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1996–97 Chicago Bulls season

NBA basketball team season (won championship)

SportsChannel Chicago (Defeated Jazz 4–2)

The 1996–97 Chicago Bulls season was the 31st season for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association. The Bulls entered the regular 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 off-season, the Bulls signed 43-year old free agent All-Star center Robert Parish, who won three championships with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s.

Coming off of one of the greatest seasons in NBA history, 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, perennial All-Star small forward Scottie Pippen, and rebound ace Dennis Rodman; 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 by winning their first twelve games of the regular season, while posting a 42–6 record before the All-Star break. In April, the team signed free agent Brian Williams, who previously played for the Los Angeles Clippers last season, and spent most of the 1996–97 season as a free agent; Williams played in the final nine games of the regular season as a backup center for the Bulls.

Although the Bulls looked to make history against the New York Knicks in their final game of the regular season, Pippen missed a game-winning three-pointer as they lost to the Knicks at the United Center, 103–101; the Bulls finished in first place in the Central Division with a 69–13 record, just missing out on becoming the first team in NBA history to have back-to-back 70 wins seasons. The Bulls earned the first seed in the Eastern Conference, qualified for the NBA playoffs for the thirteenth consecutive year, and had the fourth best team defensive rating in the NBA.

Jordan led the league in scoring once again, averaging 29.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, plus contributing 111 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while Pippen averaged 20.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game, led the Bulls with 156 three-point field goals, and was selected to the All-NBA Second Team; both Jordan and Pippen were named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, Rodman averaged 5.7 points and 16.1 rebounds per game, but only played 55 games due to suspensions and injuries, such as serving an 11-game suspension for kicking a cameraman during a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 15, 1997, and a knee injury which caused him to miss the final 13 games of the regular season.

Meanwhile, Kukoč provided scoring off the bench, averaging 13.2 points per game, but only played 57 games due to a foot injury, while Luc Longley provided the team with 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, Kerr contributed 8.1 points per game and 110 three-point field goals off the bench, while shooting .464 in three-point field goal percentage, second-year forward Jason Caffey averaged 7.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, starting at power forward in a few games during Rodman's suspension, and Ron Harper contributed 6.3 points and 2.5 assists per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Jordan and Pippen were both selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was Pippen's seventh and final All-Star appearance. Jordan also recorded the first triple-double in an All-Star Game with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 132–120. Meanwhile, Kerr won the NBA Three-Point Shootout, in which he participated in for the fourth consecutive year. Jordan also finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz, while Pippen finished in eleventh place; Pippen finished in fourth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Jordan finished in fifth place, and Kukoč finished in second place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, behind John Starks of the Knicks.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1997 NBA playoffs, the Bulls faced off against the 8th–seeded Washington Bullets, a team that featured All-Star forward Chris Webber, Juwan Howard and Rod Strickland. In their first two home games at the United Center, the Bulls won Game 1 over the Bullets, 98–86, despite shooting .380 in field-goal percentage, then won Game 2, 109–104, in which Jordan scored 55 points. In Game 3 at U.S. Airways Arena, and despite trailing 14–2 early in the first quarter, the Bulls defeated the Bullets, 96–95, as they won the series in a three-game sweep.

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 4th–seeded Atlanta Hawks, who were led by the quartet of All-Star center, and Defensive Player of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo, All-Star forward Christian Laettner, Steve Smith and Mookie Blaylock. The Bulls won Game 1 at the United Center, 100–97, but then lost Game 2 to the Hawks at home, 103–95. The Bulls won the next two games on the road at the Omni Coliseum, then won Game 5 over the Hawks at home, 107–92 to win the series in five games.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls then faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Atlantic Division champion Miami Heat, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Tim Hardaway, All-Star center Alonzo Mourning, and Jamal Mashburn. The Bulls took a 3–0 series lead before losing Game 4 to the Heat on the road, 87–80 at the Miami Arena. The Bulls won Game 5 over the Heat at the United Center, 100–87 to win the series in five games, and advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.

In the 1997 NBA Finals, the Bulls faced off against the top–seeded Jazz, who were led by the trio of Malone, All-Star guard John Stockton, and Jeff Hornacek. The Bulls won the first two games at the United Center, but then lost the next two games to the Jazz on the road. In Game 5 at the Delta Center, which was known as "The Flu Game", Jordan scored 38 points in 44 minutes, as the Bulls defeated the Jazz, 90–88 to take a 3–2 series lead. The Bulls then defeated the Jazz in Game 6 at the United Center, 90–86, thus winning the series in six games for their second consecutive NBA championship, and their fifth championship in seven years; Jordan was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player for the second straight year, and for the fifth time overall.

The Bulls finished second in the NBA in home-game attendance behind the Charlotte Hornets, with an attendance of 978,457 at the United Center during the regular season. Following the season, Parish retired after 21 seasons in the NBA, while Williams signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons, and Dickey Simpkins was traded to the Golden State Warriors.

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 1996 NBA draft

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

Roster

Phil Jackson
Bill Cartwright
Frank Hamblen
Jimmy Rodgers
Tex Winter

Regular season

Season standings

Game log

Regular season

Playoffs

Player stats

Regular season

GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
72	3	14.7	.420	.182	.679	1.5	1.8	1.12	.24	4.7
76	0	9.2	.367	.333	.357	1.7	.8	.30	.28	1.8
75	19	18.7	.532	.000	.659	4.0	1.2	.33	.12	7.3
9	0	15.3	.413	.000	.733	3.7	1.3	.33	.56	7.0
76	74	22.9	.436	.362	.707	2.5	2.5	1.13	.50	6.3
82	82	37.9	.486	.374	.833	5.9	4.3	1.71	.54	29.6
82	0	22.7	.533	.464	.806	1.6	2.1	.82	.04	8.1
57	15	28.2	.471	.331	.770	4.6	4.5	1.05	.51	13.2
59	59	24.9	.456	.000	.792	5.6	2.4	.39	1.12	9.1
43	3	9.4	.490	.000	.677	2.1	.5	.14	.44	3.7
82	82	37.7	.474	.368	.701	6.5	5.7	1.88	.55	20.2
55	54	35.4	.448	.263	.568	16.1	3.1	.58	.35	5.7
48	0	8.2	.333	.250	.700	1.9	.6	.10	.10	1.9
2	0	6.0	.250	.000	.500	1.5	1.0	.50	.50	1.5
61	19	12.8	.498	.000	.830	2.1	.7	.16	.18	4.6

Playoffs

GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
17		5.8	.300	.000	.600	.6	.4	.47	.12	1.2
18		7.7	.419	.333	.600	1.3	.3	.17	.06	1.8
17	5	9.8	.455	.000	.786	2.5	.9	.18	.18	2.4
19		17.7	.481	.000	.516	3.7	.6	1.00	.42	6.1
19	19	27.1	.400	.344	.750	4.3	3.0	1.26	.74	7.5
19	19	42.3	.456	.194	.831	7.9	4.8	1.58	.89	31.1
19		17.9	.429	.381	.929	.9	1.1	.89	.11	5.0
19		22.3	.360	.358	.707	2.8	2.8	.68	.21	7.9
19	19	22.7	.548	.000	.385	4.4	1.8	.37	.84	6.5
2		9.0	.143	.000	.000	2.0	.0	.00	1.50	1.0
19	19	39.6	.417	.345	.791	6.8	3.8	1.47	.95	19.2
19	14	28.2	.370	.250	.577	8.4	1.4	.53	.21	4.2

Player statistics citation:

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	18	24	22	18	82
Chicago	17	21	24	22	84

Game 2

Wednesday, June 4, at the United Center

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Utah	20	11	28	26	85
Chicago	25	22	31	19	97

Game 3

Friday, June 6, at the Delta Center

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Chicago	22	23	15	33	93
Utah	31	30	16	27	104

Game 4

Sunday, June 8, at the Delta Center

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Chicago	16	24	16	17	73
Utah	21	14	21	22	78

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, 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	16	33	18	23	90
Utah	29	24	19	16	88

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	23	21	26	16	86
Chicago	17	20	27	26	90

Awards and honors

Scottie Pippen, Forward, NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
Michael Jordan, Guard, NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
Robert Parish, Center, NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
Michael Jordan, All-NBA Team, First Team
Michael Jordan, Guard, NBA Finals MVP
Michael Jordan, NBA All-Defensive First Team
Michael Jordan, Regular season leader, Field Goals (920)
Michael Jordan, Regular season leader, Field Goal Attempts (1892)
Michael Jordan, Regular season leader, Total Points (2431)
Michael Jordan, Regular season leader, Scoring Average (29.6 points per game)
Scottie Pippen, All-NBA Team, Second Team
Scottie Pippen, NBA All-Defensive First Team

NBA All-Star Game

Michael Jordan, Guard
Scottie Pippen, Forward

References

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(September 26, 1996). "Parish, 43, Joins the Bulls as Backup". Los Angeles Times.
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(November 22, 1996). "Bulls 110, Nuggets 92". United Press International.
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Isaacson, Melissa. (April 5, 1997). "Williams Jumps In Action a Little Too Early for the Bulls". Chicago Tribune.
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(March 27, 1997). "Rodman Out Until Playoffs". Los Angeles Times.
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(September 13, 2021). "1997 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
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