The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1995–96 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics (64–18) played the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls (72–10), with the Bulls holding home court advantage. The teams' 136 combined regular season wins shattered the previous record of 125, set in 1985 between the Los Angeles Lakers who won 62 games and the Boston Celtics who won 63 games in the past regular season. The series, the 50th NBA finals in league history, was played under a best-of-seven format. This was the first championship in the Chicago Bulls' second three-peat.[1]
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| Dates | June 5–16 | |||||||||
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| MVP | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Bulls: Michael Jordan (2009) Toni Kukoc (2021) Scottie Pippen (2010) Dennis Rodman (2011) SuperSonics: Gary Payton (2013) Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007) George Karl (2022) Tex Winter (2011) Officials: Dick Bavetta (2015) Hugh Evans (2022) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Bulls defeated Magic, 4–0 | |||||||||
| Western finals | SuperSonics defeated Jazz, 4–3 | |||||||||
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Chicago won the series 4 games to 2. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP, his fourth time winning the award.
The Bulls were coming off a season where they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Orlando Magic. Heading into the upcoming season, Chicago was no longer the same team as they were in their most recent championship season of 1993, having lost key members of their first three-peat core in John Paxson who retired, while Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, B. J. Armstrong, Stacey King, Will Perdue, and Scott Williams left via free agency.
In their place was a new core of players such as Luc Longley, Toni Kukoč, Steve Kerr, Ron Harper, Jud Buechler, Bill Wennington and Randy Brown. But perhaps their biggest addition to the team was Dennis Rodman, a nine-year veteran who had been a rebounding champion for four straight years, and whose controversial lifestyle has been well-documented.
The result of this ensemble was perhaps the greatest regular season of any team in NBA history at the time, as the Bulls won a record-high 72 games, which would be broken by the Golden State Warriors in the 2015–16 season. They continued to gain momentum in the playoffs, beginning with a sweep of the Miami Heat in the first round, followed by a five-game defeat of the New York Knicks in the second round. The conference finals was a rematch of the previous season's series with the Orlando Magic, but it was a no-contest, as the Bulls swept the Magic to gain entry into the Finals.
The SuperSonics were led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, with George Karl as head coach. The team was considered a perennial title contender throughout the mid-1990s, but the closest they came to reaching the finals was in 1993, when they lost to the Phoenix Suns in seven games in the Western Conference Finals.
Two straight first-round exits followed, including the stunning 1994 loss to the eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets (the Sonics were the first seed in that playoffs). Motivated by a successive string of early playoff losses, Seattle finished the 1996 regular season with a franchise-record 64 wins.
Seattle began its playoff run with a four-game win over the Sacramento Kings, followed by a dominant sweep of the defending champion Houston Rockets, headed by a 33 point win in Game 1 where they held Hakeem Olajuwon to 5 points. They then beat the Utah Jazz in seven games in the western finals to advance to its first NBA championship round since 1979.
| Seattle SuperSonics (Western Conference champion) | Chicago Bulls (Eastern Conference champion) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Defeated the (8) Sacramento Kings, 3–1 | First Round | Defeated the (8) Miami Heat, 3–0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defeated the (5) Houston Rockets, 4–0 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (5) New York Knicks, 4–1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defeated the (3) Utah Jazz, 4–3 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (2) Orlando Magic, 4–0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The teams split their two meetings, each game won by the home team:
November 26, 1995 |
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| Chicago Bulls 92, Seattle SuperSonics97 |
January 10, 1996 |
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| Seattle SuperSonics 87, Chicago Bulls 113 |
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| Game | Date | Road team | Result | Home team |
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| Game 1 | June 5 | Seattle SuperSonics | 90–107 (0–1) | Chicago Bulls |
| Game 2 | June 7 | Seattle SuperSonics | 88–92 (0–2) | Chicago Bulls |
| Game 3 | June 9 | Chicago Bulls | 108–86 (3–0) | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Game 4 | June 12 | Chicago Bulls | 86–107 (3–1) | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Game 5 | June 14 | Chicago Bulls | 78–89 (3–2) | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Game 6 | June 16 | Seattle SuperSonics | 75–87 (2–4) | Chicago Bulls |
June 5 |
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 1996) |
| Seattle SuperSonics 90, Chicago Bulls 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–24, 30–29, 29–26, 13–28 | ||
| Pts: Shawn Kemp32 Rebs: Gary Payton10 Asts: Gary Payton6 |
Pts: Michael Jordan28 Rebs: Dennis Rodman13 Asts: Ron Harper7 | |
| Chicago leads the series, 1–0 | ||
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
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Although Chicago was not playing well offensively, they were able to compensate with superb defense. Frustration set in for Seattle when Frank Brickowski was ejected after committing a flagrant foul against Dennis Rodman, then promptly getting charged with two consecutive technical fouls. Chicago was leading by only 2 at the end of the third quarter, but in the final quarter, shots by Toni Kukoč and 2 key steals by Ron Harper clinched the Bulls' Game 1 win. Shawn Kemp was a bright spot for Seattle, scoring 32 points, but ended up fouling out midway through the fourth quarter. Michael Jordan led the way for the Bulls with 28 points, while Scottie Pippen chipped in with 21 points. Seattle captain Nate McMillan ended up leaving the game due to a debilitating back injury in the 2nd quarter. Dennis Rodman pulled down 13 rebounds for the Bulls, while Toni Kukoč chipped in off the bench with 18 points.
June 7 |
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 1996) |
| Seattle SuperSonics 88, Chicago Bulls92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–23, 18–23, 20–30, 23–16 | ||
| Pts: Shawn Kemp29 Rebs: Shawn Kemp13 Asts: Payton, Schrempf 3 each |
Pts: Michael Jordan29 Rebs: Dennis Rodman20 Asts: Michael Jordan8 | |
| Chicago leads the series, 2–0 | ||
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
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Game 2 started well for Seattle with a 27–23 first quarter lead. However, Seattle would once again lose the lead before halftime. Despite Shawn Kemp's 29 points and 13 rebounds, Chicago triumphed with a final score of 92 to 88. In the victory, Dennis Rodman tied an NBA Finals record with 11 offensive rebounds and made a clutch free throw near the end of the game to seal the Bulls victory. Michael Jordan once again led the Bulls with 29 points, while Shawn Kemp continued his strong play by scoring 29 points for Seattle.
June 9 |
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 1996) |
| Chicago Bulls 108, Seattle SuperSonics86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–16, 28–22, 13–23, 33–25 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan36 Rebs: Dennis Rodman10 Asts: Scottie Pippen9 |
Pts: Detlef Schrempf20 Rebs: Brickowski, Payton 7 each Asts: Gary Payton9 | |
| Chicago leads the series, 3–0 | ||
KeyArena, Seattle, Washington
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The Sonics, owners of a 44–5 home record (including playoffs),[2] suffered a 22-point blow-out in their return to Seattle, giving the Bulls a seemingly insurmountable 3–0 series lead. Frustration would once again set in for the Sonics, as Frank Brickowski was ejected for committing a flagrant foul on Dennis Rodman. Michael Jordan led the way for the Bulls with 36 points.
June 12 |
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 1996) |
| Chicago Bulls 86, Seattle SuperSonics 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 11–28, 31–31, 23–23 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan23 Rebs: Dennis Rodman14 Asts: Scottie Pippen8 |
Pts: Shawn Kemp25 Rebs: Shawn Kemp11 Asts: Gary Payton11 | |
| Chicago leads the series, 3–1 | ||
KeyArena, Seattle, Washington
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Seattle did not want to suffer the ignominy of a sweep. In an attempt to spark his team, Coach George Karl gave Jordan's defensive assignment to Gary Payton, a move which showed immediate results.[3] Seattle succeeded with a 107–86 win over the Bulls, and Sonics fans taunted the Bulls players with homemade signs reading "Sweepless in Seattle".[4] The Sonics were helped by the return of team captain Nate McMillan whose presence entering the game brought the KeyArena crowd to its feet.
Seattle's victory prevented the NBA Finals from being swept in two consecutive years (something which, as of 2024, has never occurred).[5]
June 14 |
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 1996) |
| Chicago Bulls 78, Seattle SuperSonics89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–18, 24–25, 18–19, 18–27 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan26 Rebs: Dennis Rodman12 Asts: Scottie Pippen5 |
Pts: Gary Payton23 Rebs: Shawn Kemp10 Asts: Gary Payton6 | |
| Chicago leads the series, 3–2 | ||
KeyArena, Seattle, Washington
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Seattle would once again deny the Bulls the championship, stretching the series to six games. Payton had this to say: "We feel great. We knew we could play with this team. It just took too long. We should have come with this a little earlier."[6] Shawn Kemp's performance in this game was considered by many to be his best in a Seattle uniform.
June 16 |
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 1996) |
| Seattle SuperSonics 75, Chicago Bulls87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–24, 20–21, 20–22, 17–20 | ||
| Pts: Detlef Schrempf23 Rebs: Shawn Kemp14 Asts: Gary Payton7 |
Pts: Michael Jordan22 Rebs: Dennis Rodman19 Asts: Michael Jordan7 | |
| Chicago wins the NBA Finals, 4–2 | ||
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
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Chicago won the series four games to two on Father's Day, in what would be the last time the Sonics played a Finals game before relocating to Oklahoma City and being renamed the Thunder. The Bulls' victory was partly due to the stellar performance of power forward Dennis Rodman, who delivered a repeat of his Game 2 performance with 19 rebounds, tying his own NBA Finals record. Bulls star Michael Jordan finished the game with 22 points and collected his fourth Finals MVP.
As of 2024, no NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 playoff series deficit, and only four teams have forced a Game 7 after dropping the first three contests: the New York Knicks (1951), Denver Nuggets (1994), Portland Trail Blazers (2003), and Boston Celtics (2023).[7][8]
| 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 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
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| Randy Brown | 6 | 0 | 8.2 | .500 | .500 | .500 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| Jud Buechler | 6 | 0 | 5.6 | .222 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| Ron Harper | 6 | 4 | 19.3 | .375 | .308 | .917 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 6.5 |
| Michael Jordan | 6 | 6 | 42.0 | .415 | .316 | .836 | 5.3 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 27.3 |
| Steve Kerr | 6 | 0 | 18.8 | .303 | .182 | .857 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 5.0 |
| Toni Kukoč | 6 | 2 | 29.5 | .423 | .313 | .800 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 13.0 |
| Luc Longley | 6 | 6 | 28.3 | .574 | .000 | .727 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 11.7 |
| Scottie Pippen | 6 | 6 | 41.3 | .343 | .231 | .708 | 8.2 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 15.7 |
| Dennis Rodman | 6 | 6 | 37.5 | .486 | .000 | .579 | 14.7 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 7.5 |
| John Salley | 5 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Bill Wennington | 6 | 0 | 7.0 | .667 | .000 | .500 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vincent Askew | 4 | 0 | 15.5 | .222 | .200 | 1.000 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.8 |
| Frank Brickowski | 6 | 3 | 11.3 | .222 | .200 | .000 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| Hersey Hawkins | 6 | 6 | 38.3 | .455 | .273 | .923 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 13.3 |
| Ervin Johnson | 3 | 3 | 6.7 | .333 | .000 | .000 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| Shawn Kemp | 6 | 6 | 40.3 | .551 | .000 | .857 | 10.0 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 23.3 |
| Nate McMillan | 4 | 0 | 12.8 | .429 | .600 | 1.000 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| Gary Payton | 6 | 6 | 45.7 | .444 | .333 | .731 | 6.3 | 7.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 18.0 |
| Sam Perkins | 6 | 0 | 31.7 | .377 | .235 | .810 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 11.2 |
| Steve Scheffler | 4 | 0 | 2.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Detlef Schrempf | 6 | 6 | 39.7 | .443 | .389 | .875 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 16.3 |
| Eric Snow | 6 | 0 | 1.5 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| David Wingate | 6 | 0 | 8.0 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
The Finals was aired in the United States on NBC. Bob Costas hosted the pre-game, halftime and post-game show with analysts Julius Erving and Peter Vecsey. Games were called by Marv Albert, Matt Guokas and Bill Walton, while Ahmad Rashad and Hannah Storm served as sideline reporters.
The local NBC stations of the participants were WMAQ-TV (Chicago) and KING-TV (Seattle).
The 1996 NBA Finals would be the last Finals appearance of the Seattle SuperSonics. The Sonics would win the Pacific Division again in 1997 and 1998, but fell in the second round of the playoffs each time. The series was George Karl's only Finals appearance in his coaching career. In 2008, the Sonics franchise movedtoOklahoma City and became the Thunder. They would make the finals four years later after the move, losing to the Miami Heat in five games.
This was also the last time a Seattle-based team played for a major professional sports championship until Super Bowl XL in 2006, when the Seattle Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Seahawks would go on to handily defeat the Denver BroncosinSuper Bowl XLVIII in 2014 and lose to the New England Patriots the following yearinSuper Bowl XLIX. In terms of overall sports leagues, the city would later enjoy six additional championships: the WNBA's Seattle Storm, a one-time SuperSonics sister team, won the 2004, the 2010, the 2018, and the 2020 WNBA Finals, and the MLS's Seattle Sounders FC won 2016 MLS Cup and 2019 MLS Cup.
Teams from Chicago and Seattle would meet three more times in postseason competition among the "Big Four" leagues. The only time Seattle won over Chicago was in the 2000 American League Division Series, when the Seattle Mariners swept the Chicago White Sox 3–0. Meanwhile, the Seahawks lost to the Chicago Bears in the divisional round of both the 2006 and 2010 NFL playoffs.
The Bulls came close to winning 70 games for the second straight year, instead settling for a 69-win campaign in 1997. They won their second straight title over the Utah Jazz in six games of the 1997 NBA Finals. In the off-season that preceded Scottie Pippen became the first person to win the NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal in the same year twice, playing for Team USA at the Atlanta Olympics.[9] The Bulls would also defeat the Utah Jazz in six games in the 1998 NBA Finals.
The Bulls' combined 87 wins in the regular season and postseason would stand as an NBA record until the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, coached by former Bull Steve Kerr, broke it with 88 total wins (thanks to the first round using a best-of-7 format instead of the best-of-5 in 1996), including a 73-9 regular season mark. However, the Warriors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals, failing to repeat as champions after beating the same Cavaliers in the previous Finals.
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