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Today is the 30th anniversary of Game Three between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls in the first round of the Eastern Conference of the 1996 NBA Playoffs. I have gone ahead and rewatched this game, listing my observations of what I saw with a fresh set of eyes. Here is some background about the second game of this series.
Game 2 Recap: After winning the first game by 17 points, Chicago dominated Game Two from start to finish, humiliating Miami by 31 points. The Heat showed very little resistance or pride on defense as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did whatever they wanted on the court. This game was a laugher, with the second half borderline unwatchable due to tight whistles. Jordan did tweak his back in the second quarter of Game Two, though he looked more fluid throughout the third quarter.
5 Quick Observations/Revelations from Game 2:
1) Miami really showed a lack of competitiveness in the second game. After picking up seven technicals as a team during Game One, the Heat lacked much fire in Game Two. In contrast, the Chicago Bulls showed their championship mettle, coming out to deliver a knockout punch from the start. Amazingly, during the Bulls' six title runs, Chicago never lost a first-round game, going 18-0. This perfect record makes sense considering how hungry and focused the Bulls were in Game Two.
2) The United Center could never hold a candle to the old Chicago Stadium, one of the loudest venues to ever watch a sporting event in person or on television. With that said, the UC crowd was quite revved up for Game Two, with a local promotion giving away Bulls' clackers. The fans were quite loud as Miami shot free throws. Rewatching Game Two was quite fun in this regard, making me remember how electric watching Bulls' games used to be, even from your living room couch.
3) Game Two almost had the feel of a second half of a tightly whistled NCAA Tournament game. Trying to prevent any physical altercations, the refs called fouls on seemingly every possession in the third quarter, making the game very hard to watch and leading to very little flow with Chicago up by nearly 30 points.
4) Dennis Rodman got ejected in the third quarter with the game well out of hand after picking up his second technical foul while barking at Mourning. For Rodman, this was a well-timed ejection that didn't hurt the Bulls. If my memory serves me right, Rodman would have his best game of the series in Game Three. Through the first two games, Rodman had three technical fouls.
5) While Mourning was a talented player, he was so immature against the Bulls, which always got into his head. At different points of the game, Chicago's various stars were talking at him, with Jordan chirping at him at the free throw line in the second quarter, Pippen having a few words at some point, and Rodman essentially telling him to bleep off before his ejection. The Bulls always got under Mourning's skin, which would be apparent the following season during the 1997 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Heat Head Coach Pat Riley looked like a dog waiting to be put out of his misery during Game Two as Mourning, Tim Hardaway and others seemed to be in a different world.
What I remember from the day of Game Three: I remember it was a Wednesday. After school on Wednesdays, eighth-grade me would pick up my sister from kindergarten and walk to my Uncle John's and Aunt Donna's house, which was like a block from our school. Typically my younger brother Tim, cousin Brian and I would play basketball outside or on a mini-rim at the house until my Dad would pick us up from his work. Somehow on this Wednesday, I convinced my Dad to let me go to Brian's baseball practice. After baseball practice, my Uncle John took us out for a pizza at a restaurant named Stevie D's that didn't last too long to watch the Bulls and Heat in Game Three. I remember watching with excitement for the Bulls but some nerves as I had a science test the next morning that I needed to study for. After getting home around 9:30 p.m., I crammed for my test, which I think I did well on the next day.
What I remember from Game Three between the Heat and Bulls: I think this was a tight game, at least at the start, with the Heat showing some pride back in Miami. The Miami fans were pretty loud, though the Bulls didn't blink. While Mourning would have his best game of the series, Chicago would be propelled by a laser-focused Jordan and aggressive Rodman, who dominated the glass from what I remember. The Bulls would finish off the sweep rather comfortably in a game that's final score was not revealing of how difficult this game truly was. For me, the victory was quite satisfying, as there was nothing better for 14-year-old me than watching the Bulls win in the playoffs while eating pizza, something I experienced many, many times during my youth.
Game 2 Recap: After winning the first game by 17 points, Chicago dominated Game Two from start to finish, humiliating Miami by 31 points. The Heat showed very little resistance or pride on defense as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did whatever they wanted on the court. This game was a laugher, with the second half borderline unwatchable due to tight whistles. Jordan did tweak his back in the second quarter of Game Two, though he looked more fluid throughout the third quarter.
5 Quick Observations/Revelations from Game 2:
1) Miami really showed a lack of competitiveness in the second game. After picking up seven technicals as a team during Game One, the Heat lacked much fire in Game Two. In contrast, the Chicago Bulls showed their championship mettle, coming out to deliver a knockout punch from the start. Amazingly, during the Bulls' six title runs, Chicago never lost a first-round game, going 18-0. This perfect record makes sense considering how hungry and focused the Bulls were in Game Two.
2) The United Center could never hold a candle to the old Chicago Stadium, one of the loudest venues to ever watch a sporting event in person or on television. With that said, the UC crowd was quite revved up for Game Two, with a local promotion giving away Bulls' clackers. The fans were quite loud as Miami shot free throws. Rewatching Game Two was quite fun in this regard, making me remember how electric watching Bulls' games used to be, even from your living room couch.
3) Game Two almost had the feel of a second half of a tightly whistled NCAA Tournament game. Trying to prevent any physical altercations, the refs called fouls on seemingly every possession in the third quarter, making the game very hard to watch and leading to very little flow with Chicago up by nearly 30 points.
4) Dennis Rodman got ejected in the third quarter with the game well out of hand after picking up his second technical foul while barking at Mourning. For Rodman, this was a well-timed ejection that didn't hurt the Bulls. If my memory serves me right, Rodman would have his best game of the series in Game Three. Through the first two games, Rodman had three technical fouls.
5) While Mourning was a talented player, he was so immature against the Bulls, which always got into his head. At different points of the game, Chicago's various stars were talking at him, with Jordan chirping at him at the free throw line in the second quarter, Pippen having a few words at some point, and Rodman essentially telling him to bleep off before his ejection. The Bulls always got under Mourning's skin, which would be apparent the following season during the 1997 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Heat Head Coach Pat Riley looked like a dog waiting to be put out of his misery during Game Two as Mourning, Tim Hardaway and others seemed to be in a different world.
What I remember from the day of Game Three: I remember it was a Wednesday. After school on Wednesdays, eighth-grade me would pick up my sister from kindergarten and walk to my Uncle John's and Aunt Donna's house, which was like a block from our school. Typically my younger brother Tim, cousin Brian and I would play basketball outside or on a mini-rim at the house until my Dad would pick us up from his work. Somehow on this Wednesday, I convinced my Dad to let me go to Brian's baseball practice. After baseball practice, my Uncle John took us out for a pizza at a restaurant named Stevie D's that didn't last too long to watch the Bulls and Heat in Game Three. I remember watching with excitement for the Bulls but some nerves as I had a science test the next morning that I needed to study for. After getting home around 9:30 p.m., I crammed for my test, which I think I did well on the next day.
What I remember from Game Three between the Heat and Bulls: I think this was a tight game, at least at the start, with the Heat showing some pride back in Miami. The Miami fans were pretty loud, though the Bulls didn't blink. While Mourning would have his best game of the series, Chicago would be propelled by a laser-focused Jordan and aggressive Rodman, who dominated the glass from what I remember. The Bulls would finish off the sweep rather comfortably in a game that's final score was not revealing of how difficult this game truly was. For me, the victory was quite satisfying, as there was nothing better for 14-year-old me than watching the Bulls win in the playoffs while eating pizza, something I experienced many, many times during my youth.
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Here is Game Three between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, from the first round in the Eastern Conference of the 1996 NBA Playoffs.
Make the jump to see the Game Three starting lineups and read my observations as I watch the Bulls get out the broom sticks and sweep the Heat out of the NBA playoffs.
The Game Three Starting Lineups: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami
Head Coach: Phil Jackson vs. Pat Riley
Announcers: Verne Lundquist on play-by-play, Danny Ainge on color.
- Point Guard: Ron Harper vs. Tim Hardaway
- Shooting Guard: Michael Jordan vs. Rex Chapman
- Small Forward: Scottie Pippen vs. Walt Williams
- Power Forward: Toni Kukoc vs. Kurt Thomas
- Center: Luc Longley vs. Alonzo Mourning
Head Coach: Phil Jackson vs. Pat Riley
Announcers: Verne Lundquist on play-by-play, Danny Ainge on color.
First Quarter, Under-7 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 15-10 with 6:24 remaining as Miami takes a timeout. The Bulls are on a 6-0 run. Scottie Pippen has been amazing so far, with 7 points and 4 offensive rebounds. Pippen just fed a cutting Luc Longley for a layup, leading to the Heat timeout. After averaging just 12 points in the first two games of the series, Mourning has 6 quick points on 3/5 from the field, doing a nice job of facing up off of post touches. Miami started 5/6 from the field but has missed its last couple of shots, with Chris Gatling blowing a bunny at the rim off a nice pass from Tim Hardaway. With the exception of a Pippen three, Chicago is 1/4 from deep. Kukoc has missed two open threes, and is just 1/15 from three for the series, which has been the only blemish in this first-round series. Jordan has two points on 1-for-4 from the field, looking spry with his tweaked back. Longley has four points as well, while Rex Chapman has hit his first two shots. Tim Hardaway has yet to shoot the ball. Chicago is staving off a desperate Heat team so far.
First Quarter, Under-5 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 23-12 with 4:21 remaining as Miami takes a 20-second timeout. The Bulls are clicking on offense, getting whatever they want in the middle of a 14-2 run. Jordan rejected a Longley screen, jab stepped and drove from the wing for a dunk. He then hit a fadeaway over Chapman, who has no chance guarding MJ. Ron Harper canned a corner jumper off a nice drive and kick by Kukoc from under the basket. Pippen then found a wide open Harper off a cut for a layup, and Pat Riley sees enough. The Heat are stalling out offensively and providing little defensive resistance, just like the start of the third quarter in Game Two. Pippen had a great defensive play, pulling the chair out from under a driving Gatling, who lost the ball on a drive under the basket.
First Quarter, Under-4 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 26-18 with 3:01 remaining as the Bulls take a timeout with Mourning at the line. After not taking a shot for the first eight minutes, Hardaway quickly gets into the lane to hit a layup and then kick out to an open Keith Askins, who cans a three. Jordan hit a tough jumper off a flare screen just inside the three-point line but came up lame. Chicago has yet to put in a reserve. Jordan has 9 points on 4/8 from the field. The last time he played a playoff game in Miami, back in Game 3 of the first round of the 1992 NBA Playoffs, Jordan scored 56 points.
End of First Quarter Observations
Chicago leads 37-23 at the end of the first quarter. Man, this Bulls team could just rip out a team's heart. Mourning is having his best game, but Miami still trails by 14 as Scottie Pippen just had one of the greatest all-around quarters you will ever see, scoring 9 points, dishing out 6 assists and grabbing 5 rebounds, 4 of which came on the offensive glass. As for Jordan, he is cooking, hitting a three and a quick fadeaway over Tony Smith. Jordan is 6/10 with 14 points, though he went to the bench late in the first quarter and was laying on the sidelines as his back was locking up. Fresh with a new hair color, a solid yellow rather than the popsicle red of Games One and Two, Rodman entered and committed two quick fouls on Mourning, who didn't like the first one and slapped Rodman's hand away afterward. Beyond Mourning, the rest of the Heat have been pretty ineffective.
Second Quarter, Under-10 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 42-28 with 9:38 remaining. The Miami Arena is pretty silent as Chicago has come out tonight to put this series to bed. After Kurt Thomas makes a lefty half hook to open the quarter and then gives Jordan a touch bump on the next Bulls' possession, Jordan responds seconds later by canning a three in the rookie's face. Toni Kukoc also hit a floater with the shot clock running down. He has hit two shots, including a first-quarter jumper, with the clock expiring. Tim Hardaway just hit a three before Jordan was fouled on a drive by Keith Askins, who wrapped him up quite hard. Jordan's back is bothering him, but the Bulls are shooting 63% from the field and have a 15 to 5 advantage on the boards. As Ainge said, it seems like the Heat are playing okay; Chicago is just that good.
Second Quarter, Under-7 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 48-34 with 6:24 remaining as Miami takes a timeout. With the exception of three turnovers during this stretch, Chicago's offensive is cooking, with the Triangle really working well. Both Luc Longley and Dennis Rodman have jumpers curling off screens, and Longley had an offensive rebound and put back of a Steve Kerr miss. Pippen has two dig-down steals during the last three minutes and is having a terrific all-around game. Chicago had the lead up to 18 before Hardaway hit a three. Jordan has been laying down on his stomach in front of the Bulls bench with his back stiffening.
Second Quarter, Under-6 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 54-36 with 5:02 remaining as Miami takes a timeout. The Bulls offensive is like clockwork tonight, just beautiful execution. The Bulls are getting open shots whenever and wherever they want, doing a great job setting off-the-ball screens in the paint, leading to open shots off simple curls. Scottie Pippen just canned an open baseline jumper. Chicago's defense is also doing a great job, with Jordan stealing a Hardaway pass that led to a breakout and foul of Ron Harper, who hit two free throws. Harper then found Longley wide open under the basket, with the Aussie fouled and sent to the line. Harper and Longley are having sneaky good games. Longley has been very aggressive on offense while doing a nice job of pushing Mourning farther out on his half hooks. Chicago is totally controlling this game, with a 20-6 advantage on the glass. This has been a beautiful first half by the Bulls.
Halftime Observations
Chicago leads 62-44 at the break. Mourning leads all players with 20 points, including 8-for-8 from the free throw line. However, it hasn't been the most efficient night for Mourning, who has missed a lot of shots in the lane, though he did get his first rebound of the game off a missed three and scored right away. The Bulls have been in total control, with Scottie Pippen stuffing the stat sheet with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Michael Jordan has 19 points on 8/16 from the field, including 3/5 from the three. Chicago has dominated the glass, especially the offensive boards. Harper had a great sequence, getting out to contest a Hardaway three, leading to a long rebound for Jordan, who fed Harper on the wing, who bounce passed to Rodman for a reverse dunk. It has been all Chicago in Game Three. Back to Mourning, who was such a creep. After blocking a Pippen shot out of bounds late in the first half, Mourning immediately turned to a ball boy who was supposed to dry mop the floor and yelled at him to clean up the sweat. That's Mourning this entire series, an emotional mess.
Third Quarter, Under-8 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 70-50 with 7:28 remaining as the Bulls take a timeout after Pippen gets on the ground to get an offensive rebound. Pippen is everywhere on the court tonight. He has 17 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists. During this stretch, Pippen hit a three off a Jordan post-up, assisted on a Kukoc half hook plus the foul and then drove and kicked to Kukoc for a jumper. I did not remember Pippen having such a dominant game tonight! Chicago is really looking to post up every possession and doing so with ease. Miami has had a couple of garbage baskets, including a Thomas offensive put back where the rookie threw down Kukoc. The quite physical Thomas did not get the benefit of the whistle as he fouled Kukoc and then committed an offensive foul on a screen, laying out Harper. Thomas turned out to be a great pro, but the match with Mourning and him did not seem like it would work out as this point in their careers as both guys were young and emotional. In contrast, the Bulls are experienced and poised, taking care of business against a Heat team that is not even close to Chicago's level. The only concern, and this is stretching it a bit, is that Jordan is just 2 for his last 9 shots after retweaking his back at the end of the first quarter.
Third Quarter, Under-4 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 80-55 with 3:43 remaining as Miami calls a timeout. This is Chicago's biggest lead of the game as Harper just canned a three off patient basketball. Harper passed up a shot, dished to Pippen, who drove, collapsed his defender, and kicked to Harper, who stepped in and hit nothing but nylon. Jordan just made his two last baskets, a nifty lefty drive and then an incredible behind-the-back flip shot off a great pass from Rodman, who has been very active. Rodman got an offensive board and layup off a missed Jud Buechler three and then was whistled for a questionable third foul call. Tim Hardaway got T'd up afterward for the first technical of this game. Man, I remember this game being comfortable for the Bulls, but not this comfortable. This has been Chicago's best performance from start to finish all series long.
End of Third Quarter Observations
Chicago leads 89-66 at the end of the third quarter. Despite his bad back, Jordan has played 33 of 36 minutes, leading all scorers with 26 points. During this stretch, Jordan had two of the nicer misses you will see, a one-handed shot during which he hung in the hair, palmed the ball and got off an attempt, and a finger-roll miss during which he was fouled. Jud Buechler hit a three and got an offensive tap in during this stretch after Miami went on a modest 7-0 run.
Fourth Quarter, Under-10 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 99-72 with 9:06 remaining. Pippen just picked up a triple double, with an assist to Bill Wennington, who has canned two open jumpers. Pippen has 19 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, and will be shooting two free throws out of the break. It is essentially target practice for both teams as not much defense is being played. Harper lulled Mourning to sleep with an in-out dribble and hit a jumper that bounced off the rim and down. He then got on the break for a dunk after Steve Kerr found him following a rushed three-pointer by Sasha Danilovic, who never saw a shot he did not like. Danilovic has been chucking and mostly missing all series long.
Fourth Quarter, Under-7 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 105-74 with 6:52 remaining as the Bulls take a timeout. Steve Kerr just hit a bomb of a three off a nice pass from Toni Kukoc. The prior possession, Chicago got three offensive boards, with Pippen finishing with a tough layup over Mourning at the rim, causing the Heat fans to boo Miami's lack of effort. The Bulls will only score seven more points the rest of this game, which is entering garbage time.
Fourth Quarter, Under-3 Timeout Observations
Chicago leads 110-86 with 2:16 remaining. Chicago has substituted all reserves during this stretch, with Kerr, Randy Brown, Buechler, John Salley and Wennington in. Buechler had his prayers answered on a difficult shot with the shot clock running down while Wennington made a nice layup off a good spin move. For Miami, the only starter out there is rookie Kurt Thomas. Chris Gatling just scored, plus the foul, to get off the snide. He has had a rough night. By the way, Jordan has not played at all this quarter and has already exited to the locker room to get work done his back.
Final Score: Chicago Bulls 112, Miami Heat 91.
Chicago finishes off the Heat, which break 90 points for the first time this series, only due to the fourth quarter being garbage time. The Bulls did not play around tonight, controlling this game from start to finish. Up next will be the New York Knicks, which just swept the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier that night. Here is the final box score.
Five Stars of the Game
1. Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls. Watch this game to see what an all-around great Scottie Pippen was. Pippen finishes with a triple double, scoring 22 points, grabbing 18 boards and dishing out 10 assists. Pippen keyed the Bulls early with 4 offensive boards. At one point early in the third quarter, Pippen had 15 boards while the Heat had 16 as a team. Pippen's 18 rebounds fall one short of his career-high 19. By the way, Pippen added 3 blocks and 1 steal. He did have 5 turnovers, but several of them seemed to come more out of boredom than anything the Heat were doing defensively.
2. Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls. Even with an ailing back, Jordan played nearly the whole first three quarters, sans three minutes, scoring 26 points. Jordan really got cooking in the second quarter before his back flared up, very similar to Game Two. The only things preventing Jordan from scoring 30 points the past two games was his sore back and precaution by the Bulls, which were up big late in both contests.
3. Ron Harper, Chicago Bulls. Harper scored 13 points on 5-for-6 from the field. More importantly, he limited Tim Hardaway to just 14 points in the third game after containing him for 9 points in Game Two. Harper added 3 assists and 2 boards and just did so many little things.
4. Toni Kukoc, Chicago Bulls. Kukoc finished with 14 points on only 8 shots, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Miami had no answer for Kukoc all series as a stretch four so give credit to Phil Jackson for starting the Croatian Sensation ahead of Rodman in the first round. Kukoc was such a key cog in the Bulls' offense, with his passing, cutting and ability to create off the dribble.
5. Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat. Mourning finished with a game-high 30 points on 11-for-19 from the field, though his scoring really didn't matter. The Bulls were content with letting Mourning score and taking out the rest of his teammates.
2. Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls. Even with an ailing back, Jordan played nearly the whole first three quarters, sans three minutes, scoring 26 points. Jordan really got cooking in the second quarter before his back flared up, very similar to Game Two. The only things preventing Jordan from scoring 30 points the past two games was his sore back and precaution by the Bulls, which were up big late in both contests.
3. Ron Harper, Chicago Bulls. Harper scored 13 points on 5-for-6 from the field. More importantly, he limited Tim Hardaway to just 14 points in the third game after containing him for 9 points in Game Two. Harper added 3 assists and 2 boards and just did so many little things.
4. Toni Kukoc, Chicago Bulls. Kukoc finished with 14 points on only 8 shots, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Miami had no answer for Kukoc all series as a stretch four so give credit to Phil Jackson for starting the Croatian Sensation ahead of Rodman in the first round. Kukoc was such a key cog in the Bulls' offense, with his passing, cutting and ability to create off the dribble.
5. Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat. Mourning finished with a game-high 30 points on 11-for-19 from the field, though his scoring really didn't matter. The Bulls were content with letting Mourning score and taking out the rest of his teammates.
Dud of the Game
Tim Hardaway, Miami Heat. After scoring 30 points in the first game, Hardaway had just 25 points combined during the last two games. While Hardaway made a concerted effort to get the ball to Mourning, he needed to be more aggressive on offense, though Ron Harper made things tough on him. As Hardaway was a star on this team, he was expected to do more than players like Walt Williams and Chris Gatling, who had very rough series.
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