 |  |  |
by Chris Maynard
([email protected])
([email protected])
After losing Dennis Rodman to a torn calf muscle following the third game of the 1995-96 season, the Chicago Bulls hardly missed a beat, going 9-1 through the first ten games, with the only loss coming to the Orlando Magic.
Chicago would go 9-1 during its next stretch of 10 games, losing only at the Seattle SuperSonics on Sunday, November 26, 1995, which was my fourteenth birthday. I remember this day fondly as I watched the Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants earlier that afternoon and then went out to dinner with my parents, brother and sister. While we were leaving the pizza restaurant Suparossa, I remember catching the Bulls-Sonics game on the television. The Bulls were up at that point of the game so I assumed another victory was in store. As I didn't have cable to watch the game at home, I was surprised to open the newspaper the next morning to see that the Bulls had lost to the Sonics.
Chicago would go 9-1 during its next stretch of 10 games, losing only at the Seattle SuperSonics on Sunday, November 26, 1995, which was my fourteenth birthday. I remember this day fondly as I watched the Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants earlier that afternoon and then went out to dinner with my parents, brother and sister. While we were leaving the pizza restaurant Suparossa, I remember catching the Bulls-Sonics game on the television. The Bulls were up at that point of the game so I assumed another victory was in store. As I didn't have cable to watch the game at home, I was surprised to open the newspaper the next morning to see that the Bulls had lost to the Sonics.
| | |
Speaking of memorable games, Chicago seemed like it was going to suffer its third-loss of the season to the lowly Vancouver Grizzlies, an expansion team, on Thursday, November 30, 1995. For my birthday, my parents had given me my own television for my upstairs bedroom, which I shared with my brother. It's safe to say I spent many nights watching television way too late in my room when I should have been sleeping for school the next day. Consider this the case with the Bulls-Grizzlies game.
It was a Thursday night game on Chicago's WGN-Channel 9. I believed it started at 9:30 p.m., meaning it didn't end until around midnight. As I watched the game unfold, I couldn't believe the Bulls were losing to this Grizzlies' team. The last game of the team's infamous Circus Trip, when the team would play on the West Coast as the Ringling Bros. Circus was at the United Center, the Bulls seemed disinterested, that is, until Michael Jordan essentially decided in the fourth quarter that he was not losing to the Vancouver Grizzlies. Jordan went off and put together one of the most incredible performances I had ever seen, single-handedly beating the Grizzlies. It was crazy, and one of my fondest memories of the 1995-96 regular season.
I do remember watching the Bulls' next game against the Los Angeles Clippers on the following Saturday night. The Bulls cruised to a victory, with Scottie Pippen having a nasty dunk on Terry Dehere and one Clippers' player standing out to me. Center Brian Williams, who would later become Bison Dele, was giving the Bulls' some problems in the frontcourt. I was impressed and ecstatic when the Bulls would sign Williams late the following season as a depth piece prior to the 1997 NBA Playoffs.
It was a Thursday night game on Chicago's WGN-Channel 9. I believed it started at 9:30 p.m., meaning it didn't end until around midnight. As I watched the game unfold, I couldn't believe the Bulls were losing to this Grizzlies' team. The last game of the team's infamous Circus Trip, when the team would play on the West Coast as the Ringling Bros. Circus was at the United Center, the Bulls seemed disinterested, that is, until Michael Jordan essentially decided in the fourth quarter that he was not losing to the Vancouver Grizzlies. Jordan went off and put together one of the most incredible performances I had ever seen, single-handedly beating the Grizzlies. It was crazy, and one of my fondest memories of the 1995-96 regular season.
I do remember watching the Bulls' next game against the Los Angeles Clippers on the following Saturday night. The Bulls cruised to a victory, with Scottie Pippen having a nasty dunk on Terry Dehere and one Clippers' player standing out to me. Center Brian Williams, who would later become Bison Dele, was giving the Bulls' some problems in the frontcourt. I was impressed and ecstatic when the Bulls would sign Williams late the following season as a depth piece prior to the 1997 NBA Playoffs.
 |  |  |
Back home on December 6, 1995, Rodman returned to the Bulls' lineup, helping Chicago to a win against a familiar Eastern Conference foe, the hated New York Knicks, whom the Bulls would play in the second round, which I will be reviewing this week. Two nights later, the Spurs came to town, with the Bulls handling Rodman's former team. I remember sleeping over at my friend Leo's house on this night, watching the game and then waking up the next morning to play a basketball game for our grade school. Unlike the Bulls against the Spurs, my St. Bart's team lost, unfortunately, to some school that had five players as tall as our team's tallest player Todd.
Also in this stretch of games the Bulls would avenge an early-season loss to the Magic with a home victory. Unfortunately, most of the early season games were on cable, meaning that I would either have to listen on the radio or wait until 10:20 p.m. when the local sports broadcasts would clue me in as to whether or not the Bulls had won. Remember this was before the Internet, which was at least three years away from entering my house.
I have "scoured" the Internet, specifically YouTube, for Games 11-20, with only two full games missing from this stretch, though highlights have been included.
Make the jump to view Games 11-20 and link to the box scores as Chicago gets off to an amazing 18-2 start to the 1995-96 season.
Also in this stretch of games the Bulls would avenge an early-season loss to the Magic with a home victory. Unfortunately, most of the early season games were on cable, meaning that I would either have to listen on the radio or wait until 10:20 p.m. when the local sports broadcasts would clue me in as to whether or not the Bulls had won. Remember this was before the Internet, which was at least three years away from entering my house.
I have "scoured" the Internet, specifically YouTube, for Games 11-20, with only two full games missing from this stretch, though highlights have been included.
Make the jump to view Games 11-20 and link to the box scores as Chicago gets off to an amazing 18-2 start to the 1995-96 season.
Game 11: Friday, November 24, 1995
Chicago Bulls 90, Utah Jazz 85
Record: 10-1
Game 12: Sunday, November 26, 1995
Seattle SuperSonics 97, Illinois 92
Record: 10-2
Game 13: Monday, November 27, 1995
Chicago Bulls 107, Portland Trailblazers 104
Record: 11-2
Game 14: Thursday, November 30, 1995
Chicago Bulls 94, Vancouver Grizzlies 88
Record: 12-2
Game 15: Saturday, December 2, 1995
Chicago Bulls 104, Los Angeles Clippers 98
Record: 13-2
Game 16: Wednesday, December 6, 1995
Chicago Bulls 101, New York Knicks 94
Record: 14-2
| | |
RSS Feed