Bulls ’95-’96 Team Named The Greatest Team In NBA History
The Sporting News magazine is spending the year solving debates in the sports world, in commemoration of their 125th anniversary. This month’s debate focused on the NBA, with the magazine tackling the debate of who the greatest single-season team in NBA history was.
In what is sure to be one of a few representatives from Chicago amid the “Greatest of All Time” debates they will solve, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls squad was named the greatest team in NBA history.
It’s not that difficult to see why the Bulls were able to beat out great Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics teams from years and decades before.
Of course, it was a team that featured Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, as well as Dennis Rodman in his first year as a Bull after being traded by the San Antonio Spurs.
It was a team that featured several records and accolades, from up and down the roster. Jordan averaged over 30 points per game, as well as just over two steals per. Rodman was good for 15 boards a game, while Pippen and Tony Kukoc were the only two other Bulls to average in double figures in terms of scoring, with 19 and 13 PPG, respectively.
For the team that won 72 games, and NBA record, they certainly weren’t generous in sharing awards. Jordan won three different MVPs, taking it home for the NBA’s regular season, the NBA Finals, and the All Star Game. He was also named to the All-NBA defensive team, as well as the All-NBA team, as he led the entire league in every scoring category.
But Jordan wasn’t the only one to take home some accolades from that season. Phil Jackson was named Coach of the Year. Pippen joined Jordan on the All-NBA first team, and both he and Rodman were featured on the NBA’s All-Defensive team as well. And Kukoc was named Sixth Man of the Year.
The ’95-’96 Bulls team was the only non-Lakers or Celtics team in the top five, but they weren’t the only Chicago team in the Top 10. The ’91-’92 team, which was the season in which the Bulls won their first NBA title, was ranked No. 9.
That 72-win team continues to be the benchmark for these powerhouse teams like the Celtics’ Big Three in ’07, and this year’s Big Three for the Miami heat. Neither team was able to eclipse the mark, and it remains to be seen if anyone will ever be able to even touch it, let alone beat it.
Are The Chicago Bulls Being Disrespected?
Flickr Photo via Keith Allison
Professional sports bring out the best in fans and analysts: passion, pride, and a Pandora’s box of overused and clichéd words and phrases. Words like adversity and disrespect echo throughout the sporting landscape constantly. However, in the case of the Chicago Bulls, one of those overused phrases might just fit the bill.
Monday night’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers notwithstanding, the Bulls might just be among the more disrespected teams out there among contenders.
Despite holding the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, boasting the league’s leading MVP candidate in Derrick Rose, as well as a pair of top notch big men, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, the Bulls have failed to garner much attention as a serious title contender.
Analysts have been quick to point out the Lakers and Spurs as their reasoning for counting out the Bulls. Even in the East, noted Miami Heat sympathizer Chris Broussard has said they are still a year away from being a real threat to hoist a championship trophy, saying he’d take both the Heat and Celtics in a seven-game series.
Others have been quick to point out that the Bulls rank in the bottom half of the league in team points per game, just one notch above the Boston Celtics, who are 21st in the league.
In doing so, many have completely discounted the real strength of this team: their defense. The Bulls are second in the league in opposing points per, trailing only, you guessed it, the Celtics. But while the Bulls are giving up about a half a point more per game than Boston, their point differential in each game is also more impressive than Boston, winning by an average of 7.39 points.
The Bulls also dominate on the glass, coming in at No. 2 in the league in rebounds per game, which trails only Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the fact that they are in the second spot in rebounds, the Bulls are also holding their opponent to the lowest rebound totals in the league, per game.
It’s that defense that makes the Bulls a completely legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference, and quite possibly, the NBA.
The formula for beating the Miami Heat is a relatively simple one. Solid point guard play and winning the battles down low. Considering the Bulls boast, arguably, the league’s best point guard in Derrick Rose, that first part is a cinch. The second part requires both Noah and Boozer to be strong down low, against the Heat combination of Chris Bosh and Erick Dampier.
With Bosh one of the softest big men in the league, the Bulls have a formidable advantage down low, in addition to the point. The only concern becomes their ability to stop Dwayne Wade and LeBron James in a seven-game series. Given that the Bulls swept the Heat in their trio of meetings this year, I like those odds.
The team that promises to give the Bulls the most grief out of the Eastern Conference is the Boston Celtics. The two sides met a few years ago in an epic first round matchup in the playoffs, with the No. 8 seeded Bulls nearly upsetting the Celtics and their “Big Three”.
But that was a different Bulls team, with an unproven Rose and a still-raw Noah, along with guys like Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich. This team is much deeper than that team from ’08-’09, and promises to give the Celtics a run for their money.
It’s no secret that the Celtics are favored by many to take the East, and rightfully so. They’ve been there before, and they have the depth to keep up with anyone in the league. However, that depth is also aging quickly. Shaquille O’Neal, who Boston is relying heavy on at center, has struggled with his health of late. Who knows if Kevin Garnett could hold up against both Boozer and Noah if he was the main man in the middle in the postseason.
Rajon Rondo has struggled at the point guard spot as well. But we saw these same struggles from the C’s last year, right before they made another appearance in the NBA finals. While the Bulls could handle the Heat in a seven-game series, a series against Boston would be an epic one, and could go either way, depending on the health of Boston.
While Broussard might be right, and the Bulls might be a year away, it’s hard to ignore what the Bulls have done to this point in the season.
With their capabilities on the defensive side of the ball, the Bulls certainly enlist the talent and skill to hang around with anyone in the league. Whether they can win a seven-game series against the likes of Boston remains to be seen. But there’s no question that this team has earned the right to be where they are, and are going to make some serious noise come playoff time.
The Chicago Bulls come back to the top of the NBA in 2010
As a dedicated Bulls fan, I’ve sat around and waited for the windy city gang to be a relevant team in the NBA since 1998. Finally, the Bulls are back in the nation’s eye as a contender, finally; had to say it one more time.
The Bulls have went through bad trades, bad drafts and a list of coaches longer than the brattiest little kid’s Christmas wish novels…they have developed from lists.
Finally, one last time, they have made some moves and decisions to prove Chicago has a winning mindset instead of simply only being an organization in the NBA.
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Bulls under the radar and look good heading into easy schedule
The Chicago Bulls have won 11 of their last 13 games to help their cause of being an elite team in the Eastern Conference. Chicago is currently third in the conference and have a commanding seven game lead in the central division.
Derrick Rose is playing at an MVP level, Carlos Boozer is at an all-star level and if he didn’t tear ligaments in his thumb Joakim Noah would be an all-star also.
With everything on the up and up in Chicago, it’s only going to look better as eight of the next ten games are against teams under .500.
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Rose on threshold of super-stardom, playing like an MVP
Last year, we celebrated Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose for becoming the first Bulls All-Star since Michael Jordan in 1998. The confetti and blow horn sales will remain high in Chicago because Rose is about to add his name to another accolade: NBA MVP.
I understand this is a brash statement early in the season and the NBA is full of players who are contending for the award, but by the time the trophy has been molded to shape and the name plate inscripted, Rose will clarify himself as the best player in the league.
Rose led the Bulls to a 9-6 record in the first 15 games of the season and was on top of each box score in everything but rebounds and blocks, although he has those on his season stat board as well. Since then, Chicago is the third best team in the Eastern Conference with a 16-9 record, including a seven game win streak.
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