Jordan averaged 33.5 points,four rebounds and 2.3 assists in the series. Knicks coach, Pat Riley, was Coach of the Year. Offensive rating: 110.0 | Defensive rating: 105.2 Regular-season record: 61-21 | Playoff record: 15-2 NBA Finals: Won (4-1) vs. Los Angeles Lakers The Bulls' first title League Champion: Houston Rockets. Both teams averaged 87 points for the series, and as we saw, this NBA Finals and the next, it was an attention and expectation of stellar defense that won it all for the Chicago Bulls. It got even tougher for the Bulls in the NBA Finals when they faced the Utah Jazz. The Magic won a franchise-high 60 games in 1995-96, which was the third-best record in the league that year, but ultimately they were no match for a Bulls squad that was poised to kick off a second three-peat. [6] Then they won two more consecutive titles in 1992 and 1993 after which Michael Jordan retired. During their inaugural season (196667), the Bulls compiled a 3348 record under coach Johnny "Red" Kerr and reached the playoffs. Malone was the league MVP and was also a member of the All-NBA First team and All-Defensive First team. In an inverse of the 92-93 season, the Bulls maintained their defensive consistency, ranking third in the league, while watching their offensive efficiency dipped to an unheard of ninth. They were 2nd in the East behind the New York Knicks and 3rd in the league overall, while having "just" the 4th best-expected win total. They had the duo of Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors were the first team Now that we know Jordans supporting cast from the second three-peat, lets take a look at the competition. Scoring leader:Michael Jordan, 29.6 ppg (First in NBA) 6. You could start to see signs of offensive slippage in MJ and Pippen's games, as they were less efficient than they had been in previous years but they made up for it with improved playmaking. Michael Jordan then announced his second retirement, because general manager Jerry Krause wanted to begin rebuilding the roster with younger athletes. Teams always want to beat the defending champions, so they would throw everything at the Bulls. He didnt even average 9 boards in the 1997 and 1998 Finals. Chicago beat Utah in six games, and Jordan closed the series in Game 6 with"The Shot"over Byron Russell. So this group of Bulls stands as not only the best Bulls team of the Jordan era but the greatest team of all time. This time the Jazz had home-court advantage after they secured the first seed in the league with 62 wins. Michael Jordan on Leadership. They also acquired four-time All-Star Rolando Blackman from the Mavericks. Record:69-13 2. Even Rodman, who won the DPOY and made the All-Defensive First team in 1991, guarded Jordan on some spots. Six players from the 199798 Bulls (Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, Jud Buechler,[6] and Scott Burrell[13]) joined other teams through free agency or sign-and-trade deals, and with few established players left on the roster, the Bulls missed the 1999 playoffs. The Bulls didnt even win the NBA championship after they had won it the previous three seasons with Jordan on the roster. Unfortunately for the Sonics, they couldn't quite keep up with the Bulls, who had won a then-league record 72 games during the regular season. Things went well for the Knicks during the regular season as they tied a franchise record with 60 wins and finished with the best record in the East. Both Kemp and Payton were named to the All-Star Game in 1996 and the Sonics won a franchise-record 64 games, which was good enough for the best record in the West. Jordan's success wasn't limited to the NBA. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. In the Eastern Conference Finals the Bulls faced the Orlando Magic. Heat coach Pat Riley had won the Coach of the Year award. Charles Barkley was 4th in the Most Valuable Player award (MVP) voting. the Dikembe Mutombo had made the All-Defensive First team and he was also the DPOY. Ultimately, they suffered the same fate too, as they lost in the Finals in six games to Jordan and the Bulls. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was gone, while Johnson and James Worthy had both declined athletically. (Won 0 Rounds), Lost Eastern Conference Semifinals They weren't quite as good record-wise as they were the previous season (62 wins in '97-98 compared to 64 wins in '96-97), but they were virtually the same squad as they were the year before. It was a scrappy series -- evident in the personality of Supersonics guard and current Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan. He and Charles Barkley were very good friends at the time, yet as Michael Jordan has done with all of his peers when it mattered most, Charles Barkley also did not win an NBA title. All of Chicago Bulls championships are won in the Jordan era. I dont understand what the big deal with this is. 7. started the season going 5-0. Though the Bulls had the same record as the Atlanta Hawks in the Central Division, the Bulls won the tiebreaker and finished second. Their only close series was the championship series, where they outscored the Jazz by a total of 4 points. The Chicago Bulls, in claiming those six NBA titles, were never tested in a seventh Game. 4:32 pm ET, Streaking Warriors must overcome one major roadblock, Bucks vs. 76ers odds, picks, computer sims, Raptors vs. Wizards odds, picks, computer sims, Nuggets beat Grizzlies, likely lock up West's top spot, Grizzlies' Brooks: 'I don't like Draymond at all', Celtics booed off floor after blowing 28-point lead, Window for Durant, Suns is open -- until it's not, Lakers say James has tendon injury in right foot, Nuggets beat Grizz, likely lock up West's top spot, Randle's game-winner runs Knicks' win streak to eight, Durant passes Robertson for 13th on NBA scoring list. With that said, here's a look at the top 10 teams that the Bulls bested in the postseason during their six championship seasons. In the playoffs he averaged 1.1 three-point shot attempts. Episodes three and four of the series focused on the playoff battles between the two teams, and how the Bulls needed to overcome the Pistons in order to develop into champions. Brown was a member of the All-Defensive Second team. Arguably the greatest season of all time. We also sawthat the Bulls did face great competition. [7] They had a chance to win the first pick of the 1979 NBA Draft, which would have allowed them to select future Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. In the Finals, the Bulls were gassed and had to fall back on mythical championship mettle to pull out the title. However, this proved to be a minor hiccup for Chicago as they capped the series off with a dominant defensive performance in a 12 point win. (Won 2 Rounds), Lost Western Conference First Round He also made the All-NBA second team and the All-Star team. His Airness three-peated twice and won all six Finals MVPs for the Bulls. The NBA is ruled by dynasties, teams that come to own a decade and shape the narrative around the league. But it still wasnt enough, as the Bulls won the Sixth game and their sixth championship in Utah, with Jordan hitting that legendary shot over Bryon Russell. The holder of the all-time wins record until the 2015-2016 season. Though the Bulls had the same record as the Indiana Pacers in the Central Division, the Bulls lost the tiebreaker and finished fourth. Their second round opponent, the Charlotte Hornets, had a member of the All-NBA third team (Glen Rice). Chicago jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the series over the Sonics, and eventually took the series 4-2 in order to claim their fourth title. MJ and Pippen shot horribly for the series, having to rely on an efficient Toni Kukoc to help buoy them, while Dennis Rodman was a shell of himself by the end of the series, averaging 8 rebounds a game. This was the fourth Bulls championship, earned in the first full season after Michael Jordan returned from his mid-90s retirement. They had winning streaks of 13 and 18 games and only once lost consecutive games, to the Nuggets and Suns on an early February trip West. The Jazz ultimately lost the series on Jordan's game-winner over Byron Russell in Game 6, which became one of the most famous shots in NBA history. In 1991, they finally did, as they bested the Pistons 4-0 in the Eastern Conference finals. in 1991, 1992, 1993, and then in 1996, 1997 and 1998-- a total of The Jazz had NBA MVP Karl Malone, but the Bulls won the series in six games behind Jordan, who averaged 32.3 points, seven rebounds and six assists. This was a great group of players, but as you can see, Jordans supporting cast is overrated. In the next round, the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls faced the defending champion Detroit Pistons. Although they were old and not the same players they were in the 1980s, the Celtics were still good enough to win 56 games, securing the second seed in the East, and the 4th seed in the league. Michael Jordan had his hands full, especially with him and Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton. The Bulls faced the Cavaliers in the semi-final round. Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA championships from 1991-98. The Blazers were also third in defensive rating. His averages in the regular season were 7.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.7 apg. He made the All-Defensive First team in each season but he made the All-NBA First team just once, in the 1996 season. The Bulls first title was Web1995 NBA Eastern Conference SemifinalsBulls vs. Magic. The Phoenix Suns were a precursor to Chris Webber's Sacramento Kings and eventually Steph Curry's Golden State Warriors. At 67 he was a great defensive player and rebounder, but his offensive game was mediocre. Their Finals series against Utah was the most competitive of the six title teams; five of the six games were decided by two or fewer possessions. We already know he wasnt the best small forward of his generation. Jordan and James both have lengthy statistical resumes, but that six-championship trump card gets played the most in the debate. The Bulls also reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1989 and 1990 before being eliminated by the eventual champion Detroit Pistons. York(Brooklyn) Americans folded in 1941/42, it left the NHL with The Bulls second round opponent was the Knicks. Though the Bulls had the same record as the Denver Nuggets in the Midwest Division, the Bulls lost the tiebreaker and finished fourth. Patrick Ewing made the All-NBA second team. six times. Mourning was an All-Star. Another impressive fact is that since the 1988-89 season, Jordan NEVER had a teammate averaging a double-double in the playoffs, and just once he had a teammate averaging a double-double in the regular season (Horace Grant, 1992). Two of those were first, four were top-three, and eight were top-five. In the 1950s, it was the Minneapolis Lakers, the 60s was ruled by the Boston Celtics, the 70s, coincidentally, is the forgotten decade of the league and also had no team or teams that were the signature draws at that time. The regular season was a dominant run, as they built on the previous year's title and synced their offense and defense into a dominant force, ranking first and fourth respectively. How many championships did Michael Jordan win? What Gary Payton told me in a radio interview about his classic matchup with Michael Jordan in 1996: At this point, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman could not be defeated. This time around the Jazz were able to take the first game in the series, but the Bulls quickly bounced back and took a commanding 3-1 lead. Combine all this with the great coaching of Jackson, and you have 55 wins. This team played at the slowest pace in the league, allowing Jordan and Pippen to exert their will with maximum effort on each possession. Reggie Miller had made the All-NBA Third team. So in the series with the Pistons in 1991 Jordan had to go against TWO All-Defensive team members. Who were the models in Van Halen's finish what you started video? [6] However, Jordan returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and lost in 1995 NBA Playoff despite posting one of his best numbers and close to his playoff average and with the added help of rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman, the team won three more championships from 1996 to 1998. Unfortunately, the Lakers upset the Portland Trail Blazer in the West playoffs, robbing us of watching the Bulls take on the team with the best record in the league that season. 1971: Milwaukee Bucks beat the Baltimore Bullets (now Washington Wizards) 4-0 1972: Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 4-1 1973: New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 1974: Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 4-3 1975: Golden State Warriors beat the Washington Bullets 4-0 1976: Boston Celtics beat the During the three regular seasons of 1991-1993, he attempted 96, 44, and 41 three-point shots, respectively. He again was part of the All-NBA second team and the All-Star team. They were finally the best team in the East and finished with the second overall record. Forward Charles Smith got the ball inside and had four attempts to make a game-winning layup, but all were challenged and/or blocked by Bulls defenders. While the OLD Baltimore Bullets (a team that folded back in the 1950s) won a title in THEIR only finals appearance in 1948. Although there is no question the 1996 team was superior, coming back a year later and nearly matching that performance might was, at its essence, even more impressive. Jordan led Chicago with The Heat had a member of the All-Rookie First team (Steve Smith). The Hawks were the 4th seed in the East having won 56 games. The Suns then took down the Lakers, Spurs, and Sonics en route to their first Finals appearance since 1976. Jordan could not lead the Bulls past the first round of the playoffs by himself losing to the champion Celtics and in 1987 general manager Jerry Krause acquired Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant at that summer's draft. Their center position was particularly weak, as they toggled between an old Bill Cartwright and statuesque Will Perdue, who no doubt contributed to their drop in defensive efficiency. Jordan retired after the 1993 season and missed most of the next two seasons, and the Bulls reached the Eastern Conference semifinals each of those two seasons. was the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls, who the The Lakers limped into the Finals and lost Hall of Fame 4 James Worthy to injury in Game 4. [4] They received international recognition in the 1990s when All-Star shooting guard Michael Jordan led them to their six league championships. By 1991, Magic Johnson and the Lakers were coming off of a decade straight of deep postseason runs, and while still great, they just weren't the same squad that they once were. Which Bull lead the team in rebounding in the 1996, 1997, and 1998 seasons? The Bulls clinched the series on Father's Day, which was especially meaningful for Jordan because it was first championship since his father James died. He made the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA men's basketball national championship game. The Bulls NBA Finals opponent, the Seattle Supersonics, were the second seed in the league after they won 64 games. In his path to 6 titles, Jordan beat the likes of Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, Charles Barkley (twice), Patrick Ewing (four times), Reggie Miller, Dikembe Mutombo, as well as the duos of Shaquille ONeal and Anfernee Hardaway, Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning (twice), and John Stockton and Karl Malone (twice). 2023 ChampsOrChumps.us Terms Privacy Policy, Won Michael Jordan's six championship Bulls teams, ranked, Ranking Michael Jordan's championship teammates. In one single playoff run, Jordan beat four all-time greats: Ewing, Barkley, Thomas, and Johnson. In the First round the Bulls faced the New Jersey Nets. In the last round, the NBA Finals, the Bulls faced the Los Angeles Lakers. started the season at 0-9. In the Finals, the Bulls showed their youth, losing the first game to the Magic Johnson-led Lakers, before ripping off four straight wins, never winning by less than seven, and sewing up their first title. When the Bulls won their first title in 1991, Pippen didnt even make the All-Star team. Their playoff record against these teams was 40-16 (.714). Against these 14 teams, Jordan averaged 30.3 while shooting 47.0 % from the field. This was Utah's best team ever record-wise, as they won 64 regular season games, which was good for the top seed in the West. We know Rodman was a rebounding machine, but few know that he didnt average 10 boards in the 1997 playoffs. The Western Division was renamed the Western Conference and split into the. The '97-98 Pacers were a tough-nosed team with a solid defense and two All-Stars in Reggie Miller and Rik Smits, and they pushed the Bulls about as hard as any team did during their title seasons. 1990-91 Season. Did Jordan ever face true competition? He made the All-NBA first team to go along with an All-Star team selection. In the regular season he averaged 6.9 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 3.1 APG and in the playoffs he averaged 7.0 PPG, 1.1 RPG and 2.5 APG. In June 1996, the intimidating duo of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp - led by Seattle Supersonics coach George Karl - were formidable opponents for the Chicago Bulls. Even Rodmans rebounding numbers can be misleading. It's tough to talk about the '95-96 Magic without thinking about what could have been, as it was the last season that Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway played together in Orlando. They were 9th in defensive rating. Average scoring:103.1 (First in NBA) 3. They also posted double digits in scoring margin and net efficiency, the mark of an all-time great team, and led the league with a whopping 68 expected wins. The Bulls were also 55-24 (.696) against these teams. Horace Grant, now with Oralndo, made the All-Defensive Second team. The Magic, having won 60 games during the regular season, were the third seed in the league. The Chicago Bulls were an unstoppable force throughout the 1990s. In the Second round the Bulls faced the Knicks (again). Just like the Cavaliers, the Blazers had won 57 games. They reached the Finals six times during the decade and came away with sixNBAtitles -- including two separate three-peats -- becoming arguably one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history in the process. The reason the Bulls were blowing out the Blazers is that MJ had to show the world he was vastly superior to Clyde Drexler, the second best two guard in the league who the media hyped up as a worthy opponent to MJ. Toni Kukoc was the backup forward. The Chicago Bulls won their 6th title of the decade in 1998. Bulls won that series 4-1. what six teams did the Chicago bulls beat, the original six teams are: Toronto, Detroit, Montreal, Boston, Even when it seemed like they were threatened, the Chicago Bulls found some way of pulling out games definitively. MORE: The key stats you need to know in the MJ vs. LeBron debate. what makes muscle tissue different from other tissues? Bulls vs. Magic. The focus is on Jordan, whopushed the Bulls to those championship runs. When the New This time the Knicks had won 60 games, which was good for first in the East and second overall in the league. The 1998 NBA Finals was a repeat of 1997 - where the Chicago Bulls also dispatched the Utah Jazz. Mike DeCourcy is a Senior Writer at The Sporting News. Furthermore, in just 6 postseasons the Bulls had to face 14 top-ten teams in Defensive Ratings. Jordan scored 35 of his 39 points in Game 1 which is best remembered for"The Shrug." Dan Majerle made the All-Defensive second team and the All-Star team. John Paxson for the series-clinching jumper. Here is a look at the NBA Finals runs Jordan led with Chicago. There was a shaky moment in the conference finals against the blossoming Knicks, who rode the tough-guy front line Ewing, Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley to 60 victories and the No. Magic was incredible as usual - posting numbers of 19 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, and his 1991 season is definitely Magic's most underrated and resilient. Ewing was 4th in MVP voting. It was another example of Jordan and the Bulls demonstrating that when it would be easy to relax explicable, even they still discovered the motivation to push through toward greatness. In the Eastern Conference Finals the Bulls faced a tough Indiana Pacers team. The Chicago Bulls have played a total of 57 Why does Gary Soto's work seem autobiographical? The Bulls had to surmount mental hurdles to at last win a championship with Jordan on their side. They won six Championships. 6-keys: media/spln/nba/reg/free/stories, at However, they still had Jordan for all 82, and while his efficiency scoring was starting to dip, he only shot 46% this season, they still had his dominant will to win carrying them to 62 wins, tied for the best record in the league. Joe Dumars made the All-NBA third team and the All-Defensive second team. All in all, there is no Bulls title season that can quite measure up with this one. The title was won on a Jordan step-back jumper that has become among the most iconic shots in the games history. Mutombo and Christian Laettner were members of the All-Star team. Just like the Pistons were no longer at the peak of their powers as a team when the Bulls finally bested them in 1991, the same could be said about the Lakers that same season. Their offense was fully operational, finishing first in offensive efficiency while their defense was a more than serviceable seventh. This season was one of the toughest for the Bulls. Clyde Drexler, a prominent mixture of Hall of Famer Julius Erving, elite versatility and athleticism of the 1990's was often compared to Michael Jordan. This was the only Bulls title team that didnt reach the 60-win plateau, with the offense fading and more reliant on Jordan than at any point during the teams championship run. The remaining supporting cast included Bill Wennington, Jud Buechler, Randy Brown, and Brian Williams, among others. Dick Klein founded the Bulls in 1966 after a number of other professional basketball teams in Chicago had failed. A player like Kerr should be over 40 %, which he was in the 1998 playoffs. Who is Katy mixon body double eastbound and down season 1 finale? The Supersonics were a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference in the '90s, and 1995-96 was their best season as a team. That Celtics team still had Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Note: Statistics are correct as of the 202021season. Perhaps they make a deeper run with Jordan and face the Houston Rockets who won back-to-back NBA championships in those two seasons. In the first round the Bulls faced the Miami Heat. So yeah, 3 teams have made it to the finals and have no losses. This team featured one of the greatest duos in NBA history in Karl Malone and John Stockton. [17] In 2010, Del Negro was replaced by Tom Thibodeau, and the Bulls reached the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, losing to the Miami Heat in five games.[18]. They conquered everyone in their path as they secured championship after championship Be the first one to comment on this story. While Drexler was a great player and a future Hall-of-Famer, Jordan didn't like being compared to Drexler, and he used the comparisons as motivation during the '92 Finals. 1990-91 61-21 record, 15-2 in the playoffs, defeated Los Angeles 4-1. Dennis Rodman was the starting power forward for the Bulls. Who did the Chicago Bulls beat in the NBA Finals? The East playoffs were not particularly close, as they only lost once in the second round and blitz the defending champ Pistons, sweeping them and outscoring them by 11.5 points per game. By the time they Bulls were back to the playoffs, they were again using the rotation similar to what worked so beautifully the previous two years, albeit with Kukoc frequently filling Rodmans spot as a starter. Or close to it. It seemed like both a celebration of what Magic Johnson had contributed to the NBA over his career and also a Michael Jordan coronation. They were fourth in Opponent points per game and third in Defensive Rating. Pippen didnt even make the All-Defensive first team in 1991. 1995 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Bulls have never lost a finals series (60). Chicago was swept in the first round by Boston in 1986 and 1987, andthose Celtics teams led by Larry Bird reached the NBAFinals. Armstrong, Stacey King, Craig Hodges, Will Perdue and Scott Williams, among others. was the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who The 90's Knicks is another team that is considered as one of the greatest defensive teams ever. ESPN recently ranked the '91-92 Trail Blazers as the 37th best NBA team of all-time; the highest ranking of any of Chicago's Finals opponents. The Bulls' luck turned for the better after selecting Michael Jordan with the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. losses. He was a good shooter in 1993, but before that, he was just like Paxson. They reached the Finals six times during the decade and came away with six NBA No, the Chicago Bulls have been known by that name since 1967. He was also the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY). 2004-05 Chicago Bulls In the playoffs he had 7.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 1.0 bpg. (Won 1 Round), Lost Western Conference Semifinals The Heat were also coached by Riley. The first Hardaway was 3rd in MVP voting and he was also a member of the All-NBA First team. 1997, and 1998. of the Eastern Conference. Pat Riley was also named Coach of the Year. Who did Michael Jordan play in the playoffs? He was a 6'10" player, but he wasnt a dominant big man. What about the 1995 season? The Kings won a championship in their only finals appearance to date in in 1951. As long as people discuss the greatest sports dynasties, the 1998 Bulls will be a part of the conversation. The Suns shook things up in a major way before the 1992-93 season, as they traded with the Philadelphia 76ers to land All-Star forward Charles Barkley, and they added Paul Westphal as their new coach. Jordan averaged 32.6 ppg while shooting 46.1 % from the field against top three teams. This season was a little different for the Bulls because they would meet some pretty good duos.