by: Chris Maynard 
([email protected]) 

Let's continue with my recaps of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' historic regular season. 

Here are the recaps for:

• Games 1-10. 
• Games 11-20. 
• Games 21-30. 
• Games 31-40.
• Games 41-50. 
• Games 51-60. 

The Chicago Bulls had won 54 games and lost just 6 through the first 60 games of the season, though Game 61 would portend some doubt within me.  

This stretch of games would start with a shocking loss, a Sunday matinee destruction by the New York Knicks, which had just fired Don Nelson and named Jeff Van Gundy Head Coach. I remember watching this stunning Bulls loss on NBC, throwing in the towel in the second half to go shopping for a suit with my Dad for my Confirmation that Friday night. 

After rebounding against Washington on March 13th, Chicago had a rematch with the Denver Nuggets on Friday March 15th, the night of my Confirmation. Denver had beaten Chicago earlier in February, with the Bulls storming back from a 25-point deficit at halftime before ultimately losing by six points. I totally forgot about this Bulls' game after my two-hour confirmation, though my parents hosted some family at our house afterward. As my family started to watch the last set of Friday night games for the first round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament, I suddenly remembered the Bulls had played, asking my Uncle John if Chicago won. Pulling my leg, my Uncle said Denver killed us, with Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf having a huge game. Of course, my Uncle filled me in on the joke after seeing how upset I was that Chicago apparently lost.

Chicago's next game, the following night in New Jersey, was no joking matter. After being on his best behavior for most of the season, Dennis Rodman lost his mind, headbutting referee Ted Bernhardt, ultimately resulting in a six-game suspension. After scoring four points in my eighth-grade basketball All-Star game this Saturday, I remember watching the second round of the tournament and flipping over to this Bulls' game on WGN, with a shirtless Rodman storming off the court after getting ejected. I worried if this was the time Rodman was going to implode and cost the Bulls a title. 

Without Rodman, Chicago would win three straight games, including getting some revenge against the Knicks. However, the Bulls would suffer another shocking loss, 109-108 to the expansion Toronto Raptors on Sunday, March 24, 1996. The Raptors really gave the Bulls some problems this year, with Damon Stoudamire proving to be a tough guard for all of Chicago, even Jordan. 

The Bulls would rebound with home victories against the Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Clippers, to finish this stretch 8-2 and 62-8 after 70 games. With 12 games remaining, Chicago could lose no more than 5 games if hoping to tie the then NBA record of 69 wins and 13 losses, set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. 

by: Chris Maynard 
([email protected]) 

Let's continue with my recaps of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' historic regular season. 

Here are the recaps for:

• Games 1-10. 
• Games 11-20. 
• Games 21-30. 
• Games 31-40.
• Games 41-50. 

Chicago won its first three games out of the All-Star break, having an amazing 45-5 record through 50 games. After playing seven games on the road during Games 41-50, Chicago would return home for seven games during the next ten-game stretch, during which Chicago would go 9-1. 

Chicago would begin this stretch with a thrilling 110-102 victory at Indiana on Sunday, February 18, 1996. I remember watching this game on NBC when my buddy Kevin called me. He asked me if I was watching the Bulls game, as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. During this game Michael Jordan would score 44 points, Pippen would "chip in" 40 points and Dennis Rodman would grab 23 rebounds. Chicago's superstars were surely at the height of their powers this game.

Anyways, I remember talking to Kevin during this Bulls-Pacers game about my elementary school St. Bartholomew's eighth-grade basketball playoff game from the day before. Kevin couldn't make the game due to a family outing so he asked how we did. I told him the bad news, that we lost in overtime. Oh, how this game haunts me to this day. During the fourth quarter our best player Todd fouled out. Down two points with 10 seconds left in the game, I dribbled the ball up court, jump stopped at the free throw line, and hit a jump shot plus the foul to tie the game. The opponent, St. Juliana's, called a timeout. Out of the timeout, I shot a perfect free throw that somehow went in and out. Amazingly, the ball caromed right back to me, and I called a timeout. Out of my team's timeout, I missed a three, and the game went to overtime. During overtime my team ran out of gas, and I fouled out. Of all the years playing elementary school basketball, that playoff game was the only time Todd and I ever fouled out. I guess my Dad, who never spoke to officials after the game, calmly said something to the ref afterward. From what my Dad told me, he said, "That was a damn shame. You really stole that game from those kids today. Of all the years they played, those two have never fouled out." :-) Still, I don't know how that free throw didn't go in. I used to shoot 1oo free throws a day in my backyard during the summer between seventh and eighth grade, and I had gotten really good from the foul line, once making 94 out of 100. 

Speaking of losses, Chicago's only loss would come at Miami as Heat guard Rex Chapman went off for 39 points, including 9-of-10 from three, during a 113-104 defeat on February 23, 1996. Perhaps Chicago was looking ahead to its next game, a Sunday home matinee on NBC against the Orlando Magic, the team that had eliminated the Bulls during the second-round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs. Chicago would beat Orlando by 20, with Toni Kukoc scoring a team-high 24 points off the bench. I remember watching this game at home and then having to go to a family party at my Aunt's condominium in Wood Dale, Illinois. I was so excited the Bulls beat Orlando that Sunday. At the party I remember watching the second half of the NBA on NBC doubleheader, with the New York Knicks playing the Phoenix Suns. The Knicks had just traded Charles Smith to San Antonio for Willie Anderson and J.R. Reid. 

As for the rest of this stretch of games, I don't remember too much, with the exception of Chicago defeating Minnesota at home. This game marked the return of Farragut High School star Kevin Garnett to Chicago for the first time in his pro career. I remember catching the sports on the news that night and seeing Garnett hit a half-court shot at the buzzer of either the end of the first or second quarter of this game. As an aside, the middle school I used to teach at played its girls volleyball games at Farragut. Of course, I went to cheer on my students and see Farragut's gym, which had these amazing murals of Garnett and his teammate Ronnie Fields. When I was in seventh grade, Garnett and Fields were like the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen of Chicago high school basketball. That awesome team also had one of my favorite Arizona players of all time, the late Michael Wright, who was just a freshman on the Admirals. 

I have scoured YouTube for Games 51-60 of the Chicago Bulls' historic regular season in 1995-96, with full games available for 6 of the 10 contests. 

Make the jump to view Games 51-60 and link to the box scores as Chicago goes 54-6 through 60 games of the 1995-96 season. 

With a week off before the 30th anniversary of Game One of the 1996 NBA Finals, let's return to recapping the Chicago Bulls' historic 72-10 regular season. 

Here are the recaps for: 

• Games 1-10. 
• Games 11-20. 
• Games 21-30. 
• Games 31-40.

After 40 games, Chicago was an incredible 37-3, having won 14 games in a row, going undefeated during the month of January (11-0), and last losing the day after Christmas, at Indiana on December 26, 1995. 

The Bulls would really slip up during the next 10 games, having the audacity to lose two games in a row, at the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, February 4, 1996, and the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, February 6, 1996. Oh, the nerve of this team. All kidding aside, Chicago played six straight road games heading into the All-Star break, going 4-2 during that time, and had 8 out of 10 games away from the United Center during this stretch. 

This was a memorable stretch of games, with Chicago getting a season sweep of the defending champion Houston Rockets with a 98-87 road victory on Tuesday, January 30, 1996. The Bulls would then win three nights later at the Los Angeles Lakers during a memorable game against Magic Johnson, who had just come out of retirement. I remember having to go to the wake of my Grandfather's brother this Friday of the Lakers game. After attending the services, my family went out to dinner. I was so pumped up about this game, talking about it with my uncles. The Bulls would handle the Lakers and Johnson, who was playing power forward and matched up against Dennis Rodman. 

Two nights later, the Bulls would see their 18-game winning streak snapped during a Sunday night game in Denver. This game might be one of my greatest memories of the entire season as it was broadcast on WGN Channel 9 in Chicago. I remember watching this game with my Dad, shocked as the Bulls got down 25 points at halftime. Trailing 68-43, the Bulls stormed back during the third quarter, outscoring Denver 39-17. My Dad and I were literally screaming in our living room, amazed the Bulls were able to get right back in the game. I am pretty sure the Bulls tied the game and might have taken the lead very briefly. The Bulls would ultimately run out of gas and lose by six points, though the comeback felt like a victory. For eighth grade me, I had never seen a team rally so quickly from such a big deficit. 

Two nights later, the Bulls would lose to Charles Barkley and the Suns in Phoenix. I have no recollection of this game as it was on cable television during the week. The next night, Chicago would win at Golden State, to finish 42-5 heading into the All-Star break.

The 1996 NBA All Star Game took place on Sunday, February 11, 1996 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Jordan and Pippen would start alongside Orlando's Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway and Detroit's Grant Hill. During his first All-Star game back since returning from his retirement, Jordan scored 20 points and was named All-Star Game MVP, much to the chagrin of O'Neal, a San Antonio native who led the East with 25 points. I remember O'Neal being very unhappy that he didn't win the award, with Jordan saying something to the effect that "Shaq may have the car while I will keep the trophy." By the way, I absolutely love the uniforms for this All-Star Game, with the East's teal/turquoise (?) jerseys really popping off the television screen.  

Following Jordan winning his second of three All-Star Game MVPs, Chicago would win its first three games, with the toughest victory being a 112-109 triumph at Detroit in overtime on Thursday, February 15, 1996. During this stretch of games, Chicago had three sets of back-to-back games, going 5-1, which was quite impressive for the oldest team in the league. There was no such thing as load management back then. As another reminder why Jordan is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT), he played all 82 games during the three full seasons he returned to the Bulls! By the way, Jordan was 32, 33 and 34 years old then!  

I have scoured YouTube for Games 41-50 for the Bulls during the 1995-96 season, with the only full game missing being the February 7th game at Golden State, which pitted Chicago against its former teammate B.J. Armstrong. 

Make the jump to view Games 41-50 and link to the box scores as Chicago proves to be road warriors during this stretch of the 1995-96 season. 

by: Chris Maynard
([email protected]) 

I have watched and reviewed Chicago's 4-0 series victory against the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals of the 1996 NBA Playoffs. 

Here are the total stats for the series and my recaps for each game: 

• Game 1 Recap: Chicago 121, Orlando 83. 
• Game 2 Recap: Chicago 93, Orlando 88.  
• Game 3 Recap: Chicago 86, Orlando 67.  
• Game 4 Recap: Chicago 106, Orlando 101.  
  

Playing for pride in Game Four, Orlando jumped out to a double-digit lead in the second quarter and led by nine at halftime behind Shaquille O'Neal's 19 points and Anfernee Hardaway's 15 points in the first 24 minutes. Chicago stayed within striking distance due to a sizzling first half from Michael Jordan, who scored 20 points. Orlando held off the Bulls for the first 9 minutes of the third quarter until Chicago finished on a 10-1 run. The Bulls led by one at the end of three and put away Orlando in the fourth quarter, with Jordan finishing with 45 points on an amazing 16-for-22 from the field. Chicago dominated the last 15 minutes of the game as Orlando succumbed to injuries and the better opponent.  

5 Quick Observations/Revelations from Game 4

1. Michael Jordan bounces back in a big way. After accounting for just 24% of Chicago's offense against Orlando during the first three game of the series, including quiet 21 and 17 point performances during Games One and Three, Jordan broke out in Game Four. At one point, Jordan had 33 of Chicago's 65 points before his teammates picked it up late in the third quarter and the entire fourth quarter. Jordan was the ultimate trump card, seemingly winning Chicago at least one game a playoff series during the last three-peat due to his incredible offensive prowess. 

2. Orlando's big two struggle again when it matters. O'Neal and Hardaway were brilliant during the first half but struggled when the game mattered. Both players finished with 28 points, with O'Neal only scoring 9 in the second half and Hardaway having 15 points in the last three quarters after scoring 13 in the first quarter. Entering Game Four, O'Neal had scored 67 points in the first halves and only 41 points in the second halves of the first three games. In the fourth quarter, he had one field goal if my memory serves me right. Hardaway really struggled with Chicago's double teaming in the second half, looking very tentative. 

3. Chicago hung in for three quarters and then took over when it mattered. It would have been easy for the Bulls to rest on their laurels and leave Orlando up 3-1. However, this Chicago team did not play around, with Jordan keeping the team within striking distance. When things finally clicked for his teammate late in the third quarter, it was good night Orlando as Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper and Steve Kerr got going. 

4. Orlando couldn't overcome the injuries. Even if fully healthy, Orlando would have lost this series, probably in five but no more than six games. By Game Four, Orlando was decimated by injuries to Horace Grant, Nick Anderson and Brian Shaw, all of whom didn't play in the final game. Hardaway seemed less explosive since the second half of Game Two while veteran Jon Koncak could barely move on the court. Orlando got gutty efforts from role players Brooks Thompson, Anthony Bowie and David Royal, all of whom were overmatched in extended minutes. 

5. Shaq's final game in Orlando ended with a big thud. Jordan and O'Neal were the most dominant players in the first half. However, Jordan continued his dominance in the second half while O'Neal was quiet. While Orlando played with much heart, Shaq couldn't get going in the second half and needed more touches. He wasn't involved enough late in the game. As the final horn ended, Shaq would walk off the court for the last time as a Magic player and the franchise would never ever be the same, making an NBA Finals with Dwight Howard in 2009 but still never winning an NBA title. 

My 5 Keys to the Series 

1. Chicago's veteran superstars were better than Orlando's young superstars. Jordan and Pippen turned Game Two with their defensive efforts. Pippen was the best player on the court in Game Three while Jordan was the best in Game Four. While O'Neal and Hardaway had some big moments, they were awfully quiet during key points of the series. 

2. Chicago's complimentary pieces were more impactful than Orlando's complementary pieces. With Horace Grant playing only 28 minutes in Game One, grabbing 1 rebound and scoring 0 points before missing the rest of the series, Orlando needed Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott to step up. Anderson and Scott averaged 8.3 and 7.3 points per game in the series. Scott was even outscored by seldom-used reserve Brooks Thompson, who averaged 7.7 points per game playing mostly in Games Three and Four. Dennis Rodman averaged more points per game than Anderson and Scott in the series, at 11.5, as did Ron Harper, at 9.0. Bulls' center Luc Longley had 14 big points to spark the Bulls in Game One. Anderson reached 14 points in Game Three while Scott had 13 points in Game Two. Bulls' reserve Steve Kerr averaged more points per game at 8.5 than either Anderson or Scott. 

3. Second-half performances. Orlando trailed by 10 at halftime of Game One before losing by 38 points. After leading by 15 at halftime of Game Two, Orlando lost by five, failing to break 20 points in the third and fourth quarters. In Game Three, Orlando only scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, ending up with an abysmal 67 points. Orlando could not hang onto a nine-point halftime lead in Game Four. 

4. Chicago's defensive intensity. Orlando's second-half problems stemmed from Chicago picking up its defense, with Game Two the perfect example. Orlando had 53 points at halftime and just scored 16 and 19 points in the third and fourth quarters of that game. The Magic couldn't even reach 70 points during Game Three. In the second half of Game Four, both Hardaway and O'Neal were flustered by Chicago's double teaming. When the Bulls cranked up its defense, Orlando couldn't get anything going, with Anderson and Scott especially ineffective. While giving up at least five inches to O'Neal, Rodman played very tough defense on the Orlando star. 

5. Chicago's continued domination of the boards. Rodman was spectacular this series, averaging 15.6 rebounds per game. Rodman had 12 more offensive rebounds than O'Neal, snatching 26 off the offensive glass compared to 14. As a team, Chicago outrebounded Orlando 182 to 123 (+49) and 67 to 39 (+28) on the offensive glass. 

Make the jump for my breakdown of the series, including my:

• Top four 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.

by: Chris Maynard 
([email protected]) 

Today is the 30th anniversary of Game Four between the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals 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 series so far. 

Game 3 Recap: There is no sugarcoating it, Game Three was a hard one to watch. Chicago won 86-67 in what was a rather poorly-played game by both teams. Chicago probably played a C- level game while Orlando played a D game. With the exception of Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, I had a hard time finding five stars for this game. The Magic lacked the urgency that was necessary to get back into the series, looking like a defeated team. Chicago was beatable on this day, though the Bulls did play tough defense. Orlando only scored 10 points during the entire fourth quarter. 

5 Quick Observations from Game Three

1. Sometimes the memory is better than the actual experience. I remember being ecstatic after Game Three took place, with the Bulls somehow up 3-0 on the Magic. I thought Chicago dominated this game, but the Bulls were actually pretty bad as well, at least offensively. Orlando was just that much worse. Of all the games I have rewatched from the 1996 NBA Playoffs, Game Three is up there with Game Five against the New York Knicks and the second half of Game Two against the Miami Heat as hard games to sit through. Honestly, I should have just given out three stars for this game as no one on Orlando deserved much recognition. 

2. Scottie Pippen shines above everyone else this afternoon. After having some cold shooting stretches against the Knicks and even during Game Two against Orlando, Pippen was incredible in Game Three, hitting 11-for-14 from the field. A lot of Pippen's makes were highly difficult shots as well. Pippen single-handedly kept Orlando at bay with some big makes during the third quarter. 

3. Chicago survives a quiet night from Michael Jordan. Jordan only had 4 of his 17 points in the second half as Chicago struggled to find offense the last 24 minutes. Jordan had a similarly quiet second half during Chicago's Game Four victory in New York during the second round. Of course, Jordan would usually explode after a quiet game, which would prove to be the case during Game Four. 

4. Orlando looked like a team with no answers. Down 10 at the half, Orlando got the Chicago lead down to 3 points several times in the third quarter. Still, Orlando just looked like a team that had nothing left in the tank. Injuries were piling up as Anfernee Hardaway lacked much lift, Jon Koncak could barely move out there, and Nick Anderson hurt his wrist late in the game. The Magic seemed to be physically and mentally done, a walking-wounded MASH unit that just didn't think it could get the job done against Chicago. With Horace Grant out, Orlando was desperately looking for someone to fill in at the four spot, with Koncak, Joe Wolf and Anthony Bonner just not fit out for the role. 

5. Shaquille O'Neal left a lot to be desired this game. Prior to the game, O'Neal spoke to Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson about stepping up. Honestly, Shaq did not step up in Game Three, going 1-for-9 from the free throw line and finishing 8-for-19 from the field for a total of 17 points. I reluctantly put O'Neal as the fourth star of this game when he really didn't deserve to be up there. Unfortunately, that's how bad most players were in this game. Orlando needed an all-time dominant performance from O'Neal during Game Three, and the big man just didn't provide it. Hardaway actually led Orlando with 18 points, though it was clear he was hurting, making a huge game from Shaq even more necessary. Entering Game Four, Shaq was just 6/24 from the foul line while averaging 4.7 turnovers a game. Hardaway has been averaging 3.3 turnovers a game and just 3 assists in the series. 

What I remember from the day of Game Four: My parents had a Memorial Day party at our house to watch the Bulls' game. I remember all of my extended family cramming in our living room to watch Game Four. After the Bulls won, my cousin, brother and I went in my yard to play some basketball. Please see my Monday Memorial Day post for a funny anecdote about what happened while playing ball outside. 

What I remember from Game Four: Like Game Three, Orlando came out with some desperation but wasn't able to sustain it. After Orlando led early, Chicago would eventually grab the lead and hold on during the second half, with Jordan having a phenomenal game. As the final horn sounded, O'Neal walked off the court without extending much congratulations to the Bulls. Little did anyone watching think that O'Neal would never play with the Magic again, signing with the Los Angeles Lakers later that summer, officially killing the Orlando dynasty before it really ever got started. 

by: Chris Maynard
([email protected]) 

Happy belated Memorial Day! 

Thirty years ago, Memorial Day was tomorrow!

On Monday, May 27, 1996, the Chicago Bulls took on the Orlando Magic in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 1996 NBA Playoffs. 

Chicago would pull off the sweep in what would be Shaquille O'Neal's final game as a member of the Magic. 

With this memory in mind, I started thinking about all of the other playoff games the Bulls played on the Mondays of Memorial Day Weekends during the title winning seasons of 1991-1993 and 1996-1998. 

Whereas the Bulls were 5-1 on the Saturdays of Memorial Day Weekends during this time period, the Bulls were 3-3 on Memorial Days during the title-winning seasons. 

Make the jump to read about my favorite and least favorite memories of the Chicago Bulls' Memorial Day games from the championship seasons of 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998. 

Today is the 30th anniversary of Game Three between the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals 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 series so far. 

Game 2 Recap: After getting embarrassed during a 38-point loss in Game One, Orlando came out with much more focus and aggression, despite missing the services of Horace Grant, who would not play the rest of the series with an injured elbow. Getting Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson involved, a more-balanced Orlando team led by 14 points at halftime behind a dominant first half from Shaquille O'Neal, who had 26 of his game-high 36 points during the first 24 minutes. Orlando led by as many as 18 points early in the third quarter before Chicago turned up the defensive screws, with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen leading the charge. By the end of the third quarter, Chicago was only down two points. The Bulls would take the lead early in the fourth before Orlando responded to have a four-point lead with less than four minutes to go. However, the Bulls would finish the game on a 14-7 run to win by five and take a 2-0 series lead heading back to Orlando. 

5 Quick Observations from Game Two

1. Jordan and Pippen: The greatest defensive duo ever? Turn on the second half of this game to witness Jordan and Pippen singlehandedly change this game on the defensive end of the court. Both players were savages on this end of the floor during the third quarter, changing the entire complexion of the game with their defensive intensity and activity. Pippen held Hardaway to 0 points and 0 assists in the second half of Game Two, though Hardaway was dealing with lower-body stiffness. 

2. Chicago overcomes a sleepy start. Whether it was a hangover from the Game One blowout or Jordan being awarded the NBA's MVP award prior to Game Two, Chicago lacked much intensity during the first half, with the lone exception being Dennis Rodman, who continued to be a surprising offensive threat. Jordan didn't play for much of the second quarter and was rather passive at the beginning of the game. Pippen continued to struggle with his shot until getting going late in the game, as had been a trend with him during the 1996 NBA Playoffs, at least since the second-round series against the Knicks. 

3. Chicago had no answer for O'Neal in the first half. O'Neal simply dominated all Bulls in his way during the first 24 minutes, with Luc Longley, Rodman and Bill Wennington providing little resistance. O'Neal was unstoppable and scored at will during the first half, though the Bulls would limit him to just 10 points in the second half, with Rodman doing the yeoman's work on defense. 

4. Luc Longley flashes his inconsistency. After being one of Chicago's two top players in Game One, scoring 14 points on 7-for-9 from the field, Longley put up a goose egg in Game Two, getting outscored 36-0 by O'Neal. Longley found himself in foul trouble for much of the night and missed all five of his shots. He did contribute 8 rebounds. 

5. Phil Jackson coaches his best game of the playoffs. Jackson was masterful in the second half, inserting Jud Buechler during the third quarter, with the reserve forward teaming up with Jordan and Pippen to bring incredible defense. After not playing Randy Brown all game, Jackson inserted the defensive-minded guard late in the fourth quarter. Brown responded with tremendous defense, forcing a big steal and hitting two free throws after getting fouled on a run out off an Orlando turnover. Jackson was also not afraid to put the 6'8'' Rodman, who was actually much smaller than this listed height, on O'Neal as well. In short, Jackson pushed all the right defensive buttons during the second half of Game Two as Orlando and Head Coach Brian Hill looked like deer in the headlights as a result of the Bulls' pressure. 

What I remember from the day of Game Three: As it was the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, my grade-school buddy Jeff invited me over to watch this game at his Dad's apartment. Jeff had moved out to the suburbs after sixth grade, though we would get together as often as we could. Jeff's Dad had been renting a new apartment near Wrigley Field. As Jeff would spend the weekends with his Dad, he invited me over. We ended up walking to a card shop prior to the Bulls' game, with both us buying a framed poster of Jordan, Pippen and Rodman. After the game, Jeff came with me to a party that an eighth-grade girl in my class was having that night. All in all, it was a great day hanging out with Jeff, a good friend to this day, a guy I have known since kindergarten. 

What I remember from Game Three: I was ecstatic to find out as the game started that Grant would be out again, with Jon Koncak in his place. Honestly, this game was rather ho-hum, with the Bulls getting out to a big lead and controlling the game. Orlando seemed dead in the water after blowing Game Two in Chicago, and the Bulls came out ready to end this series, which they effectively did during a comfortable fashion. Jeff and I watched this game with great glee as the Bulls got up 3-0 without breaking much of a sweat this afternoon. I do remember Orlando seemingly getting frustrated, with Rodman getting under the skin of O'Neal. Mentally and physically, the Magic were a wounded animal during and after Game Three. 

After winning the first two games of the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals, the Chicago Bulls enjoyed three days of rest before playing the Orlando Magic in Game Three at the Orlando Arena. 

This game took place on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, which I often spent watching the Bulls play during the Eastern Conference Finals throughout my youth, essentially from third grade through my sophomore year of high school. 

NBC would always have the Bulls play on the Saturdays and Mondays of Memorial Day weekends, with me glued in front of the television. I have many memories of these Memorial Day weekend games, with Saturdays usually representing Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. 

If my memory serves me correct, Chicago was 5-1 during the Saturday games of Memorial Day weekend during their six championship seasons.  

Make the jump to read about my favorite and least favorite memories of the Chicago Bulls' Memorial Day weekend Saturday games from the championship seasons of 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998. 

After holding serve and winning the first two games of the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals within the friendly confines of the United Center, the Chicago Bulls prepared to battle the Orlando Magic in Game Three at the Orlando Arena, one of the toughest venues in all of the NBA at the time. 

With the Bulls heading to Orlando for Games Three and Four during Memorial Day Weekend, I started thinking about a strange game earlier that season between the Bulls and Magic. 

On Sunday, April 7, 1996, the Bulls visited Orlando, with the game broadcast on NBC at 2:30 p.m. Central Time. I remember sitting down and watching this game intently, as the Bulls were 65-8 at the time and trying to get to a record-breaking 70 wins. 

With the playoffs around the corner, and the opponent being a Magic team that had eliminated the Bulls the prior playoffs, this game figured to be a big measuring stick for Chicago. 

Ultimately, the Bulls defeated the Magic 90-86 on this day, though that was not the story of the game. 

For once that season, the Bulls had to take a backseat as Orlando Magic star Shaquille O'Neal had returned after missing two games following the death of his grandmother. From what I remember, Shaq arrived late to the game, which was the dominating narrative throughout the first quarter. Looking back, Shaq was apparently there pregame but did not take a seat on the bench until there was 3:30 remaining in the first quarter. 

I remember watching this game and getting a bit annoyed as all NBC Commentators Marv Albert and Matt Guokas talked about was Shaq's whereabouts.  To me, this game was a preview of a certain playoff rematch between the Bulls and Magic and deserved more focus. 

As the Bulls got out to a hot start, the discourse was all about Shaq, who would finally enter the game early in the second quarter. O'Neal's presence wouldn't matter as the Bulls seemingly controlled this game from start to finish. 

Eighth-grade me was ecstatic that the Bulls had beaten Orlando on the road, giving me confidence Chicago could do so in the playoffs. I also got a sneaky suspicion that something was off with the Magic, specifically how the Shaq situation was handled, allowing him to play in this game. Whatever the circumstances regarding Shaq's mysterious late entry into the game, I felt very confident that Chicago would beat Orlando in the playoffs coming out of this contest. 

Whereas the Bulls were laser-focused, the Magic seemed very distracted, which would portend good things for Chicago in the playoffs. Apparently, Head Coach Brian Hill did not want to put O'Neal in this game but was pressured to do so by Orlando's management. Was this the beginning of the end for Shaq in Orlando? 

Read the description of this video from LamarMatic, apparently a Lamar Odom fan, for more detail on the Shaq drama from this game. 

Near the end of Game Two of the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals between the Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls, TNT's Verne Lundquist had a funny remark about Dennis Rodman and his tell-all book at the time, Bad As I Wanna Be.

While praising Rodman's effort on the court, Lundquist quipped that he wasn't sure what it says about America that Rodman's book was #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list. 

The barb made me laugh and think about Rodman at the time of the 1996 NBA Playoffs. Playing his best ball of the playoffs, Rodman was more than a basketball player, rather a pop culture icon. At the end of Game Two, Rodman gave his jersey to Brian Knobbs, one half of wrestling's "The Nasty Boys." Lundquist commented on this interaction, clearly not knowing who Knobbs was, seeming weird out by the wrestler's appearance. 

It was clear that Rodman was the Bad Boy's Bad Boy. While eighth grade me fancied myself a bad boy, I was not, even when I tried to get my hand on Rodman's memoir. 

Interestingly enough, one of my buddies had the book and let me see it in eighth grade. I ended up reading a chapter and putting the book down, finding it too gossipy for my 13-year-old brain. 

While I was all about what Rodman was doing on the court for the Bulls, I could care less about all the drama off of it, including dressing up as a bride and marrying himself during a book signing in New York City during the 1996 NBA playoffs and later getting involved with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) during the 1998 NBA Finals. 

As long as Rodman was dominating on the glass, and the Bulls were winning, I was all good with the sideshow that came with The Worm, just as long as it didn't involve any criminal behavior. 

Sure, I owned a Rodman Bulls' jersey and enjoyed collecting the McDonald's cups where his hair color changed based on the temperature of the beverage, but at the end of the day I was all about the basketball being played. 

At this point Rodman was at his finest for the Bulls, and life was good with Chicago up 2-0 on the Orlando Magic. That's all that mattered to me, even as the Bulls were pop culture icons. 

For those interested, I have found someone who audio recorded Rodman's book on YouTube (thank you SupaFly is 187). As an aside, two years later, a Sunday night TV movie based on the book came out. I remember watching it and laughing with some of my friends the next day in high school about how corny and cheap the movie looked, especially the basketball scenes. 

For those inclined, make the jump to listen to Rodman's Bad As I Wanna Be from 1996, a great year when I graduated elementary school, the Bulls won their fourth championship of the 1990s, and most importantly, one of the most important books of the 20th century was written.  

by: Chris Maynard
([email protected]) 

Today is the 30th anniversary of Game Two between the Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals 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 series so far. 

Game 1 Recap: Chicago blitzed Orlando from the opening tip of Game One, ultimately winning by an astouding 38 points. Luc Longley and Dennis Rodman were the keys to Chicago getting out to a fast start, leading 10-0 before three minutes of game time had even been played. Orlando was able to hang around in the first half thanks to the outstanding and brilliant play of Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal. Unfortunately, the rest of the Magic's starters were no shows, with Nick Anderson, Dennis Scott and an injured Horace Grant combining to score a whopping two points. Chicago would blow open the game during the third quarter and keep its foot on Orlando's throat throughout the fourth. Utimately, Game One came down to Chicago dominating where it has been dominating all playoffs, rebounding, especially on the offensive glass, and second-chance points. 

5 Quick Observations from Game One 

1. Chicago came out ready not only to play but get revenge against Orlando. After losing to the Magic in six games the prior playoffs, and playing a ragged series against the Knicks in the second round, the Bulls wasted no time at the start of Game One sending a message to Orlando. Longley came out aggressive on both ends, looking to score on O'Neal. Ever focused despite a stomach virus, Rodman rebounded like a man possessed, as well as continuing his recent scoring throughout the playoffs. Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan and Ron Harper all came out looking to set a defensive tone, making things very tough on Anderson and Scott. Far and away, Game One was Chicago's best effort so far during the 1996 NBA Playoffs. 

2. Rodman continued to play his best ball of the playoffs. After having a relatively quiet first-round against the Miami Heat, Rodman continued to be a game changer for the Bulls, as was the case during the second round against the Knicks. Not worried about all of the distractions, Rodman had been singularly focused the past six games, dominating on the glass and scoring very efficiently, showing that he had more offensive game than he gave himself credit for. At one point during the third quarter of Game One, Rodman had one more rebound, 18, than Orlando had as a team, 17! In the last six games, Rodman has grabbed 12, 19, 16, 19, 12 and 21 rebounds! What has been especially impressive with Rodman has been his willingness to score when given the opportunities. As Rodman's career progressed with the Bulls, he became less and less interested in scoring. During the 1996 NBA Playoffs, Rodman was giving Chicago the best ball he would ever play during his three seasons with the team. 

3. Luc Longley earned his flowers. An underrated part of Chicago's second dynasty, Longley played maybe the best game of his career, not statistically, but in terms of impact. During his time in Chicago, Longley always had a nice offensive game, able to score in the post and hit the mid-range jumper. As seen with "The Last Dance," when Longley was wrongfully omitted from the documentary, Longley was someone who did not get enough credit during Chicago's second three-peat. Much bigger than Bill Cartwright, Longley could bang with a behemoth like O'Neal and keep the defense honest with his scoring. This was never more apparent than Game One against Orlando, where Longley set the tone on the first four possessions of the game, holding down the fort against O'Neal, dunking off an offensive rebound, stealing an entry pass, and hitting a half hook. Sometimes Longley could be his own worst enemy as he didn't always play to his potential, as Jordan pointed out years later, and could quickly get into foul trouble. Longley was more than just a big brute out there, a fifth starter in a loaded starting lineup. He had skill! As much as I like to dog Jerry Krause, getting Longley for Stacey King was a true steal of a trade!  

4. Before the injuries, Anfernee Hardaway was something else. Scottie Pippen is one of the greatest/most versatile defenders of all time. During Game One, Hardaway had his way with Pippen, which was quite shocking to see. Whether in the post, backcutting to the rim or hitting the three, Hardaway was phenomenal. At 6'7'', he was a true matchup nightmare at the point. After seeing Pippen struggle with Penny during Game One, I am going to watch closely how Chicago defended him in Game Two. The great thing about the Bulls is that they could throw three superb defenders at Hardaway in Pippen, Jordan and Ron Harper, who has been having a wonderful playoffs on both ends of the court. 

5. I forgot how good of a passer Shaquille O'Neal was. Shaq always overwhelmed with his size and skill, but his passing ability out of the double team was quite impressive during Game One. O'Neal found several teammates cutting to the basket as well as kicking it out for open threes. Sadly, I think I remember more of Shaq with the Lakers than I do the Magic. With Orlando, Shaq was a much more mobile and diverse player. 

What I remember from the day of Game Two: Orlando had a quick turnaround after getting embarrassed by Chicago in Game One, with Game Two taking place the following Tuesday night in Chicago. As I was winding down my eighth-grade school year, my parents started giving me some more leeway during the weeknights. On this Tuesday night they let me watch the game at my Uncle John's house. My cousin Brian and I were kind of messing around before the game, hanging out at our friend Farai and Simba's house two doors down. By the time we got back, the Bulls' game had already started, with Orlando up big. I remember watching this game, which I think started around 8 or 8:30 p.m., in the darkness of my Uncle's backyard. He would always bring a little television outside for the playoff games, which we would gather around during Chicago's second three-peat. For some reason, I especially remember watching this game, Game Three of the 1996 NBA Finals, Game Four of the 1997 NBA Finals, and Game 7 of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals in my Uncle's backyard. There was nothing better to kick off the summers watching Bulls' playoff games there with family and friends. 

What I remember from Game Two: The Bulls looked cooked, as the kids nowadays like to say, as Orlando got out to a huge lead in the first half. However, Chicago would come back in the second half, shocking Orlando and essentially ending this series. One of my best friends Jeff actually went to Game Two with his Mom and her boyfriend. As Jeff now lived in the suburbs, I remember meeting up with him for Game Three of this series, with him detailing his experience at the United Center for Game Two! 

After 30 games, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls were an amazing 27-3. 

Ten games later, the Bulls would improve to 37-3! 

As 1995 turned to 1996, I feel like my viewing attention with the Bulls picked up dramatically. With the Chicago Bears missing the playoffs, despite having an identical 9-7 record to the prior season, during which the team made the postseason, the Bulls became my number-one focus in Chicago sports. 

At this point and time, I was losing interest with DePaul basketball, especially since my childhood hero, a local player named Tom Kleinschmidt, had graduated the prior season. I was not quite an Illinois Fighting Illini diehard yet, as this campaign would be the last in Champaign for legendary Head Coach Lou Henson. 

With Jordan back in action, and NBC starting to show its Sunday games, I was hooked on watching as many Bulls' games as possible. Several games during this stretch, specifically road wins against the Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Bullets on the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, especially stand out. 

I began my three-day weekend by watching the Bulls take on the Sixers that Friday night (it was actually Saturday night) on WGN Channel 9. I remember being interested to see Jordan match up with fellow North Carolina Tar Heel Jerry Stackhouse, who was a rookie with the 76ers. Well, Jordan would give it to Stackhouse this night, at one point ball faking with one hand and driving past Stackhouse for a baseline jam. 

Up next for Chicago were the Washington Bullets on a Monday afternoon matinee game for MLK Jr. Day. Off from school, I remember sleeping over at my cousin Brian's house the night before. Our families had gathered to watch the NFC Championship game between the Green Bay Packers and eventual Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys. That Sunday night I stayed up late and discovered on my cousin's cable television the old Classic Sports Network. At the time, Classic Sports was shown from 11:30 p.m. to like 5 a.m. on some random cable channel. I was blown away that there was a network that showed old sports games. That Sunday night I rewatched a memorable Game 5 of the first-round of the 1994 NBA Playoffs, when the Denver Nuggets upset the Seattle Supersonics to became the first eight-seed to beat a one-seed. Speaking of the Sonics, Chicago would get revenge against Seattle during this stretch of games, making up for a road loss from the night of my 14th birthday. 

Back to MLK Day, I remember watching the Bulls crush the Bullets, with Jordan at one time palming the ball over the head of a defenseless Tim Legler, as if he was teasing a cat with a ball of string. After the game, my Uncle John came home early from work and took Brian, his friend Farai and me out to McDonald's before dropping me off at home. 

I have "scoured" the Internet, specifically YouTube, for Games 31-40. For the first time during this retrospective, all 10 games are available in their entirety on YouTube. 

Make the jump to view Games 31-40 and link to the box scores as Chicago goes a perfect 10-0 during this stretch of the 1995-96 season. 

Today is the 30th anniversary of Game One between the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals 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 series so far. 

What I remember from this day: This Sunday afternoon game feels like yesterday. Tip off was at 2:30 p.m. on NBC. I eagerly sat down in front of the television in my living room, knowing that I could only watch the first half. Eighth-grade me had the championship game of my elementary school's Intramurals basketball league at 4:00 p.m. I was nervous about both games, more so about the Magic and Bulls after Orlando knocked out Chicago during the 1995 NBA Playoffs. I should have been more worried about the Intramurals championship game as my team got its collective butts kicked. I had a horrible shooting game. I remember during one possession of the game I had three three-pointers from the same spot on the floor. I missed all three shots, symbolic of how things went that day. My friend Mike and I played terrible against our eighth-grade classmate Todd, who was the best player on our grade-school team. Honestly, we were lucky to be in the championship game as we should have lost in the semifinals a couple of days before, had it not been for Mike hitting a game-winning layup in overtime. What the Magic were to the Bulls on this day, my team was to my opponent on this day, mince meat. :-) 

What I remember from this game: The Bulls came out like gangbusters, absolutely kicking Orlando's butt in the first half of this game, so much so that when I had to leave for my basketball game, I felt very confident the outcome was already decided. I remember Luc Longley getting off to a great start against Shaquille O'Neal, and Dennis Rodman playing with a lot of energy.  After limping past the Knicks, the Bulls were a hungry team for several reasons. First, Chicago knew it had to be better than it was against New York last round to defeat Orlando and win the championship. Second, revenge was clearly on the mind of the Bulls as Orlando had knocked them out the year before. It was safe to say the Magic were shell-shocked during Game One, unable to counter punch a Chicago onslaught from the opening tip to the final horn. Talk about a great way to begin the series for the Bulls, which got the United Center rocking early and often during this thumping of the Magic. Additionally, Greg Gumbel called this game for NBC. I always liked Gumbel as a play-by-play man for the NBA back in the day.

Here is Game One between the Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls. I highly suggest watching the introduction of the Bulls' starting lineups. It will get your pulse running! Also these blue Orlando Magic uniforms were just beautiful. As an aside, I remember my parents getting me a red Dennis Rodman Bulls' jersey and this blue Penny Hardaway Magic jersey for my birthday as an eighth grader. Another family member bought me the black Michael Jordan Bulls' jersey for my birthday. I still have the Jordan jersey. I gave away the Rodman and Hardaway jerseys to younger cousins when I outgrew them. What a great time it was to be a kid! 

Prior to Game Five of the second-round series against the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls' forward Toni Kukoc was awarded the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award for the 1995-96 season. This glorious season proved to be the Year of the Bull when it came to NBA accolades, with Michael Jordan winning the league's MVP and Phil Jackson earning the Coach of the Year. Even at that season's All-Star Game weekend, Jordan was named the exhibition's MVP while Steve Kerr won the three-point shooting contest. 

Back to Kukoc, he did not  even play the last three games of the Knicks' series as he dealt with a back injury. After having an all-around great series starting for Dennis Rodman against the Miami Heat, Kukoc struggled during the first two games of the New York series. Entering the Eastern Conference Finals, Kukoc was mired in a shooting slump, just 1-for-24 from three during the playoffs.

As Chicago prepared to take on the very dangerous Orlando Magic, the Bulls desperately needed a healthy and best version of Kukoc, a player in Chicago whom had a bit of a "soft" label at the time. As great of an offensive player Kukoc was, he had a knock as being averse to defense and contact down low, despite being 6'11''. 

After starting at power forward against the Magic during the second-round series of the 1995 NBA Playoffs, Kukoc was clearly seen as not the answer at the position, one reason why Chicago ended up trading for Rodman. 

As the Bulls prepared for the Magic, I seem to remember Chicago media questioning Kukoc's toughness, wondering if he was truly hurt against the Knicks and if he didn't want to participate in the physical series. 

Unfortunately for Kukoc, such unfair criticism was par for the course during his early tenure with the Bulls, in large part due to how Chicago General Manager Jerry Krause seemingly adored him more than Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. In turn, the superstar duo took out their wrath on Kukoc, years before he had even come to the United States to play for the Bulls. 

Heck, I'll admit that I did not always recognize Kukoc's greatness at the time. It was easy to pile on the kid when things weren't going well. Jordan and Pippen were especially hard on Kukoc, through no fault of his one, though they knew he belonged on the Bulls. 

Sadly, Kukoc deserved better, though his greatness is truly appreciated many years later. Without Kukoc, Chicago does not win three-straight titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998. 

While those Bulls' team are remembered for Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and Jackson, Kukoc deserves just as much recognition, earning a fifth spot on Chicago's Mount Rushmore for this time period. 

Make the jump to read more about Kukoc rising above the doubts to be an invaluable member of the Bulls' title-winning teams. 

How perspectives often change with time and...uniforms! 

Consider the power forward matchup between the Orlando Magic's Horace Grant and the Chicago Bulls' Dennis Rodman entering the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals. 

Just a few years before this series, Grant was a hero to Chicago fans, the starting power forward on the team's first three championship teams in 1991, 1992 and 1993. 

As for Rodman, he was a hated member of the Bad Boys' Detroit Pistons, with his cheap shot of Scottie Pippen during Game Four of the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals a searing reminder of his boorish brutality. 

Now wearing different uniforms and colored goggles and hair, in the case of Grant and Rodman, respectively, Grant was considered the villain, Rodman the antihero prior to the much-anticipated rematch of a second-round series between Chicago and Orlando in 1995. 

Drafted out of Clemson University with the 10th overall pick of the 1987 NBA Draft, Grant was always linked with his Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen, whom Chicago acquired in that same draft. After Seattle selected Central Arkansas' "Scott" Pippen with the fifth overall pick of the 1987 draft, Chicago selected Virginia's Olden Polynice with the 8th overall pick. The Bulls then traded the rights to Polynice, along with a second-round pick in the 1988 NBA Draft, to Seattle for the rights to Pippen. 

Ultimately, the development of Pippen into an All-Star and Grant into the third best player on the Bulls was what keyed Chicago's rise from Michael and the Jordanaires to a championship level team. By their fourth seasons, Pippen and Grant were well-established, major contributors on a squad that would defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in five games during the 1991 NBA Finals. 

Of course, being in the shadow of Jordan was not easy for Pippen and especially Grant, who often felt overlooked on those Bulls' teams. While Pippen joined Jordan on All-Star teams and the original Dream Team, Grant was left in the shadows, despite being a terrific player. 

At 6'10'', Grant was a rangy forward with an automatic mid-range jumper. Defensively, Grant provided great versatility, especially when Chicago would press, with Grant often releasing and bringing off-ball pressure, leading to turnovers and easy transition baskets for the Bulls. 

By the time Jordan retired after the 1993 NBA Finals, Chicago had won three straight titles, with Grant's overlooked block of Kevin Johnson sealing the last championship. 

Grant's contributions to the Bulls were recognized during the ensuing 1993-94 season when Pippen, B.J. Armstrong and he were selected as starters on the Eastern Conference's All-Star team. Playing during the last year of his contract, Grant figured to be in store for a big payday, a problem when it came to the Chicago Bulls. 

Make the jump to read more about Grant's free-agent decision to leave Chicago and join the rising Orlando Magic.

by: Chris Maynard
([email protected])

After cruising past the Miami Heat and winning ugly against the New York Knicks during the first two rounds of the 1996 NBA Playoffs, the Chicago Bulls were preparing to step up in competition. 

Fresh off a sweep of the Detroit Pistons and five-game victory against the Atlanta Haws during the first and second rounds, the Orlando Magic represented the future of the NBA behind young superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and former Chicago Bull Horace Grant. 

After knocking out Michael Jordan and the Bulls in six games during the second-round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs, the Magic were eventually swept in the Finals by the Houston Rockets. 

Despite this surprising loss to Houston, and being the two-seed to Chicago's one-seed, the Magic entered the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals as formidable foes for the Bulls, which were seeking revenge for last year's disappointing defeat to Orlando during a series where Michael Jordan looked mortal and did not seem like his old self. 

Throughout the 1995-96 season, a playoff rematch between Chicago and Orlando seemed inevitable, with the 1995 playoffs serving as a reminder that the Bulls were no sure thing against the Magic. 

Make the jump to review Orlando's second-round victory against the Bulls during the 1995 NBA Playoffs. 

by: Chris Maynard
([email protected]) 

I have watched and reviewed Chicago's 4-1 series victory against the New York in the second round of the 1996 NBA Playoffs. 

Here are the total stats for the series and my recaps for each game: 

• Game 1 Recap: Chicago 91, New York 84. 
• Game 2 Recap: Chicago 91, New York 80. 
• Game 3 Recap: New York 102, Chicago 99. 
• Game 4 Recap: Chicago 94, New York 91. 
• Game 5 Recap: Chicago 94, New York 81. 

5 Quick Observations/Revelations from Game 5

1. New York lost this game in the first half. With the Bulls off to a slow offensive start with shots not falling, New York had a chance to go up nine in the second quarter but failed to do so. Overall, New York lacked enough urgency to get up on the Bulls, which was not playing all that great. For a team in an elimination game, New York needed more desperation but let the Bulls hang around. 

2. Chicago survives with spurts of offense. Once again, it felt like the Knicks were in control for major parts of this game until the Bulls finished with offensive flurries at the end of the first quarter to tie the game at 18 and the end of the second-quarter to go up six at the break. For a team that couldn't find the offensive rhythm for large chunks of this series, Chicago's ability to go on quick runs really proved huge. The Bulls came out looking to kill in the third quarter and essentially put the game away in that frame.

3. This game was a bit of a snooze to watch. The first half of this game was hard to watch, as Chicago's offense really stalled out and New York did not take advantage.  Chicago had the luxury of feeling things out, New York did not. The second half picked up a bit, but overall, this might have been the most boring game of the series. 

4. Pippen gets hot when it matters. Like in Game Three, Pippen struggled with his shot but got on a couple of quick heaters that really changed the game. Pippen found his shot late in the second quarter and early in the third quarter, which coincided with when the Bulls took control of the game. When Pippen has been scoring in the 1996 playoffs, the Bulls have been virtually unbeatable. 

5. The little things are big. Game Five felt like history repeating itself. New York was playing decent defense while Chicago was struggling to hit shots. Yet the Bulls did all the little things to turn these games, like extending possessions on the offensive glass. Conversely, New York did all of the little things wrong when it mattered, having inopportune turnovers, failing to block out, etc. The Knicks were much closer than this five-game series indicated yet still so far away. 

1. Rebounding: Chicago outrebounded New York 227 to 188 in the series, including having 84 offensive rebounds to New York's 45 rebounds, an astounding +39 in that area, leading to #2.

2. Field Goal Attempts: While New York shot better than the Bulls, 44% to roughly 41%, Chicago had 71 more field goal attempts as a result of the offensive rebounding domination. 

3. Turnovers: New York nearly committed 30 more turnovers than the Bulls this series, (98 to 70), often at the worst times, a credit to the Bulls' defense as well as the Knicks' poor decision making. 

4. Fourth-quarter performances: Each game was close heading into the fourth quarter, where Chicago was the better team with the exception of Game Four, which the Bulls stole late in the game's final two minutes. 

5. Backcourt differential: Jordan averaged 36 points per game this series while John Starks and Derek Harper combined for roughly 25 points. Ron Harper averaged nearly 11 points a game, with Chicago having a 47 to 25 advantage in back-court scoring each game. 

by: Chris Maynard
([email protected]) 

Today is the 30th anniversary of Game Five between the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference second-round series 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 series so far. 

Game 4 Recap: The series seemed to be on the verge of heading back to Chicago tied at two games apiece before the Bulls stole the game late on a short baseline jumper from Bill Wennington. New York was down double digits early in the fourth quarter before chipping away at the foul line as the officiating was incredibly tight all night long. Patrick Ewing almost carried the Knicks to victory late, but it was ultimately Chicago's works on the offensive boards that proved the difference. Chicago has been +6, +5, +2, and +19 on the offensive boards during the first four games, leading to 60 more shot attempts than the Knicks! 

5 Quick Observations from Game 4

1.  That was weird. In the fourth quarter, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen combined for the same number of points, four, that reserve Bill Wennington gave the Bulls in the last two minutes. Wennington had a dunk and short jumper set up both times by Dennis Rodman of all people to steal Game Four and give Chicago a commanding 3-1 lead. Jordan was 0-for-6 from the field in the fourth and did not score until he hit two free throws with 11 seconds left in the game. Pippen had an alley-oop layup from Jordan with just over a minute left for his only basket in the fourth quarter. Pippen played a rather passive game during which he only took 11 shots. 

2. Dennis Rodman proved his worth during the two games in New York. Rodman played 51 and 41 minutes in Games Three and Four, respectively, staying on the court and avoiding technicals (he had just one early in Game Four). Ten of his 19 rebounds in Game Four came on the offensive glass, where Chicago had a 23-4 advantage against the Knicks. Chicago outrebounded New York 46-28 in Game Four. 

3. Chicago's bench/role players really stepped up. With Toni Kukoc out for the second straight game with a back injury, the Bulls had to steal minutes all night long. Beside Wennington's late heroics, scoring all 4 points late in the game,  Randy Brown contributed 8 points, Steve Kerr 7 points, Jud Buechler 6 points, John Salley 2 points and James Edwards 2 points. Starter Ron Harper had a big game, scoring 18. Chicago got contributions from all who played.

4. Phil Jackson should have played Wennington and Buechler more. Wennington only got 7 minutes and was not inserted in the second half until there was less than two minutes to go. He had been having a very solid series in limited minutes. Despite going 3-for-3 from the field in the second quarter, Buechler did not play in the second half. While Jackson was searching for minutes all night to rest Rodman, Jordan and Pippen, who played so much in Game Three, the Zen Master missed the opportunity to use Wennington and Buechler more. 

5. Ewing did not get the support he needed. While Ewing finished with a game-high 29 points compared to Jordan's 27 points, the Knicks' big man did not have enough support. After scoring 13 points early in the game, Derek Harper finished with 15 points. Anthony Mason had only two shots all night while a frustrated John Starks took a lot of bad shots en route to an inefficient 13 points on 4-for-11 from the field. With the exception of Charles Oakley, who had 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting, the rest of the Knicks were not good enough. As a team New York should have been embarrassed by the poor job it did boxing out Chicago on the boards. 

What I remember from this day of Game Five: This was a Tuesday, the day of my eighth-grade class's big trip to Springfield, Illinois. I remember we had to show up to school at like 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. to board the bus. The day was quite long but fun, as we visited Abraham Lincoln's home and the State Capitol. By the time we got home, it was like 10:30 p.m. My Mom let me skip school the next day. I caught up on sleep, only to be interrupted in the afternoon by a phone call from my Uncle John, who had some good news. My cousin Kaitlyn had just been born, with the baby and my Aunt Donna healthy and doing fine. Amazingly, Kaitlyn is turning 30 today, which we will be celebrating one of these upcoming weekends. 

What I remember from Game Five: We were on the road back from our trip. With no televisions on the charter bus, one of my buddies named Dan got the game on his Walkman radio. He turned it up, and we listened the best we could while driving home. I remember Dan informing us that the Bulls had won and ended the series, which made me extremely happy. Jordan would famously wave goodbye to Spike Lee as the Bulls closed out the series. 

If it's not broken, why fix it? 

After getting off to an amazing 18-2 start through the first 20 games of the 1995-96 season, the Chicago Bulls would follow a similar theme, losing just one game during its next ten contests. 

That loss would come the day after Christmas, to the Indiana Pacers at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Of all the road venues Chicago played in during its championship runs, Market Square Arena always seemed to be the toughest for the Bulls, a notoriously awesome team away from the Chicago Stadium and United Center.  This would be apparent during the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals, when Chicago lost all three games in Indianapolis before prevailing during a tight Game 7 back home. 

Looking back at Games 21-30 of the 1995-96 season, nothing jumps out at me in terms of personal memories, though one thing certainly caught my eye. Chicago did not play on Christmas Day, which seemed odd. On December 25, 1995, NBC broadcasted a doubleheader of San Antonio versus Phoenix and Houston at Orlando, a rematch of the 1995 NBA Finals. It seems odd that the schedule makers did not have Chicago and Orlando face off on Christmas Day as the Magic had defeated the Bulls in six games during the second-round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs. 

Speaking of Houston, the defending two-time champion, Chicago would meet the Rockets during this stretch, winning 100-86 at home. As this game was on cable and during the school week, I wasn't able to watch it, though I remember being ecstatic seeing that the Bulls had won during the 10 p.m. news. By defeating Houston during the first game of the new calendar year, Chicago was sending a message that it was going to reclaim what had been the Bulls three of the last five seasons, the NBA championship. 

I have "scoured" the Internet, specifically YouTube, for Games 21-30, with only two full games missing from this stretch, though highlights have been included. 

by: Chris Maynard
([email protected]) 

Today is the 30th anniversary of Game Four between the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference second-round series 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 series so far. 

Game 3 Recap: A Saturday afternoon matinee, Game Three was very similar to the first two games of the series, with a few exceptions. Rather than the Chicago Bulls getting out to an early lead, the New York Knicks were the team to do so at Madison Square Garden. New York seemed to be on cruise control with a 13-point lead with about five minutes to go, but the Knicks were done in again by fourth-quarter issues as Chicago stormed back behind Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Jordan hit a three with just under 20 seconds to go to tie the game, and the Bulls had a final shot to win in regulation. Luckily for New York, Chicago did not muster much of a good look, and the game went to overtime. Unlike the first two games of the series, Knicks' center Patrick Ewing was big when the game mattered most, scoring 13 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Ewing made two big baskets in overtime to give the Knicks a 98-97 lead that it would not relinquish. The Knicks were led by John Starks, who broke out of a shooting slump from the first two games to score 30 points. After having chances to steal Games One and Two, New York finally broke through in Game Three, which the Bulls almost stole late in regulation. With Game Four happening within 24 hours of a Game Three classic, the Knicks seemed to have some momentum on their side. Down Toni Kukoc again, would the Bulls be able to respond, especially after Dennis Rodman and Jordan played more than 50 minutes in Game Three? 

1) Of the six games I have reviewed so far during the Bulls' championship run during the 1996 NBA Playoffs, this was by far the most exciting to rewatch. It's been 30 years, but the intense atmosphere of Madison Square Garden could still be felt today. For my money there was no better team than the Knicks to watch the Bulls play on the road in the playoffs back then. What an atmosphere! 

2) While the modern NBA is about all player maintenance and load management, Game Three harkened back to when players were warriors. Rodman, Jordan and Pippen played 52, 51 and 49 minutes, respectively, despite being in their thirties as Toni Kukoc was out with a back injury. Four out of five Knicks starters played at least 40 minutes, with the lone exception being Derek Harper, who played 39 minutes. Game Three reminded me of a time when NBA players had pride, winning took precedent before anything else, and the game meant something to these players.  

3) Starks and Ewing deserve flowers for their Game Three performances. Starks was active from the jump, scoring the first two points of the game on a jumper, after really struggling the first two games in Chicago. Ewing responded from his fourth-quarter struggles to do whatever it took to win Game Three. 

4) Whenever people want to have the G.O.A.T. debate, turn on the fourth quarter of Game Three and watch Jordan go to work in the final five minutes. That was something to behold. Jordan had 16 of his 46 points in the fourth quarter. As for Pippen, he continued to shake off rough shooting performances to deliver when it mattered in the fourth quarter. Jordan and Pippen scored 35 of Chicago's 39 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, certainly looking like the greatest duo the game has ever seen. 

5) Bill Wennington and Steve Kerr continued to have under-the-radar good series against the Knicks. In limited minutes Wennington did some nice things for the third straight game. It was no coincidence that Wennington was the first Bulls' big off the bench in Game Three after his production in the first two games. Wennington's familiarity with Ewing, having played against the Georgetown legend while at St. John's, was certainly a factor in his solid play. As for Kerr, he hit some important shots to keep the Bulls within striking distance during the first three quarters. His back-to-back steals of Charlie Ward and John Starks reveal how Kerr was a hard worker on defense for not being the biggest or quickest guy out there. Overall, Kerr gave the Bulls 25 solid minutes on a night he was needed with Kukoc out. While Kerr's significance on these Bulls' title teams is overblown nowadays, given his status as Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors, he deserves credit for playing well through the first three games of this series. 

What I remember from Game Four: Of course, it was Mother's Day so I watched this game with family at my grandparents' house as we celebrated the special occasion. I remember being very stressed this game, which went back-and-forth throughout the fourth quarter, thinking at one point that New  York was going to win and even the series at two. I think I was having flashbacks of Game Four of 1992 second-round series between the Knicks and Bulls. That game was also played at Madison Square Garden on Mother's Day, with my family watching at my grandparents' house. Thankfully, the Bulls would experience a different fate in 1996, with Wennington hitting a go-ahead jumper to give Chicago the victory during another tight contest.