72 WINS, NO MERCY: THE 1995–96 CHICAGO BULLS AND THE GREATEST SEASON IN NBA HISTORY
In the winter of 1995, the NBA stood still—and watched. The Chicago Bulls, freshly reunited with a re-energized Michael Jordan, embarked on what would become the most dominant, relentless, and mythic campaign in league history. By June 1996, the record was etched in stone: 72 wins. 10 losses. One unshakeable title. No mercy.
What unfolded over those 82 games was more than just basketball—it was calculated domination. Michael Jordan, two years removed from his first retirement and baseball sabbatical, returned with a vengeance few had ever seen. His legs were stronger, his midrange shot deadlier, and his motivation clear: reclaim the throne.
“We weren’t just trying to win,” Jordan said years later. “We were trying to annihilate.”
But this wasn’t a one-man mission. Scottie Pippen, already a top-five player in the league, served as the team’s versatile backbone. Offensively efficient, defensively suffocating, and capable of guarding all five positions, Pippen was the glue that held the machine together.
Then came the final piece: Dennis Rodman.
Rodman, the league’s most mercurial rebounding savant, arrived from San Antonio with baggage—and brilliance. Under the stoic guidance of head coach Phil Jackson, Rodman’s chaos became calculated. He led the league in rebounding (14.9 RPG) while anchoring a defense that strangled opponents.
The result? A team that not only broke records—but broke spirits.
The Run
The Bulls opened the season 41–3. They dismantled teams by double digits with alarming regularity. The triangle offense flowed like jazz under Jackson’s Zen-like leadership, and the bench—led by Toni Kukoč, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, and Ron Harper—functioned with surgical precision.
Their defense? Legendary. They held opponents to just 92.9 points per game, and their net rating (+13.4) remains one of the best in NBA history.
Jordan, at 33, won the scoring title (30.4 PPG), MVP, All-Star MVP, and Finals MVP. A clean sweep.
The Playoffs: Dominance Defined
The Bulls marched through the playoffs, going 15–3. They swept the Miami Heat, beat the Knicks in five, and brushed aside a 60-win Orlando Magic team—featuring Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway—with cold efficiency.
In the NBA Finals, they faced the Seattle SuperSonics led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. Chicago stormed to a 3–0 series lead. Though the Sonics clawed back to win Games 4 and 5, the Bulls closed it out in Game 6—on Father’s Day, no less—giving Jordan his fourth championship and first since his father’s passing.
“That one was personal,” Jordan said afterward, weeping on the locker room floor, clutching the game ball.
Legacy
The 1995–96 Bulls weren’t just great—they were mythic. They didn’t sneak past history. They punched it in the mouth.
Their 72–10 record stood unchallenged for two decades, until the 2015–16 Warriors went 73–9—only to fall short in the Finals. The difference? The Bulls finished the job.
“Seventy-two wins means nothing without the ring,” said Pippen. “We got both. End of story.”
The Bulls didn’t just win basketball games that year. They redefined greatness. They created a gold standard. And they did it with no mercy.
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