1997 Chicago Bulls

Chicago won 69 games, one short of the 72 it posted the year before, and missed back-to-back 70-win seasons by a single loss to the Knicks in the final home game. The team went 39-2 at the United Center. Jordan averaged 29.6 points and took his record ninth scoring title.

Pippen was the engine alongside him, posting 20.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists while guarding the other team's best perimeter player. Dennis Rodman led the NBA in rebounding for a sixth straight year. Toni Kukoc and Kerr handled the scoring off the bench, and Luc Longley anchored the middle.

The Finals matched Chicago against Karl Malone, John Stockton, and the top-seeded Jazz. Utah split the first four games and Jordan answered with the Game 5 performance later called the Flu Game, scoring 38 while visibly ill in Salt Lake City. Game 6 came down to a tie at 86 with under 30 seconds left. Jordan passed to Kerr, who buried the 17-footer, and Chicago won 90-86.

Jordan took Finals MVP for the fifth time. Parish, who had three rings from his Boston years in the 1980s, collected a fourth at the end of the line.