Shaquille O’Neal shared a video on his Instagram story of the final minutes of Game 5 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls sealed the win in the last seconds of the game after poor offensive play from the Knicks. The video’s caption claimed that it was the worst loss in NBA history, something Shaq seemed to agree with.
The clip requires a little more context. In the final moments of the game, with the score at 95-94 in favor of the Bulls, John Starks faked a shot and got the ball to Patrick Ewing. Ewing passed the ball to Knicks’ big Charles Smith, who had several attempts under the basket, failed to make a shot, and turned the ball over for Michael Jordan to launch the ball upcourt for BJ Armstrong for an easy two to seal the game.
Coming into Game 5, the Knicks had posed a serious threat to the Bulls, with the series tied at 2-2, and the Knicks having home-court advantage heading into the series. The demoralizing loss in Game paved the way for the Bulls to defeat the Knicks in the series and return to the NBA Finals for a third year in a row.
Jordan had a decent game, putting up 29 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists, 1 block, and 2 steals. But his 5 turnovers really could have cost the Bulls the game. As for Scottie Pippen, he delivered 28 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals to help the Bulls.
As for the Knicks, Patrick Ewing was the star on the night, putting up 33 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Ewing was the only player to score more than 20 points for the Knicks, showing how much he had to do for the team.
The Bulls Winning Led To Their Three-Peat
The Bulls would go on to win Game 6 back at their own home, allowing them to reach the NBA Finals for the third year in a row. Similar to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls would defeat the Phoenix Suns in 6 games to win their third consecutive NBA championship.
This was a pivotal time for the Bulls, as this championship win would be their last for the next three years. The following summer, the Bulls lost Michael Jordan, as he went into retirement. The following year, the Knicks defeated the Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals and went to the NBA Finals.
The following year, the Bulls would coax Jordan back out of retirement, but they still couldn’t get past the Orlando Magic. This two-year hiatus was the Knicks’ best chance to usurp the Bulls and win the NBA championship. But they weren’t able to do so.
By the 1995-96 NBA season, the Bulls were back to their best, as they went on to build another three-peat of NBA championships. The Bulls may be the only team in NBA history to have two separate NBA dynasties in the same decade.
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