Basketball is king at house that Larry H. Miller built News Chicago Bulls

Editor's Note: This is the first installment of an occasional series that will explore sports venues throughout the state and revisit the most memorable moments. Today ? EnergySolutions Arena. In its 17 years of existence, it's hosted concerts, monster truck shows, rodeos, the circus, hockey and football games and even realistic-looking dinosaurs.

(That's not a reference to the Rolling Stones or Cher, even though they have entertained there). It's also been the site of Olympic events, including one that turned into a you-can't-make-this-type-of-stuff-up international judging scandal. But make no mistake about it, the venue formerly known as the Delta Center was designed, first and foremost, for Basketball. That's why EnergySolutions Arena currently sits at the crossroads of John Stockton and Karl Malone drives. The house that Larry H. Miller built still gives the Utah Jazz one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA. The 19,911 fans are close to the action and it gets loud in there. Combine that with usually solid teams, and the Jazz have won 75 percent of their games in the building. Which makes it all the more surprising that the most memorable game in Delta Center history was a heart-breaking Jazz loss. It was 11 years ago today ? June 14, 1998 ? that Michael Jordan openly defied the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act by lighting up a victory cigar on the Delta Center court surrounded by his celebrating Chicago Bulls teammates. It was Jordan's 17-foot jumper over the falling-backward defense of Utah's Bryon Russell with 5.2 seconds left that proved to be the game-winner/series clincher in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. While the Jazz had gotten to the exact point the previous season ? losing to the Bulls in six games ? it was a completely different feeling in '98 for Jazz players and fans alike. In '97 the Jazz weren't expected to knock off the powerful Bulls. With games six and seven both in Chicago, nobody gave Utah a chance of winning the series after it fell behind three games to two. But it was different the following year. Utah actually earned home-court advantage for the series by having a better regular season record. Many national prognosticators expected the Jazz to dethrone the Bulls. Things looked bleak for Utah, however, after falling behind 3-1 in the series with the fifth game to be played at Chicago's United Center. Chicago television commercials featured Bulls players and coaches admonishing their fans to celebrate the impending series victory responsibly and without tearing apart the city. Courtside tickets were being scalped for $10,000 apiece since there was vast speculation that Game 5 would be the final NBA game in Jordan's remarkable career. But the Jazz spoiled the home coronation by upsetting the Bulls 83-81 with Malone's 39 points leading the way. Suddenly there was hope for the Jazz . All they had to do to win their first NBA title was win a couple of home games ? in a building where they had gone 36-5 during the regular season. It wouldn't be easy, of course, but it seemed possible. As Game 6 progressed the likelihood of a Jazz NBA title seemed to increase. Jordan's best teammate, Scottie Pippen, left the game with a sore back, placing even more of a scoring burden on His Airness. The Jazz seemed to be in great shape late in the game ? even though referee Dick Bavetta had earlier disallowed a 3-point jumper by Utah's Howard Eisley, saying it had come after a 24-second violation when replays show he'd clearly beaten the clock. When Stockton nailed a 3-pointer from the right angle with 41.9 seconds remaining, the Jazz had an 86-83 advantage. That's when Jordan took over. Jordan made a driving layup around Russell with 37.1 seconds left to cut the gap to one. The Jazz still had the lead and the ball. But as Malone was preparing to make a move on the left block on Chicago's Dennis Rodman he didn't know what had hit him. Jordan stripped the ball away for a steal. "Karl never saw me coming," said Jordan during postgame interviews. Then, without calling a timeout, the Bulls went to work. Jordan had Russell on him near the top of the key. A dribble or two forward got Russell going backward and there was contact between the two players, to be sure. Many Jazz fans believe Jordan's "push off" should have been an offensive foul, but the end result was a wide-open jumper that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. Jordan kept his right hand up, showing off his textbook follow-through for the stunned crowd in the arena and the world on television to admire for just a few extra moments. "I made my initial drive and he bit on it," Jordan said of Russell's defense. "I stopped, pulled up and had an easy jump shot. Great look ? and it went in." Jordan finished with 45 points, more than half of Chicago's team total of 87. It would be his final game in a Bulls uniform. He retired prior to the next season before a return to the NBA with the Washington Wizards in 2001. Some may not recall, but the Jazz still had a chance to pull out a victory at the buzzer in that Game 6. Stockton's 3-point attempt ? while on line ? came up a bit short, however, glancing off the front of the rim. It's one of the most memorable games in NBA history, even if, 11 years later, it's still frustrating for the Jazz . "We were there and we didn't finish," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "It's like being in a game and you've got a layup and you didn't make it." While it certainly would have been no sure thing for the Jazz in a Game 7, many believe it would have gone Utah's way. After all, Pippen was hurting and wouldn't have been at full strength if he could have played at all. Plus ? with all due respect to the Stones, Springsteen, U2 and all the others that have played there ? the Delta Center would have been rocking like never before or since had there been a Game 7. E-mail: lojo@desnews.com