Michael Jordan on whether '1998 Finals loss would tarnish his legacy: "We don't look at defeat and say it's a wasted season"

Despite being tied with the Utah Jazz for the best record in the league at 62-20, the two-time defending champions Chicago Bulls had a lot of issues during the 1997-98 NBA campaign.

Scottie Pippen missed almost half of the season because of his contract issue, and Dennis Rodman went on a Las Vegas in the middle of the season. Phil Jackson said it was his last year, while Michael Jordan declared he would not play for a coach not named Phil.

So, heading to Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals, with the series tied at 1-1, some doubted whether the Bulls could three-peat again. Before that pivotal contest, the late Stuart Scott interviewed Jordan and asked him if a loss in the '98 Finals would tarnish his and the Bulls' legacies.

"The things that we accomplished cannot be refuted at all," Mike said . "And a loss doesn't erase it all."

The toughest title to win

Chicago had entered every previous NBA Finals as the favorite to win the championship—they beat Utah in six games. Still, facing the Jazz for the second straight year with a lot on their plate, the Bulls entered the 1998 championship round with their lowest title odds ever—Las Vegas oddsmakers believed the series could have gone either way.

Even the ultra-competitive Mike, at least during the Stuart Scott interview, didn't sound too confident about Chicago coming out victorious.

"If we end the season with a win, then we make sure our objectives are met in the course of the year," he added. "And if so, it happens, and it's not meant to be that way; we don't look at defeat and say it's a wasted season. A lot of good things happened this season, and it was a fun season no matter how you look at it."

Related: “That's not the Stock I play with every night in Utah" - Karl Malone grew worried witnessing John Stockton's struggles on the Dream Team

GOAT debate could've been different

While a loss to the Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals wouldn't have affected the '90s Bulls' legacy, Michael's place in NBA history would have been different if Karl Malone and John Stockton beat him in that series.

MJ would have finished his career with five championships, one short of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He would've been tied with Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan in ring totals, while LeBron James would've only been one Larry O'Brien trophy shy of Mike's total.

But as fate would have it, the Bulls summoned their greatness one last time. After that interview, they won Games 3 and 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Then, after the Jazz won Game 5, Jordan closed out his iconic run in Chicago with a 45-point Game 6, hitting the championship-winning jump shot in the final seconds of the contest.

As a result, MJ finished his career with the Bulls with six rings, an unblemished 6-0 Finals record, and the title of GOAT.

Related: Jordan's mom recalled when nine-year-old Michael promised to win the Olympics: "Honey, that takes a lot to win the gold medal"