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.
Derrick Rose’s Path To Greatness Lies In His Inability To Be Satisfied
Flickr Photo via Keith Allison
There are certain words that can describe certain players. While words like ‘quitter’ and ‘complacent’ are words better left off being associated with LeBron James or Lamar Odom, it’s unlikely you’ll ever hear Derrick Rose‘s name every carry such a negative connotation.
Instead, you’ll hear words thrown around like ‘intense’ and ‘unsatisfied’ when discussing the MVP candidate of the Chicago Bulls.
Rose has built up quite the reputation around the league, and it’s not quite the kind you’d expect from a 22-year-old former student of John Calipari. He’s humble, he’s hard-working, and he refuses to bask in the limelight of the Bulls’ surprisingly great 2010-2011 season.
Much of that goes back to the Bulls choice of head coach last summer. After parting ways with Vinny Del Negro, John Paxson and co elected to hire coveted Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau, much to the chagrin of the other top dogs of the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Even if Rose was big headed enough to do something as outlandish as LeBron’s “Decision”, Thibs keeps his star point guard, and the rest of his squad, grounded. And it’s pretty easy to notice.
Even now, as the Bulls approach the best record in the Eastern Conference, and quite possibly the league, Derrick Rose still isn’t satisfied. And he’ll be the first person to tell you that.
Judging by sound bites and quotes from Rose on Tuesday, you might not actually know that the Bulls did defeated the Phoenix Suns. But they nearly blew a 22-point lead in doing so, leaving Rose to question why and getting him right back to work on Wednesday to avoid a similar letdown in the future.
It was a similar situation back on March 27th, against the Milwaukee Bucks. Though Chicago clearly outmatched their rivals from Brew City, the Bucks outplayed the Bulls for the better part of 48 minutes.
Then Derrick Rose happened.
The best closer in sports since Mariano Rivera, Rose went all ‘Mo’ on Milwaukee, dropping every shot he took when it was all on the line. He scored six of Chicago’s last eight points, and set up the other two on a beauty of a feed to Ronnie Brewer. When all was said and done, Rose finished with 30 points and 17 assists in the win.
But after the game, some of the first words out of his mouth went back to what he could’ve done better to help stop a shaky outing from the Bulls.
As outlandish as the comparisons to Michael Jordan are, and always will be, the two share one common trait: their work ethic. As much as Jordan loved to dazzle and bask in his success, you would not have found a harder working player during Jordan’s tenure in the Windy City.
When Rose is ready to call it a career, his number may very well be hanging from the rafters at the United Center. He’s well on his way to becoming one of the greatest players in Bulls history, and the mentality he brings to the table could allow him to become one of the best point guards to ever play the game.
But if you ask Rose about is already impressive rise to the “elite” level, he’ll probably tell you what he’s told others who have commented on his play recently.
“I haven’t done s**t yet.”
Bulls are better than the New York Knicks
The mid-1990′s Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks rivalry has been getting a lot of publicity lately for some reason including a funny rap video on PMSports.
I would call it an odd reason a rivalry from 15 years ago becomes interesting news in the media, but let’s face it, this rivalry provided some of the best basketball games in history. The 1995 Bulls-Knicks playoff series was on ESPN Classic two days ago to help solidify the rappers bringing Michael Jordan and the Bulls back.
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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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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