The Pacers were trailing by one point. If they made this shot, whether it was two or three points, they would be in the lead, shifting the pressure to the Bulls.
But now, with a turnover, possession changed, they were down by one point, and with only four seconds left in the game, the Bulls had two free throw opportunities. Was this fate sealing the Pacers' doom?
If they lost this game, falling behind 1-3 in the series, the Pacers would surely be unable to turn the tide...
Just as the Pacers fans in the arena despaired, holding their heads and preparing to accept defeat, Pippen reignited their hope!
The "Divine Left Hand" missed both free throws, scoring zero points!
Rik Smits fought hard to secure the defensive rebound. With just two seconds left, the score remained 94-93!
Having skirted the edge of the abyss, the Pacers were back and welcomed their Reggie Miller moment!
Coach Larry Bird dared not risk a complex play this time, instead straightforwardly instructing Mark Jackson to pass the ball to Miller!
Miller, fiercely pushing off Michael Jordan's tight defense outside the three-point line, forced a shot and made a near buzzer-beating three-pointer, giving his team a 96-94 lead!
The Pacers fans in the arena erupted in a frenzy!
In the final minutes of the game, they had faced multiple life-or-death moments; fans with weak hearts might have needed nitroglycerin to survive...
However, the game was not yet over.
At the referee's call, the countdown clock had not lit up when Miller's shot went through the net. Ultimately, the Bulls were given 0.7 seconds of time!
What could be done with 0.7 seconds?
As it turned out, 0.7 seconds could indeed create a miracle!
Except, it didn't happen for the Bulls.
Phil Jackson devised the final offensive play for Michael Jordan: Pippen would inbound the ball from the sideline, and Jordan would receive it outside the three-point line for a direct shot...
The ball circled the rim, but unfortunately, it did not go in!
Years later, NBA fans would only remember: Game 4 of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals, Miller's three-pointer against the Bulls, delivering the "Miller Time" moment!
Little did they know, Miller's was only a near-game-winner! Michael Jordan had an ultimate shot, and he almost made it! Had that shot gone in, history would have fewer "Miller Time" moments and more "Jordan Time" moments...
The game ended, and the Pacers narrowly defeated the Bulls once again, tying the series at 2-2.
In the subsequent crucial Game 5, the home-team Bulls offered no hope to the Pacers, winning decisively 106-87.
However, in Game 6, the Pacers, leveraging home-court advantage again, dragged the game to the final minute, with the score tied at 87-87.
Travis Best made a mid-range jumper for 2 points.
Jordan made both free throws, tying it up with 2 points.
Travis Best drew a foul on Jordan on an offensive drive and made both free throws, adding another 2 points.
As "Air Jordan" attempted a strong drive and layup, he was stripped by Derrick McKey!
Michael Jordan believed it was a foul, but the referee did not call it.
Pippen had no choice but to send Derrick McKey to the free-throw line.
Derrick McKey made his first free throw, giving the Pacers a three-point lead. He missed the second, and the teams scrambled for the rebound. Pippen ultimately secured the defensive rebound, but time expired.
The Pacers won at home 92-89, their third narrow victory over the Bulls!
The Eastern Conference Finals were pushed to a grueling Game 7!
From the tip-off of Game 7, the Pacers took control as the away team, shooting decisively from the perimeter. The Bulls were caught off guard as the Pacers went on a 27-19 run.
In the second quarter, the Bulls regrouped, expanded their defense, and successfully stifled the Pacers' outside shooting, countering with a 29-18 run.
By halftime, the Bulls had erased the deficit and were tenaciously leading by one point.
In the second half, a back-and-forth battle ensued, with both teams raising their defensive intensity to the maximum. Scoring became incredibly difficult. Every possession felt like a physical war.
The game reached the final two minutes with the Bulls leading the Pacers 83-81.
Logically, with a two-point difference and two minutes remaining, the outcome was still uncertain.
But to the despair of the Pacers fans, in the final two minutes, the Bulls displayed incredible defensive prowess: Rodman blocked Miller's three-point attempt, Harper stole the ball from Mark Jackson, and Longley disrupted Dale Davis's put-back attempt...
In the last two minutes, the Pacers only managed to score 2 points from Dale Davis's offensive rebound. Meanwhile, the Bulls scored 2 points from Jordan, 2 points from Pippen, and 1 point from Harper, defeating the Pacers by five points and denying Indiana a miracle!
88-83, the Bulls won Game 7 and advanced to the NBA Finals once again!
In the East, the Bulls were pushed to a Game 7 by the Pacers, and Michael Jordan was nearly eliminated by Reggie Miller.
In the West, the situation was almost a mirror image of the East.
The Lakers, with outstanding performances from Shaquille O'Neal and their two stars, successfully forced the Jazz into a Game 7!
Unlike last year, this Game 7 was not in Salt Lake City but in Los Angeles.
Kobe Bryant had achieved his goal from last year: securing home-court advantage!
This Western Conference Finals Game 7 attracted many Lakers fans to the arena to cheer for their team!
Because the outcome of this game would directly determine whether the Lakers could return to the NBA Finals stage after a long absence!
The Lakers' last appearance in the Finals was in the 1990-1991 season, seven years prior, when Magic Johnson and James Worthy were the team's main stars.
And in that season, the Lakers' opponent was the Bulls, who had not yet won a championship ring...
Over the past seven seasons, the Bulls had won five championships, while the Lakers had not even reached the Finals once.
Both as a club and as fans, they desperately wanted the Lakers to return to the league's highest stage... After last season's failure, this season, they were once again just one game away from that pinnacle...
Before Game 7, Harris delivered a passionate speech in the locker room, essentially saying it was time to make history and not to back down!
Normally, O'Neal would joke around when Harris was giving his motivational talks, but this time, O'Neal was unusually serious! O'Neal also yearned to play in the Finals again!
Three years ago, during the 1994-1995 season, O'Neal, having just finished his rookie years, led the Orlando Magic to the Eastern Conference Championship alongside Penny Hardaway and reached the NBA Finals. However, O'Neal was too young then and no match for Hakeem Olajuwon, resulting in a 4-0 sweep by the dominant Rockets in the Finals, a true disgrace!
Three years have passed in a blink of an eye. The current O'Neal is more mature and stronger! Although he's often jovial, he knows it's time to work hard and achieve some honors he can be proud of, such as: a championship trophy!