How Alonzo Mourning Elbowing Scottie Pippen Motivated Michael Jordan In 1997 Conference Finals

Shandel Richardson | Jun 2, 2024

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Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan was the master at finding motivation during games.

It's not that he needed to look far when the Bulls played the Miami Heat in the 1997 Eastern Conference finals but Jordan found it courtesy of Heat center Alonzo Mourning. After grabbing a 3-0 lead in the series, the Bulls lost 87-80 in a physical Game 4.

The highlight was Mourning elbowing Bulls forward Scottie Pippen so hard it left a huge knot on his forehead.

"Alonzo Mourning was doing a lot of talking during the entire series," Bulls guard Steve Kerr said in the team's postseason video. "And when he elbowed Scottie and Scottie got that bump on his head, I think Michael kind of took it personally."

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That was all it took to light a fire under Jordan. Now, it was personal.

"I think that set Michael off," Bulls coach Phil Jackson said. "So he came back into practice after that weekend on Tuesday, he said, `Guys, this one is a personal test. When we come out there today, I want this game to be a grudge match."'

In Game 5, Jordan had 28 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead the Bulls to a 100-87 victory in the series-clincher. As for Mourning, he was shut down by Bulls forward Dennis Rodman. Mourning finished with just 13 points on 1 of 4 shooting, with most of his scoring coming at the foul line.

The Bulls went on to win their second straight title, defeating the Utah Jazz.

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