Bulls vs Heat
Bulls sweep Heat in first round of 1996 playoffs.
The Bulls faced the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1996 NBA playoffs.
- primary_era
- 1996-2003
- defining_matchup
- NBA Finals
- bulls_championships_vs_heat
- 2
- heat_championships_vs_bulls
- 0
- key_figure_bulls
- Michael Jordan
- key_figure_heat
- Shaquille O'Neal & Dwyane Wade
Lore & Background
The 8th-seeded Miami Heat featured All-Star center Alonzo Mourning, All-Star guard Tim Hardaway, and Rex Chapman. The Bulls swept the series in three games, winning the first two at home and Game 3 on the road 112–91.
In Their Own Story
The air in the United Center was thick with tension, smelling of popcorn and sweat as the clock ticked under two minutes. Michael Jordan dribbled near the top of the key, eyes locked on the Miami defense that had harassed him all night. A quick pass to Pippen, a drive by Hardaway stopped cold by a wall of Bulls defenders. It was 1997, Game 6, and every breath felt like it belonged to history. The whistle blew, the shot went up, and for a split second, the entire arena held its breath before erupting into chaos.
Reader's Guide
The Bulls won the series 3–0, advancing to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.
Did You Know?
- The Bulls swept the Heat in the first round of the 1996 playoffs.
- Game 3 was played at the Miami Arena.
- The Heat were the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.
More in Great Rivalries
Elsewhere in the Chicago Bulls universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record