The Deep End: The 1990-1998 Chicago Bulls

      Welcome to the Deep End, a new series where we uncover the dirty secrets and the processes which got this team to it's peak. Today, we are uncovering the Chicago Bulls from the 1990s, a star studded dynasty which crumbled down quickly...

The Beginning

      While they found most of their success in the 1990s, this Bulls team began it's birth in the 1984 NBA Draft with the selection of Michael Jordan with the third overall pick. At that time, Michael was a two-time ACC Player of the Year, he had one two National Championship at North Carolina, and was considered one of if not the most athletic and skilled amateur basketball player in the world. This draft pick, although no one knew it, would drastically change basketball forever.

      Following his selection, Jordan and his Chicago Bulls began their upward march to greatness. After the draft, the Bulls snagged guard John Paxson and big man Charles Oakley to grow their chances, and they started off pretty well. Being selected an all-star and winning Rookie of the Year, Jordan had an extremely successful season, and although they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, there is no doubt the 1984-1985 season was an improvement.

The Pistons

      In the 1987 NBA Draft, the Bulls selected Horace Grant with the 10th overall pick and traded up with the Seattle Supersonics for Scottie Pippen, a trade which would mold the Bulls for the future. That year, Michael Jordan won his first MVP and the Bulls made it past the first round for the first time in Jordan's career. However, in that second round, the Bulls fell for the first time to the Detroit Pistons, who would go on to lose that year in the Finals.

      That next year, the Bulls continued to march and rise and through new draft picks, and fought their way to the Eastern Conference Finals. This was a huge moment for the franchise and Michael Jordan, who at that point was seen as nothing but a scorer, and to get this deep in the playoffs was a huge win for him. However, their campaign would shortly end to a six-game loss to the Pistons again, who would go on to win it all in dominating fashion. That offseason, Phil Jackson would officially take over as head coach, hoping to push the franchise further.

The First Three

      That summer, the Bulls went all in. Through rigorous training and strong determination, the Bulls recorded a record 61 wins and finally beat the Pistons, sweeping them in four to go to the finals. As they approached their matchup with the Showtime Lakers, the media had Chicago being swept or losing in five. 

      And through the first game that thought became widely considered as correct, the Lakers taking down the Bulls by three. Yet, the Chicago Bulls came back like never before and never looked back, dominating the Lakers in four straight to win the series in five. Being Jordan's quickest Finals series, this win also was the first for Chicago, and a start of a dynasty.

      That next year, the Bulls went 67-15, their best record up until then, and ran through theur competition dominantly. In the playoffs, the took down the Heat in 3 and the Ewing led Knicks in 7, followed by a Cleveland six-game series which they won. Following that, the Bulls met the Trailblazers in the Finals, and Jordan was ready to dominate. In that series, Jordan had the famous "shrug" game with 5 threes, and the Bulls cemented a back-to-back campaign in six.

      The next year, Michael Jordan and the Bulls hoped to join a select few teams at the top with a three peat, and they definetly had a chance to do it. Although they only won 57 out of 82 games, the Bulls came into the playoffs flaming hot, sweeping the Hawks and the Cavaliers to go to the conference finals. However, while playing the Knicks and losing two in a row, drama arose with the news of Michael Jordan gambling in Atlantic City for multiple hours. Yet, this did not prevent Jordan from winning the series, taking four straight to end the Knicks hopes. In the Finals, the Phoenix Suns were shut down my Michael Jordan in six games, giving Michael and the Bulls a three peat, and a place in history.

      After that year, many trades were made and a lot of motivation was lost as the Chicago Bulls went 47-35. However, with just a few games remaining in that season, Michael Jordan returned with hopes of dominating once again. Yet, after getting through round one, the Bulls went down to the Shaquille O'Neal led Orlando Magic, ending their season once again.

The Second Three

      With Michael returning and losing in the second round, the Bulls entered the 1995-1996 season with true aggression, and that carried all the way through. By the time the season was over, the Bulls had managed to go 72-10, achieving the first ever 70-win season at that point and making waves across the basketball community. As the playoffs came and went, the Bulls lost a mere one game up until the playoffs, where the Bulls took down the Sonics in six games.

      The next year, The Bulls kept that record of high wins with a 69-13 win-loss record. Yet, as the playoffs rolled around, no one could again stop them, winning every series in at most five games leading up to the finals. Once there, the Bulls put on a show against the Utah Jazz, downing them in six games and giving Chicago a well fought 5th ring.

      In 1997-1998,  the Bulls slowed down and tired, the stress of winning a third weighing on their back. Yet, against all odds, the Bulls managed to squeak out a 62-20 record and went into the playoffs ready. Although the first two rounds went well, the third against the Indiana Pacers was a crazy one. Going to a deep seven games and the fate of the Chicago Bulls on the line, Michael Jordan and the Bulls came through and beat the Pacers in seven. Going into the finals, the Bulls faced the Jazz once again and took them down in six, marking a second three peat in the history books.