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The Utah Jazz arena's WiFi network name is the early star of March Madness

jack mckessy, usa today
·3 min read

It has been nearly 26 years since Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls took down the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals. That doesn't mean the Jazz have gotten over it.

The Delta Center, home of the Utah Jazz, is hosting first- and second-round games for March Madness in Salt Lake City this year. On Wednesday, one reporter there to cover the tournament noticed the arena's WiFi network had a unique name: JordanPushedOff.

"JordanPushedOff" is a reference to one of the most (in)famous moments of Jordan's career and of Jazz (and Bulls) franchise history.

The Bulls led the 1998 NBA Finals three games to two, but they trailed the Jazz by one point with 10 seconds left in the game. Jordan dribbled the ball to the top of the paint and hit a crossover that sent his defender past him before hitting a mid-range jump shot with five seconds left.

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The 2-pointer ultimately gave Chicago its sixth title and was his last shot attempt with the Bulls, which has made the moment iconic in the Windy City.

In Salt Lake City, Jazz fans continue to hold the opinion that Jordan pushed off Bryon Russell during the crossover before taking the shot, hence the name of the Delta Center's WiFi network.

Jazz owner Ryan Smith told Pat McAfee about the "JordanPushedOff" network name on an episode of The PatMcAfee Show last November The reference has come back into the limelight with the arena hosting some March Madness games.

Did Michael Jordan push off Bryon Russell?

Jordan's last shot with the Bulls remains one of the most controversial of his career, and NBA fans still all have their own interpretations.

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March Madness games in Salt Lake City

There are four first-round games taking place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 21.

  • No. 15 Long Beach State vs. No. 2 Arizona, 2 p.m. ET/Noon MT

  • No. 10 Nevada vs. No. 7 Dayton, 4:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. MT

  • No. 12 McNeese State vs. No. 5 Gonzaga, 7:25 p.m. ET/5:25 p.m. MT

  • No. 13 Samford vs. No. 4 Kansas, 9:55 p.m. ET/7:55 p.m. MT

The winners of the four games will advance to play each other in the second round at the Delta Center on Saturday, March 23.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Utah Jazz name WiFi network 'JordanPushedOff' in Delta Center