Alright so today I decided to really understand how Michael Jordan pulled off that crazy series win against the Pacers back in ’98 with the Bulls. Everyone talks about it, but I wanted to see for myself exactly what he did, play by play. Fired up the old game tapes – well, digital copies anyway.
Started simple: I grabbed a notebook, brew a massive pot of coffee, and just sat down to watch Game 1. Right away, it hit me. Reggie Miller was on fire, talking smack like always. But MJ? He wasn’t fazed. First quarter, Pacers were all over him, double-teaming the second he touched the ball. I scribbled down how they were bumping him constantly, trying to wear him out.
Pushed through the whole series slowly. Noticed something big: MJ wasn’t jumping like Superman anymore. Knees clearly weren’t 100%. So what changed? He got smarter. Watched him in Game 4 especially. Instead of driving hard every time into those giants like Rik Smits and Dale Davis, he started pulling up for those mid-range shots way more. Just rose up over guys before they could fully react. Bam. Mid-range jumper. Over and over.
But scoring wasn’t the whole story. Dug deeper into the defense. Those Pacers were tough, physical. Saw MJ doing things I forgot about:
- Fighting through picks like crazy to stick on Reggie.
- Digging down low to help on Smits, then scrambling back out.
- Getting his hands in passing lanes – couple of key steals late in games.
The last minutes of Game 7? Pure pressure cooker. Bulls were hanging by a thread. And here’s what really slapped me in the face watching the tape: Jordan demanded the ball every single trip. Didn’t matter if his shot was falling perfectly, didn’t matter how tired he looked running back on defense. Teammates cleared out. The entire stadium knew it was coming. Pacers knew it was coming. And he still made plays. Hit shots. Got fouled. Made free throws. Carried them across the finish line when everyone else was gassed. Watched him collapse after the final buzzer – the dude was completely spent, physically and mentally.
So yeah, putting it together? The MJ legend wasn’t just built on crazy dunks anymore by ’98. He won that Pacers war by being the toughest, smartest, and most insanely clutch player on the floor when everyone knew the ball was going to him. Beat them with his mind and his will just as much as his jumper. Seeing that grind close-up like that… man, it hits different than just reading about it.
