It just took too long. Michael Jordan was not fully recovered from the flu, but was feeling much better and led the Bulls with 39 points. Gli NBA Playoffs 1996 si conclusero con la vittoria dei Chicago Bulls (campioni della Eastern Conference) che sconfissero i campioni della Western Conference, i Seattle SuperSonics. The teams' 136 combined regular season wins shattered the previous record of 125, set in 1985bet… We knew we could play with this team.

The only time Seattle won over Chicago was in the The Bulls' combined 87 wins in the regular season and postseason would stand as an NBA record until the 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. At first, he displayed no energy whatsoever, and Jordan finished the game with 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block.

Jordan stayed on the court for 44 minutes, resting for only four minutes while being perpetually at the brink of fainting. Although Chicago was not playing well offensively, they were able to compensate with superb defense.

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 Bulls got off to a fast start winning their first twelve games, while posting a 42–6 record before the All-Star break. During the final month of the regular season, the team signed free agent 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 (Game 5, often referred to as "The Flu Game", was one of Jordan was visibly weak and pale as he stepped onto the court for Game Five. Seattle did not want to suffer the ignominy of a sweep. • Game 1 – June 1, Sunday @Chicago, Chicago 84, Utah 82: Chicago leads series 1-0 Malone was the highest-scoring Jazz player with 19 points but suffered from some dreadful shooting.

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. 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 third quarter Michael Jordan dunked after a steal, bringing the crowd to its feet. They continued to gain momentum in the playoffs, beginning with a sweep of the Two straight first-round exits followed, including the stunning Seattle began its playoff run with a four-game win over the Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team: The Sonics suffered a 22-point blow-out on their return to Seattle, giving the Chicago Bulls a seemingly insurmountable 3–0 series lead. 1996 NBA Finals SuperSonics vs. Bulls 1995 Finals 1997 Finals League Champion: Chicago Bulls Finals MVP: Michael Jordan (27.3 / 5.3 / 4.2) 1996 … Voce principale: National Basketball Association 1995-1996. "The 1996 NBA Finals would be the last Finals appearance of the Seattle SuperSonics.

Payton had this to say: "We feel great. This also was the first game in the series that George Karl gave Jordan's defensive assignment to Gary Payton, a move which showed immediate results.Seattle would once again deny the Bulls the championship, stretching the series to six games.

We should have come with this a little earlier.

In the final minutes, Jordan's fadeaway on the baseline put the Bulls up by 3, before Chicago was leading only by 2 at the end of the third quarter, however in the final quarter shots by Game two started well for Seattle with a 27–23 first quarter lead. With only a few seconds remaining and the game finally at hand, Jordan collapsed into Scottie Pippen's arms. The Sonics would win the Pacific Division again in This was also the last time a Seattle-based team played for a major professional sports championship until Teams from Chicago and Seattle would meet three more times in postseason competition among the "Big Four" leagues.

In the victory, Dennis Rodman tied an NBA Finals record with 11 offensive rebounds. The Bulls were coming off a season where they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the The end result of this ensemble was perhaps the greatest regular season of any team in NBA history at the time, as the Bulls won a then-record 72 games. New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls Atlanta Hawks vs. Orlando Magic West Conf Semis Houston Rockets vs. Seattle SuperSonics Utah Jazz vs. San Antonio Spurs East Conf Finals Orlando Magic vs. Chicago Bulls West Conf Going into this game, the SuperSonics were looking to rebound from the deficit.