My Basketball Team
The Chicago Bulls and their 6 Championship rings going for their 7th.
People Now - Lakers
People 10 years ago - CHICAGO BULLS!!!
The Chicago Bulls where the best basketball team ever. They won 6 championships and all
because of who? MICHAEL JORDAN. They had other players like Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman,
but it was all Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson. Michael Jordan scores over 40 points per game.
He is unstoppable. Today he’s gone. No one likes him. He plays for the Washington Wizards and
one game he only scored 2 points! It was disgraceful to us Bulls fans. I have his 23 Bulls jersey in black and red.
The shooting jersey and tear away pants. It was all about Bulls. Back in the day all other players can do
is just sit on their bench drinking their Gatorades and H2O drinks as they watch the great M.J. slam from the free throw line.
Michael Jordan was the BEST!!!
Coming off of a record-breaking 1995-96 season, what could the Chicago Bulls do for an encore? How about 69 wins and a second consecutive NBA title, the fifth for the Bulls in seven years? That's exactly what the Bulls accomplished in 1996-97, posting a 69-13 record and winning the championship with a memorable six-game triumph over the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals.
Despite the gaudy record, defending the title wasn't easy. Led by the dynamic duo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the Bulls were able to overcome injuries to Toni Kukoc and Luc Longley, suspensions and injuries to rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman and constant public and media scrutiny to win the Central Division by 13 games over the Atlanta Hawks.
Jordan made more NBA history along the way, becoming the first player in league history to record a triple-double at the All-Star Game (14 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists). Teammate Steve Kerr reigned on All-Star Saturday as the winner of the AT and T Shootout.
The Bulls finished one game shy of recording back-to-back 70 win seasons by losing three of their final four games. Jordan led the league in scoring (29.6 ppg) and set an NBA record with 2,000 points for the 10th time in his career.
Despite that late "slump," the Bulls were ready come playoff time. They held off a tenacious Washington Bullets team to record a first-round sweep, then disposed of the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat in five games apiece, setting up the series with the Jazz.
In the Finals, Jordan took center stage once again. He won Game 1 with a buzzer-beater, then posted 38 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists to give the Bulls a 2-0 series lead. After the Jazz won twice at home to tie the series at 2-2, Jordan added another epic to his legacy; playing despite a stomach virus, Jordan poured in 38 points, including a three-pointer in the final minute to give the Bulls a 90-88 win in Game 5. He added 39 more points in the Game 6 clincher and fed Kerr for the game-winning shot with only five seconds to play. For the fifth time in five championship seasons, Jordan was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. At season's end, Jordan and coach Phil Jackson signed new one-year contracts, providing the Bulls an opportunity to 'three-peat' for the second time in the decade.
It wasn't easy for the 1997-98 Bulls. Unlike many of Chicago's prior title runs, this one never seemed like a mere formality. From the very beginning of the season, the Bulls were challenged both mentally and physically.
Scottie Pippen began the season on the injured list, missing the Bulls' first 35 games while recovering from off-season left foot surgery. Despite an opening night loss to the Boston Celtics and a relatively slow start of 12-9, Chicago was back on top by midseason. As Pippen played himself back into shape, Michael Jordan carried the Bulls with an assist from Toni Kukoc and the league-leading rebounding prowess of Dennis Rodman. When the regular season ended, Jordan and company had led the Bulls to a 62-20 record, tying Utah for the top mark in the NBA.
Jordan, still the league's marquee player, enhanced his legend with a plethora of honors, including All-Defensive First Team honors, All-NBA First Team honors, MVP honors for the fifth time and All-Star MVP honors for the third time. His 28.7 ppg led the NBA, giving Jordan his 10th scoring title.
In the postseason, the Bulls met first-time playoff foe Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals after dispatching the New Jersey Nets and the Charlotte Hornets. The veteran Pacers, led by NBA legend Larry Bird, forced a decisive Game 7, a first for the Bulls since 1992. Jordan's 28 points sealed the 88-83 victory for Chicago, and it was back to the Finals and a rematch with the Jazz.
By virtue of their season-series sweep over the Bulls, the Jazz had the home-court advantage this time around. After the Jazz defended home court in Game 1, the Bulls managed to steal Game 2, 93-88. Back in Chicago, the Bulls posted a 96-54 rout in Game 3 and won a close Game 4 to close within one more win of another championship. The Jazz, however, were not ready to bow out gracefully. Led by a game-high 39 points by Utah's Karl Malone the Jazz came away with an 88-86 win, as a last second shot by Jordan missed its mark.
Game 6, back in Salt Lake, was one of Jordan's finest performances ever. With Pippen severely limited by back pain, it was on Jordan's shoulders to deliver another title. It all came down to a Hollywood ending. With the Bulls trailing by one in the final minute, Jordan stole the ball from Malone and buried the series-winning jumper with 5.2 seconds remaining. Chicago beat Utah 87-86, and Jordan added his sixth Finals MVP trophy to his list of accomplishments.
After the Bulls wrapped up their season with another celebration in Chicago's Grant Park, speculation began as to what might happen next. Would the most celebrated sports dynasty be back for another title shot? If so, it wouldn't be under Jackson. After leading the Bulls to six championships, the Bulls' head coach announced he would not return. Meanwhile, Bulls fans were forced to wait out the summer for word as to whether Jordan, Pippen and Rodman would return.