1995–96 Chicago Bulls season

1995–96 Chicago Bulls season
72-win season
Fourth NBA Championship
Head coach Phil Jackson
Owner(s) Jerry Reinsdorf
Arena United Center
Results
Record 72–10 (.878)
Place Division: 1st (Central)
Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish NBA Champions
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television SportsChannel Chicago, WGN
Radio WMAQ
Chicago Bulls seasons
< 1994–95 1996–97 >

In the 1995–96 season, the Chicago Bulls set an NBA record by becoming the first team to win 70 regular season games. They finished the season with a record of 72–10 and would go on to defeat the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals.

Contents

Offseason

Prior the 1995–96 NBA season, Ian Loeffelholz and Jack Haley were traded from the Spurs to the Bulls for Will Perdue and cash considerations to fill a large void at power forward left by Horace Grant, who left the Bulls prior to the 1994–95 NBA season.

Haley only played in 1 game during the regular season and didn't participate in the playoffs. He was best-known for his friendship with the enigmatic Rodman.[1]

In his book Bad as I Wanna Be, Rodman stated that Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen had to approve the trade before it took place. Rodman chose the number 91 (9+1=10 according to Rodman for why he chose that number) for his jersey since #10 was retired by the Bulls in 1995 in honor of Bob Love.

NBA Draft

Round Pick Player Position School/Club team
1 20 Jason Caffey F Alabama
2 31 Dragan Tarlac C Olympiakos (Greece)

Roster

1995-96 Chicago Bulls roster

Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From
PG 0 Brown, Randy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) New Mexico State
SG 30 Buechler, Jud 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Arizona
PF 35 Caffey, Jason 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Alabama
C 53 Edwards, James 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Washington
PF 54 Haley, Jack 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) UCLA
SG 9 Harper, Ron 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Miami (Ohio)
SG 23 Jordan, Michael (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) North Carolina
PG 25 Kerr, Steve 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Arizona
SF 7 Kukoc, Toni 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Croatia
C 13 Longley, Luc 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 265 lb (120 kg) New Mexico
SF 33 Pippen, Scottie (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Central Arkansas*
PF 91 Rodman, Dennis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) SE Oklahoma State*
C 22 Salley, John 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Georgia Tech
PF 8 Simpkins, Dickey 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 248 lb (112 kg) Providence
C 34 Wennington, Bill 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) St. John's
Head coach

Phil Jackson (North Dakota)

Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Depth chart

Pos. Starter Bench Reserve Inactive
C Luc Longley Bill Wennington James Edwards
PF Dennis Rodman Dickey Simpkins Jason Caffey Jack Haley
John Salley
SF Scottie Pippen Toni Kukoč
SG Michael Jordan Jud Buechler
PG Ron Harper Steve Kerr Randy Brown

Regular season

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman led Chicago to the NBA Finals as the Bulls had a historic run. The Bulls finished 72–10 in the regular season to break the 1971–72 Lakers' record of 69 wins in a season.[2] In his first full season since returning to the NBA, Jordan won his eighth scoring title to break Wilt Chamberlain's record of seven and also came away with a triple crown of awards: the MVP awards for the regular season, All-Star Game and NBA Finals.[2] The Bulls improved 25 games from the previous year's 47–35 record to their all-time record 72 regular season wins. In addition, they would go on to set another regular season landmark by becoming the fastest team to 41 wins; by going 41–3 before losing their 4th game that year, which was also a record once held by the 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers, who got off to a 39–3 start. They would win 33 road games, setting yet another NBA record. They also had a 39–2 home record, which was one win shy of tying the Boston Celtics for best home record in history. For these reasons, many fans and media members regard the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls to be the greatest NBA team of all time.

Later, in the playoffs, the Bulls easily made their way to the NBA Finals and the NBA championship. Rodman, Jordan, and Scottie Pippen all made the All-Defensive First Team, the first time three players from the same team made it on the first team. Rodman led the league in rebounding for the fifth straight year, and Jordan won the scoring title, the second time that teammates had led the league in scoring and rebounding.

Standings

Central Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Chicago Bulls 72 10 .878 – 39–2 33–8 24–4
x-Indiana Pacers 52 30 .634 20.0 32–9 20–21 19–9
x-Cleveland Cavaliers 47 35 .573 25.0 26–15 21–20 13–15
x-Atlanta Hawks 46 36 .561 26.0 26–15 20–21 15–13
x-Detroit Pistons 46 36 .561 26.0 30–11 16–25 15–13
Charlotte Hornets 41 41 .500 31.0 25–16 16–25 13–15
Milwaukee Bucks 25 57 .305 47.0 14–27 11–30 8–20
Toronto Raptors 21 61 .256 51.0 15–26 6–35 5–23

Game log

November: 12–2 (Home: 6–0; Road: 6–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 November 3 Charlotte W 105–91 Michael Jordan (42) Dennis Rodman (11) Michael Jordan (7) United Center
23,862		 1–0
2 November 4 Boston W 107–85 Scottie Pippen (21) Luc Longley,
Dennis Rodman (8)		 Toni Kukoč
Scottie Pippen (5)		 United Center
23,608		 2–0
3 November 7 Toronto W 117–108 Michael Jordan (38) Dennis Rodman (13) Scottie Pippen (8) United Center
23,102		 3–0
4 November 9 @ Cleveland W 106–88 Michael Jordan (29) Scottie Pippen (13) Scottie Pippen (12) Gund Arena
20,562		 4–0
5 November 11 Portland W 110–106 Michael Jordan (36) Scottie Pippen (9) Michael Jordan (7) United Center
23,384		 5–0
6 November 14 @ Orlando L 88–94 Michael Jordan (23) Scottie Pippen (10) Michael Jordan,
Scottie Pippen (6)		 Orlando Arena
17,248		 5–1
7 November 15 Cleveland W 113–94 Scottie Pippen (27) Jason Caffey (8) Scottie Pippen (8) United Center
23,257		 6–1
8 November 17 New Jersey W 109–94 Toni Kukoč (19) Luc Longley (8) Toni Kukoč (7) United Center
23,312		 7–1
9 November 21 @ Dallas W 108–102 (OT) Michael Jordan (36) Scottie Pippen (12) Scottie Pippen (7) Reunion Arena
17,502		 8–1
10 November 22 @ San Antonio W 103–94 Michael Jordan (38) Luc Longley (11) Scottie Pippen (13) Alamodome
35,888		 9–1
11 November 24 @ Utah W 90–85 Michael Jordan (34) Luc Longley (10) Michael Jordan (6) Delta Center
19,911		 10–1
12 November 26 @ Seattle L 92–97 Michael Jordan (22) Scottie Pippen (12) Scottie Pippen (5) KeyArena
17,072		 10–2
13 November 27 @ Portland W 107–104 Michael Jordan (33) Scottie Pippen,
Bill Wennington (5)		 Scottie Pippen (10) Rose Garden
21,401		 11–2
14 November 30 @ Vancouver W 94–88 Michael Jordan (29) Luc Longley (10) Scottie Pippen (8) General Motors Place
19,193		 12–2
December: 13–1 (Home: 9–0; Road: 4–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
15 December 2 @ L.A. Clippers W 104–98 Michael Jordan (37) Scottie Pippen (13) Scottie Pippen (6) Arrowhead Pond
18,321		 13–2
16 December 6 New York W 101–94 Michael Jordan,
Scottie Pippen (22)		 Dennis Rodman (20) Michael Jordan,
Scottie Pippen (8)		 United Center
23,828		 14–2
17 December 8 San Antonio W 106–87 Michael Jordan (28) Dennis Rodman (21) Michael Jordan (6) United Center
23,802		 15–2
18 December 9 @ Milwaukee W 118–106 Michael Jordan (45) Dennis Rodman (21) Scottie Pippen (6) Bradley Center
18,633		 16–2
19 December 13 Orlando W 112–103 Michael Jordan (36) Dennis Rodman (19) Scottie Pippen (6) United Center
23,895		 17–2
20 December 14 @ Atlanta W 127–108 Scottie Pippen (30) Dennis Rodman (10) Toni Kukoč,
Scottie Pippen (8)		 Omni Coliseum
16,378		 18–2
21 December 16 L.A. Lakers W 108–88 Scottie Pippen (33) Dennis Rodman (15) Michael Jordan,
Scottie Pippen (6)		 United Center
23,824		 19–2
22 December 18 @ Boston W 123–114 Michael Jordan,
Scottie Pippen (37)		 Dennis Rodman (17) Scottie Pippen (12) FleetCenter
18,624		 20–2
23 December 19 Dallas W 114–101 Michael Jordan (32) Dennis Rodman (13) Steve Kerr (6) United Center
23,208		 21–2
24 December 22 Toronto W 113–104 Michael Jordan (27) Michael Jordan (10) Michael Jordan (5) United Center
22,987		 22–2
25 December 23 Utah W 100–86 Michael Jordan (30) Dennis Rodman (12) Michael Jordan (8) United Center
23,906		 23–2
26 December 26 @ Indiana L 97–103 Michael Jordan (30) Dennis Rodman (11) Scottie Pippen (6) Market Square Arena
16,728		 23–3
27 December 29 Indiana W 120–93 Michael Jordan (29) Dennis Rodman (16) Scottie Pippen (8) United Center
23,739		 24–3
28 December 30 Atlanta W 95–93 Michael Jordan (33) Dennis Rodman (21) Michael Jordan (6) United Center
23,587		 25–3
January: 14–0 (Home: 7–0; Road: 7–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
29 January 3 Houston W 100–86 Michael Jordan (38) Dennis Rodman (15) Scottie Pippen (9) United Center
23,854		 26–3
30 January 4 @ Charlotte W 117–93 Michael Jordan (27) Dennis Rodman (11) Ron Harper (7) Charlotte Coliseum
24,042		 27–3
31 January 6 Milwaukee W 113–84 Michael Jordan (32) Dennis Rodman (16) Scottie Pippen (6) United Center
23,801		 28–3
32 January 10 Seattle W 113–87 Michael Jordan (35) Michael Jordan (14) Michael Jordan,
Luc Longley,
Scottie Pippen (5)		 United Center
23,877		 29–3
33 January 13 @ Philadelphia W 120–93 Michael Jordan (48) Dennis Rodman (16) Scottie Pippen (10) The Spectrum
18,168		 30–3
34 January 15 @ Washington W 116–109 Michael Jordan (46) Dennis Rodman (15) Scottie Pippen (6) USAir Arena
18,756		 31–3
35 January 16 Philadelphia W 116–104 Michael Jordan (32) Dennis Rodman (21) Dennis Rodman (10) United Center
23,587		 32–3
36 January 18 @ Toronto W 92–89 Michael Jordan (38) Dennis Rodman (13) Scottie Pippen,
Dennis Rodman (4)		 SkyDome
36,118		 33–3
37 January 21 @ Detroit W 111–96 Michael Jordan (36) Dennis Rodman (9) Scottie Pippen (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454		 34–3
38 January 23 @ New York W 99–79 Michael Jordan (33) Dennis Rodman (13) Scottie Pippen (6) Madison Square Garden
19,763		 35–3
39 January 24 Vancouver W 104–84 Scottie Pippen (30) Dennis Rodman (16) Ron Harper (7) United Center
23,652		 36–3
40 January 26 Miami W 102–80 Michael Jordan (25) Dennis Rodman (16) Scottie Pippen,
Dennis Rodman (5)		 United Center
23,814		 37–3
41 January 28 Phoenix W 93–82 Michael Jordan (31) Dennis Rodman (20) Michael Jordan (6) United Center
23,927		 38–3
42 January 30 @ Houston W 98–87 Scottie Pippen (28) Scottie Pippen (12) Scottie Pippen (5) The Summit
16,286		 39–3
February: 11–3 (Home: 4–0; Road: 7–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
43 February 1 @ Sacramento W 105–85 Michael Jordan (27) Dennis Rodman (21) Toni Kukoč (5) ARCO Arena
17,317		 40–3
44 February 2 @ L.A. Lakers W 99–84 Scottie Pippen (30) Dennis Rodman (23) Michael Jordan (7) Great Western Forum
17,505		 41–3
45 February 4 @ Denver L 99–105 Michael Jordan (39) Dennis Rodman (12) Ron Harper,
Scottie Pippen,
Bill Wennington (5)		 McNichols Sports Arena
17,171		 41–4
46 February 6 @ Phoenix L 96–106 Michael Jordan (28) Dennis Rodman (14) Scottie Pippen (8) America West Arena
19,023		 41–5
47 February 7 @ Golden State W 99–95 Michael Jordan (40) Dennis Rodman (18) Michael Jordan (6) Oakland Coliseum Arena
15,025		 42–5
48 February 13 Washington W 111–98 Michael Jordan (32) Dennis Rodman (16) Scottie Pippen (4) United Center
23,494		 43–5
49 February 15 @ Detroit W 112–109 (OT) Michael Jordan (32) Dennis Rodman (19) Scottie Pippen (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454		 44–5
50 February 16 @ Minnesota W 103–100 Michael Jordan (35) Dennis Rodman (19) Scottie Pippen (7) Target Center
20,214		 45–5
51 February 18 @ Indiana W 110–102 Michael Jordan (44) Dennis Rodman (23) Michael Jordan (7) Market Square Arena
16,770		 46–5
52 February 20 Cleveland W 102–76 Ron Harper (22) Dennis Rodman (15) Scottie Pippen (8) United Center
23,604		 47–5
53 February 22 @ Atlanta W 96–91 Michael Jordan (34) Dennis Rodman (20) Scottie Pippen (10) Omni Coliseum
16,378		 48–5
54 February 23 @ Miami L 104–113 Michael Jordan (31) Dennis Rodman (11) Scottie Pippen (6) Miami Arena
15,200		 48–6
55 February 25 Orlando W 111–91 Toni Kukoč (24) Dennis Rodman (17) Michael Jordan (7) United Center
24,102		 49–6
56 February 27 Minnesota W 120–99 Michael Jordan (35) Dennis Rodman (24) Michael Jordan (7) United Center
23,716		 50–6
March: 12–2 (Home: 10–0; Road: 2–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
57 March 1 Golden State W 110–87 Scottie Pippen (25) Dennis Rodman (17) Michael Jordan (6) United Center
23,596		 51–6
58 March 2 Boston W 107–75 Michael Jordan (21) Dennis Rodman (15) Michael Jordan (8) United Center
23,721		 52–6
59 March 5 Milwaukee W 115–106 Michael Jordan (33) Dennis Rodman (9) Ron Harper,
Toni Kukoč (7)		 United Center
23,547		 53–6
60 March 7 Detroit W 102–81 Michael Jordan (53) Dennis Rodman (13) Scottie Pippen (10) United Center
23,369		 54–6
61 March 10 @ New York L 72–104 Michael Jordan (32) Dennis Rodman (10) Scottie Pippen (5) Madison Square Garden
19,763		 54–7
62 March 13 Washington W 103–86 Michael Jordan (37) Dennis Rodman (14) Michael Jordan (5) United Center
23,652		 55–7
63 March 15 Denver W 108–87 Michael Jordan (33) Dennis Rodman (15) Toni Kukoč (10) United Center
23,692		 56–7
64 March 16 @ New Jersey W 97–93 Micheal Jordan (37) Michael Jordan (16) Michael Jordan (5) Meadowlands Arena
20,049		 57–7
65 March 18 @ Philadelphia W 98–94 Michael Jordan (38) Michael Jordan (11) Toni Kukoč (11) The Spectrum
18,168		 58–7
66 March 19 Sacramento W 89–67 Michael Jordan (20) Michael Jordan (9) Toni Kukoč (7) United Center
23,312		 59–7
67 March 21 New York W 107–86 Michael Jordan (36) Michael Jordan (11) Michael Jordan,
Toni Kukoč (5)		 United Center
23,802		 60–7
68 March 24 @ Toronto L 108–109 Michael Jordan (36) Michael Jordan,
Toni Kukoč,
Scottie Pippen (9)		 Scottie Pippen (6) SkyDome
36,131		 60–8
69 March 28 Atlanta W 111–80 Toni Kukoč (24) Scottie Pippen (11) Scottie Pippen (8) United Center
23,642		 61–8
70 March 30 L.A. Clippers W 106–85 Scottie Pippen (22) Michael Jordan,
Toni Kukoč (9)		 Michael Jordan (6) United Center
23,764		 62–8
April: 10–2 (Home: 3–2; Road: 7–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
71 April 2 @ Miami W 110–92 Michael Jordan,
Scottie Pippen (32)		 Dennis Rodman (13) Ron Harper (6) Miami Arena
15,200		 63–8
72 April 4 Miami W 100–92 Michael Jordan (40) Dennis Rodman (12) Scottie Pippen (8) United Center
23,702		 64–8
73 April 5 @ Charlotte W 126–92 Scottie Pippen (28) Dennis Rodman (17) Scottie Pippen (14) Charlotte Coliseum
24,042		 65–8
74 April 7 @ Orlando W 90–86 Michael Jordan (27) Scottie Pippen,
Dennis Rodman (13)		 Scottie Pippen (5) Orlando Arena
17,248		 66–8
75 April 8 Charlotte L 97–98 Michael Jordan (40) Dennis Rodman (17) Scottie Pippen (6) United Center
23,590		 66–9
76 April 11 @ New Jersey W 113–100 Michael Jordan (17) Dennis Rodman (12) Toni Kukoč (6) Meadowlands Arena
20,049		 67–9
77 April 12 Philadelphia W 112–82 Michael Jordan (23) Dennis Rodman (16) Scottie Pippen (6) United Center
23,633		 68–9
78 April 14 @ Cleveland W 98–72 Michael Jordan (32) Michael Jordan (12) Toni Kukoč (5) Gund Arena
20,562		 69–9
79 April 16 @ Milwaukee W 86–80 Michael Jordan (22) Dennis Rodman (19) Michael Jordan,
Toni Kukoč,
Dennis Rodman (4)		 Bradley Center
18,633		 70–9
80 April 18 Detroit W 110–79 Michael Jordan (30) Dennis Rodman (18) Scottie Pippen (8) United Center
23,614		 71–9
81 April 20 Indiana L 99–100 Michael Jordan (24) Dennis Rodman (15) Randy Brown,
Michael Jordan (6)		 United Center
23,784		 71–10
82 April 21 @ Washington W 103–93 Michael Jordan (26) Dennis Rodman (11) Scottie Pippen (5) USAir Arena
18,756		 72–10
1995–96 season schedule

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 68 0 9.9 .406 .091 .609 1.0 1.1 .84 .18 2.7
Jud Buechler 74 0 10.0 .463 .444 .636 1.5 .8 .46 .09 3.8
Jason Caffey 57 0 9.6 .438 .000 .588 1.9 .4 .21 .12 3.2
James Edwards 28 0 9.8 .373 .000 .615 1.4 .4 .04 .29 3.5
Jack Haley 1 0 7.0 .333 .000 .500 2.0 .0 .00 .00 5.0
Ron Harper 80 80 23.6 .467 .269 .705 2.7 2.6 1.31 .40 7.4
Michael Jordan 82 82 37.7 .495 .427 .834 6.6 4.3 2.20 .51 30.4
Steve Kerr 82 0 23.4 .506 .515 .929 1.3 2.3 .77 .02 8.4
Toni Kukoč 81 20 26.0 .490 .403 .772 4.0 3.5 .79 .35 13.1
Luc Longley 62 62 26.5 .482 .000 .777 5.1 1.9 .35 1.35 9.1
Scottie Pippen 77 77 36.7 .463 .374 .679 6.4 5.9 1.73 .74 19.4
Dennis Rodman 64 57 32.6 .480 .111 .528 14.9 2.5 .56 .42 5.5
John Salley 17 0 11.2 .343 .000 .600 2.5 .9 .47 .88 2.1
Dickey Simpkins 60 12 11.4 .481 1.000 .629 2.6 .6 .15 .13 3.6
Bill Wennington 71 20 15.0 .493 1.000 .860 2.5 .6 .30 .23 5.3

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Randy Brown 16 7.0 .571 .500 .750 .6 .4 .31 .06 2.8
Jud Buechler 17 7.5 .474 .381 .500 .6 .4 .41 .00 2.7
James Edwards 6 4.7 .444 .000 .750 .7 .0 .00 .00 1.8
Ron Harper 18 27.4 .425 .319 .690 3.7 2.5 1.39 .39 8.8
Michael Jordan 18 40.7 .459 .403 .818 4.9 4.1 1.83 .33 30.7
Steve Kerr 18 19.8 .448 .321 .871 1.0 1.7 .78 .00 6.8
Toni Kukoč 15 29.3 .391 .191 .838 4.2 3.9 .93 .27 10.8
Luc Longley 18 24.4 .469 .000 .757 4.6 1.6 .39 1.39 8.3
Scottie Pippen 18 41.2 .390 .286 .638 8.5 5.9 2.61 .89 16.9
Dennis Rodman 18 34.4 .485 .000 .593 13.7 2.1 .78 .44 7.5
John Salley 16 5.3 .545 .000 .286 .7 .4 .06 .12 .9
Bill Wennington 18 9.4 .520 .000 .500 1.7 .5 .22 .06 3.0

Award winners

NBA All-Star Game

References

  1. ^ Dan Bickley. "Haley looks to escape Rodman's shadow". Chicago Sun-Times. December 26, 1996. 104.
  2. ^ a b NBA.com: 72–10: The Bulls Dominate