Chicago Bulls: 5 most dominant postseason performances in franchise history
4. Bulls blow out Orlando Magic in Game 1 of 1996 Eastern Conference Finals
To understand the significance of this series, you have to go back to the year before. Jordan returned to the Bulls in March of 1995 following an 18-month hiatus from the game of basketball. Despite his Airness not being in top shape, Chicago posted a 13-4 record over the final 17 games of the season.
With Jordan back in the mix, Chicago was expected to make it as far as the conference finals. The Bulls knocked off the Charlotte Hornets in four games in the first round of the playoffs. In the conference semifinals, the Bulls faced off against a talented young team in the Orlando Magic, who were led by Shaquille O’Neal, Anfernee Hardaway, and former Bull Horace Grant.
The Bulls were clinging to a one-point lead in the waning seconds of Game 1 when the unthinkable happened.
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Orlando took the opener and while Jordan scored 39 points in Game 2 to tie the series at one game apiece, the Magic went on to eliminate the Bulls in six games. So even though the Bulls set a then NBA record with 72 victories during the 1995-96 campaign, Orlando was the team they targeted the entire season.
With a shot at redemption against the team that eliminated them from the playoffs the year before, the Bulls wasted little time showing the Magic that they were a totally different team. Chicago jumped out to a double-digit lead after the first 12 minutes of action and never looked back.
When it was all said and done, the Bulls came away with a 121-83 victory. Jordan (21 points, seven rebounds and for steals) and Scottie Pippen (18 points, eight rebounds and four assists) paced Chicago’s attack, but they had plenty of help.
Dennis Rodman chipped in with 13 points and a whopping 21 boards. Additionally, Chicago’s second unit outscored their counterparts by a 47-18 margin, behind key contributions from the likes of Toni Kukoc (12 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds) and Steve Kerr (14 points, six dimes and four boards).
Things only got worse for the Magic as they coughed up an 18-point lead in the third quarter of Game 2. Chicago swept Orlando and went on to defeat the SuperSonics in six games, claiming their fourth title in six years.