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by: Chris Maynard
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Today is the 30th anniversary of Game Two of the 1996 NBA Finals between the Seattle SuperSonics and Chicago Bulls. I have gone ahead and rewatched this game, listing my observations of what I saw with a fresh set of eyes.
Game One Recap: Chicago looked like a team that hadn't played in nearly 10 days while Seattle looked like a team with little Finals' experience. After three uneven quarters, Chicago dominated the fourth quarter, extending a two-point lead to a 17-point victory behind the inspired play of Toni Kukoc and Ron Harper. Chicago had great balance all night long from its top six players, including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Luc Longley. By the way, Michael Jordan had a quiet 28 points, snapping 9 straight Finals' games of at least 30 points, which had to leave Seattle nervous. The Sonics had some moments in Game One, with Shawn Kemp having a great offensive game, but were ultimately done in by turnovers forced by Chicago's incredible defense.
([email protected])
Today is the 30th anniversary of Game Two of the 1996 NBA Finals between the Seattle SuperSonics and Chicago Bulls. I have gone ahead and rewatched this game, listing my observations of what I saw with a fresh set of eyes.
Game One Recap: Chicago looked like a team that hadn't played in nearly 10 days while Seattle looked like a team with little Finals' experience. After three uneven quarters, Chicago dominated the fourth quarter, extending a two-point lead to a 17-point victory behind the inspired play of Toni Kukoc and Ron Harper. Chicago had great balance all night long from its top six players, including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Luc Longley. By the way, Michael Jordan had a quiet 28 points, snapping 9 straight Finals' games of at least 30 points, which had to leave Seattle nervous. The Sonics had some moments in Game One, with Shawn Kemp having a great offensive game, but were ultimately done in by turnovers forced by Chicago's incredible defense.
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Five Observations from Game One
1. Toni Kukoc breaks out when it matters most. After struggling with his three-point shooting throughout the 1996 NBA Playoffs, Kukoc hit two huge threes to open up the fourth quarter, including one that led to a four-point play. Before his scoring outburst put Game One away for the Bulls, Kukoc was doing a lot of the the little things he wasn't always known for, banging down low, drawing an offensive foul on the Sonics and grabbing several offensive rebounds. Kukoc was simply brilliant, with his inspirational play lifting the Bulls and getting the United Center rocking.
2. Ron Harper continues to kill teams. My appreciation for Harper's game has grown infinitely rewatching the 1996 NBA Playoffs. Teams continued to disrespect Harper's shooting, and he made Seattle pay on the first series of the game, drilling a three off a double team of Jordan. Along with Kukoc, Harper inspired the Bulls in the fourth quarter, with two huge steals and ensuing layups. Apparently, Harper was playing on a bad knee, which you wouldn't be able to tell during Game One.
3. A defense like no other. While the offense has not always been pretty during the playoffs, Chicago's defense has been so suffocating, clearly separating the Bulls from all would-be contenders to the greatest team of all time designation. During the fourth quarter, Seattle had no chance as Chicago elevated its defense to a whole new level, holding Seattle to 13 points.
4. Pippen just moves onto and impacts the next play. Pippen has had his shooting problems during the playoffs yet impacted Game One in so many ways. In the third quarter Pippen found his shooting stroke, hitting two big threes, ultimately finishing 5-for-15 from the field. As has been the case several times this playoffs, Pippen was seemingly have a quiet game when he just took control during the third quarter. Without question, prime Pippen is one of the greatest all-around basketball players to ever step on the court.
5. Shawn Kemp was unstoppable yet beatable. Kemp had an impressive offensive game, scoring 32 points, with Chicago having no answers at points. However, Kemp had 7 turnovers and fouled out late on a dumb foul of Rodman 90 feet away from the basket. Seattle would need the amazing Kemp to match his physical abilities with better decision making to have a chance this series.
1. Toni Kukoc breaks out when it matters most. After struggling with his three-point shooting throughout the 1996 NBA Playoffs, Kukoc hit two huge threes to open up the fourth quarter, including one that led to a four-point play. Before his scoring outburst put Game One away for the Bulls, Kukoc was doing a lot of the the little things he wasn't always known for, banging down low, drawing an offensive foul on the Sonics and grabbing several offensive rebounds. Kukoc was simply brilliant, with his inspirational play lifting the Bulls and getting the United Center rocking.
2. Ron Harper continues to kill teams. My appreciation for Harper's game has grown infinitely rewatching the 1996 NBA Playoffs. Teams continued to disrespect Harper's shooting, and he made Seattle pay on the first series of the game, drilling a three off a double team of Jordan. Along with Kukoc, Harper inspired the Bulls in the fourth quarter, with two huge steals and ensuing layups. Apparently, Harper was playing on a bad knee, which you wouldn't be able to tell during Game One.
3. A defense like no other. While the offense has not always been pretty during the playoffs, Chicago's defense has been so suffocating, clearly separating the Bulls from all would-be contenders to the greatest team of all time designation. During the fourth quarter, Seattle had no chance as Chicago elevated its defense to a whole new level, holding Seattle to 13 points.
4. Pippen just moves onto and impacts the next play. Pippen has had his shooting problems during the playoffs yet impacted Game One in so many ways. In the third quarter Pippen found his shooting stroke, hitting two big threes, ultimately finishing 5-for-15 from the field. As has been the case several times this playoffs, Pippen was seemingly have a quiet game when he just took control during the third quarter. Without question, prime Pippen is one of the greatest all-around basketball players to ever step on the court.
5. Shawn Kemp was unstoppable yet beatable. Kemp had an impressive offensive game, scoring 32 points, with Chicago having no answers at points. However, Kemp had 7 turnovers and fouled out late on a dumb foul of Rodman 90 feet away from the basket. Seattle would need the amazing Kemp to match his physical abilities with better decision making to have a chance this series.
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What I remember from the day of Game Two: This Friday was officially my last day of eighth grade, with my graduation set to take place on Sunday. Surprisingly, I don't remember much from that last day. I remember several students were having graduation parties this Friday night, but I decided to skip out on them and watch the Bulls' game at home. It turned out to be a good decision as apparently alcohol was introduced at one party, with one student getting very sick and unable to attend graduation as a result.
What I remember from Game Two: To me, Game Two is what I instantly think of when it comes to Dennis Rodman's first season on the Bulls. Rodman absolutely went crazy on the offensive boards during the third quarter of Game Two, inspiring the Bulls to a 2-0 series lead. Honestly, Rodman was at the height of his playing powers during the 1996 NBA Finals, with Games Two and Six great moments of his career and my fandom.
What I remember from Game Two: To me, Game Two is what I instantly think of when it comes to Dennis Rodman's first season on the Bulls. Rodman absolutely went crazy on the offensive boards during the third quarter of Game Two, inspiring the Bulls to a 2-0 series lead. Honestly, Rodman was at the height of his playing powers during the 1996 NBA Finals, with Games Two and Six great moments of his career and my fandom.
Here is Game Two of the 1996 NBA Finals, with the Chicago Bulls leading the Seattle Supersonics 1-0 in the best-of-seven series.
Make the jump to see the starting lineups and read my observations as I watch this game for the first time in years.
Starting Lineups: Seattle SuperSonics vs. Chicago Bulls
NBC Commentators: Marv Albert on play-by-play, Matt Guokas and Bill Walton on the color commentary.
Notes: After pulling himself out of Game One after playing just six minutes, Seattle reserve guard Nate McMillan is out for Game Two with a nerve impingement in his back that is causing shooting pain in his left leg.
- Point Guard: Gary Payton vs. Ron Harper
- Shooting Guard: Hersey Hawkins vs. Michael Jordan
- Small Forward: Detlef Schrempf vs. Scottie Pippen
- Power Forward: Shawn Kemp vs. Dennis Rodman
- Center: Ervin Johnson vs. Luc Longley
- Head Coaches: George Karl vs. Phil Jackson
NBC Commentators: Marv Albert on play-by-play, Matt Guokas and Bill Walton on the color commentary.
Notes: After pulling himself out of Game One after playing just six minutes, Seattle reserve guard Nate McMillan is out for Game Two with a nerve impingement in his back that is causing shooting pain in his left leg.
First Quarter, Under-7 Timeout Observations
The game is tied at 12 with 6:43 remaining in the first quarter. Seattle is killing on the offensive glass while Chicago is killing getting easy layups. Seattle had four offensive rebounds on the game's first possession, with Earvin Johnson tipping in a miss. Chicago has 8 of its 12 points in close, with Michael Jordan scoring on three layups and Luc Longley scoring on a duck under in the lane. The Bulls must have found something on tape because they are getting easy layups off crisp passing, with Longley feeding Jordan for a layup and Rodman hitting Jordan for a backdoor bunny. Seattle's Johnson has 7 rebounds in just under 5 minutes but has picked up three fouls. Seattle has 10 offensive rebounds but just 4 points off of all those second-chance opportunities. Chicago is 4-for-5 from the foul line while Seattle is 3-for-4 from the line, with Shawn Kemp having made all four trips to the line. The United Center crowd is dead and lacking energy, which was always annoying compared to the old Chicago Stadium, when the place was rocking from the jump.
First Quarter, Under-4 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 20-19 with 3:19 remaining. After a "quiet" 28 points in Game One, Jordan already has 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting, hitting a beautiful fadeaway and tough pullup jumper over Hersey Hawkins, who is just a bit too small. Seattle tried Detlef Schrempf on Jordan early in Game One and now are going with Hawkins. Pippen also had two made shots during this stretch, including a nice jumper off a pump fake on Gary Payton at the shot-clock horn and a beautiful up-and-under, scoop layup. Seattle is being led by Kemp, who is off to another fast start with 10 points.
End of First Quarter Observations
Seattle leads 27-23 at the end of the first quarter. After Kemp went to the bench with his second foul, Seattle went on an 8-1 run to end the quarter, with Sam Perkins scoring two straight sweeping hooks over Bill Wennington, Payton getting a fastbreak dunk after Vincent Askew forced a Jordan turnover, and Schrempf hitting a tough fadeaway over Rodman. Chicago had turnovers on three straight possessions at one point. Seattle had nearly double the shots in the first quarter but is only up 4 points. Jordan leads Chicago with 11 points while Pippen has 8. Chicago missed three straight threes at the end of the quarter, with Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr unable to connect. There have been a lot of fouls and illegal defenses called already in this game.
Second Quarter, Under-10 Timeout Observations
Seattle leads 31-28 with 9:18 remaining. It feels like the Sonics should be up more as Chicago already has 8 turnovers. Seattle led by as many as six points as Payton and Hawkins got easy layups. Chicago finally got a couple of baskets, with Harper canning a corner three and Jud Buechler hitting an open jumper out of the Triangle. The officiating has not led to much flow or rhythm this game, though Seattle has been the more aggressive and active team. Both teams had weird lineups early in the quarter, with Jordan and Pippen on the bench and Payton joining Kemp there as of late. Seattle has a 7-2 advantage on second-chance points after getting outscored 15-7 in this category during Game One.
Second Quarter, Under-8 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 33-31 with 7:13 remaining. Seattle is really in trouble, down two despite controlling this game with a 19-12 advantage on the boards. The Sonics won the rebounding battle in Game One, 41-40. Hawkins missed two technical free throws off of two illegal defense calls against Chicago. Harper has been huge for Chicago, hitting two free throws off beautiful offense and canning another three as Seattle doubled Jordan and left him open. Teams continue to disrespect Harper's jumper, and he is making Seattle pay. George Karl is ready to insert Kemp back in the game after sitting for about six minutes due to foul trouble. Chicago is on a 7-0 run in the last 2:30.
Second Quarter, Under-3 Timeout Observations
The game is tied at 41 with 2:55 remaining. The officiating is God awful this game, with a whistle on nearly every possession, disrupting any flow. Chicago has already been called for four illegal defenses while Payton has three fouls. The Bulls are being led by Jordan, Pippen and Harper, who have 13, 12 and 11 points respectively. Seattle is getting a nice game from Hawkins, who has 11 points, while Kemp leads the Sonics with 14 points. Kemp just had a nasty dunk on Pippen to tie the game. Chicago has 11 turnovers, Seattle has 7 turnovers.
Halftime Observations
Chicago leads 46-45 at the break. Somehow the Bulls are in front as Steve Kerr hits a corner jumper to break a drought of 7 straight misses. Jordan then followed up with a three. Seattle led by as much as three during this stretch but was unable to extend the lead. The Sonics have to feel bad being down one at the break. The officials were serenaded with chants of "You suck, you suck!" after missing a goaltending by Kemp on an up-and-under by Kukoc. Bulls Assistant Jimmy Rodgers was hit with a technical complaining about the missed call. All in all, that was a choppy half with way too many whistles, one of the harder quarters to watch during this review of the 1996 NBA Playoffs. Hopefully the second half gets a better flow. For heaven's sake there have been three 3 second violations, 2 on Chicago, 1 on Seattle. Longley was cut above the left eye, requiring five stitches during this stretch.
Third Quarter, Under-8 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 58-54 with 7:27 remaining in the third quarter. There were made baskets on the first five possessions of the half before the refs tightened the whistles again. Jordan has hit two jumpers and gotten to the free line three times while Pippen had a nice pull-up jumper on a break generated off a Rodman defensive rebound. Rodman is coming alive on the glass, with two offensive tip ins. He just forced a foul on Schrempf while chasing a loose ball that was going out of founds, foreshadowing a big stretch from "The Worm." Schrempf hit a three and a jumper while Kemp has added four points and Payton two so far this quarter for Seattle. Jordan has 22 points at the moment.
Third Quarter, Under-4 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 66-62 with 3:03 remaining as Seattle takes a timeout. Rodman just had a tip in of a Pippen miss for his 8th point and 8th rebound of the third quarter. Pippen's shot actually came off his missed free throw that Rodman had rebounded. Seven of Rodman's eight boards have come on the offensive end. Chicago was on a 9-0 run at the start of this stretch while Seattle later went on a 6-0 run. There have been a lot of free throws as both teams are over the foul limit. Perkins was called for a flagrant on a hard foul of a driving Harper, a play set up off another Rodman offensive board. Rodman has 14 rebounds in total. Kemp had an awesome slam off an offensive rebound of a missed Schrempf shot while Pippen had an easy two-hand slam off a Schrempf turnover. Jordan has been sitting, resting for the fourth quarter. Kukoc is struggling, going 0-for-4 from the field and passing up a wide-open jumper just above the free throw line.
Third Quarter, Under-2 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 76-65 with 1:21 remaining as Seattle takes a 20-second timeout. Wow! Chicago has erupted, going on a 10-1 run in the last 1:42. Kukoc hit two threes and just slammed the ball off a beautiful no-look pass from Jordan. Pippen also had a steal of Vincent Askew that led to a dunk.
Third Quarter, Under-1 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 76-65 with 6.1 seconds remaining as the Bulls take a 20-second timeout. Seattle is falling apart, with Kukoc getting an offensive board off a missed Pippen three. While Jordan missed a jumper, Seattle's Vincent Askew threw the ball away off the defensive board, leading to the Chicago timeout.
End of Third Quarter Observations
Chicago leads 76-65 at the end of three. Seattle is lucky the deficit is not more as Kerr had a three spin in and out. Rodman and Kukoc propel the Bulls ahead. Rodman has 10 rebounds in the third quarter while Kukoc scores 8 quick points late in the frame. Chicago outscores Seattle by 10 (30-20) in the third quarter. Chicago had 0 turnovers in the third quarter after committing 11 during the first half.
Fourth Quarter, Under-9 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 80-69 with 8:29 remaining. Chicago's offense is stalling out a bit, though Pippen got an easy layup to start the quarter off a nice cut and Randy Brown hit an open jumper after stealing an entry pass to Payton. Seattle is being kept alive by the post game of Sam Perkins, who is having his way with Kukoc on the block. Perkins has four points this quarter. Rodman has 10 offensive boards, just 1 shy of tying Elvin Hayes for the most in an NBA Finals' game.
Fourth Quarter, Under-7 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 80-74 with 6:55 remaining. Chicago's offense is dormant with several turnovers leading to Seattle run outs, a Hersey Hawkins layup plus the foul and a Kemp layup attempt resulting in two made free throws. Jordan has just come back in the game after sitting out since the start of this stretch. Ron Harper was shown heading back to the locker room. This is when I believe his injured knee gave out on him. Note: Marv Albert later says it's an upset stomach.
Fourth Quarter, Under-5 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 84-78 with 4:51 remaining as Jordan calls for a 20-second timeout after falling to the ground while securing an offensive rebound. The urgency is starting to pickup as Jordan and Payton quickly scored, Kukoc had a put back off an offensive rebound, and Schrempf canned a jumper in transition. The Bulls have turned this game around on the glass. After getting outrebounded 16-9 during the first quarter, Chicago has a 29-19 advantage since, with Rodman now at 19 boards.
Fourth Quarter, Under-4 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 87-81 with 3:35 remaining as Jordan is forced to call a timeout after making a rare mistake, dribbling the ball and getting trapped in the corner. Kemp had a nice three-point play, picking up Longley's fifth foul, while Jordan hit two free throws. Schrempf missed an open three to cut the game to three points. Harper is back in the game for Brown, but Kukoc is struggling after twisting his ankle during the last stretch. Chicago has inserted John Salley to steal some time.
Fourth Quarter, Under-3 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 87-71 with 2:08 remaining as the Sonics take a timeout after Pippen deflects a Perkins dribble on a postup out of bounds. Chicago has left the door open for Seattle, but the Sonics have been unable to cut into the deficit. Payton alligator-armed an open three and Perkins missed a tough shot off of great defense by a hobbled Kukoc, who grabbed the board. Kukoc missed two open shots and doesn't seem to have much lift right now.
Fourth Quarter, Under-1 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 90-84 with 55.9 seconds remaining after Jordan makes two free throws and the Sonics call a timeout. Jordan is now 10-for-16 from the foul line while Chicago is 6-for-10 from the charity stripe during the fourth quarter. Seattle is 5-for-5 at the foul line this quarter, with Kemp getting big three point play to cut the game to four before Jordan's last two free throws. Seattle had a chance to cut a six-point game to three, but Hawkins missed a wide-open three. Seattle is just 3/14 from deep tonight.
Fourth Quarter, Under-1 Timeout Observations, Part 2
Chicago leads 91-86 with 15.8 seconds remaining as the Sonics take their last timeout after Kukoc splits one of two free throws. Following two free throws from Schrempf, Kerr missed a three, but Rodman grabbed his Finals' tying 11th offensive board. Chicago has missed its last 7 shots but gone 7-for-7 from the line late. Seattle just hasn't been able to make the little plays when it mattered these first two games.
Fourth Quarter, Under-1 Timeout Observations, Part 3
Chicago leads 91-88 with 12.3 seconds remaining as Chicago is forced to take a timeout. Kemp hit two free throws after a bad reach-in foul by Harper. Kukoc struggled to find an open man and called a timeout before a five-second violation trying to inbound the ball. Chicago is down to 1 timeout. Seattle has no timeouts left.
Final Score: Chicago Bulls 92, Seattle SuperSonics 88
Scottie Pippen misses two free throws, but Rodman forces a jump ball on the rebound. After two horrible jump ball attempts, requiring redos, Rodman is fouled in the aftermath of the third jump ball. Rodman misses the first but hits the second free throw to seal the victory. Chicago goes 8/16 from the foul line in the fourth quarter while Seattle goes 9/9 from the charity stripe in the last 12 minutes. Chicago only scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and did not have a field goal for the last 6:13. Somehow Chicago wins, with Jordan and Payton getting into each other's faces right before Rodman's free throws. Chicago plays two subpar games and leads 2-0. Seattle is in trouble. Here is the box score.
Five Stars of the Game
1. Dennis Rodman, Chicago Bulls. Rodman finishes with 20 rebounds, 9 defensive and 11 offensive, tying a record for offensive rebounds in an NBA Finals' game. Rodman seals the game late with one of two free throws to finish with 10 points, all in the second half.
2. Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls. After starting 5-for-7, Jordan finishes just 9-for-22 and scores 29 points, falling short of 30 points in an NBA Finals' game for the second straight game after scoring 30 or more in 9 straight Finals' games, dating back to the 1992 series against Portland. Jordan has not been great offensively the first two games yet Chicago is up 2-0. That is not a good sign for the Sonics.
3. Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls. With the exception of two missed free throws late, Pippen was 5-for-8 from the foul line en route to another stat-stuffing game of 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Pippen had three turnovers and was not as good as Game One, but he still impacted the game in many ways.
4A. Toni Kukoc, Chicago Bulls. After being held scoreless for nearly the first 36 minutes of game time, Kukoc exploded for 8 points during a 10-0 Chicago run late in the third quarter. Kukoc only had 11 points but has been the offensive key during Chicago's game-changing runs during Games One and Two.
4B. Ron Harper, Chicago Bulls. I can't keep Harper off this list, as the veteran guard was 2-for-8 from the field but 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Harper had 11 of his 12 points in the first half, allowing Chicago to have a lead at the break. In the second half Harper dealt with a stomach issue, and his knee began flaring up, which would not be a good sign for Game Three.
5. Shawn Kemp, Seattle SuperSonics. Kemp had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks; however, he did a poor job keeping Rodman off the offensive glass in the second half. As Matt Guokas kept saying, Kemp was not blocking out, just going for rebounds.
2. Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls. After starting 5-for-7, Jordan finishes just 9-for-22 and scores 29 points, falling short of 30 points in an NBA Finals' game for the second straight game after scoring 30 or more in 9 straight Finals' games, dating back to the 1992 series against Portland. Jordan has not been great offensively the first two games yet Chicago is up 2-0. That is not a good sign for the Sonics.
3. Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls. With the exception of two missed free throws late, Pippen was 5-for-8 from the foul line en route to another stat-stuffing game of 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Pippen had three turnovers and was not as good as Game One, but he still impacted the game in many ways.
4A. Toni Kukoc, Chicago Bulls. After being held scoreless for nearly the first 36 minutes of game time, Kukoc exploded for 8 points during a 10-0 Chicago run late in the third quarter. Kukoc only had 11 points but has been the offensive key during Chicago's game-changing runs during Games One and Two.
4B. Ron Harper, Chicago Bulls. I can't keep Harper off this list, as the veteran guard was 2-for-8 from the field but 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Harper had 11 of his 12 points in the first half, allowing Chicago to have a lead at the break. In the second half Harper dealt with a stomach issue, and his knee began flaring up, which would not be a good sign for Game Three.
5. Shawn Kemp, Seattle SuperSonics. Kemp had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks; however, he did a poor job keeping Rodman off the offensive glass in the second half. As Matt Guokas kept saying, Kemp was not blocking out, just going for rebounds.
Dud of the Game
Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics. For all of the bravado, "The Glove" hasn't been good enough through the first two games of the 1996 Finals. Payton had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal, which would be fine for other players. However, Seattle needed more from its second star.
Here are the highlights of a foul-plagued and choppy Game Two of the 1996 NBA Finals.
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