The Los Angeles Lakers In the 1991 NBA Finals, the Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games to capture their first title in team history. The Lakers were undefeated during the regular season before falling to the Jazz in the playoffs. Chicago had won just 31 games during the 1990-91 season but was able to make a run at the title with 21 wins in its last 23 games. The Bulls will be remembered as one of the best teams in NBA history thanks to their dominance on both ends of the court.
Chicago scored more than 100 points in eight of nine games this year and has done so seven times in franchise history. The only time it happened more often was in 1954 when they did it 10 times. The Bulls' average margin of victory was 26.4 points per game this year; the highest since the lockout season of 1998-99.
Bulls center Bill Wennington was named the series MVP after averaging 19.0 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.44 blocks per game. He became the first player in NBA history to win the award without making an All-Star Game. Former Bull Scottie Pippen was named the MVP of the All-Star Game after scoring 28 points for Team Duncan while grabbing 9 rebounds.
History of the Bulls vs. Celtics Playoffs The Bulls never won a postseason series against the Boston Celtics, finishing with an 0-4 record and a 3-14 record in games. They have, however, played some of the greatest—and most famous—playoff series in NBA history.
In 2017, the Chicago Bulls were eliminated in the first round of the Eastern Conference by the Boston Celtics. How many titles have the Bulls won? The Chicago Bulls have won six NBA championships: in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998.
The Bulls concluded with a league-best 69-13 record after setting an NBA record with 72 victories. The Bulls easily defeated the East in the playoffs, and they were scheduled to face the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals, just as they had done during the regular season. However, before the series began, General Manager Jerry Krause was fired by new coach Phil Jackson, and assistant coach Tex Winter took over his role.
In Game 1, which was played at Boston's Fleet Center, Chicago trailed most of the game but came back to win 93-90. John Salley scored 22 points for the Bulls, who made 16 of their 23 free throw attempts. Kevin McHale had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago, which held Boston to 39 percent shooting from the field. In Game 2, which was also won by Chicago, Dan Majerle had 26 points for the visitors, who outrebounded Boston 49-33. Michael Jordan had 24 points and 6 assists for Chicago, which led by as many as 27 points in the first half. The Celtics cut the lead to 3 early in the second half, but then lost control of the series.
In Game 3 at Chicago, Boston started strong but fell behind by as much as 14 points in the first quarter. They came back to take a 40-36 lead into the break. However, Chicago went on a 12-0 run to start the third quarter and never looked back.
The Bulls trounced the Lakers in Game 2 thanks to Jordan's iconic switch hands layup late in the game, and then proceeded to Los Angeles and won the key Game 3 in overtime thanks to Jordan's full-court rush with seconds remaining and pull-up jumper to tie the game. The Bulls went on to win the series in seven games.
Here are the winners and losers of that season's NBA awards: Winners: Michael Jordan - MVP, Chicago Bulls - Defending champion, Doug Collins - Coach of the Year, Orlando Woolridge - Sixth man award losers: Larry Bird - MVP, Boston Celtics - Defending champion, Phil Jackson - Coach of the Year, Mike Dunleavy - Sixth man award
Now, you might think that winning three out of four games would get you a spot at the top, but not when one of those wins is against the best team in basketball. In fact, it gets even harder when you consider that two of those victories were over the defending champs. But still, the Bulls are worthy winners because they showed that you don't have to be the best team in basketball to succeed. You just need to be the right team at the right time.
That year, the Bulls were considered a dark horse contender due to the presence of Jordan and the addition of coach Doug Collins. However, they were never really tested until the playoffs when they faced the reigning world champions Detroit Pistons.
The Bulls swept the Washington Bullets in the first round, beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games in the second round, and defeated the Miami Heat in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals. At this point, the series was 2-1 in favor of the Bulls; however, they would lose the next three games to finish off the season.
Overall, the season was a disappointment for the Bulls as they were unable to get past the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year. However, Scottie Pippen was named MVP of the NBA Playoffs after he averaged 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game.
After ending the season with a record of 59-23, the Bulls began the 1998-99 season as strong contenders for the title. However, an injury to Pippen during a preseason game against the New York Knicks ended his season after only four games. Without their leader, the Bulls lost several games that they should have won. In addition, they were upset by the 38-44 Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. After the season, Michael Jordan announced that it would be his final season with the Bulls.
In 1999-2000, the Bulls returned the league's reigning MVP in Michael Jordan.
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