At the start of the 92’-93’ season, the Bulls had big plans once again. With having the exceptional talents of Jordan and Pippen once again, the Bulls looked to be on top of the East. The season started out perfect for Chicago. Jordan and Pippen both did their thing while they cruised through the East. At the end of the 92’-93’ season, the Bulls finished with a 57-25 record. Jordan averaged an astonishing 32 points, 5 assists, and nearly 7 rebounds on the season. While Pippen came up with 18 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. Still, with this magnificent season by Jordan, he did not come home with the MVP. Instead the MVP was given to Charles Barkley who had dominated in the West, but surely was not as good as Michael—and Michael knew it. Michael used that as a chip on his shoulder to show the NBA who should have been the MVP that season. It seemed like even the smallest things motivated Michael to be the best, or better than the person in front of him. This is why he was one of the greatest competitors in all of sports. The fire, drive, and motivation he had towards the game was incredible. With this being said, Jordan played at his very best throughout the whole 1993 playoffs—maybe the best he has ever played. 

The Bulls easily ran through the Hawks and the Cavaliers in the first two rounds of play, and then they looked at a bit of a tougher Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Knicks. The Bulls had their problems with the Knicks in 92’ where they barely ended up winning in a tough seven game series, and they also struggled against them in many regular season matchups. This was a team that Phil Jackson and the Bulls were always worried about. Game 1 and game 2 were both in New York, which made it tough right off the bat for the Bulls. When the game started, you could tell they weren’t themselves. They let the Knick’s players and crowd get inside their head which totally messed with their game. Jordan and Pippen still both played fairly well, but were outmatched by what seemed like an even better duo of Ewing and Starks that night. They would end up losing by 8 in game 1, and then by 5 in game 2. Heading back to Chicago, the Bulls looked to change their mindset. They knew they had all the talent and pieces they needed, they just had to get rid of the mental part. In game 3, it seemed like everything changed for them. They got rid of the mental blockade and stuck to their game plan. With many easy transition points for Chicago, the Knicks just couldn’t keep up. They also couldn’t keep up with Jordan who finished the game with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and an impressive 11 assists. The Bulls would win by 20. Game 4 went even better, and allowed for a huge momentum boost. Jordan could not be stopped the whole game, and gave the Bulls a tremendous 54 points. The Bulls would win by 10 points; however, they still needed two more wins to move back to the finals. Game 5 would be played in New York. The Bulls came into this game with loads of confidence and used that to play at their best. The Knicks still had not been playing bad by any means, and kept the game close the whole way. The Bulls would win this game by a very close 3 points. They would play game 6 at home, and would go on to win the series after another amazing game by Jordan who finished with a triple double. 

The Bulls were once again back into the finals. This time, they looked to be crowned champion over the Suns and their star player, Charles Barkley. Jordan had not forgotten about how he won the MVP over him, and he knew it was his time to show the entire NBA that they had made a mistake. In games 1 and 2, the Bulls traveled to Phoenix. Jordan showed what he can do, dropping high scoring games of 31 and 42 points. The Bulls would win both of these games and looked for the sweep heading back to Chicago. The Bulls would lose game 3, but would come back for another close win behind Jordan’s 55 points and clutch last second shot to seal the game. The Bulls would then go on to lose game 5 and then travel to Phoenix for a game 6. Game 6 was close the whole way. Jordan, once again, was nearly unstoppable, but Phoenix was also coming back and making great plays. The game would eventually come down to the wire, where the Bulls were down by 2 with about 14 seconds left in the game. Everyone in what seemed like the whole world knew who the ball was going to do: travel to the hands of number 23 in red. Sure enough the ball was inbounded right to Michael. He dribbled down the court looking for a shot until he got double teamed, forcing him to give the ball up. He threw it down to Pippen who then threw it to Horace Grant in the low post. This quick ball movement allowed the defense to get out of place leaving a man open. Horace Grant passed the ball to a wide open John Paxson who drained the three and gave the Bulls a 99-98 win. The Bulls couldn’t believe it. They had won 3 NBA championships in a row. Jordan once again took home the finals MVP and proved that he was better than Barkley, solidifying his legacy.