1996 NBA Championship

Lore & Background

The Bulls were coming off a season where they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Orlando Magic. Heading into the upcoming season, Chicago was no longer the same team as they were in their most recent championship season, having lost key members of their first three-peat core in John Paxson and Bill Cartwright, both of whom retired, while Horace Grant, B. J. Armstrong, Stacey King, Will Perdue, and Scott Williams all left via free agency.

In their place was a new core of players such as Luc Longley, Toni Kukoč, Steve Kerr, Ron Harper, Jud Buechler, Bill Wennington, and Randy Brown. A notable addition to the team was Dennis Rodman, a nine-year veteran and four year rebounding champion. However, his addition to the team was slightly panned due to his unpredictability and controversial actions on and off the court. The result of this ensemble was perhaps the greatest regular season of any team in NBA history at the time, as the Bulls won a record-high 72 games, which would be broken by the Golden State Warriors in the 2015–16 season.

They continued to gain momentum in the playoffs, beginning with a sweep of the Miami Heat in the first round, followed by a five-game defeat of the New York Knicks in the second round. The conference finals was a rematch of the previous season's series with the Orlando Magic, but it was a no-contest, as the Bulls swept the Magic to gain entry into the Finals. Due to the win-loss record, Jordan's first full season back from baseball, and the star power of Dennis Rodman, arguably the most well-known player in the NBA outside of Jordan due to his relationship with Madonna, the Bulls began to be treated like global rock stars.

This created an unprecedented frenzy among away fans in opposing cities. Rather than animosity, their road trips triggered massive fanfare, ticket sellouts, and cultural pandemonium wherever they played, which had not occurred before then with any other NBA team. The SuperSonics were led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, with George Karl as head coach. The team was considered a perennial title contender throughout the mid-1990s, but the closest they came to reaching the finals was in 1993, when they lost to the Phoenix Suns in seven games in the Western Conference finals.

Reader's Guide

The teams split their two regular-season meetings, each game won by the home team. As Chicago went on to break the win-loss record with 72 wins and just 10 losses, the SuperSonics were one of nine teams to defeat the Bulls in the regular-season on November 26, 1995 in Seattle (Indiana defeated Chicago twice). In the game, Gary Payton stole the ball from Jordan with 20 seconds left in the game, with Seattle up, 94–92. Sam Perkins and Detlef Schrempf added free throws in the remaining seconds that iced the game.

In Game 1, although Chicago was not playing well offensively, they were able to compensate with superb defense. Frustration set in for Seattle when Frank Brickowski was ejected after committing a flagrant foul against Dennis Rodman, then promptly getting charged with two consecutive technical fouls. Chicago was leading by only 2 at the end of the third quarter, but in the final quarter, shots by Toni Kukoč and 2 key steals by Ron Harper clinched the Bulls' Game 1 win.

Shawn Kemp was a bright spot for Seattle, scoring 32 points, but ended up fouling out midway through the fourth quarter. Michael Jordan led the way for the Bulls with 28 points, while Scottie Pippen chipped in with 21 points. Seattle captain Nate McMillan ended up leaving the game due to a debilitating back injury in the 2nd quarter. Dennis Rodman pulled down 13 rebounds for the Bulls, while Toni Kukoč chipped in off the bench with 18 points.

Game 2 started well for Seattle with a 27–23 first quarter lead. However, Seattle would once again lose the lead before halftime. Despite Shawn Kemp's 29 points and 13 rebounds, Chicago triumphed with a final score of 92 to 88. In the victory, Dennis Rodman tied an NBA Finals record with 11 offensive rebounds and made a clutch free throw near the end of the game to seal the Bulls victory.

Michael Jordan once again led the Bulls with 29 points, while Shawn Kemp continued his strong play by scoring 29 points for Seattle. Game 3: The Sonics, owners of a 44–5 home record (including playoffs), suffered a 22-point blow-out in their return to Seattle, giving the Bulls a seemingly insurmountable 3–0 series lead. Frustration would once again set in for the Sonics, as Frank Brickowski was ejected for committing a flagrant foul on Dennis Rodman. Michael Jordan led the way for the Bulls with 36 points.

Did You Know?

• Michael Jordan dedicated the championship to his father, who was murdered in 1993.
• Seattle's sweep of the defending champion Houston Rockets in the first round included a 33-point win in Game 1, holding Hakeem Olajuwon to 5 points.