Ranking the Chicago Bulls' 6 Championships

The NBA is ruled by dynasties, teams that come to own a decade and shape the narrative around the league. In the 1950s, it was the Minneapolis Lakers, the 60s was ruled by the Boston Celtics, the 70s, coincidentally, is the forgotten decade of the league and also had no team or teams that were the signature draws at that time.

In the 80s, Boston and Los Angeles Lakers revitalized the league, winning eight titles between them, the 2000s were ruled by the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs as they won seven titles, and now LeBron James-led teams and the Golden State Warriors are coming to define this decade, already winning five of the eight titles.

This post will look at the dynasty of the 90s, the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led Chicago Bulls, who captured six titles in the 10 years of the decade. They lorded over the NBA, winning with a form of creeping inevitability, so much so that people argue they would have won eight straight titles if Jordan didn't play baseball for 18 months.

Jordan alone was a singular dominant force, but him, combined with jack of all trades Pippen and head coach Phil Jackson, the team morphed into something the league might never see again.

#6 1992-1993 57-25 record, 15-4 in the playoffs, defeated Phoenix 4-2

The last title in the Bulls first three-peat reeked of tired legs and a team just waiting for the Playoffs to start. They were 2nd in the East behind the New York Knicks and 3rd in the league overall, while having "just" the 4th best-expected win total. They were 2nd in the league in offense, and a telltale sign of fatigue was their ranking in defensive efficiency - 7th. Luckily for them, they still boasted the best player in the game, the best coach, and another top 10 player, who had been together for five years at this point.

This team played at the slowest pace in the league, allowing Jordan and Pippen to exert their will with maximum effort on each possession. Their center position was particularly weak, as they toggled between an old Bill Cartwright and statuesque Will Perdue, who no doubt contributed to their drop in defensive efficiency. However, with wing defenders like Jordan and Pippen, they still had the ability to terrorize opposing offenses when the time came to ramp up the defensive pressure.

Once the playoffs started, you could see the boredom wear off as they ratcheted up the intensity and proceed to rip off a 15-4 record en route to the title. They did face a few hiccups as the competition increased, losing the first two games in the Eastern Conference Finals vs the Knicks, before thwarting the upset and ripping off four straight wins.

In the Finals, they would only win one home game and actually get outscored by the Suns, but they had the ultimate trump card in Jordan, who averaged 41 points for the series and found John Paxson for the series-clinching jumper on the Suns home floor.

#5 1997-98 62-20 record, 15-6 in the playoffs, defeated Utah 4-2

The shot that ended Jordan's Bulls career and clinched the 6th title.

The third title of the second three-peat title comes in fifth as, once again, fatigue played a huge factor in the Bulls season. They were in the midst of completing the best three-year run, record-wise, of any team in NBA history, and by the end, they were hanging on by a thread. In an inverse of the 92-93 season, the Bulls maintained their defensive consistency, ranking third in the league, while watching their offensive efficiency dipped to an unheard of ninth.

This team faced adversity early on, as Pippen only played 44 games on the season with a bad back, key reserve Steve Kerr only played 50 games and Toni Kukoc and Dennis Rodman toggled back and forth in the starting lineup. However, they still had Jordan for all 82, and while his efficiency scoring was starting to dip, he only shot 46% this season, they still had his dominant will to win carrying them to 62 wins, tied for the best record in the league.

In the Playoffs, they faced one of their toughest challenges in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Indiana Pacers pushed them to the brink of elimination before the Bulls pulled out a grind it out game 7, 88-83. In the Finals, the Bulls were gassed and had to fall back on mythical championship mettle to pull out the title.

MJ and Pippen shot horribly for the series, having to rely on an efficient Toni Kukoc to help buoy them, while Dennis Rodman was a shell of himself by the end of the series, averaging 8 rebounds a game. In the end, Jordan cemented his and this team's legacy, going basket, steal, basket to clinch game 6 on the road by one point.

#4 1990-91 61-21 record, 15-2 in the playoffs, defeated Los Angeles 4-1

Jordan is overcome with emotion after winning his first title.

The Bulls first title was the culmination of a climb that started in the 1984-85 season when they drafted Jordan with the #2 pick in the draft and saw them lose to the Detroit Pistons in back-to-back season in the Eastern Conference Finals before this year. They didn't make any changes to their lineup, instead they benefitted from growing together and learning how to play with each other in ways that complemented each other and brought the best out of the team.

They were finally the best team in the East and finished with the second overall record. Their offense was fully operational, finishing first in offensive efficiency while their defense was a more than serviceable seventh. Jordan, Pippen, and Horace Grant were a perfect offensive big three, all shooting over 52% and helping the Bulls post the highest effective field goal percentage in the league. They were clearly the class of the East and it showed come playoff time.

In the Playoffs, the Bulls put together their best record of the six Finals runs, going 15-2. The East playoffs were not particularly close, as they only lost once in the second round and blitz the defending champ Pistons, sweeping them and outscoring them by 11.5 points per game.

Unfortunately, the Lakers upset the Portland Trail Blazer in the West playoffs, robbing us of watching the Bulls take on the team with the best record in the league that season. In the Finals, the Bulls showed their youth, losing the first game to the Magic Johnson-led Lakers, before ripping off four straight wins, never winning by less than seven, and sewing up their first title.

#3 1991-92 67-15 record, 15-7 in the playoffs, defeated Portland 4-2

Jordan couldn't help but shrug in game 1 vs the Blazers after knocking down his 6th three in the 1st half.

This and the #2 on the list were the toughest decisions to make, as both seasons were basically equally as dominant. However, the Playoff record in the season was the worst of all their title runs, especially considering they were 10 wins clear of even the #2 team in the league. The regular season was a dominant run, as they built on the previous year's title and synced their offense and defense into a dominant force, ranking first and fourth respectively.

One thing you will notice as a hallmark of the Bulls three-peats is they did not make major changes to their lineups, generally employing the same starting lineup for each run. This season was no different, as their top four started no less than 79 games. This consistency really helped someone like Jordan, who was maniacal competitor learn his teammates' strengths and weakness and know exactly when to assert his scoring in the dominant fashion that we associate with him.

Back to the Playoffs, the first test came in the second round, as the 51 win Knicks pushed them to game 7 before Pippen and MJ slammed the door emphatically on the upset attempt. In the final two rounds, they faced two formidable opponents, but the series went differently despite winning both 4-2. The East Finals saw a tight back and forth series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Finals was ripe with close Blazers wins and Bulls blowouts.

The reason the Bulls were blowing out the Blazers is that MJ had to show the world he was vastly superior to Clyde Drexler, the second best two guard in the league who the media hyped up as a worthy opponent to MJ.

#2 1996-97 69-13 record, 15-4 in the playoffs, defeated Utah 4-2

Steve Kerr knocks down the series winning jumper. — Steve Kerr knocks down the series-winning jumper.

The second season in the best two year wins total in NBA history and one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history. The Bulls kicked up the pace from their early three-peat years, still not a fast team by any stretch, and posted the top offense in the league coupled with the fourth-best defense. They also posted double digits in scoring margin and net efficiency, the mark of an all-time great team, and led the league with a whopping 68 expected wins.

Jordan and Pippen were the only mainstays in the starting lineup, as no other Bull started over 59 games this season, forcing the Bulls to constantly adjust. This makes their efficiency stats even more impressive, as the two stars constantly had to adapt and adjust their game to meet who their teammates were on a given night. You could start to see signs of offensive slippage in MJ and Pippen's games, as they were less efficient than they had been in previous years but they made up for it with improved playmaking.

In the Playoffs, the missed games by so many players seemed to work in the Bulls favor, as they had one of their best playoff runs, only losing 4 games and finishing with an average margin of victory of 5.3 points per game. Their only close series was the championship series, where they outscored the Jazz by a total of 4 points. It was fitting that they closed the Jazz out in game 6 on a pass and shot from two of the three players who played 82 games on the year, MJ to sharpshooting reserve Steve Kerr.

#1 1995-96 72-10 record, 15-3 in the playoffs, defeated Seattle 4-2 in the Finals

Gary Payton proved to be no match for MJ and the best team of all time.

Arguably the greatest season of all time. The first team to ever lead the league in offensive and defensive efficiency. The holder of the all-time wins record until the 2015-2016 season. Fewest losses in a season, regular season and postseason combined. Owner of the largest margin of victory of all time. Almost any way you measure team success over a season, this team tops the chart. Fresh off MJ's first playoff loss since 1990 in the previous season, the team added Dennis Rodman and came out with a purpose to reclaim their throne.

Jordan was his usual dominant force, claiming the MVP and scoring over 30 points, Pippen was an all-around menace, back in his more comfortable role of an ultra glue guy, Rodman kicked ass on the boards, and the role players fit seamlessly into their roles. They had a stretch from late November to early February where they went 31-1. This team was truly on a different level from the rest of the league during the regular season.

In the playoffs it was more of the same, they ripped through the East only losing one game by a total of three points and avenging their loss to the Magic the year early with a resounding sweep. In the Finals, they were well on their way to capping off a 15-1 playoff record before the SuperSonics ruined the impending coronation by beating the Bulls in games 4 and 5. However, this proved to be a minor hiccup for Chicago as they capped the series off with a dominant defensive performance in a 12 point win. All in all, there is no Bulls title season that can quite measure up with this one.

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