The Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat faced off in the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals in what initially looked like an explosive affair. However, that could only happen if the top stars from each team came out to play every single night.
In the case of the Heat, top stars Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway fell prey to the Bulls’ defensive efforts. Chicago figured out how to stop the two superstars in Game 3, allowing the Windy City squad to take a 3-0 lead in that series.
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“He is their inside game,” Pippen said via the Washington Post. “If he isn’t doing much, all we have to do is stay with their three-point shooters. Once we take that away, that’s a big percentage of their game, shooting threes. It was pretty tough for them to do anything.”
In that game, Mourning managed just 12 points and nine rebounds. What was even worse was that he was responsible for nine of his team’s turnovers.
With “Zo” struggling, Hardaway was expected to step up. Instead, the 6-foot guard got stifled by the Bulls’ defense and ended up with a lowly six points and four rebounds. He also had five turnovers in that game, the second-most after Mourning.
“We’ve made a concentrated effort, not to let him get in a rhythm like he did against New York,” Michael Jordan quipped. “Ron Harper’s doing a great job, physically just banging him. We’ve closed the lanes and made sure he didn’t have any outlets to throw to.”
Heat wasted the 1997 playoff run
That 1997 playoff run was the deepest the Heat had gone since joining the league in 1988. While most felt it was a major breakthrough, especially with the legendary Pat Riley at the helm, it turned out to be a major breakdown instead.
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There was no doubt that Mourning was physically gifted. However, all that was useless if he wasn’t mentally strong.
There was never any question about Mourning’s physical gifts, but without mental toughness, they could only go so far.
And in the Bulls-Heat series, he had to go up against a master of psychological warfare: Dennis Rodman.
“The Worm” was a couple of inches shorter than the 6’10” Mourning, but those familiar with “Rodzilla” knew he loved to get in the head of opponents. That was one reason why the second overall pick of the 1992 Draft went out of sync when it mattered the most.
Jordan points out a key weakness in Zo’s game
At his peak, Alonzo built a reputation as a fierce competitor who never backed down from anyone. But things changed when he faced off against Rodman.
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Even “His Airness” called out Zo’s mental lapses, noting how the relentless antics of the two-time Defensive Player of the Year threw Mourning off his game during the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals.
The best Mourning and the Heat could do at the time was to take one game away themselves. This was Game 4, in which the Georgetown product finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Hardaway led Miami in that win with 25 of his own.
But racking up four consecutive wins against a ramping Bulls team was easier said than done. The Heat were eliminated in Game 5.
Known for his toughness, Mourning’s career took a sharp turn when he was diagnosed with a severe kidney disease. He underwent a transplant in 2003 and returned with the Nets in 2004, but it was clear he wasn’t the same dominant force anymore. Nevertheless, he will always be remembered as one of the toughest guys in the Association.