25 years ago, to the day, on June 14, 1998, Michael Jordan put an end, it was thought, to his career with a final page written in golden ink.
In the hall of Utah, for Game 6 of the Finals, the rear of the Bulls came to conquer his sixth title in a fabulous match of intensity and suspense and left the whole world with a final memory of him under the colors of Chicago. The most beautiful perhaps. An absolutely perfect last shot.
An unforgettable gesture
The oldest have probably seen this match on Canal +, commented by George Eddy and Bruno Poulain. Twenty-five years later, they return to this moment of anthology which they obviously remember. For the rest…
“I don’t have any precise memories of the match, except this shot on Bryon Russell”admits Bruno Poulain. “I only remember that and that’s the best. »
Indeed, it is already difficult to forget it when you have experienced it live in the room. But the journalist of the encrypted channel, who always speaks greedily of this last shoot, clearly cannot miss it.
“I have a huge photo of the shoot, one meter by two, where we see the public behind Jordan. The NBA gave it to me. She is in my office in front of me (laughs). So every day, when I arrive in front of my office, I see this Jordan basket six seconds from the end. It’s an incredible photo. The spectators all have their mouths open, saying to themselves: ‘My God, he’s going to put the shot’. This photo, you can look at it for hours. »
George Eddy can only confirm this anecdote.
“Bruno has the poster of this action in his office. It’s extraordinary, legendary. We see Jordan as well as the face of the fans. They anticipate, they fear, they wait for this moment, this result. They are witnesses to a moment in history. They were losing the final on an action. We see everything in this snapshot. »
Jordan Magic
A moment announced by Bruno Poulain a few moments before. 59 seconds from the end of the meeting, he said on the microphone: “This may be Michael Jordan’s last game, imagine he puts the last shot, the title shot. »
” Who said that ? », he asks, before being reminded that these are his words. “I really am a genius! (laughs). There were other great shooters around Jordan, so it’s a gamble. »
But it is this feeling of déjà vu and also of history that is written before their eyes that the two men retain.
“Everything seemed to have been written in advance (laughs). It was an incredible moment to comment on,” assures Bruno Poulain. “For me, this is the greatest moment in NBA history. There have been, of course, other extraordinary moments since, I am thinking in particular of LeBron James against Golden State in 2016, but there is not the magic that was around Jordan. »
A magic observed during his stay in France, a few months before this last match, in October 1997.
“If you like basketball and sport in general, Jordan marked the sporting history of Canal+”, he continues. “When he came to Nowhere Elsewhere, no one was working in the chain’s offices. People were coming out of the office to see him coming. The character was truly extraordinary. »
The peak and the end of an era for George Eddy
George Eddy had already prophesied the unprecedented impact of this shoot at the time, declaring in the seconds which followed the end of the meeting that he had “experienced perhaps the most grandiose thing that we have ever seen on Canal+ with the NBA”. Is this still the case, more than two decades later?
” I think so. Since 1998, I haven’t seen another. Winning an NBA title on the last shot is huge. I’ve watched almost every Finals since the 1970s and I can’t remember a shot so decisive, six seconds from the end – except John Paxson’s shot in 1993. It is perhaps the greatest moment in NBA history. The action begins with a big defense. We are talking about the best player of all time. He was probably going to end his career and mark the end of an era with an unequaled and unrivaled record. A lot of things culminate with this shot. »
It is true that if Kyrie Irving’s 3-point shot in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals is also huge, it is scored 53 seconds from the end of the meeting. There were still possessions left. Same thing for Steve Kerr’s shot in Game 6 of the 1997 Finals. When the current Warriors coach shoots, the two teams are tied (86-86). The pressure is therefore less strong than in the case of Paxson – the Bulls are behind by two points – and Michael Jordan in 1998: 86-85 for the Jazz when he steals the ball in the hands of Karl Malone.
During his illustrious career, “Mister George” commented on many major matches in American sports or at the Olympic Games. But this “Last Shot” is truly unique.
“I have a lot of great memories. The best game I’ve seen remains the 2008 Olympic final. I’m also thinking of the 1993 Finals, perhaps Jordan’s best in terms of quality, with big scores, away wins, overtime. But for 1998, it was the context that marked me: finishing the match with the interception and the decisive shot, winning away, Jordan scored 45 points. Everything was there to force him to pull out all the stops: Scottie Pippen’s injury, the course of the match, very tight, with this Hollywood scenario. For the NBA, it’s probably my best memory. »
Article originally published on June 14, 2018
