1997 NBA Finals
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| Dates | June 1–13 | ||||||||||||
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| MVP |
Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |
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| Television | NBC (U.S.) | ||||||||||||
| Announcers | Marv Albert, Matt Guokas and Bill Walton | ||||||||||||
| Radio network | ESPN | ||||||||||||
| Announcers | Brent Musburger and Jack Ramsay | ||||||||||||
| Referees | |||||||||||||
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| Hall of Famers |
Bulls: Robert Parish (2003) Michael Jordan (2009) Scottie Pippen (2010) Dennis Rodman (2011) Jazz: (2009) Karl Malone (2010) Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007) Jerry Sloan (2009) Tex Winter (2011) Officials: Dick Bavetta (2015) |
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| Eastern Finals | Bulls defeat Heat, 4–1 | ||||||||||||
| Western Finals | Jazz defeat Rockets, 4–2 | ||||||||||||
| Game 1: | Dan Crawford, Bill Oakes, Ed T. Rush |
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| Game 2: | Hugh Evans, Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore |
| Game 3: | Joey Crawford, Hue Hollins, Jack Nies |
| Game 4: | Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Ed T. Rush |
| Game 5: | Dan Crawford, Hugh Evans, Bill Oakes |
| Game 6: | Joey Crawford, Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore |
The 1997 NBA Finals was the concluding series of the 1997 NBA Playoffs that determined the champion of the 1996–97 NBA season. The Utah Jazz of the Western Conference took on the Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Bulls holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the first 2 games in Chicago, the next 3 games in Salt Lake City, and the last 2 games in Chicago.
The Bulls won the series 4 games to 2. For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP.
Hal Douglas narrated the season-ending documentary for NBA Entertainment. Bulls and Jazz won a combined 133 regular season games, second most in Finals history. Until 2016, the 1997 NBA Finals was the last to feature teams that won a total of at least 130 regular season games.
For the Chicago Bulls, the campaign was almost identical to their record-breaking 1995–96 season. They began the season 12–0, and by the All-Star break, the Bulls' record stood at 42–6, putting them on pace to win 70 games for a second year in a row. But some late-season injuries and poor play denied them of another 70-win season, and the Bulls settled for a 69–13 record, still good for the league's best record.
In the playoffs, the Bulls swept the Washington Bullets in the first round (which was also that team's final season before it was re-branded as the Wizards), dispatched the Atlanta Hawks in a five-game second round series, and then defeated the Miami Heat in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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