The Chicago Bulls, given chance after chance by the Indiana Pacers, will have a chance at their third straight NBA title. The two-time defending champions, playing their first Game Seven in four years, overcame surprisingly poor shooting by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen with timely offensive rebounding in an 88-83 victory that vaulted the Bulls into the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. "We definitely got the effort from our players, but the difference in the game was that we got beat to loose balls and on the boards," Pacers coach Larry Bird said. "We've talked about offenssive boards all year. Tonight we were just overmatched. The number of offensive rebounds they got ripped our hearts out." Even with league rebound leader Dennis Rodman limited to six boards, the Bulls held a 50-34 edge on the glass. Pippen pulled down 12 and Jordan and Luc Longley grabbed nine apiece. Pippen and Jordan combined for 11 offensive rebounds. "Rebounding is a huge part of our offense," Phil Jackson said. "One of the reasons we do well in that area is we have a lot of people around the boards. We have a sense of just being there when the shots are going up." The Bulls had more to lose and it showed in the early going. Everyone appeared tentative, including Jordan, who was playing in his first Game Seven in six years. Chicago quickly fell behind as Indiana calmly executed its offense. Jordan's follow shot 91 seconds into the game gave Chicago a 5-4 lead, but Indiana scored the next 10 ...
Keywords: Chicago, Bulls, Indiana, Pacers, Michael, Jordan, NBA, Basketball, Playoffs, 1998, Elimination, Pippen, Miller, Kerr, Kukoc, Bird, Or, One, 79
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