Their center position was particularly weak, as they toggled between an old Bill Cartwright and statuesque Will Perdue, who no doubt contributed to their drop in defensive efficiency. He made the All-NBA first team to go along with an All-Star team selection. Joe Dumars made the All-NBA third team and the All-Defensive second team. The Atlanta Hawks were the first team the Bulls played in the playoffs. Combining those three seasons, Paxson averaged just 0.8 three-point shot attempts. Jordan, Pippen, and Horace Grant were a perfect offensive big three, all shooting over 52% and helping the Bulls post the highest effective field goal percentage in the league. The remaining supporting cast included Bill Wennington, Jud Buechler, Randy Brown, and Brian Williams, among others. During the '91 season, they were first in opponent points per game and fourth in defensive rating. People use the 1994 season to prove Jordan did have a great supporting cast or that he wasnt that important. 4:32 pm ET, Streaking Warriors must overcome one major roadblock, Bucks vs. 76ers odds, picks, computer sims, Raptors vs. Wizards odds, picks, computer sims, Nuggets beat Grizzlies, likely lock up West's top spot, Grizzlies' Brooks: 'I don't like Draymond at all', Celtics booed off floor after blowing 28-point lead, Window for Durant, Suns is open -- until it's not, Lakers say James has tendon injury in right foot, Nuggets beat Grizz, likely lock up West's top spot, Randle's game-winner runs Knicks' win streak to eight, Durant passes Robertson for 13th on NBA scoring list. The Bulls' luck turned for the better after selecting Michael Jordan with the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. Their offense was fully operational, finishing first in offensive efficiency while their defense was a more than serviceable seventh. Fewest losses in a season, regular season and postseason combined. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. In 1989, the Bulls played in their first conference finals series since 1975, losing to the Detroit Pistons. Some of those teams had an opportunity to earn a ring before, or after, the Bulls' epic run, while others didn't. Fresh off MJ's first playoff loss since 1990 in the previous season, the team added Dennis Rodman and came out with a purpose to reclaim their throne. The Chicago Bulls used stifling defense vs. the efficient Utah Jazz to essentially shut them down offensively. Also, teams and players wanted to beat Jordan. It was Chicago's only Finals series during the decade that didn't stretch to six games. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls enjoyed immense success during the 1990s. The Heat had a member of the All-Rookie First team (Steve Smith). Brown was a member of the All-Defensive Second team. Dikembe Mutombo had made the All-Defensive First team and he was also the DPOY. The first team to ever lead the league in offensive and defensive efficiency. Though the Bulls had the same record as the Indiana Pacers in the Central Division, the Bulls lost the tiebreaker and finished fourth. Dan Majerle made the All-Defensive second team and the All-Star team. Some of the primary contributors on those teams were Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Kirk Hinrich. They also acquired four-time All-Star Rolando Blackman from the Mavericks. The Suns shook things up in a major way before the 1992-93 season, as they traded with the Philadelphia 76ers to land All-Star forward Charles Barkley, and they added Paul Westphal as their new coach. On this day back in 1991, MIchael Jordan gave us this Los Angeles Lakers and Magic won five titles, averaged a whopping 41 points in the entire series, Michael Jordans net worth, salary, endorsements and more, Chicago Bulls in 1997 had to fly past the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls used stifling defense vs. the efficient Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls were victorious in their usual NBA Finals 6 games. Bulls vs. Magic. Your login session has expired. The Bulls clinched the series on Father's Day, which was especially meaningful for Jordan because it was first championship since his father James died. Or close to it. Cartwright needed more help from Scott Williams to man the middle. Now that we know Jordans supporting cast from the second three-peat, lets take a look at the competition. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. In the First round the Bulls faced the New Jersey Nets. The Chicago Bulls in 1997 had to fly past the Utah Jazz to claim their 5th NBA title of the decade. Charles Barkley, who was now playing for the Suns, was the leagues MVP. The Jordan shrug has become a social media fixture since social media platforms exploded across the internet, and the meme originated in Game 1. The Jazz owned the second seed in the league when they won 64 games. Dick Motta replaced Kerr in 1969, and under his leadership, the Bulls appeared in the playoffs every year from 1970 to 1975. The closest the Bulls came to losing a championship arrived then, with each having won two games and the Bulls ahead by a point with 20 seconds remaining. Chicago Bulls beat five teams in the NBA Championship: Los Prior to 1941/42, the In his path to 6 titles, Jordan beat the likes of Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, Charles Barkley (twice), Patrick Ewing (four times), Reggie Miller, Dikembe Mutombo, as well as the duos of Shaquille ONeal and Anfernee Hardaway, Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning (twice), and John Stockton and Karl Malone (twice). In the Semifinals the Bulls faced the Atlanta Hawks. The second season in the best two year wins total in NBA history and one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history. This was the 72-10 Chicago Bulls contingent that had to finish what they started, yet The Glove, Gary Payton was not impressed. 2021-22 Chicago Bulls Rookie Richard Dumas was a jumping gym all by himself; Cedric Ceballos was a baseline killer; Kevin Johnson was a super athletic scoring point guard in Barkley's support and the Thunder's Dan Majerle hit the three from deep and played above-average defense. Jordan alone was a singular dominant force, but him, combined with jack of all trades Pippen and head coach Phil Jackson, the team morphed into something the league might never see again. Mike DeCourcy is a Senior Writer at The Sporting News. But we saw they tend to get overrated. The Magic won a franchise-high 60 games in 1995-96, which was the third-best record in the league that year, but ultimately they were no match for a Bulls squad that was poised to kick off a second three-peat. This was a great group of players, but as you can see, Jordans supporting cast is overrated. The '90-91 iteration of the Pistons was fresh off of three straight Finals appearances, so they were older -- and a bit more beat up -- than they were when they were at the peak of their powers as a team. 91 Lakers 92 Trail Blazers 93 Suns 96 Supersonics 97 Jazz 98 Jazz Ron Harper was the other Bulls guard. In the playoffs he wasnt any different when he averaged just 5.4 ppg. Ultimately, they suffered the same fate too, as they lost in the Finals in six games to Jordan and the Bulls. The Bulls lost the first two games of the series at Madison Square Garden, then blew out the Knicks in the next two games to remind them what they were facing in challenging this dynasty. in 1967. The focus is on Jordan, whopushed the Bulls to those championship runs. They were 2nd in the league in offense, and a telltale sign of fatigue was their ranking in defensive efficiency - 7th. This team had swept the defending champion Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Chicago Bulls, in claiming those six NBA titles, were never tested in a seventh Game. Detroits Bad Boys were showing wear and won only 50 games. The Cavaliers had won 57 games, which was the second most victories in the NBA. Offensive rating: 110.0 | Defensive rating: 105.2 Regular-season record: 61-21 | Playoff record: 15-2 NBA Finals: Won (4-1) vs. Los Angeles Lakers The Bulls' first title The Bulls didnt even win the NBA championship after they had won it the previous three seasons with Jordan on the roster. The start tonight was obviously what you want to get, Detweiler said. With Jordan, they finished the season 13-4. This began a six-year playoff drought, the longest such drought in team history. But how great were the Bulls? Jordan averaged 35.8 points, 6.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds for the series. In how many games did the Bulls win their championships? Magic was incredible as usual - posting numbers of 19 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, and his 1991 season is definitely Magic's most underrated and resilient. After losing to the Bulls in the 1997 NBA Finals, the Jazz got another shot in 1998. Cartwright missed 18 games because of injury but was back for a strong run in the playoffs, when he averaged 28 minutes, including a challenging matchup with Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing in which Ewing shot 8-of-19 from the field in the decisive game. The Pacers, meanwhile, are still waiting to win their first NBA championship. The East playoffs were not particularly close, as they only lost once in the second round and blitz the defending champ Pistons, sweeping them and outscoring them by 11.5 points per game. And it would be a cakewalk in many respects. He also made the All-Star team. The Bulls had to surmount mental hurdles to at last win a championship with Jordan on their side. The Bulls first title was the culmination of a climb that started in the 1984-85 season when they drafted Jordan with the #2 pick in the draft and saw them lose to the Detroit Pistons in back-to-back season in the Eastern Conference Finals before this year. started the season Finals MVP: Hakeem Olajuwon (32.8 / 11.5 / 5.5) 1995 Playoff Leaders: PTS: Hakeem Olajuwon (725) Once there, the Jazz put up a good fight against Chicago, as three of the Bulls' wins in the series were by four points or fewer, including Game 1, which the Bulls won thanks to a Jordan buzzer-beater. The Bulls played in the Midwest Division until 1980, when they moved to the Central Division of the Eastern Conference.[4]. Reseller prices may be above or below face value. Rebounding leader:De This consistency really helped someone like Jordan, who was maniacal competitor learn his teammates' strengths and weakness and know exactly when to assert his scoring in the dominant fashion that we associate with him. The Jazz had NBA MVP Karl Malone, but the Bulls won the series in six games behind Jordan, who averaged 32.3 points, seven rebounds and six assists. 2004-05 Chicago Bulls Here is a reminder who did the Chicago Bulls beat in the NBA Finals. Behind Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Phil Jackson, the Bulls defeated the LA Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Seattle SuperSonics, and Utah Jazz (twice) The point of the All-Star argument is not to prove that Pippen wasnt a great sidekick, but merely to prove that Jordan didnt have the best small forward of his generationas many people claim. Who'd they beat? In the final two rounds, they faced two formidable opponents, but the series went differently despite winning both 4-2. The Bulls first title was It got even tougher for the Bulls in the NBA Finals when they faced the Utah Jazz. His teammate, James Worthy, joined him as a member of the All-Star team. The third worst start to a season Jordan led Chicago with 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Jordan led the series in scoring with 33.5 points a game, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were their usual defensive stalwarts and Phil Jackson's neutralization of the vaunted Utah Jazz pick and roll with Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone was more the story. The All-NBA team is another way to prove this. The Suns then took down the Lakers, Spurs, and Sonics en route to their first Finals appearance since 1976. Every other team in NBA history has won the NBA championship with the help of a dominant big man, and some of them had a point guard too. Game 5 was a game in which Scottie Pippen became an NBA superstar with a flurry of offensive and defensive plays in the clutch, and suddenly the Chicago Bulls were more than simply Air Jordan. The Chicago Bulls have played a total of 57 Chicago beat Utah in six games, and Jordan closed the series in Game 6 with"The Shot"over Byron Russell. They also posted double digits in scoring margin and net efficiency, the mark of an all-time great team, and led the league with a whopping 68 expected wins. During their inaugural season (196667), the Bulls compiled a 3348 record under coach Johnny "Red" Kerr and reached the playoffs. Many try to diminish this great accomplishment because 12-0. No one ever came so close again to eliminating a full-strength Jordan/Bulls team. The Bulls were decidedly perimeter-oriented during the six championship runs. The title was won on a Jordan step-back jumper that has become among the most iconic shots in the games history. His teammate, Rick Smits, joined him on the All-Star team. The regular season was a dominant run, as they built on the previous year's title and synced their offense and defense into a dominant force, ranking first and fourth respectively. Heat coach Pat Riley had won the Coach of the Year award. While it took seven years for Jordan to win his first championship, he never looked back once he got to the top of the mountain. We know Rodman was a rebounding machine, but few know that he didnt average 10 boards in the 1997 playoffs. Their first season was in 1967, and their most recent season was in 2023. have appeared in the NBA Finals 6 times, in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998. This was the only Bulls title team that didnt reach the 60-win plateau, with the offense fading and more reliant on Jordan than at any point during the teams championship run. The Hawks were the 4th seed in the East having won 56 games. WebThe Chicago Bulls have won as many conference championships as they have championships. You can see the domination the Bulls had against the tough competition. section: | slug: ranking-michael-jordans-10-best-playoff-opponents-during-bulls-six-championship-seasons | sport: basketball | route: article_single.us | In the 80s, Boston and Los Angeles Lakers revitalized the league, winning eight titles between them, the 2000s were ruled by the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs as they won seven titles, and now LeBron James-led teams and the Golden State Warriors are coming to define this decade, already winning five of the eight titles. Charles Barkley was 4th in the Most Valuable Player award (MVP) voting. Jordan scored 35 of his 39 points in Game 1 which is best remembered for"The Shrug." For the second time during the postseason the Bulls didnt have home-court advantage. The Supersonics were a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference in the '90s, and 1995-96 was their best season as a team. THE TRUTH, how many teams have never lost a nba finals series. Furney continued to play fine basketball all evening as he notched 11 points off an efficient shooting performance. They won 14 of their first 15 games in the playoffs, and the loss to the Knicks came in overtime. Provided that it was: 1) still a 50 game season because of the lock out; 2) the starting five along with Kukoc and Kerr; and 3) barring any injurie In the playoffs he had 7.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 1.0 bpg. (Won 0 Rounds), Chicago Bulls Head To Head Records Against Other Teams, All Time Longest Chicago Bulls Winning Streaks, All Time Longest Chicago Bulls Losing Streaks. The 1993 Finals is the only Finals series in which Jordan had a teammate averaging a double-double. From 1985 onwards, the Bulls reached the playoffs every season he was on the team's roster despite having had a losing record in each of his first three years. In 2022, the Chicago Bulls lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference First Round. Another impressive fact is that since the 1988-89 season, Jordan NEVER had a teammate averaging a double-double in the playoffs, and just once he had a teammate averaging a double-double in the regular season (Horace Grant, 1992). Malone is considered as one of the three greatest power forwards ever, while Stockton is considered as one of the three greatest point guards ever. The Bulls won three straight NBA championships from 1991-93 and three more from 1996-98. Paxson is not the shooter people claim he was when the Bulls were winning titles. Armstrong also missed a lot of games during this time. He again was part of the All-NBA second team and the All-Star team. Another fact about Pippen that people tend to forget is that during these three seasons he averaged 17.3 ppg in the playoffs while shooting 40.8 % from the field. [6] However, Jordan returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and lost in 1995 NBA Playoff despite posting one of his best numbers and close to his playoff average and with the added help of rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman, the team won three more championships from 1996 to 1998. Which one of those teams, though, was the best? Please logout and login again. The last title in the Bulls first three-peat reeked of tired legs and a team just waiting for the Playoffs to start. Almost any way you measure team success over a season, this team tops the chart. That list includesSame Jones (10), Tom Heinsohn (9), K.C. NHL had seven teams , (and sometimes more). It's tough to talk about the '95-96 Magic without thinking about what could have been, as it was the last season that Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway played together in Orlando. John Paxson was one of the Bulls starting guards. The 1990s Chicago Bulls won six NBA Championships while they were being led by Michael Jordan. For the Bulls, the '96 series between the two teams was personal, as the Magic had knocked them out of the postseason the previous year, after Jordan returned from his stint as a baseball player, and then advanced to the Finals. There was a moment a few years back when it appeared this teams supremacy would be usurped, but the 73-win Golden State Warriors lost the 2016 NBA Finals to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bulls have won 6 NBA championships: 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98 Michael Jordan was a member of all six Bulls championship Your login session has expired. Michael Jordan had his hands full, especially with him and Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton. Dennis Rodman was a member of the All-Defensive first team. [4] They received international recognition in the 1990s when All-Star shooting guard Michael Jordan led them to their six league championships. Which categories does the great Kobe Bryant lead the Lakers? Phoenix had NBA MVP Charles Barkley, but the Bulls won the series in six games behind Jordan, who averaged 41 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists for the series. Those are the numbers from an average shooter. Winners in six of the 10 years, the dynastic Chicago Bulls defeated some of the greatest players of the era by claiming definitive championships that define legacies. The changes largely paid off, as the Suns won a franchise-record 62 games during the season, and Barkley was named NBA MVP. He won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 1996. In the playoffs he wasnt any better with averages of 7.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 0.2 BPG. There was a shaky moment in the conference finals against the blossoming Knicks, who rode the tough-guy front line Ewing, Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley to 60 victories and the No. John Paxson for the series-clinching jumper. The Suns had won 62 games during the regular season, which was good for the most wins in the NBA. This team was fifth in both Opponent points per game and Defensive Rating. After Michael Jordan returned to the NBA, and after some struggles to get it all back to NBA championship form, the Chicago Bulls' winning continued at the highest level, as the Chicago Bulls completed their second three-peat of the decade. The Cavaliers also had three members of the All-Star team (Daugherty, Price and Nance). However, they still had Jordan for all 82, and while his efficiency scoring was starting to dip, he only shot 46% this season, they still had his dominant will to win carrying them to 62 wins, tied for the best record in the league. Many try to diminish this great accomplishment because they believe the 1990's era was weak and that the Bulls were stacked. How many championships did Michael Jordan win? Though the Bulls had the same record as the Denver Nuggets in the Midwest Division, the Bulls lost the tiebreaker and finished fourth. The Bulls also reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1989 and 1990 before being eliminated by the eventual champion Detroit Pistons. Sporting News decided to rank the relative strength of those six NBA titlists, whose banners still hang proudly at the United Center and whose memory has inspired one of the highest-rated sports documentaries ever to air on U.S. television. Hardaway was 3rd in MVP voting and he was also a member of the All-NBA First team. With Jordan on the roster the Bulls faced seven 60-win teams and twelve 55-win teams in the playoffs since the 1991 season (1995 excluded) and defeated all of them. How many championships did Michael Jordan win? The Knicks were able to advance past the Pacers and Hornets with relative ease in the first two rounds of the postseason, and they even took a 2-0 lead over the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals. The 1990s Chicago Bulls won six NBA Championships while they were being led by Michael Jordan. [6] Considered the greatest basketball player of all time by NBA.com,[10] Jordan averaged 28.2 points per game during his first season and received the 1985 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. In the second three-peat the Bulls had Luc Longley as their starting center. The same applied for Kobe years earlier. The Bulls were struggling for a playoff berth. The Bulls ultimately won the series 4-2 to take home their fifth title. One of the most interesting questions fans today speculate is whether Jordan faced tougher competition or Lebron did in their way to titles. When the Bulls won their first title in 1991, Pippen didnt even make the All-Star team. Though the Bulls' success was great for the city of Chicago, it came at the expense of other teams from across the league's landscape, as the Bulls blocked a plethora of great teams from hoisting the title trophy during their six championship seasons. James turns 36 in December. was the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who With the final episodes of ESPNs The Last Dance set to air Sunday evening, it probably is not offering any spoilers to remember the Chicago Bulls won six NBA championships with Michael Jordan as their superstar during the 1990s. The only other team to win a title without a dominant big man is the Golden State Warriors in the 1974-75 season. Before we move on to the second three-peat Bulls team, lets clarify something here. Jordan and Pippen ranked among the top 20 in the league in minutes, even though each already had four championship rings. They were second in both opponent points per game and defensive rating. Jordan retired after the 1993 season and missed most of the next two seasons, and the Bulls reached the Eastern Conference semifinals each of those two seasons. No, the Chicago Bulls have been known by that name since 1967. The Bulls eclipsed the marks set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, who went 69-13 for a .841 percentage. The best start to a Bulls season The East Finals saw a tight back and forth series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Finals was ripe with close Blazers wins and Bulls blowouts. Pippen was no longer in his prime. the started the season at 4-0. After several appearances in the Western Conference finals, and over a decade straight of playoff appearances, the Jazz finally broke through and made it to the NBA Finals in 1997. But it still wasnt enough, as the Bulls won the Sixth game and their sixth championship in Utah, with Jordan hitting that legendary shot over Bryon Russell. In the last round, the NBA Finals, the Bulls faced the Los Angeles Lakers. So the 1994 Bulls didnt have to carry the burden the 1993 Bulls had to. 1995 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. [8] During this period the Bulls were perhaps best known for being led by former-ABA star Artis Gilmore and Reggie Theus, both of whom were multiple time All-Stars with the Bulls.[9]. They had the duo of Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning. The Bulls first opponent in the playoffs was the New York Knicks. The first was the 1999-00 Chicago Bulls, who Scottie Pippen, the small forward, was in his prime during this time, butpeople overrate him. Jordan and Pippen were the only mainstays in the starting lineup, as no other Bull started over 59 games this season, forcing the Bulls to constantly adjust. started the season at 0-9. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were 6-6 in the NBA Finals The Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan dominated the 1990's. Breaking down his NBA Finals runs, Michael Jordan's six championship Bulls teams, ranked, Ranking Michael Jordan's Bulls championship teammates, NCAA championship, gold medal and NBA championship, The key stats you need to know in the MJ vs. LeBron debate. Be as it is, fans tend to forget who Jordan had to play and beat to get his six championships. Seven of Russell's teammates in Boston have seven or more championships. Michael Jordan and theChicago Bullsenjoyed immense success during the 1990s. He made the All-NBA Second team during the 1997 and 1998 seasons, but he failed to make the All-Star team (again), but he was selected to the All-NBA third team. They were 34-31 before Jordan made his return. This was a year where the Chicago Bulls were simply much better defensively, and though the Suns' Oliver Miller provided sparks here and there, Michael, Scottie and Phil Jackson's team of three point shooters were just too much. They lorded over the NBA, winning with a form of creeping inevitability, so much so that people argue they would have won eight straight titles if Jordan didn't play baseball for 18 months. Pat Riley was also named Coach of the Year. In the playoffs it was more of the same, they ripped through the East only losing one game by a total of three points and avenging their loss to the Magic the year early with a resounding sweep. Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan named MVP as Chicago Bulls win the 1996 NBA playoffs over the Seattle SuperSonics By Terry Armour Chicago Tribune Jun 17, Peter Pan The Musical Tickets Los Angeles at Pantages Theatre. The Los Angeles Lakers and Magic won five titles between 1980 and 1988, and were their own NBA dynasty. In the 1950s, it was the Minneapolis Lakers, the 60s was ruled by the Boston Celtics, the 70s, coincidentally, is the forgotten decade of the league and also had no team or teams that were the signature draws at that time. In the 1991 and 1992 playoffs he averaged only 0.5 three-point shot attempts. New York rangers, and the Chicago blackhawks. (In fairness, Jordan was probably still a bit rusty at that point after a long time away from the court). In the playoffs he averaged 7.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.6 apg. (Won 0 Rounds), Lost Eastern Conference Semifinals 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and In the regular season he was great, but in the playoffs his shooting wasnt as great. the For the second straight time, the Bulls met the Jazz in the NBA Finals. This time around the Jazz were able to take the first game in the series, but the Bulls quickly bounced back and took a commanding 3-1 lead. The Jazz ultimately lost the series on Jordan's game-winner over Byron Russell in Game 6, which became one of the most famous shots in NBA history. Jordan was his usual dominant force, claiming the MVP and scoring over 30 points, Pippen was an all-around menace, back in his more comfortable role of an ultra glue guy, Rodman kicked ass on the boards, and the role players fit seamlessly into their roles. The Bulls qualified for the playoffs just twice between 1976 and 1984, a period in which the team used eight different head coaches, including former player Jerry Sloan. Had the two played together for longer the course of NBA history would be different, and perhaps Orlando would have a championship banner, or two. Longley and Rodman combined for just 15 points. This was the fourth Bulls championship, earned in the first full season after Michael Jordan returned from his mid-90s retirement. They had winning streaks of 13 and 18 games and only once lost consecutive games, to the Nuggets and Suns on an early February trip West. How do the Chicago Bulls NBA Finals teams rank? They were 9th in defensive rating. Mutombo and Christian Laettner were members of the All-Star team. Episodes three and four of the series focused on the playoff battles between the two teams, and how the Bulls needed to overcome the Pistons in order to develop into champions. [5] The only three NBA franchises that have won more championships than the Bulls are the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers (17 Championships each), and the Golden State Warriors with 7. LA Lakers, Portland Trailblazers, Phoenix Suns, Seattle SuperSonics, and Utah Jazz twice in that order. Brad Daugherty and Mark Price made the All-NBA third team and the All-Star team.