1996–97 Chicago Bulls season

1996–97 Chicago Bulls season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coach Phil Jackson
Owner(s) Jerry Reinsdorf
Arena United Center
Results
Record 69–13 (.841)
Place Division: 1st (Central)
Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish NBA Champions
(Defeated Jazz 4–2)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television WGN-TV
SportsChannel Chicago
Radio WMVP

The 1996–97 NBA season was the Bulls' 31st season in the National Basketball Association.[1] The Bulls entered the season as defending NBA champions, having defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals in six games, winning their fourth NBA championship. During the offseason, the Bulls signed free agent Robert Parish, who won championships with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s. The Bulls, on the backs of recording another first-place finish in their division and conference, repeated as NBA champions. The Bulls were led by Michael Jordan, rebound ace Dennis Rodman and perennial All-Star small forward Scottie Pippen, with the latter two (Jordan and Pippen) both being selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game. Other notable players on the club's roster that year were clutch-specialist Croatian Toni Kukoč, and sharp-shooting point guard Steve Kerr.

The Bulls got off to a fast start winning their first twelve games, while posting a 42–6 record before the All-Star break. During the final month of the regular season, the team signed free agent Brian Williams, who played in the final nine games. Though, the Bulls look to make history against the New York Knicks in their final regular season game of the year, Pippen missed a game-winning 3 and they finished with a 69–13 record, just missing out on becoming the first team in NBA history to have back-to-back 70 wins seasons.[2] Jordan led the league in scoring once again averaging 29.6 points per game.

In the playoffs, the Bulls would sweep the Washington Bullets in three straight games in the first round. In the semifinals, they defeated the Atlanta Hawks in five games, despite losing Game 2 at the United Center 103–95. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they defeated the Miami Heat in five games to advance to the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Utah Jazz in six games for their fifth title in seven years. Following the season, Parish retired,[3] and Williams signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons.

Offseason

NBA draft

Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 29 Travis Knight C  United States UConn

Roster

Chicago Bulls roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
PG 1 United States Brown, Randy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) New Mexico State
SF 30 United States Buechler, Jud 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Arizona
PF 35 United States Caffey, Jason 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Alabama
PG 9 United States Harper, Ron 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Miami (OH)
SG 23 United States Jordan, Michael 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) North Carolina
PG 25 United States Kerr, Steve 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Arizona
SF 7 Croatia Kukoc, Toni 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Croatia
C 13 Australia Longley, Luc 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 265 lb (120 kg) New Mexico
C 00 United States Parish, Robert 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Centenary
SF 33 United States Pippen, Scottie 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Central Arkansas
PF 91 United States Rodman, Dennis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) SE Oklahoma State
PF 8 United States Simpkins, Dickey 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 248 lb (112 kg) Providence
SF 6 United States Steigenga, Matt 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Michigan State
C 34 Canada Wennington, Bill  7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) St. John's
C 18 United States Williams, Brian 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Arizona
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Chicago Bulls 6913.841–39–230–1124–4
x-Atlanta Hawks 5626.6831336–520–2117–11
x-Detroit Pistons 5428.6591530–1124–1717–11
x-Charlotte Hornets 5428.6591530–1124–1714–14
Cleveland Cavaliers 4240.5122725–1617–2413–15
Indiana Pacers 3943.4763021–2018–2311–17
Milwaukee Bucks 3349.4023620–2113–2810–18
Toronto Raptors 3052.3663918–2312–296–22

Record vs. opponents

1996–97 NBA records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA VAN WAS
Atlanta —3–11–31–33–12–01–11–32–01–13–12–01–11–24–02–03–11–33–14–01–12–02–02–01–14–01–12–02–1
Boston 1–3—0–40–41–21–11–10–41–10–21–20–21–10–41–30–20–40–40–41–31–11–10–21–10–23–10–20–20–4
Charlotte 3–14–0—0–43–11–12–02–22–02–02–21–11–11–22–22–04–03–11–24–01–10–22–02–02–02–20–22–03–1
Chicago 3–14–04–0—3–12–02–03–12–01–14–02–01–12–24–02–03–12–23–04–02–02–02–02–02–03–11–12–02–1
Cleveland 1–32–11–31–3—2–01–12–21–10–23–12–01–10–42–22–04–01–32–23–01–11–12–00–20–23–11–12–01–3
Dallas 0–21–11–10–20–2—3–10–20–40–41–12–20–40–20–21–31–11–11–12–01–31–32–21–31–30–21–33–10–2
Denver 1–11–10–20–21–11–3—0–21–31–30–21–30–40–21–10–41–10–20–21–12–20–42–22–20–41–10–43–11–1
Detroit 3–14–02–21–32–22–02–0—2–01–13–12–01–10–43–12–04–01–22–22–10–21–11–12–01–13–11–12–04–0
Golden State 0–21–10–20–21–14–03–10–2—0–41–11–30–40–21–11–32–00–21–12–00–42–21–34–00–42–00–43–10–2
Houston 1–12–00–21–12–04–03–11–14–0—1–13–13–10–21–14–02–01–10–22–02–22–24–03–13–11–12–23–12–0
Indiana 1–32–12–20–41–31–12–01–31–11–1—2–01–11–32–22–02–21–31–33–01–11–11–11–11–14–00–22–01–3
L.A. Clippers 0–22–01–10–20–22–23–10–23–11–30–2—2–20–22–01–31–10–21–11–12–20–42–24–01–32–01–34–00–2
L.A. Lakers 1–11–11–11–11–14–04–01–14–01–31–12–2—1–12–03–12–01–11–12–04–01–34–02–23–11–11–34–02–0
Miami 2–14–02–12–24–02–02–04–02–02–03–12–01–1—4–01–13–11–32–23–12–01–12–02–00–23–10–22–03–1
Milwaukee 0–43–12–20–42–22–01–11–31–11–12–20–20–20–4—0–22–11–22–23–11–10–20–21–11–13–11–12–01–3
Minnesota 0–22–00–20–20–23–14–00–23–10–40–23–11–31–12–0—2–01–11–11–13–12–20–44–00–41–11–34–01–1
New Jersey 1–34–00–41–30–41–11–10–40–20–22–21–10–21–31–20–2—2–21–32–21–10–21–12–01–10–30–22–01–3
New York 3–14–01–32–23–11–12–02–12–01–13–12–01–13–12–11–12–2—3–13–21–11–12–02–00–23–01–12–04–0
Orlando 1–34–02–10–32–21–12–02–21–12–03–11–11–12–22–21–13–11–3—2–21–12–01–11–11–14–00–21–11–3
Philadelphia 0–43–10–40–40–30–21–11–20–20–20–31–10–21–31–31–12–22–32–2—1–11–10–21–10–21–30–22–01–3
Phoenix 1–11–11–10–21–13–12–22–04–02–21–12–20–40–21–11–31–11–11–11–1—1–34–03–12–20–21–32–21–1
Portland 0–21–12–00–21–13–14–01–12–22–21–14–03–11–12–02–22–01–10–21–13–1—2–24–01–30–22–24–00–2
Sacramento 0–22–00–20–20–22–22–21–13–10–41–12–20–40–22–04–01–10–21–12–00–42–2—3–11–31–10–44–00–2
San Antonio 0–21–10–20–22–03–12–20–20–41–31–10–42–20–21–10–40–20–21–11–11–30–41–3—0–41–11–31–30–2
Seattle 1–12–00–20–22–03–14–01–14–01–31–13–11–32–01–14–01–12–01–12–02–23–13–14–0—2–01–34–02–0
Toronto 0–41–32–21–31–32–01–11–30–21–10–40–21–11–31–31–13–00–30–43–12–02–01–11–10–2—1–11–12–2
Utah 1–12–02–01–11–13–14–01–14–02–22–03–13–12–01–13–12–01–12–02–03–12–24–03–13–11–1—4–02–0
Vancouver 0–22–00–20–20–21–31–30–21–31–30–20–40–40–20–20–40–20–21–10–22–20–40–43–10–41–10–4—1–1
Washington 1–24–01–31–23–12–01–10–42–00–23–12–00–21–33–11–13–10–43–13–11–12–02–02–00–22–20–21–1—

Game log

Regular season

1996–97 game log
Total: 69–13 (Home: 39–2; Road: 30–11)
November: 15–1 (Home: 6–0; Road: 9–1)
December : 12–3 (Home: 8–1; Road: 4–2)
January : 13–1 (Home: 7–0; Road: 6–1)
February : 10–2 (Home: 6–0; Road: 4–2)
March : 12–2 (Home: 8–0; Road: 4–2)
April : 7–4 (Home: 4–1; Road: 3–3)
1996–97 schedule

Playoffs

1997 playoff game log
Total: 15–4 (Home: 10–1; Road: 5–3)
First Round: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0)
Conference Semifinals : 4–1 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–0)
Conference Finals : 4–1 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–1)
NBA Finals : 4–2 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–2)
1996–97 schedule

Playoffs

East First Round

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Washington Bullets Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(CHI-WAS)

 Venue Recap Television
1 April 25 Chicago 98 Washington 86 1-0 United Center, Chicago 1 TNT
2 April 27 Chicago 109 Washington 104 2-0 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 2 NBC
3 April 30 Washington 95 Chicago 96 3-0 US Airways Arena, Landover, Maryland 3 TNT
Chicago wins series 3–0

East Conference Semifinals

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Eastern Conference First Round (Chicago won 3-0)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(CHI-ATL)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 6 Chicago 100 Atlanta 97 1-0 United Center, Chicago 1 TNT
2 May 8 Chicago 95 Atlanta 103 1-1 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 2 TNT
3 May 10 Atlanta 80 Chicago 100 2-1 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta 3 NBC
4 May 11 Atlanta 80 Chicago 89 3-1 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 4 NBC
5 May 13 Chicago 107 Atlanta 92 4-1 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 5 TNT
Chicago wins series 4–1

East Conference Finals

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Miami Heat Last Playoff Meeting: 1996 Eastern Conference First Round (Chicago won 3-0)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(CHI-MIA)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 20 Chicago 84 Miami 77 1-0 United Center, Chicago 1 TNT
2 May 22 Chicago 75 Miami 68 2-0 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 2 TNT
3 May 24 Miami 74 Chicago 98 3-0 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 3 NBC
4 May 26 Miami 87 Chicago 80 3-1 Miami Arena, Miami, Florida 4 NBC
5 May 28 Chicago 100 Miami 87 4-1 United Center, Chicago, Illinois 5 NBC
Chicago wins series 4–1

Player stats

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Randy Brown 72314.7.420.182.6791.51.81.12.244.7
Jud Buechler 7609.2.367.333.3571.7.8.30.281.8
Jason Caffey 751918.7.532.000.6594.01.2.33.127.3
Bison Dele 9015.3.413.000.7333.71.3.33.567.0
Ron Harper 767422.9.436.362.7072.52.51.13.506.3
Michael Jordan 828237.9.486.374.8335.94.31.71.5429.6
Steve Kerr 82022.7.533.464.8061.62.1.82.048.1
Toni Kukoč 571528.2.471.331.7704.64.51.05.5113.2
Luc Longley 595924.9.456.000.7925.62.4.391.129.1
Robert Parish 4339.4.490.000.6772.1.5.14.443.7
Scottie Pippen 828237.7.474.368.7016.55.71.88.5520.2
Dennis Rodman 555435.4.448.263.56816.13.1.58.355.7
Dickey Simpkins 4808.2.333.250.7001.9.6.10.101.9
Matt Steigenga 206.0.250.000.5001.51.0.50.501.5
Bill Wennington 611912.8.498.000.8302.1.7.16.184.6

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Randy Brown 175.8.300.000.600.6.4.47.121.2
Jud Buechler 187.7.419.333.6001.3.3.17.061.8
Jason Caffey 179.8.455.000.7862.5.9.18.182.4
Bison Dele 1917.7.481.000.5163.7.61.00.426.1
Ron Harper 1927.1.400.344.7504.33.01.26.747.5
Michael Jordan 1942.3.456.194.8317.94.81.58.8931.1
Steve Kerr 1917.9.429.381.929.91.1.89.115.0
Toni Kukoč 1922.3.360.358.7072.82.8.68.217.9
Luc Longley 1922.7.548.000.3854.41.8.37.846.5
Robert Parish 29.0.143.000.0002.0.0.001.501.0
Scottie Pippen 1939.6.417.345.7916.83.81.47.9519.2
Dennis Rodman 1928.2.370.250.5778.41.4.53.214.2

NBA finals

Schedule

  • Game 1 – June 1, Sunday @Chicago, Chicago 84, Utah 82: Chicago leads series 1-0
  • Game 2 – June 4, Wednesday @Chicago, Chicago 97, Utah 85: Chicago leads series 2-0
  • Game 3 – June 6, Friday @Utah, Utah 104, Chicago 93: Chicago leads series 2-1
  • Game 4 – June 8, Sunday @Utah, Utah 78, Chicago 73: Series tied 2-2
  • Game 5 – June 11, Wednesday @Utah, Chicago 90, Utah 88: Chicago leads series 3-2
  • Game 6 – June 13, Friday @Chicago, Chicago 90, Utah 86: Chicago wins series 4-2

The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage's (Chicago's) home court (United Center).

Game 1

Sunday, June 1, at the United Center

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Utah 182422 1882
Chicago 172124 2284

Game 2

Wednesday, June 4, at the United Center

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Utah 201128 2685
Chicago 252231 1997

Game 3

Friday, June 6, at the Delta Center

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Chicago 222315 3393
Utah 313015 27104

Game 4

Sunday, June 8, at the Delta Center

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Chicago 162416 1773
Utah 211421 2278

Game 5: The Flu Game

Wednesday, June 11, at the Delta Center

Game 5, often referred to as "The Flu Game", was one of Michael Jordan's most memorable. Just 24 hours earlier, on June 10, 1997, Michael Jordan woke up nauseated and sweating profusely. He hardly had the strength to sit up in bed and was diagnosed with a stomach virus or food poisoning. The Bulls trainers told Jordan that there was no way he could play in the game. The Jazz had just won two in a row to tie the series, and Chicago needed their leader in this critical swing game. Against all odds, Jordan rose from bed at 3:00 p.m., just in time for the 6:00 tip-off at the Delta Center.

Jordan was visibly weak and pale as he stepped onto the court for Game Five. At first, he displayed no energy whatsoever, and John Stockton, along with reigning MVP Karl Malone, quickly led the Jazz to a 16-point lead. But in the second quarter, Jordan started to sink shots despite lacking his usual explosive speed and hardly being able to concentrate. He scored 17 points in the quarter as the Bulls hit the front before halftime.

Luc Longley and Scottie Pippen did their best to keep the Bulls in the game while Jordan was fatigued again in the third. But Jordan turned it on again, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter, including a clutch rebound and three-point shot with the game tied and under a minute left that put the Bulls up by three points. Chicago held on for a narrow victory.

Jordan finished the game with 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block. Malone was the highest-scoring Jazz player with 19 points but suffered from some dreadful shooting. Jordan stayed on the court for 44 minutes, resting for only four minutes while being perpetually at the brink of fainting. With only a few seconds remaining and the game finally at hand, Jordan collapsed into Scottie Pippen's arms.

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Chicago 163318 2390
Utah 292419 1688

Game 6

Friday, June 13, at the United Center

Michael Jordan was not fully recovered from the flu, but was feeling much better and led the Bulls with 39 points. In the third quarter Michael Jordan dunked after a steal, bringing the crowd to its feet. The Bulls trailed by 9 points early in the fourth quarter but went on a 10-0 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes when Steve Kerr hit a 3-pointer, but the Jazz would regain the lead. In the final minutes, Jordan's fadeaway on the baseline put the Bulls up by 3, before Bryon Russell hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 86-86. The two teams would fail to score on their next possessions. With 28 seconds left after Shandon Anderson missed a reverse layup, the Jazz expected Jordan to take the final shot. Instead, Jordan passed off to Steve Kerr, who hit a shot with 5 seconds left to send the United Center crowd into a frenzy. The Jazz looked for one final shot to stay alive, but Scottie Pippen made a massive defensive play as he knocked away Bryon Russell's inbound pass intended for Shandon Anderson and was able to pass the ball over to Toni Kukoč, who dunked the final 2 points of the game to bring the Finals to an end. Afterwards, Jordan was named the NBA Finals MVP.

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Utah 232126 1686
Chicago 172027 2690

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ "1996-97 Chicago Bulls Roster and Stats - Basketball-Reference.com".
  2. ↑ "Knicks Shock the Bulls to Sew Up Third Spot". New York Times. April 20, 1996. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Ex-Celtic Parish Ends His Career After 21 Years". Los Angeles Times. September 7, 1997. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.