Three of the Best Teams the Chicago Bulls Stopped from Winning Championships
Updated: May 31
The Chicago Bulls won six championships in the 90s. Two separate three-peats in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1996, 1997, and 1998. The Bulls were coached by Phil Jackson, who has 11 championship rings as a coach. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led the Bulls, who had many good role players in both three-peats with players like Horace Grant, B.J. Armstrong, John Paxson, Dennis Rodman, Ron Harper, and Toni Kukoc. Along the way to those championships, the Bulls beat some championship-worthy teams. These are those teams:
New York Knicks
The Knicks, led by Patrick Ewing and coached by Pat Riley, were a tough, hard-nosed team. The Knicks played the Bulls tough with their physical play. In 1992, the Knicks forced the Bulls to a Game 7, but Michael Jordan was too much for them, scoring 42 points in a 110-81 demolition in Game 7.
The Knicks' best chance to beat Jordan was in 1993. That year, the Knicks were 60-22 and had a home-court advantage. The Knicks took the first two games, with Ewing averaging 25 points per game and Charles Oakley's physical play in the interior. But again, too much Jordan. The Bulls went on to win the next four games. The Knicks and Bulls had many battles, but the Knicks always came out on the short end of the stick.
Miami Heat
The 1996 Miami Heat team was outstanding. They were coached by Pat Riley, with players like Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning, Jamal Mashburn, Dan Majerle, and P.J Brown. This season, the Heat won 61 games, and Tim Hardaway finished fourth in MVP voting. But, even with all that, the Bulls beat the Heat in four games. Jordan averaged 30 points per game in the series against the Heat. He also grabbed eight rebounds per game.
The Utah Jazz faced the Bulls in back-to-back Finals in 1997 and 1998, Karl Malone and John Stockton led them. In 1997, the series was tied at two games apiece. That led to the crucial game five, known as the classic flu game. Michael Jordan had the stomach flu and scored 38 points to lead his team to victory. The Bulls defeated the Jazz in six games with a game-winning shot from Steve Kerr.
In 1998, the Jazz had another shot at the Bulls. Unfortunately, the Bulls were banged up with Scottie Pippen, who aggravated a back injury. Pippen continued to play, but it was apparent he was hurt. However, it didn't matter as Jordan took over and hit the game-winning shot over Bryon Russell. Jordan had 45 points in the game, which was over half of the Bulls' 87 total points. After getting six championships in eight years, that was the end of the Bulls dynasty. They arguably could have won 8 in a row if Jordan did not retire between the three-peats.
These are the best teams Jordan's Bulls beat during their historic run, which were pretty good. The 1992 Portland Trail Blazers, 1991 Los Angeles Lakers, 1996 Seattle Supersonics, and 1998 Indiana Pacers. were all outstanding teams.
Another solid team was the Atlanta Hawks of the late 90s with Dikembe Mutombo, Mookie Blaylock, and Steve Smith.