Horace Grant was an instrumental physical presence for the Chicago Bulls’ 1993 title run. He punctuated his hero arc by pulling off a clutch defensive play in Game 6 of the finals, blocking Kevin Johnson‘s floater from behind.
For the 6’10” power forward, there was no other explanation behind that sequence but his natural gifts taking over.
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“The last play, Phoenix throw the ball in, they call timeout, advance the ball,” Grant recalled on “Urban Grind TV.” “When Phoenix throw the ball in, a big guy named Oliver Miller, seven-feet, 280. MJ was guarding Kevin Johnson. Oliver Miller set the screen on MJ, knocked MJ down and I was guarding Oliver Miller.”
“I’ll never ever forget this… Kevin Johnson come off that screen, at the free throw line, going up for basically a free throw. I’m just very blessed to be 6’10”. I’m backing up step by step and blocked that shot to seal that,” he added.
Unsung hero
As Grant himself admitted, he was subpar from the charity stripe, going 11-for-19 in the six-game series against the Phoenix Suns for a shade under 58 percent. His matchup, Charles Barkley, was having his way, averaging 26.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.2 steals.
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However, Grant also posed a problem for the Suns. He was the only other guy outside of Barkley who averaged a double-double in the series (11.2 points and 10.3 rebounds plus 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks).
Horace’s numbers would have looked even better if it weren’t for a horrendous Game 6. He “only” had seven rebounds and a couple of blocks, hitting nothing in five attempts from the field. His only point in the contest came at the free-throw line, where he split a pair.
Nonetheless, the Bulls wouldn’t have made it out of America West Arena as champions if not for Grant’s winning plays on both ends. Before the game-saving defensive gem against Johson, Grant was the guy who perfectly set up John Paxson for the go-ahead three that settled the final score, 99-98.
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“I’m under the basket and Pip took one bounce and passed it to me,” Grant said, remembering the details of the play. “I’m about to lay the ball up, but I saw Danny Ainge and Dan Majerle coming. Even with my goggles, I saw John Paxson open out there for the three. Instead of laying it up, I passed it out. And Pax, much respect to you, brother, hit that three.”
Johnson claims Grant fouled him
The Bulls prevented many great teams from being immortalized as NBA champions and the 1993 Suns were among the casualties. They won a league-high 62 games that season while being led by the reigning MVP in Barkley
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If the Suns had held on to a Game 6 victory, playing Game 7 at home would have been the perfect opportunity to deliver the first title in franchise history.
The loss stung the Suns so much that Johnson was still salty about the result.
“The crazy thing is that, a few years back… I saw Kevin Johnson when he was the mayor of Sacramento. And he was like, ‘You know you fouled me on that.’ I was like, ‘Hell, no!’ I was like, ‘Hey, let’s go back to replay. Let’s watch the tape,” Grant said, laughing at the mere thought of fouling Johnson in that situation.
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Johnson would have embarrassed himself if they rolled the tape back on that play, but that sequence was more about Grant’s effort and natural gifts than the Suns guard’s inability to put up the shot.
Moments like that showed why Grant was a valuable piece on four championship teams. Even without a strong scoring night, he found ways to make winning plays, the kind that box scores don’t do justice to.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
