Malone made the All-NBA First team and All-Defensive First team. 1991 - 1st Round - Defeated the New York Knicks in a 3-game sweep, 2nd round - defeated Philadelphia 4 games to 1, Eastern conference finals - defe The Bulls faced this team only once in their six title runs (1991), but they had met them in three previous postseasons (1988, 1989 and 1990). They had a stretch from late November to early February where they went 31-1. Detroit also eliminated Chicago in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 1988. The Knicks would get another shot at a title the following year after Jordan retired for the first time, but they fell to the Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals in seven games. He made the All-Defensive First team in each season but he made the All-NBA First team just once, in the 1996 season. Now that we havelearned the competition Jordan and the Bulls had to face, we can get to some conclusions. Keep in mind that Majerle was guarding Jordan, and that the Suns were the first seed in the league, yet Jordan averaged 41.0 ppg in this series. 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). The Bulls eclipsed the marks set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, who went 69-13 for a .841 percentage. This team was third in Opponents points per game and first in Defensive Rating. Although the Bulls had won 62 games too, the Jazz held the tiebreaker. Who is Katy mixon body double eastbound and down season 1 finale? The problem is, Barkley and Ceballos were injured and Dumas had his own issues. They were 8th in Opponent points per game and 9th in Defensive Rating. To the people that say Jordan never faced a defensive team like the 2004 Pistons or the 2008 Celtics, let me tell you that he did. Longley and Rodman combined for just 15 points. [6], The Bulls showed signs of improvement after hiring coach Scott Skiles in 2003, reaching the playoffs in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Game 5 was a game in which Scottie Pippen became an NBA superstar with a flurry of offensive and defensive plays in the clutch, and suddenly the Chicago Bulls were more than simply Air Jordan. seasons. What is are the functions of diverse organisms? (Won 0 Rounds), Lost Western Division Semifinals Michael Jordan went 6-0 in the NBA Finals with the Chicago Bulls and won all six Finals MVPs. The Bulls initially competed in the NBA's Western Division. The Heat also had the Most Improved Player award winner (Isaac Austin). WebThe Chicago Bulls won the NBA Finals 6 times, in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998. [1][a] In their 53 seasons, the Bulls have achieved a winning record 25 times, and have appeared in the NBA playoffs 35 times. Fewest losses in a season, regular season and postseason combined. Combine all this with the great coaching of Jackson, and you have 55 wins. Also Read: Michael Jordans net worth, salary, endorsements and more. They conquered everyone in their path as they secured championship after championship Michael Jordan named MVP as Chicago Bulls win the - Chicago Malone was the league MVP and was also a member of the All-NBA First team and All-Defensive First team. In the playoffs he had 7.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 1.0 bpg. Chicago beat Portland in six games for its second NBA championship. So in the series with the Pistons in 1991 Jordan had to go against TWO All-Defensive team members. Combining those three seasons, Paxson averaged just 0.8 three-point shot attempts. 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. During the three regular seasons of 1991-1993, he attempted 96, 44, and 41 three-point shots, respectively. In one single playoff run, Jordan beat four all-time greats: Ewing, Barkley, Thomas, and Johnson. 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. Ewing was an All-Star. Those numbers are too low to really give him credit for his high three-point percentage. The remaining supporting cast included Bill Wennington, Jud Buechler, Randy Brown, and Brian Williams, among others. The 90's Knicks is another team that is considered as one of the greatest defensive teams ever. John Paxson for the series-clinching jumper. The Bulls didnt even win the NBA championship after they had won it the previous three seasons with Jordan on the roster. 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. Pippen was no longer in his prime. Its not like there werent any dominant big men in the NBA. Chicago Bulls beat five teams in the NBA Championship: Los It was an acknowledgment that, indeed, even he could not believe hed gotten so good. Jordan averaged 32.6 ppg while shooting 46.1 % from the field against top three teams. Chicago They've been in the playoffs a total of 36 times in their 57 seasons. Hardaway was 3rd in MVP voting and he was also a member of the All-NBA First team. The Lakers limped into the Finals and lost Hall of Fame 4 James Worthy to injury in Game 4. That list includesSame Jones (10), Tom Heinsohn (9), K.C. Armstrong also missed a lot of games during this time. This was the year of Jordans famous shrug, a gesture during Game 1 of the Finals series with the Blazers that underscored not only a moment, but an era. The starting power forward was Horace Grant. 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. @mark hopkins 3 teams have never lost a finals series (not counting the teams that have never even appeared in the finals). None of themexcept for Armstrongwere any better than the starters. Their playoff record against these teams was 40-16 (.714). The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors were the first team They essentially split time at the center spot, and together they produced a double-figure rebound average. The Heat had won 61 games, which was good for the third seed in the league. MORE:Ranking Michael Jordan's Bulls championship teammates. As we learned in the excellent documentary, The Last Dance, the classic Flu Game was really the Food Poisoning Game. Jordan's success wasn't limited to the NBA. The 1990s Chicago Bulls won six NBA Championships while they were being led by Michael Jordan. That Pistons team, known as the Bad Boys, is considered one the greatest defensive teams in the history of the NBA. season was They won two Finals series without home-court advantage (1993 & 1998) and three of their six titles have been clinched on the road (1991, 1993 & 1998). This was a year where the Chicago Bulls were simply much better defensively, and though the Suns' Oliver Miller provided sparks here and there, Michael, Scottie and Phil Jackson's team of three point shooters were just too much. Charles Barkley, who was now playing for the Suns, was the leagues MVP. [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. 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. Sporting News decided to rank the relative strength of those six NBA titlists, whose banners still hang proudly at the United Center and whose memory has inspired one of the highest-rated sports documentaries ever to air on U.S. television. Which categories does the great Kobe Bryant lead the Lakers? 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 Cavaliers team was fourth in opponent points per game and sixth in defensive rating. Of the 15 postseason victories necessary to claim the NBA title, 10 came by double-digit margins. WebHere are brief histories of the Bulls' 6 NBA championship titles: 1. They had quite a dynasty in the 1990s, winning the championship Michael Jordan on Leadership. Joe Dumars made the All-NBA third team and the All-Defensive second team. In the Eastern Conference Finals the Bulls met the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the last round, the NBA Finals, the Bulls faced the Los Angeles Lakers. Even with few attempts, he shot 29.4 percent from three-point line in the 1992 playoffs. Payton and Kemp were teammates on the All-Star team. Chicago Bulls Postseason Results Chicago Bulls Pages Chicago Bulls Head To Head He was a 6'10" player, but he wasnt a dominant big man. 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. 91 Lakers 92 Trail Blazers 93 Suns 96 Supersonics 97 Jazz 98 Jazz The Bulls faced the Cavaliers in the semi-final round. He was a member of the All-Defensive second team. He wasnt even an All-Star during this time, nor was he a player that could dominate the post, but he was a good rebounder. Michael Jordan: A timeline of the NBA legend The 1992 NBA Finals between the Bulls and Blazers was especially intriguing due to the media-fueled rivalry between Jordan and Blazers guard Clyde Drexler. He ranked third on the team in shots and scoring and second in assists, behind Pippen. In the NBA Finals Jordan and the Bulls faced Clyde Drexler and Portland Trail Blazers. the All Rights Reserved. They were 9th in defensive rating. He was also a member of the All-NBA first team and the All-Star team. James turns 36 in December. the 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. His teammate, Hersey Hawkins, made the All-Star team too. In the first round the Bulls faced the Miami Heat. It was a scrappy series -- evident in the personality of Supersonics guard and current Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan. Just like the Cavaliers, the Blazers had won 57 games. They think Jordan had it easier. The changes largely paid off, as the Suns won a franchise-record 62 games during the season, and Barkley was named NBA MVP. The Heat were also coached by Riley. 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. Your login session has expired. Now that we know Jordans supporting cast from the second three-peat, lets take a look at the competition. Lets answer these questions. So Jordan won the 1991 NBA championship with teammates that didnt make the All-Star team or the All-NBA team. At 67 he was a great defensive player and rebounder, but his offensive game was mediocre. the NBA, has won six championships in their history. Hollywood Pantages Theatre 2023-24 Season! Michael Jordan's six championship Bulls teams, ranked 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. Be the first one to comment on this story. The 1990s Chicago Bulls won six NBA Championships while they were being led by Michael Jordan. The Bulls lost the first two games of the series at Madison Square Garden, then blew out the Knicks in the next two games to remind them what they were facing in challenging this dynasty. In the Finals, they were well on their way to capping off a 15-1 playoff record before the SuperSonics ruined the impending coronation by beating the Bulls in games 4 and 5. Furney continued to play fine basketball all evening as he notched 11 points off an efficient shooting performance. John Paxsons 44 percent shooting from 3-poit range and Horace Grants growth into a 34-minute player were essential to the breakthrough. In the Eastern Conference Finals the Bulls faced a tough Indiana Pacers team. 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. Every other team in NBA history has won the NBA championship with the help of a dominant big man, and some of them had a point guard too. Mookie Blaylock was a member of the All-Defensive Second team and he also led the league in steals. Karl Malone had another stellar season for the Jazz and was named the NBA's MVP in the process. Your login session has expired. The Original Six wasn't exactly "formed". Seven of Russell's teammates in Boston have seven or more championships. 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. In Fridays sectional semifinal, Boatright logged eight What about the 1995 season? Dennis Rodman was a member of the All-Defensive first team. He made the All-NBA first team to go along with an All-Star team selection. 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. You can see the domination the Bulls had against the tough competition. In fact, they were the only team (out of the 24 that the Bulls faced in the playoffs during their six championship seasons) that forced a seventh game against Chicago; which they did in the '98 Eastern Conference finals. Former Bulls guard Steve Kerr even referred to Game 7 against the Pacers in 1998 as the "scariest" game the Bulls ever faced. Michael Jordan was Finals MVP in each of the six title runs. Heat coach Pat Riley had won the Coach of the Year award. This began a six-year playoff drought, the longest such drought in team history. Chicago beat the Los Angeles Lakers led by Magic Johnson in five games. With that said, here's a look at the top 10 teams that the Bulls bested in the postseason during their six championship seasons. The Bulls won 55 games without Jordan that season, just 2 less wins than in 1993, when Jordan was on the roster. Even Rodman, who won the DPOY and made the All-Defensive First team in 1991, guarded Jordan on some spots. Jordan was his usual dominant force, claiming the MVP and scoring over 30 points, Pippen was an all-around menace, back in his more comfortable role of an ultra glue guy, Rodman kicked ass on the boards, and the role players fit seamlessly into their roles. After losing to Chicago in consecutive postseasons in 1991 and 1992, the Knicks finally felt like they had a team that could beat the Bulls in 1992-93. It was fitting that they closed the Jazz out in game 6 on a pass and shot from two of the three players who played 82 games on the year, MJ to sharpshooting reserve Steve Kerr.