At this moment, with his ailment, Jordan stepped up and shattered the fairy tale and dream.
He used his scoring and defense to help the Bulls respond to the Jazz with a 19-6 run, narrowing the gap to 3 points.
In the fourth quarter, the Jazz stretched the lead back to 8 points, and it was Jordan again who went on a rampage, scoring 15 points in the quarter.
And at the crucial moment, he received an assist from Scottie Pippen, hit a three-pointer, helped the Bulls establish an advantage, and secured the victory in the crucial match.
At the end of the game, Michael Jordan collapsed into Pippen’s arms, this War God was utterly exhausted.
With the entire team scoring only 90 points, Jordan scored 38 points, turning the tide despite his weakness.
Such a performance even made Gan Guoyang praise post-game, "At this moment, Michael and I are neck and neck."
Jordan couldn’t even be bothered to argue with Ah Gan anymore; he was nearly passing out, and he knew this was Jordan’s Finals.
That Ah Gan, who made you lose the Western Finals, can only trash talk from the stands during the Finals — in this battle, both Charles Barkley and Gan Guoyang attended Triangle Center in person to witness the entire game, and both Western and Eastern losers stood to applaud Jordan’s magnificent performance.
Game six returned to Chicago, and the Jazz team was still very tenacious, fighting the Bulls to the last moments.
This time, the Jazz’s biggest issue was exposed — at crucial moments, they didn’t have someone like Jordan who could decisively settle the score.
In the Western Finals, Stockton, facing Ah Gan and the Trail Blazers’ weak perimeter defense, exploded with enormous energy.
But in the Finals, facing the league’s top perimeter defensive powers, Stockton couldn’t create miracles.
Steve-Kerr hit a crucial three-pointer, helping the Bulls win the victory and securing the 1997 Championship.
Four years, three crowns, although not a three-peat, was enough to be called a dynasty, dominating an era.
With Ah Gan’s defeat in the Western Finals, Jordan ascended to the NBA’s pedestal, temporarily seated as the number one.
After winning this crown, Jordan immediately told Pippen, Jackson, and others that they would fully strive for the 1998 Championship, aiming to achieve the grand feat of a three-peat.
"Ah Gan lost the Western Finals; in 1998, he will definitely enter the Finals. By then, it will be the best chance to defeat him, definitely not to be missed!"
However, Jordan’s ambitious statement, although hit the heart of the Bulls players and coaches, raising the team’s morale, filled with anticipation and expectations for 1998.
On the other hand, Jordan’s overly blunt demand, to "retain the entire roster and continue to strengthen the team" right in front of the management and owner, also hit Jerry Krause and owner Reinsdorf’s sensitive egos.
They couldn’t tolerate being ruled by a player, even if he was Michael Jordan, even if he had already won three Championships, establishing a dynasty for the Bulls.
In this regard, Reinsdorf’s breadth of vision was far inferior to Tang Jianguo, who always listened to Ah Gan, never minded appearing "inferior" in public, and instead treated Ah Gan exceptionally, always maintaining a humble appearance in front of others.
While Reinsdorf, frankly speaking, was still a Jewish businessman, not only driven by profits but also inherently arrogant, looking down on everyone, not truly respecting Jordan — in fact, most NBA owners were of this nature.
Old Tang was also driven by profits, was also a businessman, but his pursuits were far-reaching, with grander ambitions and ideas, he had the traits of a politician, rather than being purely a businessman.
Jordan’s accomplishments and "arrogance" irritated Reinsdorf, as for Jerry Krause, the conflict between him and Jordan was long-standing.
These years not only had not been dispelled by the Bulls’ championships, but rather, the tension seemed to be escalating.
In this deeply-rooted conflict, Jordan was largely responsible.
Right after the "Flu Game" of the fifth match ended, having won while ill, Jordan could be said to be highly satisfied.
On the bus ride from the hotel to the airport, with his body mostly recovered, Jordan sat in the back with his teammates, drinking beer and smoking cigars.
Drinking and smoking was one thing, a privilege Jordan had, but after a few drinks, Jordan began to let his mouth run, unleashing on things and people he didn’t like.
At this point, even if a dog walked by, Jordan would curse it twice.
The entire Chicago Bulls, almost no one hadn’t been verbally bullied by Jordan — maybe Phil Jackson the least, as Jordan still somewhat respected him.
And the person who took it the most was not Scottie Pippen, nor Horace Grant, but the overweight Jerry Krause.
Years ago, Jordan already nicknamed Jerry Krause "Crumbs" because he liked to eat, mocking Krause for always having food crumbs on his chest.
That night, Jordan yelled again, "Jerry! Let’s go fishing! But you’d better bring your own rod. Don’t worry, if we don’t catch any fish, you can eat the bait, it won’t go to waste!"
The Bulls players in the back laughed heartily, while those in the front, players and staff alike, could only grit their teeth and endure it.
Jerry Krause sighed deeply; he’d lost count of how many times he’d been humiliated like this by Jordan.
Although Jordan equitably humiliated everyone in the team, ultimately Krause was the general manager, and Jordan’s behavior easily undermined his authority.