Was there ANY point during any of the Bulls' 6 Finals series where..

[Soundwave]

Many thought the Suns would win in '93.

Also, some had Portland in '92. That lasted all of one half.

It was soooooo funny the day after that game, all the people who had been licking Drexler's balls for months trying to say they were just kidding.

[mehyaM24]

It would have been interesting. Kareem took a big drop from the 86/87 season to 87/88, and then 88/89. He did still made some big plays in 88', particularly making those two FTs in game 6 after the controversial foul on Laimbeer. That showed the confidence they had in Kareem to go to him in that situation despite him having an awful shooting game.

I still think we missed out on a potential classic finals in 89' due to injuries. While on one end, it seemed like it may have been that "this is the Pistons' year" feel to it, the Lakers were on fire on their 3-peat quest and went 11-0 in the WC playoffs.

Apparently, going into the finals, Riley held practices that was basically a short mini-camp, and they were so intense and grueling that their bodies couldn't take it and led to key injuries. Obviously they weren't gonna win it without Magic, and yet games 2 and 3 still went down to the wire.

Just to add, 3 out of the 5 games in 91' were close. Games 1, 3 (OT), and 5. Games 2 and 4 turned into routs in the 3rd quarter.

the lakers were at their very best in 89.

we as fans got robbed though. you're right about that.

anyway. here are some highlights to pippen's masteful game 4. easily the best player in this game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3FNYoY2kaE

dude was a shoe-in for FMVP if not for his damn back. shame.

[Roundball_Rock]

yup. old, but still elite kareem, via 87-89.

i think the bulls STILL beat the lakers without kareem and healthy scott/worthy in 7 games.

with kareem those years? not a chance. kareem is the GOAT bigman.

I assume you meant KAJ from 1982-1986, when he was past his prime but still an elite player (he was all-NBA first team over Hakeem, Moses and Ewing in 86' while being top 5 in MVP voting--all at ages 38/39 ). Yeah, if you add KAJ circa 1982-1986 to Magic, who was runner-up MVP that year (remember, the Lakers collapsed to 43-39 and losing in the first round without Magic there to make the players better--look at their shooting percentages with and without Magic) it probably goes 7 games. I would bet on the Lakers' experience relative to the young Bulls in 91' if you add 82'-86' KAJ and a healthy Worthy/Scott.

The '93 Knicks

The '93 Suns (mega hype as the team of destiny and all that BS)

The '95 Magic.

The '96 Magic.

The '98 Pacers.

The '98 Jazz.

The Magic were the one team I feared during the 72-10 season. The Bulls would have won anyway, but Grant going down made the ECF a cakewalk. The Magic had so much talent with Shaq, Penny, Grant and even Anderson, Scott they had a puncher's chance in any series.

^someone that watched 90s ball. with their CORE still intact, from 91-on, they were favored in every series they played in. '98 was shaky for the bulls because pippen played on a bad back, but going into the playoffs, they were very much favored.

The only series they were clear underdogs were:

91' Finals
98' Finals

That is it. Even in 91' it was more because of the mystique of Magic and the inexperience of the Bulls. In retrospect it was absurd because the Bulls were the better team all year and showed that in the series.

The series in which they were slight favorites/slight underdogs were:

93' ECF
94' ECSF
95' ECSF

They were favorites going into the 93' ECF, nominal underdogs in the 94' ECSF. The 95' ECSF was split. As noted, they had closed the year 21-6 (a 62 win pace--Orlando won 60 that year). People want to re-write history but a lot of people at the time thought the Bulls would win. They finished the year strong (13-4 with MJ), added the GOAT to a 5th-6th place team and the Bulls the previous year were contenders. So, among major changes, you lose Grant and add the GOAT. It was perfectly logical to assume that the Bulls with MJ, without Grant would have more playoff success than the Bulls with Grant, without MJ did. Many people make that assumption. It didn't happen, for reasons noted earlier, but the idea that the Bulls were expected to get trounced by Orlando is convenient revisionism.

35 in 15 minutes on him? Out shooting the 3 ball that Clyde spoke, and considered himself better at? Missing half the second quarter putting up 6x 3's in a half in a total blow out? Yea. MJ squashed that lunacy within the first half.

MJ did but Drexler was playing on a bum knee so it isn't as if Drexler could respond. MJ, though, performed at a level that Drexler could not at any point in his career reach.

The '93 Suns (mega hype as the team of destiny and all that BS)

They barely got out the WCF (7 games to a Sonics team with a young Payton and Kemp), though.

Knicks had a lot of hype in '93. When they went up 2-0 in the series, everyone wrote Chicago off.

That is true--but what team that takes a 2-0 lead does not then become the expected winner? Going into the series the Bulls were favored.

Hype is a key word. The Knicks were the #1 seed in the East (60 wins) but let's remember that same crew won 57 in 94' and 55 in 95'. At no point were they ever viewed as dominant or heavy favorites. Even the following year against the MJ-less Bulls they were only slight favorites and they had 7 games series against Indiana in both 94' and 95' and against Chicago in 94' (as well as a 7 game Finals in 94'). They weren't as good as the hype they got because of where they played.

Much is made of Jordan being rusty from baseball, and not enough about their weakness at the 4 spot. Grant provided rebounding and interior defense. You didn't get that from Kukoc. You got offense from him.

Jordan shot poorly during the 17 games of the regular season, but he picked it up during the postseason. People often forget how athletic and explosive Jordan still was in the 95' playoffs.

Great points. They actually toyed with putting Larry Krystowiak (however you spell his name) as the starting PF in desperation. By the end of the Orlando series Pippen was moved to PF because Grant was going off, not just by rebounding and playing defense but by scoring. Phil Jackson believed Grant was a choker under pressure and defended him lightly; Grant was averaging around 20 ppg as a result until Pippen was switched onto him.

He is said to have not been in "basketball shape" as he fatigued in games. That might have been true, but he also didn't have an extra 65 regular season games on his legs. He fatigued in other games in future postseasons. It happens, especially when you are in your mid 30s.

Great points. Pippen also was getting fatigued at the end of those same games. They simply had to do too much--they were the team's top rebounders among their other responsibilities. The "rust" argument was always odd. MJ played as much in 95' as he did in 86' and we know what MJ did in the playoffs in 86'. In 95' he put up 32/7/5 on 48%--numbers superior to what he did in each of the next 3 postseasons.

Jordan made some key turnovers late in games 1 and 6.

True--and to be fair the entire team had a meltdown in the final 3 minutes of Game 6 (they had an 8 point lead). I remember MJ making some key mistakes but Pippen missed a close tip in and Longley a key lay up.

[JohnnySic]

It was soooooo funny the day after that game, all the people who had been licking Drexler's balls for months trying to say they were just kidding.

Yep. The "shrug" game. And Drexler was never the same after that series.

[Soundwave]

Orlando honestly didn't know how good they were. That's what scared me about them.

Their coach was a moron too.

The 96 Magic would wreck the NBA today.

[Soundwave]

Yep. The "shrug" game. And Drexler was never the same after that series.

The sh*t Jordan did in the Finals was ridiculous. It doesn't even seem real, it's like a movie script that someone wrote, things aren't supposed to work out that perfectly in real life.

Every ... single ... time in the 90s where I thought "well OK, maybe MJ isn't going to bring it this year" he'd exceed my expectations.

After 95 I thought it would be nice if they could win one more title for old time's sake, lol.

[mehyaM24]

speaking of the 91 finals, check out the defensive clamps, scottie put on magic:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf1KPq0yi40

oh and also dropped 20pts/10ast

[JohnnySic]

The sh*t Jordan did in the Finals was ridiculous. It doesn't even seem real, it's like a movie script that someone wrote, things aren't supposed to work out that perfectly in real life.

The 1993 playoffs and Finals were rediculous. Remember the "if I could be like Mike" commercials? They were literally releasing one after every game, with Jordan's highlights from that very game. It was more like a running sitcom rather than a sports event.

I guess it was easy to find highlights given that MJ averaged something like 41 ppg in those finals.

[juju151111]

Mj took a dump on drexler that whole series.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Bulls were legit underdogs:

'91 Finals
'93 ECF
'93 Finals
'98 Finals

Bulls were doubted:

'92 ECSF
'92 Finals
'98 ECF

[Soundwave]

The 1993 playoffs and Finals were rediculous. Remember the "if I could be like Mike" commercials? They were literally releasing one after every game, with Jordan's highlights from that very game. It was more like a running sitcom rather than a sports event.

I guess it was easy to find highlights given thatMJ averaged something like 41 ppg in those finals.

I have to kinda admit I kinda wanted the Suns to win that series, just because I had a friend who was super annoying about the threepeat stuff.

Of course there was no way of knowing that Jordan would retire after that season. That was stunning.

[Stringer Bell]

some great perspective to the 98 finals:



pippen taking the bull by the horns

Loved Pip's defense throughout that postseason (and just in genera).

Pippen's performance of game 1 against Indiana like the best example of stats not truly showing a player's value.

His stat-line was awful. Watch the game and you see how much of an impact he made with his defense.

Also gotta give him much props for having the guts to take charges on the fast break from Karl Friggin Malone.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Bulls could've beat Orlando in 1995, without Horace even if MJ had been there building rapport with the squad the entire season. He raised his game significantly from 27 ppg on 41% to like 32 ppg on 48% in the post season. Was the last season he had true explosion too. Multiple dunks on Orlando's bigs. He just had a bit of rust, and wind issues sustaining pretty spectacular performances v.s. Orlando for the entire game. Series was still close regardless. MJ gift wrapped a layup for Longely in game 6 he blew that could've extended the series to 7 games.

[Stringer Bell]

It was soooooo funny the day after that game, all the people who had been licking Drexler's balls for months trying to say they were just kidding.

at the idea of Drexler being Jordan's equal.

[Soundwave]

Bulls could've beat Orlando in 1995, without Horace even if MJ had been there building rapport with the squad the entire season. He raised his game significantly from 27 ppg on 41% to like 32 ppg on 48% in the post season. Was the last season he had true explosion too. Multiple dunks on Orlando's bigs. He just had a bit of rust, and wind issues sustaining pretty spectacular performances v.s. Orlando for the entire game. Series was still close regardless. MJ gift wrapped a layup for Longely in game 6 he blew that could've extended the series to 7 games.

If he had come back around the time of the All-Star break of pre-trade deadline and the Bulls had the option of adding an extra rebounding big ... yeah they probably beat Orlando that year.

Jordan's timing was just a little off, so was his conditioning. Sometimes he would explode for a monster dunk ala pre retirement MJ (dunked on Shaq pretty good) but other times you could see he wasn't getting his usual lift. Especially late in games.

The Magic were pretty damn good though.