Michael Jordan 1996: 37 points vs Suns (and Pippen 37 points)

High quality version: • Michael Jordan 1996: 3...

[@randycash39]

Jordan and Pippen, those were the days.

[@scorpionJB]

two guys on the same team score 37 basically shooting jumpers.....craaaaaaaazy

[@foxredimpala]

Pippen was amazing!!!!

[@alaskanmarine1]

Always seemed Michael was enjoying himself more the second time around.

[@bpolk80]

Mike had the nastiest fade away ever

[@jaa0702]

Pippen was stronger. MJ and PIP, I remember them talking about working out upper body strength over the years benefiting them to go against teams like detroit and the knicks whom had mason and oakley.His strength also allowed him dunk with authority over people on fast breaks emphatically. I have seen T-mac and Melo are soft compared to Pippen or Jordan. I remember him saying that upper body strength was for bumping during defense which we saw the effectiveness.

[@jxn23]

Look at the guards MJ is playing against in this video: Steve Nash, Sam Cassell and Michael Finley. 3 guys who are still playing very well in the NBA today - especially Nash. I love this video because it just shows that MJ would have dominated in any era he played in.

[@kuriaki71]

90s bulls teams greatest of all time

[@SeecretWeapon]

7:04 why i think the Bulls might be the best team ever. They can switch on defense with 5 guys of similar height and length who can all rebound and defend. including 3 all time defenders. All of them are intelligent and on offense have 4 guys that can take you off the dribble with size and length. They can space the floor with shooters as well. Only team I can possibly see matching them is the showtime Lakers. 80s Celtics guards cant match up with the Bulls

[@Jumpman1989]

MJs fadeaway was the most deadly and unstoppable force in the history of the game.

[@mt883]

Michael Finley was a spectacular athlete when he was young.

[@jumpnam]

Im gonna say the white/red 13s looked the sweetest. The ones he wore on the road '97-'98season.

[@tooBlessed847]

Had absolutely no idea and or recollection that rookie Steve Nash played against Jordan and the dynasty bulls: This was a highly underrated Suns ball club I mean you had rookie and future hall of famer Steve Nash who was just get started and developing, Wesley person was a nice shooting guard, a very young and energetic Michael Finley, Robert Hoory and Sam Cassel where there fresh out of winning back to back titles with the Rockets; and other veteran role players such as Rex Champman one of the most streakiest shooters, A.J Green solid defender and Danny Manning too....had no idea they we're so stacked and loaded with talent from all positions; I'm almost sure that if they would of got the same players and kept Barkley that this Phoenix suns team would of made it back to the Finals sometime in 96-98 for a rematch and a classic series with Jordan and the Bulls but that was a BIG IF.

[@TheMyth619]

Well, it would be fair to say both would still be superstars although their stats would be cut across the board. Wade would probably be retired from injuries. Most contact being normal in those days with bigs being able to camp out in the lane without a 3 second rule. LBJ is a physical specimen in any era but he would easily be neutralized with hands on guiding defense all the way out to the 3pt line. Forget the Bulls these guys would probably have more problems against the 90's knicks.

[@henrykim921]

This right here. LBJ and all of today's perimeter players used to playing with no physical resistance and a wide open paint would see their numbers all diminish. And the 90's Knicks would clobber them. Oakley and Mason would hit LBJ over and over when he comes into the paint.

[@nekbeth]

I agree, 94 and 2000 were two of the worst series ever called by refs. 94 (airball by the knicks that never call , if called its was Bulls to the Finals without Jordan) and 2000, refs callings everyting agains the blazers and all in favor of Shaq and kobe, that went all the way to kings series. He also was ROBBED with a DOPY award in the 94 season when he led the league in steals. It all tells that the NBA did not want PIPPEN to win a title w/o Jordan.

[@TheDudeAbides1998]

Lets just say we are happy the way history played out. Dream got his 2 well deserved rings. And MJ got a perfect record in the finals. I really wanted to see that series between Chi-Hou in 97. I'm still mad at Stockton for hitting that freaking 3. Imagine the match up MJ,Pippen,Rodman vs Dream,Clyde the Glide,and Sir Charles. In my Brian voice from Halfbaked: WOW. I guess we can only wonder what would have happen if Chi and Hou would have met. Would have been the Bulls toughest opponent.

[@joekamka8571]

Luc Longly joins the Suns after the Bulls championship run

[@ericb3323]

Jordan's fade away was like Kareem's sky hook - defend it how you like, but sh*ts still gonna drop!

[@1regularperson]

Another good rare game! Thanks mlynch07! It did seem strange seeing Nash playing against that Bulls team though! LOL

[@AceofDlamonds]

I loved the bits of Nash in there....... he was damn agile.

[@joekiddlouischama]

In other words, there were continuity problems that Houston proved unable to fully overcome in the regular season, but the Rockets righted themselves in the playoffs.

[@handphone77]

This was the season Suns were playing without Barkley after he left to Rockets. They were visibly weakened in the paint. Nash was still very raw at that stage.

[@delfra70]

You're right, Seattle did indeed choke against Denver in that infamous best of 5 1st round matchup, if i'm not mistaken i believe that was the fisrt time a no.1 seed lost against a no.8 seed. The problem with Seattle was playing well against the better teams, it was struggling against inferior teams at times which would haunt them. And yes some teams match up better with particular teams, but a truly great team like the Bulls we're would beat any team you put in front of them in the Finals.

[@barney5583]

@delfra70, it was the first time an 8th seed beat a no. 1 seed until this season when the heat beat the bucks.

[@MrFreshman92]

what a career Steve Nash has had since then!!!

[@joekiddlouischama]

Jordan was 33 in this game, although he would obviously turn 34 later in the season, and Pippen was 31. As for the Suns, they went 1-11 that year without their best player, veteran point guard Kevin Johnson, who obviously didn't play in this game. In '96-'97, K.J. was arguably the league's second-best guard after Jordan. Phoenix was also without its starting center and its defensive and defensive rebounding anchor, John "Hot Rod" Williams.

[@joekiddlouischama]

... right, and in 1994, the Rockets indeed positioned themselves well for the playoffs, winning 58 games and earning a second seed. When Seattle infamously fell in the First Round, Houston enjoyed home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. But I think that one needs to remember that the Rockets consummated a major trade in the middle of the 1995 season, swapping Otis Thorpe for Clyde Drexler. Then you have to consider that Olajuwon missed 10 games that year and Robert Horry missed 18 games.

[@arthurjason]

Wow baby Nash was torching the Legenday 96' Bulls!!

[@CanadianChiGuy23]

Jordan 37 pts, Pippen 37 pts, rest of the team 39 pts......Jordan takes that personally.

[@ta4life27]

super duoooo

[@2blessed847]

Wow I totally forgot that the suns had a stack roster of up and coming players and talents however they we're babes. I didn't even know that Steve nash was with the suns at that time and did he ever give a glimps of the years to come with his solid and strong play showing good fortitude of things to come. I also didn't know tha he ever had a crew-cut; looking like a young Tom Cruz on the sideline. As far as pip' and mike-Un-Stop-a-Bulls.

[@carollaihk]

Man! too much Jordan, too much Pippen!!!

[@javierhidalgomaradia]

el mejor de mundo, solo michael jordan

[@leechmaster21]

Nash was underrated then. and still now, even though he's a damn hippy.

[@BlondesarefromHeaven]

rex chapman went from this to shoplifting at apple stores

[@egpytiankobe]

Lol at Reggie Theus calling a shot a crip on live television! LOL!!

[@joekiddlouischama]

"By the end of Jordan's first career with the Bulls, in 1993, he had started to despise Grant, with whom he had won three NBA rings. Jordan felt his teammate was way too self-centered. He said in private that even if he came back after the Bulls' third championship, there was no way the team would win a fourth crown with Grant." ... from "Sports Illustrated" in November 1996. I'll send you a link to the whole article.

[@TheMyth619]

Look at Nash playing against the beast himself. Luckly the league got watered down with the weak no touch rules. Nash became a god. This guy wash a scrub. This is how you know all the peremeter players in the era have it easy and are overrated when compared with MJ. Check Nash's stats here then go look at his stats in this weak era. At 52% FG and 40% from the arc with points and assists to boot he's the most accurate shooter in the league now. I don't understand why people don't see this.

[@iTzeXile13]

@owen55556 it was the 96-97 season but this game was on november of 96

[@rrTale]

Actually the ones he's wearin in this game are just about perfect. I always prefered to watch MJ in red, the black uniform was my second choice and the white in last. The AJ's ur talkin about were the ones i liked less from the 12 line. I loved the white&red, black&red (he wore those in the Finals Flu game), then the white&black and then finally the black&white u mentioned. His best shoes to me were the 12's and the 14's, i hated the 13's

[@chitownref]

Without a doubt!

[@joekiddlouischama]

And in addition to the prospect of psychological burnout, there was the possibility of physical burnout. The Bulls had already shown signs of collective fatigue late in the 1993 NBA Finals against the Suns, but barely managed to hold on. By 1994, however, another run of basketball deep into June may have done them in, especially against a Houston team that possessed the discipline that would never characterize a team starring Charles Barkley. Olajuwon would not have choked in Barkley's manner.

[@TheMyth619]

Yes it would. Players like Wade and James game would diminish. They would still be good but not the same. Look at footage of knicks and pistons defense and you can see real rough defense. some fouls back then would be techs now.

[@TheDudeAbides1998]

Regular season don't mean anything but it does reveal somethings. You can tell if one team really matches up well with another. The sonics had great length and I didn't know why they didn't call illegal defense on them a lot. But never mind. They had a lot of long atheletic guys they use to guard Olajuwon. Mj stated that he is glad the rockets weren't playing in the east or they haven't figured out how to get to the finals.IMHO, the bulls would have split with the rockets.

[@joekiddlouischama]

I don't think that the Rockets "fed" off Jordan's absence, either. Are you saying that they would not have been as motivated had Jordan been around? Besides, Jordan was playing in the 1995 playoffs and posting great numbers, too. There are always breaks for every team, that's true. But the Rockets didn't receive much of a break to win the championship in 1994 and 1995. Sure, they avoided the Sonics in those years, but they needed to face almost every other excellent team in the league.

[@delfra70]

You might be right, i think at that time in '95 the Rockets we're a better team than the Bulls we're. But man facing MJ and the Bulls in the Finals even at their weaker state at that time is a scary proposition. And be honest would you look forward to facing MJ in the Finals with people saying his team's chances of beating yours we're not great, i know i would'nt. We all know how MJ is with the deck stacked against him and people doubting him, lookout.

[@rrTale]

OH u gotta love the 14's man..Those lines r beautiful inspired by racing cars. But hey i guess that's why every single shoe that comes out enjoys great success, because ppl have so many different tastes. But the shoe i hate the most has to be the AJ 16..What the hell was that, specially the black ones..ughhh

[@shadowsghost]

damn nash looks so young ^^

[@mantoniol24]

wow i had no idea robert horry played for the suns lol

[@joekiddlouischama]

He can dunk, he's apparently dunked in practice (six seasons ago, at least). I don't if he's ever dunked in a game, probably not.

[@TheDudeAbides1998]

I have that feeling too. BUT if there was a team at that time, it would have been the rockets given the circumstances I just listed. In 95, if there was no grant or rodman, the rockets would have won. The magic beat the bulls in the conference finals that year, the rockets swept the magic that year.

[@delfra70]

The Bulls certailly would not have killed the Rockets in '94, i agree with you there. The Rockets would have definantly been a tough match up for the Bulls in '94 or '95, but by '96 the Rockets would have absolutely been no match for the Bulls.

[@TheDudeAbides1998]

He did say that at the end in one of those games before he retired saying: I'm glad the rockets haven't figured out how to get out the west because we haven't figured out Olajuwon. Look it up. Who did Chicago have that was atheletic at the time at the powerforward and center position? The sonics had Kemp,Perkins,Schrempf,Ervin Johnson (not magic) and Terry Cummings much better than what the bulls hadThe Bulls had Kukoc,Wennington,Longley,Perdue,Foster,Blount,and Simpkins.

[@joekiddlouischama]

On the other hand, the Bulls with Jordan may have become "burned out" by 1994. For instance, Jordan later reflected that had he returned, Horace Grant's selfishness (in Jordan's view) would have derailed another championship bid.

[@tkcwu]

I know what a hop step is. but on that ocassion his foot got planted before he even released the ball onto the floor. hence its a travel. the foot and the ball has to be on the way down. A more strict ref would need to see the ball on the way down and actually landed on the floor just as the foot plants for it to not be a travel. but refs like that dont exist these days

[@TheDudeAbides1998]

Look at what Hakeem did in 94. He was THE ONLY superstar on that team and he led them to a title.MJ never done that. Olajuwon possessed so much problems asides just defending him. How many times have you seen MJ or Pippen get to the lane at ease & get a lay up or a dunk while Olajuwon was patrolling the paint? If your talking about the 96 bulls team, yeah. But the 95 Bulls team no(no Rodman).If the bulls would have lost horace grant, I don't think the Bulls could have beaten the rockets in 94.

[@mikewilliams3025]

oh shit a young steve Nash

[@rayjames2149]

There was a 🤡 clown that said Scottie Pippin was not a top 30 player I told him Pippen is top 10 easily

[@delfra70]

Yeah and the Bulls went 5-1 against the Rockets over the '96-'98 seasons, so what's you're point man. The Rockets we're a great team but they fed off of MJ's absence which they should have. You say the Bulls did'nt face a team in the Finals with a center like the 'Dream', true and i won't debate that. But outside of MJ's absence was another break for the Rockets, not having to face Seattle who we all knew The Rockets did'nt match up well with in the playoffs whenever they played.

[@joekiddlouischama]

And the Bulls didn't face the Rockets in the Finals from 1996-1998, either, so we don't know what would have happened had they faced each other in, say, the 1997 Finals, either. But I'm not saying that Houston would have necessarily beaten Chicago in any Finals match-up. Rather, I'm responding to the notion that the Bulls would have "killed" Houston, which is a patently stupid idea. At a minimum, the Rockets would have probably forced the Bulls to sweat for the championship.

[@JZ2001JC]

Is that Chip Carey annoucning the game?

[@rrTale]

Well i'd say the 12's..Since we couldnt see MJ wearin all the AJ's down to the 22, from the ones we got to watch him wearin the ones that looked better on him were definitely the 12's. What do u think

[@TheDudeAbides1998]

I don't know about that one. The Rockets were the only team capable of beating the bulls. If the bulls struggle against the Knicks, imagine the rockets. Olajuwon is by far the superior center incomparison to Ewing.Why you think MJ was glad the rockets haven't come out the west in one of his interviews?

[@kratos01510]

As much as thats true, the rockets wouldnt have had an answer for Jordan Or Pippen. Dont get me wrong Hakeem was unstoppable at as a center. He destroyed Ewing and robinson at times and they were considered top 50 all time. No one on that bulls team could have covered him. But it takes more then 1 man to win, and Hakeem really didnt have anyone else but Clyde on that 95 team.

[@BlondesarefromHeaven]

wow steve nash actually earning his paycheck

[@BlondesarefromHeaven]

not with lakers

[@stalkerwalker5325]

TH3 K1NG43 no wonder they scored 74 pts between them. Nash was guarding them. who ever Nash guarded scored 30+

[@owen55556]

this vid was in 1997 not 96

[@yushululangat]

joe klein join bulls 97-98 season after that

[@FrYLocK41]

I wish I could fully see that chick behind Nash at 3:28

[@joekiddlouischama]

You might want to consider the facts before you make your claims. In 1994, the Rockets defeated the Blazers, whom the Bulls had beaten in 1992. In 1994 and 1995, the Rockets defeated the Suns, whom the Bulls had beaten in 1993. In 1994 and 1995, the Rockets defeated the Jazz, whom the Bulls would beat in 1997 and 1998. In 1994, the Rockets defeated the Knicks, whom the Bulls had beaten in 1991, 1992, and 1993 and whom they would beat again in 1996.

[@Maal7432]

@TheMyth619 exactly

[@TheDudeAbides1998]

Well since Seattle choked against the nuggets,showed they weren't worthy of winning that year. The Rockets matched up well with the Bulls before MJ decided to play baseball, even MJ admitted that. When the grizzs beat the spurs it was a bad match up for the spurs. Same when the warriors beat the mavs. Its all about match ups. Same goes soncis beating the rockets until they got barkley.

[@mz854f]

that is if Jordan did´t retire right?

[@MrZackavelli]

WOAH. Reverse deja vu. Flu-like symptoms? That's almost eerie.

[@markakim30]

1996 draft number 15, kobe is 13

[@Stumpypigeon]

nash has always been dirty

[@clutchcity25]

U think the 16's were ugly? HAVE YOU SEEN THE 15'S???? OH MY GOODNESS. THEY WERE HORRIBLE. But the 12's were inspired by Samurai Warriors in China or something like that. But which are uglier: the 15's, 16's, or 10's??

[@doule76]

@lovesauce13 are you serious!?

[@tkcwu]

thats first jordan play was clearly a travel. he get those called for somethimes LOL

[@rrTale]

Lol i understand where u comin from. When the 15's came out i didnt like them either. But what can i say they grew on me with the time..I actually like them a lot now. Ur confused about the origin of the 12's bro. They were inspired on the Japanese rising sun flag. 16's or 10's? Tough call. They're both just plain uggly IMO

[@True_DC_FAN]

This is a 1997 game

[@michaelsk5493]

+29mdr are you stupid?...this is game in 1997,,right..also.. 96 ~97season..main title is not wrong....1997 season called 96 97 season...

[@mickeyjohnson5247]

+TH3 K1NG43 He is saying that this is a game from the 96-97 Season....

[@chitownref]

@supersayinsamoan Oh yea they would have destroyed them.

[@nh1x]

It's amazing how good Jordan and Pippen were at ages 34 and 32 respectively. Lots of good players on that suns team too, Nash, Horry, Finley, Chapman, and Cassell....but not good enough to handle the bulls this season. People forget that they were almost at good in 97 as they were in 96.

[@leq6992]

33 and 31, but yeah...

[@simplygu]

Did any of Michael Jordan's made shots even hit the rim? Swish, swish, swish... Greatest of all time!

[@boss12]

Jordan was just so polished in his last years with the Bulls. Just a master of the game.

[@that1guy813]

I remember these days, the bulls was so good my friend wanted to write the president to make it illegal for Pip & Jordan to be on the same team

[@seanminkins7701]

LOL

[@ucfkid67]

Watch out @ 2:16, pippen calls out for a screen and dennis hauls ass down the court, and sets it. Awesome teamwork! I miss these days of basketball!

[@randycash39]

those were the days. i used to love jordan and pip, no homo.

[@mafoco82]

was pipp using the jordans (shoe) also?

[@moilezebre]

haha "ainge said make him shoot the fallaway"... first and last time anyone said that

[@delfra70]

What was scary was Pippen saying the Bulls had not played the perfect season at the time, eventhough they we're coming off a record breaking 72-10 season. It just shows you how focused and dominant the Bulls we're at the time and they never rested on their laurels

[@tayboggie56]

man when they was both own u had no chance at all

[@aznsoysauce]

mike didnt even break a sweat!

[@Emanuelknicks]

Pippen and the Blazers should ahve gome to the Finals in 2000; they just might have beaten the Pacers, but we will never know for certain.

[@patrickhenriquez6836]

Blazer had many chances but they were foul-prone.....had they had 3 less fouls they would be in the finals. I love Wallace but the fouls....

[@joekiddlouischama]

Regardless of the era and the rules, there's a good chance that Nash would have become an All-Star. That said, the rules changes and specifically the implementation of the modern defensive three seconds rule in 2001, when combined with Mike D'Antoni's offensive scheme emphasizing off-ball three-point shooters and quick athletes everywhere and employing advanced spatial concepts, totally opened the floor for Nash, thus allowing him to go from All-Star to MVP.

[@delfra70]

To be honest my friend, nobody ever figured out how to stop 'Dream'. Like 'MJ' he was absolutely unstoppable, the only thing that slowed Olajuwon down was age which does that to every player obviously. To me 'Dream' is one of the top 5 centers of all time along with Kareem, Wilt, Russell & Shaq. The Bulls we're not athletic at the center positions but the we're at power foward with the likes of Rodman, Grant, Brian Williams & Jason Caffey through the years.

[@joekiddlouischama]

And in 1995, the Rockets defeated the Magic, whom the Bulls would beat in 1996 (Orlando actually defeated Chicago in 1995). In fact, in the 1995 NBA Finals, Houston swept the Magic, just as in the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls would sweep the Magic. In other words, the Rockets in 1994 and 1995 defeated many of the same teams that Chicago had beaten or would later beat; both Houston and the Bulls went through almost all the top teams of that era.

[@rhadden777]

The first 3-4 minutes have great footage of how the triangle offense should be run, with the ideal mix of talent. Three keys: high post touches around the free throw line, low post isolations for the guards (mainly Jordan), and weak side dives from the wing for lobs. On today's Lakers, Kobe especially could kill in that weak side low post. Mike, bonus points in this video for showing Steve Nash's highlights and his silly crew cut.

[@29Ballard]

Exactly they only faced mourning, shaq, ewing malone barkley... you can look at it like that..well.... hakeem olajuwon never faced jordan in the finals.... We know mike would keep rising and rising during playoffs so Joekiddlouishama keep dreaming!

[@kevinwalker1910]

Young Nash a lot like old Nash...letting everyone score on him. No wonder pip and Jordan both scored 37. Nash on defense.

[@blackadam06]

@TheMyth619 Exactly.. LBJ and D-Wade have been 2 of my favorites to watch in the Y2K. But I SERIOUSLY WONDER how good they'd be circa the mid 80s & 90s. It makes a WORLD of difference if you're being guarded on the perimeter and the defender can't body, handcheck or put a forearm on U to "guide" U to the help defense (which deters U from CONSISTENTLY gettin' off cleaner looks), vs the defender being 2-3 ft away to guard against the drive, because they're not allowed to do any of that anymore.

[@TheMyth619]

Nash would still be good. I don't think the game has evolved that much. These advanced plays are typical pick and rolls that yeilded no rings. Since the game has been opened up to allow more at the basket scoring and dunking for ratings and excitement it creates the illusion of all the quick athletes you speak of. Even oldies like Kidd and Hill are still effective thanks to the rules of today. Nash would never have come close to MVP in the 90's. Great offense and no defense.