Fansided

Every NBA team’s best iteration ever

By Micah Wimmer

PORTLAND, OR - 1987: Head Coach Pat Riley leads Magic Johnson #32, Byron Scott #4, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 during a game played circa 1987 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1987 NBAE (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - 1987: Head Coach Pat Riley leads Magic Johnson #32, Byron Scott #4, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 during a game played circa 1987 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1987 NBAE (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES – NOVEMBER 25: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls talks with Phil Jackson against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 25, 1996 at the LA Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1997 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES – NOVEMBER 25: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls talks with Phil Jackson against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 25, 1996 at the LA Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1997 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Chicago Bulls: 1995-96

I spent a lot of time as I researched and wrote this piece debating whether or not the 1996 team was actually the best one of the Bulls’ title-winning teams in the 1990s, before realizing that sometimes the obvious choice is obvious for a reason. This team, in Jordan’s first full season after returning from his baseball sabbatical, was the first in NBA history to ever win 70 games in a single season and simply dominated the league that year. Sure, they were a bit top heavy, with the foursome of Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Toni Kukoc carrying a disproportionate amount of the weight, but when your two best players are Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, you can afford to sacrifice a bit of depth.

This was the Bulls’ first year featuring Dennis Rodman and he added a lot, especially defensively, to a team already featuring two of the best perimeter defenders in NBA history. While adding him appeared like a major risk at the time, considering how his tenure in San Antonio ended, it paid off tremendously, helping to elevate the Bulls even higher than they already were. Accordingly, this Bulls team was extremely difficult to score on and ended up leading the league in defensive efficiency, as well as in points scored per 100 possessions. They were pretty great.

Admittedly, this team benefited a lot from the shortened 3-point line — Jordan, Kukoc, and Judd Buechler, all shot over 40 percent from 3 that season while Steve Kerr made over half of his own — and from the rampant expansion that the league had undergone in the last decade, but regardless of all possible caveats, the 1996 Bulls are not only the best Bulls team ever, but one of the best NBA teams ever.

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