Winning an NBA championship is hard. Doing it six times without ever losing a series on the biggest stage? That’s basically mythological. When people talk about the nba finals chicago bulls teams of the 1990s, they usually focus on the "shrug," the "flu game," or that final jumper in Salt Lake City. But honestly, the perfection of that 6-0 Finals record hides just how close the whole dynasty came to falling apart about a dozen different times.
It wasn't just Michael Jordan being Michael Jordan. It was a weird, sometimes volatile mix of a Zen Master coach, a Point Forward who didn't get paid enough, and a rotating cast of specialists who hit shots they had no business making.
The First Three-Peat: 1991-1993
Most fans remember the 1991 Finals as the passing of the torch. You've seen the highlight: Jordan switches the ball from his right hand to his left mid-air against the Lakers. It looked like magic. But the real story was the Bulls finally getting past the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. Once they cleared that hurdle, they dismantled Magic Johnson’s Lakers in five games. Jordan averaged 31.2 points and a staggering 11.4 assists. People forget he was a playmaker first in that series.
1992 was different. Portland had Clyde Drexler, and the media was trying to say he was on Jordan's level. Jordan took that personally. He hit six threes in the first half of Game 1—the famous "Shrug" game. The Bulls eventually took it in six, but they had to crawl back from 15 points down in the fourth quarter of the clincher.
Then came 1993. This was the peak of the first era. Facing Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns, Jordan averaged 41.0 points per game for the series. That’s still a record. It ended with John Paxson hitting a wide-open three in Game 6 because the Suns' defense completely collapsed on Jordan.
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- 1991: Beat Lakers (4-1)
- 1992: Beat Trail Blazers (4-2)
- 1993: Beat Suns (4-2)
Why 1993 Was the Breaking Point
By the end of that third title, the team was fried. Jordan was dealing with gambling investigations and the crushing weight of global fame. When he retired later that summer, most people thought the nba finals chicago bulls era was buried. Honestly, it should have been.
The Second Three-Peat: 1996-1998
The comeback in 1995 didn't go as planned—they lost to Orlando—but it set the stage for 1996. This was the 72-10 team. They added Dennis Rodman, which was a massive gamble at the time. He was a lightning rod for controversy, but he gave them the rebounding they lost when Horace Grant left for the Magic.
The 1996 Finals against Seattle was a grind. Gary Payton actually guarded Jordan better than anyone ever had, but the Bulls were too deep. They won on Father's Day, which was incredibly emotional for Jordan since it was the first title he won after his father’s murder.
The Jazz Battles of 1997 and 1998
The final two championships were basically a heavyweight fight against the Utah Jazz. Karl Malone and John Stockton were a machine. In 1997, we got the "Flu Game" (or food poisoning game, depending on who you ask). Jordan was literally being carried to the bench by Scottie Pippen, yet he still dropped 38 points in a pivotal Game 5.
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Then, the "Last Dance" in 1998. The team knew it was over. Management was ready to blow it up. Pippen was dealing with a bad back. In Game 6, Jordan had to do everything. He scored 45 of the team's 87 points. He stripped Malone on one end and hit the jumper over Bryon Russell on the other. It was the perfect ending to a messy, beautiful run.
What People Get Wrong About the Dynasty
There's a myth that these teams were just vastly more talented than everyone else. That’s not quite right. In 1998, the Indiana Pacers arguably had more talent. In 1993, the Suns had the deeper bench.
The difference was the Triangle Offense. Phil Jackson and Tex Winter installed a system that forced everyone to move. It kept the defense honest. If you doubled Jordan, Paxson or Steve Kerr would kill you from the perimeter. If you stayed home on the shooters, Jordan would just dismantle his defender 1-on-1.
Also, we have to talk about Scottie Pippen. He’s the only other guy there for all six. Without his ability to guard four positions and handle the ball, the nba finals chicago bulls never happen. He was the glue that kept the Jordan-sized ego from exploding the locker room.
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Impact on the Modern NBA
The Bulls' dominance in the Finals changed how teams were built. It started the "Big Three" obsession, though the Bulls did it more organically through the draft and savvy trades (like getting Rodman for Will Perdue).
They also globalized the game. Before 1991, the NBA was popular in the States. By 1998, kids in rural villages in Asia were wearing Bulls jerseys. That's the real legacy of those Finals runs—they turned a sport into a global culture.
Key Takeaways for Fans and Collectors:
- Context Matters: Look at the 1994 and 1995 seasons to see how much they missed Jordan’s gravity.
- Role Players: Study the impact of guys like Toni Kukoc and Ron Harper; they were stars elsewhere who accepted smaller roles to win.
- The Record: 6-0 in the Finals is the gold standard. No other modern dynasty (Lakers, Spurs, Warriors) has managed to avoid a Finals loss entirely.
If you're looking to dive deeper into this era, start by watching full game replays of the 1993 Finals. The pace and physicality were lightyears ahead of what people expected for that time. You can also track the evolution of the roster through the official NBA archives to see how Jerry Krause constantly tinkered with the supporting cast to keep the window open.