The Game 3 of the 1993 NBA Finals was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, playoff games in Phoenix Suns history. The Chicago Bulls were up 2-0, and the Suns badly needed a win to evade a possible sweep. That’s when Suns guard Kevin Johnson stepped up and performed one of the toughest duties he ever had in his career: guarding Michael Jordan.

At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Johnson faced not only a physical mismatch but also an immense pressure against MJ. Despite the disadvantages, K.J. fearlessly manned Jordan. He relied on his speed, agility and more importantly, his heart.

“After getting over my initial jitters, I embraced the challenge,” Johnson once told Slam. “It’s not often one gets the chance to guard the greatest player in the game in the biggest arena the sport has to offer.”

Beating Jordan was a herculean task
Taking a quick trip down memory lane, Game 3 of the ’93 Finals came down to a battle of mental resilience, especially for Johnson. The game was extended to not one, not two, but three overtimes, and Johnson was physically exhausted.

However, K.J. understood the stakes involved in the Finals and recognized that guarding Jordan was as much about psychological warfare as it was about a physical matchup. In the end, the Suns beat the Bulls 129-121, with Johnson finishing the game with 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, two steals, and a game-high 62 minutes of playing time.

Johnson’s incredible display of mental and physical toughness earned him the respect and admiration of fans and players alike. But looking back, the Suns guard confided that as far back as he can recall, he was also emotionally exhausted at the time.

“It was an absolutely incredible game with every player using every drop of gas in the tank. Down 2-0 to the greatest player ever to play the game, we were facing a must-win situation, and we responded. When it was all over, I had never been as physically and emotionally drained at the end of a game,” he opened up.

K.J. did great, but MJ was just too much
With the best record in the league and Charles Barkley winning the season MVP award, Johnson and the Suns entered the Finals with high hopes. However, as the games commenced, Phoenix encountered a rude awakening and realized that the Bulls were the better team and Jordan’s dominance was just overwhelming.

And so, Chicago closed the series out in six games. Nevertheless, that Finals series still holds a special place in Johnson’s heart, specifically the night he dueled with MJ in Game 3.