After defeating the Portland Trail Blazers to secure their second consecutive NBA Championship, the Chicago Bulls were bombarded with massive expectations. Fans and the media craved to see the Michael Jordan-led basketball squad win back-to-back-to-back.
Phil Jackson, a diligent student and an active participant in NBA history, was aware of such great expectations. He knew what went wrong in the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons’ quest for the trifecta. And these are the things the Bulls should avoid if they want to make history.
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“What happened to the Lakers and the Pistons (when going for a third title) mentally and physically, I know,” Jackson said in 1992, per the Chicago Tribune. “What happened emotionally and spiritually, I’ve yet to realize. Players get sick of each other, the coach. They get tired of the chase, they get immune to the thrill of winning and have bickering amongst each other. Those are things we want to avoid.”
Focus on the process
According to the “Zen Master,” one way to avoid getting sick of each other is to enjoy the process. As difficult as it seems, the team should not think about the three-peat. Jordan and crew must devote their energies to each step of the journey. The destination will take care of itself.
“You have to live life, not watch it or anticipate it,” continued Jackson. “We’re just going to have to do our skill drills in practice, run through our sets, do our shooting and free throws, and play as hard as we can. That’s what’s important, not whether you’ve won two championships or making history.”
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The legendary coach shared how enthusiastic he was about working with the Bulls. They had massive targets on their backs, which meant a bigger challenge lay ahead. The former New York Knicks forward knew gunning for a third straight title was a rare opportunity that may never happen again.
“But if you don’t win this year, you’re not going to have another opportunity to see another team, especially in Chicago, win three in a row,” Phil noted.
“So we also know everyone will be after us to knock us off, which is also a challenge. But I look forward to dealing with these young men because anyone who participates in the group cooperative learns about himself and the group going through the pressures together, and I look forward to this season as an opportunity that won’t come again. So we just have to go out and play and forget about everything else,” he concluded.
Three-peat success
As Jackson predicted, the road to winning that 1993 NBA Championship would be tough. The Bulls’ locker room almost broke down after their heartbreaking 108-98 loss in Game 5. The loss signified that the momentum had shifted to the Phoenix Suns.
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And so, to quell the hopelessness in the Bulls locker room, “Air Jordan” came to the rescue and delivered a simple yet morale-boosting speech.
“When we lost Game 5, our morale was so low because here they had the advantage again. I didn’t want the negative thoughts to come into play,” Jordan said. “When I got to the plan with a cigar, everybody’s wondering what’s he doing? But what I was tryna do was instill confidence that, ‘Hey, we can win on this road… I got one back, one suit packed. We’re gonna win one game, we’re gonna celebrate, come back home,'”
Scottie Pippen and company took MJ’s speech to heart. They came out blasting in Game 6 with a newfound resolve. In one of the greatest NBA Finals games in history, the Bulls defeated the Suns in Game 6. Jackson and his team had completed the three-peat.