I'm probably going to get grilled for my answer by Jordan fans but if were talking about this modern era, I'm taking Golden State. If were talkin The Bulls still had Pippen, Grant, Cartwright, Paxson, Armstrong, Williams, King and head coach Phil Jackson PLUS newcomers Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr and Luc Longley. @mark hopkins 3 teams have never lost a finals series (not counting the teams that have never even appeared in the finals). This series featured the famous"Flu Game"in Game 5 where Jordan scored 38 points despite battling flu-like symptoms. They were fourth in Opponent points per game and third in Defensive Rating. Ranking the Chicago Bulls' 6 NBA championship wins and A total of 14 players have five NBA championships, including NBA legends such as Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant. Chicago, Detroit, New York Rangers, Montreal & Toronto) came to Phoenix had NBA MVP Charles Barkley, but the Bulls won the series in six games behind Jordan, who averaged 41 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists for the series. Magic Johnson was hurt James worthy was hurt Byron Scott was hurt They would have worked Jordans a**, Are you kidding me Mike had much less competition then LeBron and Kobe.please he beat a Lakers team with Divac at center ..played against Portland with Clyde are you kidding me hell he never won shit till Mike retired and he had to go with Houston with Hakeem that leaves me with Chuck does he ever seem to want anything other then food.nope Just like the Cavaliers, the Blazers had won 57 games. He made the All-NBA first team to go along with an All-Star team selection. The East Finals saw a tight back and forth series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Finals was ripe with close Blazers wins and Bulls blowouts. He averaged 5.2 ppg. Not only the Bulls were able to keep their head coach, second best player, and all of the role players, but they also added THREE role players that would later become important in the second three-peat. Combine all this with the great coaching of Jackson, and you have 55 wins. 1998. Chicago Please logout and login again. 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). 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. This season was no different, as their top four started no less than 79 games. In the Second round the Bulls faced the Knicks (again). Ranking Michael Jordan's 10 best playoff opponents during Bulls' The 1990's Chicago Bulls: The Team and Its Competition Charles Barkley was 4th in the Most Valuable Player award (MVP) voting. When the Bulls won their first title in 1991, Pippen didnt even make the All-Star team. 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. [8] During this period the Bulls were perhaps best known for being led by former-ABA star Artis Gilmore and Reggie Theus, both of whom were multiple time All-Stars with the Bulls.[9]. 1 seed in the East. But how great were the Bulls? The best start to a Bulls season Utah Jazz (1997 & 1998) Bulls won all series 4-2 except Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was gone, while Johnson and James Worthy had both declined athletically. 7. This time the Knicks had won 60 games, which was good for first in the East and second overall in the league. The remaining cast includes players such as B.J. Jones (8),SatchSanders (8),John Havlicek (8), Jim Loscutoff (7) and Frank Ramsey (7). Cartwright needed more help from Scott Williams to man the middle. The team with the best record in the league, the Trail Blazers, proved not ready for the spotlight and fell easily to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. 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. 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. The Heat had won 61 games, which was good for the third seed in the league. The third title of the second three-peat title comes in fifth as, once again, fatigue played a huge factor in the Bulls season. 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. MORE:Ranking Michael Jordan's Bulls championship teammates. Which jersey numbers have the New York Knicks retired. In the First round the Bulls played against the Heat. By using this website you agree to our Terms of Use. In the final two rounds, they faced two formidable opponents, but the series went differently despite winning both 4-2. They had to deal with the powerful duo of Malone and Stockton (again). The third worst start to a season This Cavaliers team was fourth in opponent points per game and sixth in defensive rating. Had the two played together for longer the course of NBA history would be different, and perhaps Orlando would have a championship banner, or two. There never was a "Super Bowl hangover" with Jordan's Bulls. 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 Jordan led Chicago with 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists. The 1993 Finals is the only Finals series in which Jordan had a teammate averaging a double-double. In 1991, they finally did, as they bested the Pistons 4-0 in the Eastern Conference finals. Chicago beat Utah in six games, and Jordan closed the series in Game 6 with"The Shot"over Byron Russell. 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. Unlike any other team with multiple titles, Jordans Bulls lacked two important pieces: A dominant big man (or a center) and a point guard. 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. [5] The only three NBA franchises that have won more championships than the Bulls are the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers (17 Championships each), and the Golden State Warriors with 7. Jordan and James both have lengthy statistical resumes, but that six-championship trump card gets played the most in the debate. Robert Horry won seven championships through his time with the Rockets, Lakers and Spurs. They did face a few hiccups as the competition increased, losing the first two games in the Eastern Conference Finals vs the Knicks, before thwarting the upset and ripping off four straight wins. Who is Katy mixon body double eastbound and down season 1 finale? Pat Riley was also named Coach of the Year. Jordan averaged 35.8 points, 6.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds for the series. Michael Jordan: A timeline of the NBA legend There are only four players in NBA history who didn't play for Boston who have at least six championships. This team was truly on a different level from the rest of the league during the regular season. First of all, the only important piece that was missing from the championship team was Jordan. Though the Chicago Bulls were victorious in their usual NBA Finals 6 games, the Seattle Supersonics seemed like they were fighting for a Supersonics legacy continuum. Which Bull lead the team in rebounding in the 1996, 1997, and 1998 seasons? Kauna unahang parabula na inilimbag sa bhutan. 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. He again made the All-Defensive First team in 1993, but he proved that he wasnt the best at his position when he barely made the All-NBA team when he was selected to the third team. [6], The Bulls showed signs of improvement after hiring coach Scott Skiles in 2003, reaching the playoffs in 2005, 2006, and 2007. People use the 1994 season to prove Jordan did have a great supporting cast or that he wasnt that important. the Ranking the Chicago Bulls' 6 Championships - Sportskeeda Michael Jordan's six championship Bulls teams, ranked Did Jordan ever face true competition? 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. [6] Then they won two more consecutive titles in 1992 and 1993 after which Michael Jordan retired. 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. We know Rodman was a rebounding machine, but few know that he didnt average 10 boards in the 1997 playoffs. The third best starts to a Bulls However, they lost a coin flip to the Los Angeles Lakers, and went on to choose David Greenwood with the second pick. This team was third in Opponents points per game and first in Defensive Rating. In the Eastern Conference Finals the Bulls faced the Orlando Magic. 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. His teammate, Rick Smits, joined him on the All-Star team. With Jordan, they finished the season 13-4. He was a good shooter in 1993, but before that, he was just like Paxson. Detroits Bad Boys were showing wear and won only 50 games. After all the losses and learned lessons leading up to the Chicago Bulls' first appearance in the NBA Finals, the fact that Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers stood in the way was apropos. John Paxsons 44 percent shooting from 3-poit range and Horace Grants growth into a 34-minute player were essential to the breakthrough. [15][16] They made the 2009 NBA playoffs, only to lose in a seven-game series against the Boston Celtics which included a record seven overtime periods. We also sawthat the Bulls did face great competition. The 6-foot guard entered the contest averaging 0.5 points per game and was without a made triple all season. Top Moments: Bulls set NBA record with 72-win season The Cavaliers also had three members of the All-Star team (Daugherty, Price and Nance). The Bulls initially competed in the NBA's Western Division. (Won 0 Rounds), Lost Western Conference Finals No one ever came so close again to eliminating a full-strength Jordan/Bulls team. They were 9th in defensive rating. They were second in opponent points per game and fifth in defensive rating. They were second in both opponent points per game and defensive rating. 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.