlanta Hawks on 12/27
Named NBA Player of the Week for the week ending 12/21, averaging 30.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.7 apg and 2.00 spg to lead the Bulls to a 3-0 week
Scored a game-high 29 points, moving past Moses Malone into 3rd place on the NBA all-time scoring list, in a 100-82 victory over the New York Knicks on 12/9
Named NBA Player of the Week for the week ending 11/23, averaging 37.3 pppg (.500 FG), 4.7 rpg, 4.3 apg and 1.33 spg for the 2-1 Bulls
Totaled a season-high 49 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a 111-102 double-overtime win over the L.A. Clippers on 11/21
Recorded 29 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists in a 94-81 victory over the Orlando Magic on 11/5