Back In The Day NBA

Horace Grant Deserves More Credit For Helping Preserve Michael Jordan's 6-0 Legacy In NBA Finals

Shandel Richardson

MPS-USA TODAY Sports
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The heroes of the 1993 NBA Finals are generally considered John Paxson and, of course, Michael Jordan.

And deservedly so.

Paxson hit the clinching 3-pointer in Game 6 that helped the Bulls defeat Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns, completing a three-peat. Jordan had 33 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on the way to again winning Finals MVP.

Lost in all of the hoopla was forward Horace Grant.

He made arguably two of the greatest plays to prevent the Bulls from having to play a Game 7 in Phoenix. It was 31 years ago on this day when he threw the extra pass to Paxson, who hit a shot to put the Bulls ahead 99-98 with 3.9 seconds remaining.

On that final possession, the Suns' intent was keeping the ball out of Jordan's hands. Instead, he willingly gave up the ball to Scottie Pippen, who passed to Grant near the low-block. Grant was only a few feet from the rim, but decided to hit a wide-open Paxson at the wing. Paxson nailed the jumper to put Chicago ahead.

That shot becomes only a footnote if Grant doesn't make a big play on the next series. At the time, Suns guard Kevin Johnson was among the quickest players in the league. The last shot was set up for him.

After receiving a pass from Oliver Miller, Johnson initially beat Grant on a drive near the top of the key. But Grant recovered quickly enough to block the shot from behind.

Game over.

Not many will remember those two plays but they were key in helping Jordan keep his 6-0 legacy in the Finals.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com