Chicago Bulls History Online Information and NBA Betting Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook

NBA Chicago Bulls History betting odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook

NBA Chicago Bulls History History The 90s dynasty - Jordan and three-peat By the 1990-91 season, the Bulls had run out of excuses, and charged through the year with a mission. They recorded a then franchise record 61 wins, and romped through the playoffs, where they swept the Pistons in the conference finals and won the Finals in five over the Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers on June 12, 1991. Michael Jordan won regular season MVP and Finals MVP to go with his fifth straight scoring title. The Bulls won their second straight title in 1991-92 after racking up another franchise record for wins with 67. They prevailed over the Portland Trail Blazers and Clyde Drexler in six games. Jordan once again won regular season MVP and Finals MVP, to go with his sixth straight scoring title.

In 1992-93 the Bulls did what no team had done since the legendary Celtics of the 60's by chalking up the three-peat over regular season MVP Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns, with John Paxson's shot that gave them a 99-98 victory in Game six at Phoenix. Jordan was once again the Finals MVP after setting a Finals record for points per game (41.0 ppg). He also tied Wilt Chamberlain by winning his seventh straight scoring title.

During the summer, Jordan shocked the basketball community by announcing his retirement, only months after learning of his father's murder. The Bulls were then led by Scottie Pippen, who established himself as one of the top players in the league by winning the 1994 All-Star MVP. He received help from Horace Grant and B.J. Armstrong, who were named to their first all-star games. The three were assisted by Cartwright, Perdue, shooting guard Pete Myers, and Croatian rookie forward Toni Kukoc. Despite the Bulls' amazing run during the regular season, where they won 55 games, they were beaten in seven games by the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs, after a controversial foul call by referee Hue Hollins in game 5 of that series.

The 90s dynasty part II - return of Jordan, "repeat the three-peat"

In 1994, the Bulls lost Horace Grant and Scott Williams to free agency and Bill Cartwright and John Paxson to retirement, but picked up shooting guard Ron Harper, the seeming heir-apparent to Michael Jordan in Assistant Coach Tex Winter's triple-post offense, and small-forward Jud Buechler. The Bulls sported the look of Armstrong and Harper in the backcourt, Pippen and Kukoc at the forward spots, and Perdue at center. They also had sharpshooter Steve Kerr, whom they acquired via free agency before the 1993-94 season, Myers, and centers Luc Longley (acquired via trade in 1994 from Minnesota Timberwolves) and Bill Wennington. However, they were slumping during the season, when on March 17, 1995, they received the best possible news: Michael Jordan was coming out of retirement. He was soon among the best in the league again, scoring 55 points against the Knicks in only his fifth game back, and led the Bulls to the fifth seed in the playoffs, where they upset the Charlotte Hornets. However, Jordan was too rusty, and the Bulls were unable to overcome the eventual Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic, which included Horace Grant, Anfernee Hardaway, and Shaquille O'Neal. When Jordan returned to the Bulls, he initially wore No. 45 (which was his number while playing for the Birmingham Barons, a minor-league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox). He chose the No. 45 because his older brother Larry wore that number in high school. Michael wanted to be half as good as his brother so he chose 23 which is half of 45 (22.5) rounded up. This was because during his first retirement, his jersey had been retired. However, Jordan switched back to the familiar 23 before game 2 of the Orlando Magic series. (There is also a rumor that his 23 jersey had been stolen before Game 1.)

In the offseason, the Bulls lost B.J. Armstrong in the expansion draft, but Krause pulled off a masterful deal by trading Will Perdue to the San Antonio Spurs for the aggressive and often controversial rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman, who had won the past four rebounding titles, and who had also been a member of the Detroit Pistons' "Bad Boys" squad that served as the Bulls' chief nemesis in the late 1980s.

In the 1996-97 season, the Bulls narrowly missed out on a second consecutive 70 win season by losing their final two games to finish 69-13, and repeated their home dominance going 39-2 at the United Center. The Bulls capped the season by winning their fifth NBA championship over John Stockton, Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz. Jordan earned his second straight and ninth career scoring title, while Rodman earned his sixth straight rebounding title. Jordan and Pippen, along with Robert Parish, were also honored as members of the 50 greatest players of all-time with the NBA celebrating its 50th season. Parish, whose single season with the Bulls would be his last year in the league, was nominated for his stellar career with the Boston Celtics.

The Bulls achieved the "repeat three-peat" by winning 62 regular season games and the 1998 NBA Finals. Jordan bagged his third straight scoring title and tenth overall, and his second triple crown with his fifth MVP award, third all-star game MVP, and sixth Finals MVP award. Rodman earned his record seventh straight rebounding title, as the Bulls upended the Jazz for the second straight year. In the sixth and final game of the championship series, Jordan stepped back and buried a controversial game winning jump shot over Utah Jazz forward Bryon Russell with five seconds left on the clock - his final shot as a Chicago Bull.

Five difficult years

For the 2002-03 season, the Bulls came to play with much optimism. They picked up college phenom Jay Williams with the second pick in the draft. Rose and Williams teamed with Crawford, Fizer, newcomer Donyell Marshall, Curry, Chandler, and guard Trenton Hassell to form a young and exciting nucleus which improved to 30-52 in Bill Cartwright's first full season as head coach. Curry led the league in field goal percentage, becoming the first Bull since Jordan to lead the league in a major statistical category.

During the summer of 2003, long-time GM Jerry Krause retired, and former player and announcer John Paxson was tabbed as his successor. Jay Williams, coming off a promising rookie campaign, was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. His contract was bought out by the Bulls in February 2004 and he has yet to return to the game. Paxson selected point guard Kirk Hinrich with the seventh pick in the draft, and signed veteran free agent and former franchise player Scottie Pippen. With Pippen playing, Cartwright at the sidelines, and Paxson in the front office, the Bulls hoped that some of the championship magic from before would return.

However, the 2003-04 season was a resounding disappointment. Eddy Curry regressed, leading to questions about his conditioning and commitment. Tyson Chandler was plagued by a chronic back injury, missing more than thirty games. Pippen's ability to influence games was impaired by knee problems, and he openly contemplated retirement. Jamal Crawford remained inconsistent. Bill Cartwright was fired as head coach in December and replaced with former Phoenix coach Scott Skiles. A trade with the Toronto Raptors brought Antonio Davis and Jerome Williams in exchange for Rose and Marshall in what was seen as a major shift in team strategy from winning with athleticism to winning with hard work and defense. After struggling throughout the season, the Bulls finished with 23 wins and 59 losses, the second-worst record in the league. Fizer was not re-signed, and Crawford was re-signed and traded to the Knicks for expiring contracts. Hinrich provided the lone bright spot, becoming a fan favorite for his gritty determination and athletic ability. He won a place on the All-Rookie first team.

Resurgence

During the 2004 offseason, Paxson traded a 2005 draft pick to the Phoenix Suns in return for an additional pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. He used the picks to select University of Connecticut guard Ben Gordon and Duke small forward Luol Deng in the first round, and Duke point guard Chris Duhon in the second. Paxson also signed free agent small forward Andres Nocioni, who had recently won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the Argentinian national team. After losing the first nine games of the season, the Bulls began to show signs of improvement behind their improved team defense and clutch fourth-quarter play from Gordon. The Bulls finished the regular season 47-35, with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and advanced to the NBA playoffs for the first time since Jordan's departure. In the first round, the 4th-seeded Bulls played the Washington Wizards. The Bulls opened the series with two wins at home, but lost the next four games and the series. After the season, Ben Gordon became the first rookie to win the NBA Sixth Man Award and the first Bull to win the award since 1996 with Toni Kukoc.

During the 2005 offseason, the Bulls re-signed free agent Tyson Chandler. However, Curry showed possible symptoms of a heart disease resulting of a heart murmur during checkups, and Paxson would not clear him to play without extensive DNA testing. Ultimately, Curry refused to participate in the tests, and he was traded along with Antonio Davis to the New York Knicks for Michael Sweetney, Tim Thomas, and what became the second pick of the 2006 NBA Draft - as well as the right to swap picks with New York in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Without a significant post presence, the Bulls struggled for most of the 2005-06 season. However, a late-season 12-2 surge allowed them to finish 41-41 and into 2006 playoffs. There, the Bulls faced the Miami Heat. After two close losses in Miami, the Bulls broke through with a blowout win in Game 3, and another win in Game 4. However, the Heat took the next two games to win the series. The Bulls' several young players nevertheless earned additional postseason experience, and Nocioni turned in a remarkable series of performances that far exceeded his season averages.

In 2006-07, the Bulls overcame a 3-9 season start to finish 49-33, the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. In the first round, the Bulls again faced Miami, the defending NBA champion. The Bulls narrowly won Game 1 at home, then followed it with a blowout victory in Game 2. In Miami, the Bulls rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to win Game 3 and then posted another comeback win in Game 4. The Bulls' four-game sweep of the defending champion stunned many NBA observers. It was Chicago's first playoff series victory since 1998, Jordan's last season with the team.

The Bulls then advanced to face the Detroit Pistons, marking the first time the Central Division rivals had met in the playoffs since 1991. The Pistons won the first three games. No NBA team had ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to win the series, but the Bulls avoided a sweep by winning Game 4 by 10 points. The Bulls then easily won Game 5, and had a chance to make NBA history. But they lost in game 6 by 10, and the Pistons won the series 4-2 on May 17.

Season-by-season records

Season	W	L	%	Playoffs	Results
Chicago Bulls
1990-91	61	21	.744	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Won NBA Finals	Chicago 3, New York 0 Chicago 4, Philadelphia 1 Chicago 4, Detroit 0 Chicago 4, LA Lakers 1
1991-92	67	15	.817	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Won NBA Finals	Chicago 3, Miami 0 Chicago 4, New York 3 Chicago 4, Cleveland 2 Chicago 4, Portland 2
1992-93	57	25	.695	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Won NBA Finals	Chicago 3, Atlanta 0 Chicago 4, Cleveland 0 Chicago 4, New York 2 Chicago 4, Phoenix 2
1993-94	55	27	.671	Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals	Chicago 3, Cleveland 0 New York 4, Chicago 3
1994-95	47	35	.573	Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals	Chicago 3, Charlotte 1 Orlando 4, Chicago 2
1995-96	72	10	.878	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Won NBA Finals	Chicago 3, Miami 0 Chicago 4, New York 1 Chicago 4, Orlando 0 Chicago 4, Seattle 2
1996-97	69	13	.841	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Won NBA Finals	Chicago 3, Washington 0 Chicago 4, Atlanta 1 Chicago 4, Miami 1 Chicago 4, Utah 2
1997-98	62	20	.756	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Won NBA Finals	Chicago 3, New Jersey 0 Chicago 4, Charlotte 1 Chicago 4, Indiana 3 Chicago 4, Utah 2
1998-99	13	37	.260
1999-2000	17	65	.207
2000-01	15	67	.183
2001-02	21	61	.256
2002-03	30	52	.366
2003-04	23	59	.280
2004-05	47	35	.573	Lost First Round	Washington 4, Chicago 2
2005-06	41	41	.500	Lost First Round	Miami 4, Chicago 2
2006-07	49	33	.598	Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals	Chicago 4, Miami 0 Detroit 4, Chicago 2
2007-08	0	0	.000
Totals	1705	1625	.512
Playoffs	156	118	.569	6 Championships

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