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by: Chris Maynard
([email protected])
I have watched and reviewed Chicago's 4-2 series victory against the Seattle Sonics during the 1996 NBA Finals.
Here are the total stats for the series and my recaps for each game:
([email protected])
I have watched and reviewed Chicago's 4-2 series victory against the Seattle Sonics during the 1996 NBA Finals.
Here are the total stats for the series and my recaps for each game:
- Game 1: Chicago Bulls 107, Seattle SuperSonics 90.
- Game 2: Chicago Bulls 92, Seattle Supersonics 88.
- Game 3: Chicago Bulls 108, Seattle SuperSonics 86.
- Game 4: Seattle SuperSonics 107, Chicago Bulls 86.
- Game 5: Seattle SuperSonics 89, Chicago Bulls 78.
- Game 6: Chicago Bulls 87, Seattle SuperSonics 75.
Game 6 Overview: After dropping two straight games in Seattle to have its series lead cut to just one game, the Chicago Bulls came out aggressive from the jump in Game Six. Buoyed by a much louder and engaged United Center crowd, Chicago was especially keyed by the aggression of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who looked to set the tone on both ends. Jordan only had five made field goals but got to the line 12 times, making getting to the basket a priority. Pippen looked much more active on both ends, especially on defense where he had four steals, and proved big in the fourth quarter with several threes. In what was a sloppy game with Seattle turning the ball over 20 times and Chicago 19 times, the Bulls' defense proved too much for the Sonics. Ultimately, Chicago was lifted to the series victory and NBA championship by key contributions at different points from its other players, including Ron Harper and Dennis Rodman at the start of the third quarter and Toni Kukoc during the fourth quarter. Overall, Chicago didn't have the prettiest performance during the 1996 NBA Finals, but the mission was completed, finishing 15-3 in the playoffs and capping off a historic 72-10 regular season with the organization's fourth championship.
5 Quick Observations/Revelations from Game 6
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1. Jordan and Pippen set the tone early. During Game Five in Seattle, Jordan and Pippen had off games both as players and leaders. Jordan seemed to be on edge, short with the officials and losing trust in some of his teammates who had yet to win a championship. Looking like he was laboring on the court, Pippen was often seen complaining about perceived miss calls and even yelled at a few of his teammates for poor spacing in the third quarter. Game Six proved different as Pippen began the game with an aggressive driving layup and Jordan swept through Payton to bury a three. Pippen was all over the place defensively at the start of the game while Jordan really picked up his defense on Gary Payton. At one point in the second quarter Jordan got on Steve Kerr for traveling after passing up on an open three. On the very next possession Jordan went to the post and kicked the ball to the opposite corner to Kerr, who buried a jumper. Chicago's superstars simply looked like two men who wouldn't be denied in Game Six.
2. Chicago's defensive picked up to another level with the return of Ron Harper. After playing just 16 minutes during the middle three games in Seattle due to an aching knee, Harper returned to the starting lineup for Game Six, immediately making an impact on both ends. Honestly, Chicago's defense just had a different edge with Harper on the court, who brought tenacity, toughness and fearlessness to that end. Harper's ability to become a defense-first player is a huge reason why Chicago won in 1995-96 and the next two seasons. Offensively, Harper continued to make defenses pay for not respecting his jumper, hitting two big threes early in the third quarter, as he had been doing pretty much all playoffs.
3. Rodman woke up and took control in the second half. With Harper, Rodman keyed Chicago taking control of the game during the third quarter, with an offensive stick back of a badly missed Harper three, an and-one plus the free throw on a reverse layup in transition, a drawn foul on Kemp, and a beautiful assist to Jordan for a reverse layup. Rodman really took over the offensive glass in the second half, matching the record he tied in Game Two with 11 offensive boards. His passing was especially key as well, finding Toni Kukoc for two big threes in the fourth quarter.
4. Seattle had no answer all series for Chicago's spurts. In reality, this series was much closer than it looked, with the big difference being Chicago's ability to go on quick runs. Chicago used quick runs at the start of the fourth quarter of Game One, the end of the third quarter in Game Two, the beginning of the first quarter in Game Three, and the first six minutes of the third quarter of Game Six to pretty much put Seattle away in each of those games. While Chicago certainly had some rough patches of offense this series, including Jordan, who was not his normal self, when the Bulls got rolling, Seattle was in trouble. Kukoc was a key igniter during most of Chicago's offensive onslaughts in the series.
5. Seattle needed more shot attempts from Gary Payton. Payton was an amazing 7-for-10 from the field for 19 points. With such efficient scoring, Seattle could have used about 10 more shots from Payton during Game Six.
2. Chicago's defensive picked up to another level with the return of Ron Harper. After playing just 16 minutes during the middle three games in Seattle due to an aching knee, Harper returned to the starting lineup for Game Six, immediately making an impact on both ends. Honestly, Chicago's defense just had a different edge with Harper on the court, who brought tenacity, toughness and fearlessness to that end. Harper's ability to become a defense-first player is a huge reason why Chicago won in 1995-96 and the next two seasons. Offensively, Harper continued to make defenses pay for not respecting his jumper, hitting two big threes early in the third quarter, as he had been doing pretty much all playoffs.
3. Rodman woke up and took control in the second half. With Harper, Rodman keyed Chicago taking control of the game during the third quarter, with an offensive stick back of a badly missed Harper three, an and-one plus the free throw on a reverse layup in transition, a drawn foul on Kemp, and a beautiful assist to Jordan for a reverse layup. Rodman really took over the offensive glass in the second half, matching the record he tied in Game Two with 11 offensive boards. His passing was especially key as well, finding Toni Kukoc for two big threes in the fourth quarter.
4. Seattle had no answer all series for Chicago's spurts. In reality, this series was much closer than it looked, with the big difference being Chicago's ability to go on quick runs. Chicago used quick runs at the start of the fourth quarter of Game One, the end of the third quarter in Game Two, the beginning of the first quarter in Game Three, and the first six minutes of the third quarter of Game Six to pretty much put Seattle away in each of those games. While Chicago certainly had some rough patches of offense this series, including Jordan, who was not his normal self, when the Bulls got rolling, Seattle was in trouble. Kukoc was a key igniter during most of Chicago's offensive onslaughts in the series.
5. Seattle needed more shot attempts from Gary Payton. Payton was an amazing 7-for-10 from the field for 19 points. With such efficient scoring, Seattle could have used about 10 more shots from Payton during Game Six.
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Make the jump for my breakdown of the 1996 NBA Finals, including my:
- Five keys to the series.
- Top six games of the series in terms of viewing excitement.
- Three-word descriptions for each team in each game.
- Individual grades for the key players in the series.
- Team grades for the series.
- Implications for the future.
5 Keys to the Series
1. Chicago's offensive outbursts were too much for Seattle to handle. By no means did Chicago have a great offensive series, limping to victories during Games One and Two and even at points of Game Six. In fact, Chicago shot 41.6% for the series while Seattle shot 44.5%. Still, when Chicago got cooking, Seattle was in trouble. After three quarters in Game One, Seattle was down just two points before Chicago began the fourth on a 14- 5 run, with Toni Kukoc getting hot from deep. With about three minutes left in the third quarter of Game Two, Seattle was only down four points before the Bulls went on a furious 10-1 run in about a minute, with Kukoc hitting two more threes. The Bulls jumped out to leads of 11-2, 19-8, 34-12 and 34-16 during the first quarter of Game Three. During the third quarter of Game Six, Chicago extended a 7-point halftime lead to 17 points behind the play of Ron Harper and Dennis Rodman.
2. When fully healthy, Chicago's defense was just too much for the Sonics. At various points in the series Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Detlef Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins and Sam Perkins had nice offensive spurts for Seattle. However, Seattle had a hard time finding consistent, balanced scoring as Chicago locked up the Sonics when necessary. Chicago held Seattle to 13 points in the fourth quarter of Game One, 43 points during the second half of Game Two, 16 points during the first quarter of Game Three, and 37 points during the second half of Game Six. There was a noticeable drop off for the Bulls with Harper not playing much in Games Four and Five. When on the court, Harper's size and length at 6'6'', combined with the 6'6'' Jordan and 6'7'' Pippen, was too much for Seattle's smaller back court of 6'4'' Gary Payton and 6'3'' Hersey Hawkins. Seattle also had 16 more turnovers (96 to 80) than Chicago, with Kemp averaging 4 per game.
3. Chicago dominated the offensive boards during Games 2 and 6. In comparison to other Chicago opponents, Seattle fared quite well on the glass, finishing with 223 boards compared to Chicago's 245. However, Dennis Rodman really turned the second halves of Games Two and Six with his offensive rebounding, matching an NBA Finals' record of 11 offensive rebounds in both contests. For the series, Chicago outrebounded Seattle 101-67 on the offensive glass (+34), which led to 56 more shot attempts (474 to 418) in the series.
4. Chicago was just a deeper and more talented roster. Even with Jordan and Pippen having relatively "off" shooting and even scoring series, the Bulls' stars impacted Chicago's victories in many ways. For Seattle to win, it seemed like the Sonics needed big games from the five of Kemp, Payton, Schrempf, Hawkins and Perkins. For Chicago, the complimentary pieces were impactful in stretches, with Harper impacting the game at both ends when healthy, Rodman taking control at points on the glass, and Kukoc getting hot quickly.
5. Seattle really got outplayed at the center position. This is kind of weird to say, but the underrated Longley really took advantage of Seattle's centers. Longley made 27-of-47 shots from the field, going 57% from the field, and scoring 11.7 points per game. Give credit to Chicago's scouting, which made it a point to get Longley involved early in games. With the exception of just 2 points in Game 2, Longley had games of 14, 19, 12, 11 and 12 points. Ervin Johnson was no match up for Longley, who even started the games guarding Kemp. Longley actually did a better job than Rodman of keeping the quicker Kemp in front of him. Chicago got a great series from its Australian big man.
2. When fully healthy, Chicago's defense was just too much for the Sonics. At various points in the series Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Detlef Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins and Sam Perkins had nice offensive spurts for Seattle. However, Seattle had a hard time finding consistent, balanced scoring as Chicago locked up the Sonics when necessary. Chicago held Seattle to 13 points in the fourth quarter of Game One, 43 points during the second half of Game Two, 16 points during the first quarter of Game Three, and 37 points during the second half of Game Six. There was a noticeable drop off for the Bulls with Harper not playing much in Games Four and Five. When on the court, Harper's size and length at 6'6'', combined with the 6'6'' Jordan and 6'7'' Pippen, was too much for Seattle's smaller back court of 6'4'' Gary Payton and 6'3'' Hersey Hawkins. Seattle also had 16 more turnovers (96 to 80) than Chicago, with Kemp averaging 4 per game.
3. Chicago dominated the offensive boards during Games 2 and 6. In comparison to other Chicago opponents, Seattle fared quite well on the glass, finishing with 223 boards compared to Chicago's 245. However, Dennis Rodman really turned the second halves of Games Two and Six with his offensive rebounding, matching an NBA Finals' record of 11 offensive rebounds in both contests. For the series, Chicago outrebounded Seattle 101-67 on the offensive glass (+34), which led to 56 more shot attempts (474 to 418) in the series.
4. Chicago was just a deeper and more talented roster. Even with Jordan and Pippen having relatively "off" shooting and even scoring series, the Bulls' stars impacted Chicago's victories in many ways. For Seattle to win, it seemed like the Sonics needed big games from the five of Kemp, Payton, Schrempf, Hawkins and Perkins. For Chicago, the complimentary pieces were impactful in stretches, with Harper impacting the game at both ends when healthy, Rodman taking control at points on the glass, and Kukoc getting hot quickly.
5. Seattle really got outplayed at the center position. This is kind of weird to say, but the underrated Longley really took advantage of Seattle's centers. Longley made 27-of-47 shots from the field, going 57% from the field, and scoring 11.7 points per game. Give credit to Chicago's scouting, which made it a point to get Longley involved early in games. With the exception of just 2 points in Game 2, Longley had games of 14, 19, 12, 11 and 12 points. Ervin Johnson was no match up for Longley, who even started the games guarding Kemp. Longley actually did a better job than Rodman of keeping the quicker Kemp in front of him. Chicago got a great series from its Australian big man.
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Top Six Games of the Series in Terms of Viewing Excitement
1. Game Six - Chicago finishes its historic season back home in Chicago, on Father's Day.
2. Game Three - Chicago breaks out and dominates from start to finish.
3. Game One - Chicago explodes at the start of the fourth quarter for a deceiving 17-point victory.
4. Game Two - Chicago grinds out an ugly victory, with Dennis Rodman controlling the offensive glass.
5. Game Four - Seattle shows some pride and handles the Bulls convincingly.
6. Game Five - Both teams play with a lot of emotion but not the greatest efficiency.
2. Game Three - Chicago breaks out and dominates from start to finish.
3. Game One - Chicago explodes at the start of the fourth quarter for a deceiving 17-point victory.
4. Game Two - Chicago grinds out an ugly victory, with Dennis Rodman controlling the offensive glass.
5. Game Four - Seattle shows some pride and handles the Bulls convincingly.
6. Game Five - Both teams play with a lot of emotion but not the greatest efficiency.
Three-Word Descriptions of Game One for the...
- Chicago Bulls - Kukoc catches fire.
- Seattle Sonics - Failure to launch.
Chicago looked like a team that hadn't played in nearly 10 days, that is, until the fourth quarter when Kukoc caught fire while Seattle failed to take advantage of a rusty Bulls' team, ultimately losing by 17 points.
Three-Word Descriptions of Game Two for the...
- Chicago Bulls - Rodman wreaks havoc.
- Seattle Sonics - Needed to split.
Chicago had another rusty performance until breaking out late in the third quarter behind Kukoc and the offensive rebounding of Rodman, who tied an NBA Finals record for offensive boards, while Seattle really needed this game, holding the Bulls without a field goal for the last six minutes and just 16 points in the fourth quarter but proving unable to get over the hump.
Three-Word Descriptions of Game Three for the...
- Chicago Bulls - Back to business.
- Seattle Sonics - Embarrassed at home.
Looking like one of the greatest teams of all time, Chicago sent a message early and often during Game Three, leading by as much as 22 points during the first quarter, while Seattle failed to show much fight during a disappointing performance at Key Arena.
Three-Word Descriptions of Game Four for the...
- Chicago Bulls - Put on hold.
- Seattle Sonics - Breaking the brooms.
Seattle made any talk of a Chicago sweep moot with a great second quarter and 22-point halftime lead, finally showing some pride and resolve, and denying Chicago of finishing 15-1 in the playoffs.
Three-Word Descriptions of Game Five for the...
- Chicago Bulls - Out of whack.
- Seattle Sonics - Suddenly found something.
Game Five was not the prettiest performance by either team, yet Seattle was the more composed, focused and desperate squad as Chicago struggled miserably with shooting the three, containing emotions and playing with enough consistency.
Three-Word Descriptions of Game Six for the...
- Chicago Bulls - Exhale and celebrate.
- Seattle SuperSonics - Finally sent packing.
After losing two straight games, Chicago came out with much better focus, using impressive stretches of what was another clunker at points to put away a Seattle team that fought hard but was just not at the level of the Bulls.
Individual Player Grades for the Chicago Bulls
Point Guard Ron Harper: B+
Injuries limited Harper to just one minute during Game Three, 14 minutes during Game Four, and one minute during Game Five. However, Harper was huge during Chicago's three home victories, scoring 15 points, 12 points and 10 points and providing excellent defense. Harper inspired the Bulls during Game Six, hitting two big threes to start the second half. Harper had a phenomenal 1996 NBA Playoffs.
Shooting Guard Michael Jordan: B+
Jordan broke 30 points just one time during the six games, with a 36-point performance during Game Three, yet still led all scorers with 27.3 points per game. This was definitely Jordan's worst NBA Finals, which is a testament to his greatness. Jordan got to the free throw line 67 times and added 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Small Forward Scottie Pippen: B+
Pippen struggled with his shot but still impacted the game in many ways, finishing with 15.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
Power Forward Dennis Rodman: B+
Rodman averaged 14.7 rebounds while chipping in 7.5 points per game, with his work on the glass crucial during home victories in Games Two and Six. Rodman got involved with too much antics at points during Games Four and Five in Seattle, yet was big when Chicago needed him most.
Center Luc Longley: A
By no means was Longley Chicago's best player in the series yet he still deserves an A with the scoring punch he provided for the Bulls, including a playoff career-high 19 points during Game Three. Longley averaged 11.7 points per game during the 1996 NBA Finals and often guarded Kemp, who was a bit too quick for Rodman.
The Bench: B
Toni Kukoc was forced to start Games Three and Five due to Harper's injured knee. After entering the Finals just 3-for-36 from three, Kukoc went 10-for-32 from deep against Seattle and finished with 13.0 points per game, third best on the team. Kukoc's scoring outbursts off the bench during Games One, Two and Six in Chicago were huge in turning the tide for the Bulls. Other players like Steve Kerr, Jud Buechler, Bill Wennington and Randy Brown were up-and-down this series, especially in Seattle, though Kerr responded with some big shots during Game Six.
Head Coach Phil Jackson: B
Chicago's biggest opponent seemed to be itself this Finals, with rust showing the first two games and a surprising lack of emotional control during Games Four and Five. Chicago's Triangle Offense bogged down with Seattle's blitzing double teams at points. The Bulls definitely did not play their best basketball during the 1996 NBA Finals.
Injuries limited Harper to just one minute during Game Three, 14 minutes during Game Four, and one minute during Game Five. However, Harper was huge during Chicago's three home victories, scoring 15 points, 12 points and 10 points and providing excellent defense. Harper inspired the Bulls during Game Six, hitting two big threes to start the second half. Harper had a phenomenal 1996 NBA Playoffs.
Shooting Guard Michael Jordan: B+
Jordan broke 30 points just one time during the six games, with a 36-point performance during Game Three, yet still led all scorers with 27.3 points per game. This was definitely Jordan's worst NBA Finals, which is a testament to his greatness. Jordan got to the free throw line 67 times and added 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Small Forward Scottie Pippen: B+
Pippen struggled with his shot but still impacted the game in many ways, finishing with 15.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
Power Forward Dennis Rodman: B+
Rodman averaged 14.7 rebounds while chipping in 7.5 points per game, with his work on the glass crucial during home victories in Games Two and Six. Rodman got involved with too much antics at points during Games Four and Five in Seattle, yet was big when Chicago needed him most.
Center Luc Longley: A
By no means was Longley Chicago's best player in the series yet he still deserves an A with the scoring punch he provided for the Bulls, including a playoff career-high 19 points during Game Three. Longley averaged 11.7 points per game during the 1996 NBA Finals and often guarded Kemp, who was a bit too quick for Rodman.
The Bench: B
Toni Kukoc was forced to start Games Three and Five due to Harper's injured knee. After entering the Finals just 3-for-36 from three, Kukoc went 10-for-32 from deep against Seattle and finished with 13.0 points per game, third best on the team. Kukoc's scoring outbursts off the bench during Games One, Two and Six in Chicago were huge in turning the tide for the Bulls. Other players like Steve Kerr, Jud Buechler, Bill Wennington and Randy Brown were up-and-down this series, especially in Seattle, though Kerr responded with some big shots during Game Six.
Head Coach Phil Jackson: B
Chicago's biggest opponent seemed to be itself this Finals, with rust showing the first two games and a surprising lack of emotional control during Games Four and Five. Chicago's Triangle Offense bogged down with Seattle's blitzing double teams at points. The Bulls definitely did not play their best basketball during the 1996 NBA Finals.
Individual Player Grades for the Seattle SuperSonics
Point Guard Gary Payton: B-
After three rough games to start the series, resulting in Seattle falling behind 3-0, Payton rallied and was great the last three games, when he guarded Jordan. Payton finished around 18 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds per game yet needed to be more aggressive on offense as the series kept going. He was an amazing 7-for-10 from the field in Game Six but needed to shoot more.
Shooting Guard Hersey Hawkins: C+
Hawkins averaged 13.3 points per game and had nice outings during Games Four and Five. However, he often scored in streaks and was quiet for far too long throughout the series.
Small Forward Detlef Schrempf: B-
Like Payton, Schrempf got better as the series went on, finishing with a game-high 23 points during Game Six. Schrempf averaged 16.3 points per game. Like Hawkins, he was not consistent enough during the first three games of the series.
Power Forward Shawn Kemp: A-
Kemp was the most impressive offensive player during stretches of this series, leading Seattle at 23.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. With the exception of a quiet Game Three and an average of four turnovers per game, Kemp had a very strong series.
Centers Ervin Johnson and Frank Brickowski: F
Johnson started the first three games before getting relegated to the bench for the rest of the series, during which he didn't play. Brickowski provided better floor spacing but got ejected during Games One and Three, with Rodman getting into his head. When finally focusing on basketball, Brickowski was better the last three games, though he only scored 5 points the entire series! Brickowski and Johnson combined for just 9 points the whole series while Longley averaged more than 11 points per game.
The Bench: B
While having a miserable Game Six, Perkins had a solid series, averaging 11.2 points off the bench. Nate McMillan provided some inspiration during Games Four and Five but was ultimately limited by a nagging back injury. Vincent Askew went into the doghouse following Game Three while David Wingate didn't do much during his moments on the court, with the exception of annoying Jordan with his physicality.
Head Coach George Karl: C
Karl waited a bit too long to put Payton on Jordan, with the series essentially over after three games. Karl did do a nice job with sending doubles at Jordan, which caused Chicago's offense to get clunky at points. Still, Karl's Sonics team just couldn't get over the hump against Chicago, being undone by turnovers and a failure to protect the defensive glass. Seattle had talent but didn't always do the little things to beat a team like Chicago.
After three rough games to start the series, resulting in Seattle falling behind 3-0, Payton rallied and was great the last three games, when he guarded Jordan. Payton finished around 18 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds per game yet needed to be more aggressive on offense as the series kept going. He was an amazing 7-for-10 from the field in Game Six but needed to shoot more.
Shooting Guard Hersey Hawkins: C+
Hawkins averaged 13.3 points per game and had nice outings during Games Four and Five. However, he often scored in streaks and was quiet for far too long throughout the series.
Small Forward Detlef Schrempf: B-
Like Payton, Schrempf got better as the series went on, finishing with a game-high 23 points during Game Six. Schrempf averaged 16.3 points per game. Like Hawkins, he was not consistent enough during the first three games of the series.
Power Forward Shawn Kemp: A-
Kemp was the most impressive offensive player during stretches of this series, leading Seattle at 23.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. With the exception of a quiet Game Three and an average of four turnovers per game, Kemp had a very strong series.
Centers Ervin Johnson and Frank Brickowski: F
Johnson started the first three games before getting relegated to the bench for the rest of the series, during which he didn't play. Brickowski provided better floor spacing but got ejected during Games One and Three, with Rodman getting into his head. When finally focusing on basketball, Brickowski was better the last three games, though he only scored 5 points the entire series! Brickowski and Johnson combined for just 9 points the whole series while Longley averaged more than 11 points per game.
The Bench: B
While having a miserable Game Six, Perkins had a solid series, averaging 11.2 points off the bench. Nate McMillan provided some inspiration during Games Four and Five but was ultimately limited by a nagging back injury. Vincent Askew went into the doghouse following Game Three while David Wingate didn't do much during his moments on the court, with the exception of annoying Jordan with his physicality.
Head Coach George Karl: C
Karl waited a bit too long to put Payton on Jordan, with the series essentially over after three games. Karl did do a nice job with sending doubles at Jordan, which caused Chicago's offense to get clunky at points. Still, Karl's Sonics team just couldn't get over the hump against Chicago, being undone by turnovers and a failure to protect the defensive glass. Seattle had talent but didn't always do the little things to beat a team like Chicago.
Team Grades for the...
Chicago Bulls: B.
The Bulls did not have a great offensive series, though the defense was great to win three of four games in an ugly fashion.
Seattle SuperSonics: C
Seattle was closer than it appeared yet so far away. The Bulls were up 3-0 after playing just one good game while Seattle really needed to split the first two in Chicago. The Sonics made things more difficult the last three games, but after getting down in a 3-0 hole, it was clear the series was over.
The Bulls did not have a great offensive series, though the defense was great to win three of four games in an ugly fashion.
Seattle SuperSonics: C
Seattle was closer than it appeared yet so far away. The Bulls were up 3-0 after playing just one good game while Seattle really needed to split the first two in Chicago. The Sonics made things more difficult the last three games, but after getting down in a 3-0 hole, it was clear the series was over.
Implications for the Future
Seattle would bid farewell to Johnson, Brickowski and Askew, filling in the center position with the disastrous signing of Jim McIlvaine from the Washington Bullets. McIlvaine got a big contract but did not produce much, ultimately frustrating Kemp, who would be traded after the 1996-97 season. Seattle added veterans Craig Ehlo and Terry Cummings for bench roles but ultimately fell in the second round of the 1997 NBA Playoffs, in seven games to the Houston Rockets.
Chicago would finish 69-13 during the 1996-97 season and win its fifth title during a tough 1997 NBA Finals series against the Utah Jazz.
Chicago would finish 69-13 during the 1996-97 season and win its fifth title during a tough 1997 NBA Finals series against the Utah Jazz.
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