The Bulls during Jordan s championship win, which season is the strongest

The question of which year Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to win the six-time championship has been discussed in the basketball circle, but the generally recognized and least controversial answer is: the Bulls in the 1995-96 season.

The following is a detailed analysis of why the Bulls in the 1995-96 season are considered the "strongest Bulls":

record regular season dominance:

72 wins and 10 losses: This is the first season in NBA history to reach 70 wins (later surpassed by the Warriors 73 wins), breaking the 69 win record that he had previously maintained. This record itself proves their unparalleled dominance in the regular season.

Home 37 wins and 0 losses: The United Center Stadium maintained an amazing record of unbeaten at home in the entire regular season, with an astonishing 100% home winning rate.

33 wins and 8 losses away: The away record is also the best in the league.

Bits: The average net score per game of the season is as high as +12.2 points, one of the top net scores in league history.

Strong team offensive and defensive performance:

Offensive efficiency No. 1 in the league: The team has Jordan, the first scorer in history, Pippen as an all-round forward, and the offensive rebound second offensive opportunity brought by the newly joined Rodman.

Defensive Efficiency League No. 1: This is the most frightening thing about the Bulls this season. The defensive core of Jordan, Pippen and Rodman, combined with role players such as Harper, Longley, and Kukoc, has built one of the most powerful defensive systems in NBA history (Rodman was awarded the DPOY, the best defensive player of the season).

Real offense and defense: Playing top-level efficiency in the league on both offense and defense, and dominance is reflected in the integrity of offense and defense.

The perfectly integrated super core lineup:

Jordan's return to the king: After a short baseball career, he returned and after the running-in of the previous season (the end of the 94-95 season), he reached the peak of his physical and mental competitive state this season, winning the regular season MVP, All-Star MVP and the Finals MVP!

Pippen's peak state: As one of the most comprehensive small forwards in the league, Pippen assumes great responsibilities on both offense and defense. He is the team's actual organizational core and the outside defense gate, and is still at the peak of his personal physical condition.

Rodman's perfect puzzle: Although he has a hot temper, he perfectly makes up for the vacancy after Grant left the team. He focuses on defense and rebounds (average 14.9 rebounds per game, winning the rebounding champion for the fifth time in a row), does not take up the ball, and escorts Jordan and Pippen.

Powerful role players: Ron Harper provides reliable backfield defense and organizational skills; Tony Kukoc as the league's best sixth man; Luke Longley and Bill Winnington provide size and confrontation in the penalty area; Steve Cole is a trusted sharpshooter. The entire lineup is deep enough and the chemistry is excellent.

Efficient crush in the playoffs:

15 wins and 3 losses playoff record: I only lost 3 games on the way to win the championship.

defeated strong opponents in the finals: defeated the Seattle Supersonics with Gary Payton and Sean Camp 4-2 in the finals. Although the supersonics caused a lot of trouble for the Bulls, the Bulls showed their ability to adjust and star quality eventually brought them to the top.

Unparalleled game temperament: The Bulls showed a strong desire to win throughout the season, as if revenge for Jordan's loss to the Magic last season's playoffs (The Magic eliminated the Bulls who lacked Jordan in the 1995 playoffs, and was eliminated in the playoffs for the first time after O'Neal was eliminated). This momentum makes the opponent coward before fighting.

Why are other years considered to be "slightly inferior"?

1991-92 & 1992-93 season: The Bulls showed their dominance in the early days of the dynasty (67 wins in the regular season in the 1992 season, 57 wins in the regular season in the 1993 season, and still won three consecutive championships). However, although Jordan was at the peak of his personal absolute scoring, the team's overall defense was not as good as the regular season dominance in 1996. At that time, Grant was not as suitable for the triangular offensive system as Rodman.

1996-97 & 1997-98 season: Although he won the championship again (69 wins in the regular season in the 1997 season, 62 wins in the regular season in the 1998 season), and included legendary moments (the flu battle in the 1997 finals, the last shot in the 1998 finals), but:

Core age and injuries: Jordan is over 35 years old, and his physical fitness has slightly declined (although his will and skills are better); Pippen is deeply troubled by back injuries (the G6 in the 1997 finals is absent, and his condition is not at the peak of 1996; Rodman's condition also fluctuates.

lineup depth has weakened: Compared with 1996, the depth of the rotation lineup has dropped slightly.

The challenge is greater: the playoff journey in these two seasons is more difficult (6 games against the Heat in the 1997 season, 6 games against the Heat in the 1997 season, 7 games against the Pacers in the 1998 season, 6 games against the Jazz in the 1998 season). Being able to win the championship depends more on the championship background, Jordan's super-god performance and key ball ability, and his dominance is not as suffocating as the 1996 season.

Phil Jackson's judgment: As head coach, Phil Jackson has repeatedly stated that the Bulls in 1996 were the strongest team he has coached because Jordan and Pippen are in the perfect moment of "flying the wings" in their respective careers, and Rodman also provided tremendous energy.

Summary

The Chicago Bulls in the 1995-96 season are widely regarded as the strongest Bulls in the Michael Jordan era, and are even considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history (often entered the discussion of the best teams in history).

Their strength is reflected in the best regular season record in history, the suffocating top offense and defense efficiency, the perfectly integrated core lineup at the peak of their respective functionalities, the deep bench, the unstoppable game temperament and the relatively efficient championship journey in the playoffs. This all-round peak dominance is beyond the reach of his subsequent two championship seasons, and the last two championships are more of a manifestation of legendary willpower. Therefore, whether it is data, honors, game viewing or historical evaluation, the 1995-96 season was the well-deserved "strongest Bulls".