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

[@boss12]

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

[@randycash39]

Jordan and Pippen, those were the days.

[@simplygu]

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

[@foxredimpala]

Pippen was amazing!!!!

[@scorpionJB]

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

[@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...

[@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

[@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!

[@alaskanmarine1]

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

[@bpolk80]

Mike had the nastiest fade away ever

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@randycash39]

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

[@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.

[@Jumpman1989]

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

[@kuriaki71]

90s bulls teams greatest of all time

[@mt883]

Michael Finley was a spectacular athlete when he was young.

[@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.

[@joekiddlouischama]

Nash was always a skilled, smart, nifty point guard; this game constituted just his tenth in the NBA and you can already see how good he was (8 points, 6 assists in 15 minutes). In fact, in his first NBA start two games earlier, Nash had produced 17 points (on just 9 field goal attempts), 12 assists, and 7 rebounds, and the Suns had selected him with the fifteenth pick in the 1996 draft, choosing him over several higher-profile players.

[@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.

[@jumpnam]

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

[@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.

[@Brandoni73]

DAMMNNNnnn look at how young Steve Nash is... I enjoyed watching the Bulls of 1995-98 take on players who are still playing today.

[@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.

[@1regularperson]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@delfra70]

Right, and that was a superb playoff run by Houston in '95. Now that being said had Houston been a stronger team in the regular season they would not have had to go through a playoff stretch of having to beat four 57 win squads. yes it was a great run but generally as a team trying to win an NBA title you don't want to have to do that if you can help it. That 7 game series with Seattle in '93 was a classic and a series the Rockets had a chance to win like you said.

[@tooBlessed847]

This is definitely NBA from the VAULT!! Definitely brings up many good memories for sure though!!

[@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.

[@AceofDlamonds]

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

[@mariobryant8803]

Jordan putting in a business like performance, Pippen tagging along - 30 plus himself

[@joekiddlouischama]

I'm glad that you cited the commercial aspect. Offense declined so much at the end of the nineties that the NBA (which might as well stand for the National Business Association) tweaked its rules to manufacture more offense, the better to sell more tickets and merchandise, attract more eyeballs to television sets, sell more corporate advertising, build new stadiums and luxury suites, and inflate the value of franchises.

[@moilezebre]

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

[@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.

[@MrFreshman92]

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

[@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.

[@aznsoysauce]

mike didnt even break a sweat!

[@ta4life27]

super duoooo

[@delfra70]

Of course, those guys did the dirty work. They rebounded, defended and had great energy, especially Rodman. And yes without them the Bulls don't win as many titles, stars lead the way but your role players have to kick in, i don't care what team you we're. I do however believe Rodman was much more effective in Chicago than he was in San Antonio because he was giving more freedom with the Bulls. Olajuwon's nickname might have been the 'Dream', but he left opponents with nightmares.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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]

In the 1995 playoffs, Houston faced the teams with the NBA's four best records (all with at least 57 wins) and defeated them all despite lacking home-court advantage in every one of those series. The Rockets went through the best centers, the best power forwards, and the best point guards and they did so two years in a row. Also, Houston only lost to the Sonics in the 1993 playoffs in overtime of Game Seven on the road in Seattle, thanks in part to some ridiculous calls.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@joekiddlouischama]

The reason was Horace Grant's attitude. Here's a quotation from the November 11, 1996, edition of "Sports Illustrated." "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."

[@DimitriJordanFrench]

crazy how they made 4 points and 4 assists look important.

[@weward364]

that was a young steve nash? i didnt notice him..jordan-pippen awesomeness clobbered him on this video...

[@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.

[@tayboggie56]

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

[@meetyuju]

It must be enjoyable to see the whole game.

[@joekiddlouischama]

In fact, of Houston's players, only guards Kenny Smith, Sam Cassell, and Mario Elie played in more than 72 games during the '94-'95 regular season, only those three and Olajuwon played in more than 68 games, and only those four plus Pete Chilcutt played in more than 64 games. Those facts help explain why Houston dropped from second in Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) the previous year to twelfth and thus the decline in wins from 58 to 47.

[@egpytiankobe]

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

[@leechmaster21]

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

[@delfra70]

You make the REAL TRUE point by saying just because you win against a team in the regular season has absolutely no bearing in the playoffs. You watch MJ in the regular season and the playoffs and watch the difference, there's a reason he's by far the most dominant player in the history of the NBA playoffs. Oh and in the '97-'98 regular season Utah won both games with Chicago and i think we all know how the '98 Finals played out.

[@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

[@carollaihk]

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

[@IAMiamiSteve]

o shit look at young steve nash!! one of my fav. players in todays game!

[@CanadianChiGuy23]

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

[@arthurjason]

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

[@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.

[@guellpark]

@supersayinsamoan I agree. Absolutely. Both in 1995. And I think the Spurs in 1999, too

[@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.

[@delfra70]

I think that would have been a hell of a series between CHI-HOU though. I'm not going to sit here and say the Bulls would have beaten the Rockets at that time, however i will say they would not have gotten swept, and it would have been a long 6-7 game series that could have went either way.

[@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.

[@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....

[@mafoco82]

was pipp using the jordans (shoe) also?

[@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.

[@clutchcity25]

LOL. Which ones are the best to you? To me, I believe that the '97 Finals and the Black and White 12's he hit the gamewinner with are some of the best, if not the best he ever had.

[@joekiddlouischama]

And while regular season results aren't necessarily going to forecast postseason results, they can indicate the nature of a match-up, much as 67-win Dallas lost to eighth-seeded Golden State in the 2007 First Round after losing to the Warriors time after time in the regular season. Clearly, the Rockets matched up well with the Bulls, much better than most teams. Houston wouldn't necessarily have defeated Chicago in the NBA Finals, but the series probably would have been close and tough.

[@delfra70]

Yeah i'm not one that's going to sit up here and not give the Rockets their props because they we're a great team that won 2 championships, it's certainly not their fault that MJ was retired at that time. They did their thing, and that last title they got by beating three 60-win squads along the way was terrific. Utah was never the most athletically gifted team, they would just consistantly out think you and beat the hell out of you mentally with precision and excecution.

[@BlondesarefromHeaven]

rex chapman went from this to shoplifting at apple stores

[@iTzeXile13]

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

[@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.

[@kevinwalker1910]

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

[@rrTale]

Great post mlynch i love '97 games cause to me Michael never looked better in his championship years than when he was wearin the AJ 12. Hey Scottie is it the shoes? Well Harper was wearin AJ's too and finished 0-5 from the field. I guess we know the answer.

[@delfra70]

That's a lot of if's and but's there though my friend. Now i can't say fatigue might not have become a possibility, because when you go deep in the playoffs year after yea,r there could be some wear and tear after playing so many games. For that reason i give any team in sports that has ever repeated their props, because i know it's not a easy thing to do. I do believe had MJ not retired the Bulls would have had a shot at 8 straight championships, but obviously we'll never know that for sure.

[@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]

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.

[@chitownref]

Without a doubt!

[@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.

[@joekiddlouischama]

@supersayinsamoan ... think again, dude. The Rockets went 5-1 against the Bulls over the 1991-1993 seasons, winning by double digits four times. And by 1994, Houston had added Sam Cassell and Mario Elie as reserve guards and Robert Horry was in his second year and improving. And the Bulls never faced a center like Hakeem Olajuwon in the NBA Finals.

[@joekiddlouischama]

You're right that the Suns still featured good players on their floor, but K.J. was their quarterback, their best scorer, and their best perimeter defender, while Williams was their best interior defender. Remove those elements and you have some good players, but not a good team.

[@shadowsghost]

damn nash looks so young ^^

[@meg-k-waldren]

Back when bball was worth watching and the ratings for NBA weren't circling the drain.

[@joekiddlouischama]

And Pippen always elevated in his game in the playoffs? Then why did he shoot .390 from the field (.286 on threes, .638 from the foul line) in the 1996 playoffs? Why did Pippen fail to shoot .420 from the field in his final three postseasons as a Bull or .444 from the field in his final five postseasons as a Bull?

[@TheDudeAbides1998]

The way Dream was playing at that time and their wasn't a strong rebounder for the bulls, it would have been very difficult for the Bulls to beat them. Then you have to worry about Dream on the offensive end. If the Bulls had Rodman or Grant, then yeah, the bulls chances would have been great.But given the circumstances, the rockets chances were much better.The Rockets wouldn't have swept them though. Favorite player MJ. Favorite center Dream. Still mad at Stockton.LOL

[@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.

[@modneonj]

Wow. You know this video's old when Nash was actually called "kid" lol. Good ol' times.

[@clutchcity25]

How can you hate the 13's?? I LOOVED the 13's. To me it's in order like this from the 10's-14's. The white and red with the white socks weren't all that to me, but they still looked pretty good. I don't know but the 12's he had in the playoffs looked good. I'd kill to see him in those again. Did he play in those white and red ones at home AND away?? But yeah 1st. 12's 2nd. 11's 3rd. 13's 4th. 10's Last. 14's ^agree?

[@javierhidalgomaradia]

el mejor de mundo, solo michael jordan

[@rayjames2149]

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

[@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!

[@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

[@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.