The 95-96 Bulls : The Ultimate Team

Published on February 25, 2026 7 min. reading

They are the gold standard. The absolute benchmark. When we talk about dominance in the NBA, we always end up coming back to them: the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman. Perfect chemistry, an (almost) undefeated season. A quick look back at one of the greatest epics not just in basketball, but in the history of sports.

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The context : “The Revenge Tour”

The summer of 1995 was tense in Illinois. Michael Jordan had returned from his baseball retirement, but his number 45 didn’t really bring him luck: the Bulls were knocked out by the Orlando Magic in the conference semifinals. The champion’s pride was deeply wounded.

For Phil Jackson, one key piece was missing: a guard dog to do the dirty work. The front office took a risky gamble by signing Dennis Rodman, the former Detroit Bad Boy, who was unmanageable but brilliant. The equation was set: Jordan would score, Pippen would be his luxury lieutenant, and Rodman would clean up. The goal was not just to win, but to crush the competition.

The Regular Season: The Tactical Metamorphosis

That 72-10 record was no fluke; it was the result of a transformation. Forget the ultra-aerial Jordan of the 1980s. In the summer of 1995, while filming Space Jam, MJ built the “Jordan Dome” to work on his physique like a madman. He came back heavier and more powerful. His game changed radically: he settled into the low post. This marked the official birth of the unstoppable fadeaway. He no longer jumped over guys, he physically pushed them down before punishing them with a surgically precise fadeaway shot.

Around him, Phil Jackson set up a suffocating defense. With Ron Harper (6’6″) at point guard, Jordan and Pippen, the Bulls fielded three elite defenders on the perimeter. It was a nightmare for opposing point guards. They could switch on every screen. The result? Three players from the starting five ended up on the All-NBA First Defensive Team (Jordan, Pippen, Rodman). It was unprecedented.

The triangle offense was firing on all cylinders thanks to a luxury bench. Steve Kerr spread the 3-point game (punishing double teams on MJ), while Toni Kukoč, the “Server,” brought a European dimension. He was too tall for the forwards and too fast for the big men.

This team didn’t chase the record, it crushed it. At the midway point of the season, they were 41-3. They finished with a Net Rating of +13.4, meaning they didn’t just beat their opponents, they destroyed them by double digits on average.

The Playoffs Campaign : Revenge, Sweat, and Tears

In the postseason, the record is frightening (15-3), but the content is a masterclass in emotional and tactical management. This is where the “Revenge Season” takes on its full meaning.

First Round (vs. Miami Heat): The Muscular Warm-up

Pat Riley arrives in Miami with his military-style approach. Alonzo Mourning wants to play tough. Bad idea. The Bulls respond with unprecedented violence… on the scoreboard. Chicago wins the games by an average margin of 15 points. It’s a brutal sweep (3-0). The message is clear: the NBA is not ready for this level of intensity.

Semifinals (vs. New York Knicks) : The trench warfare

The Eastern Conference classic. Patrick Ewing’s Knicks try to slow down the game, turning the court into a boxing ring. Chicago accepts the physical challenge. Dennis Rodman gets inside the head of Knicks power forward Charles Oakley. Despite an overtime loss at Madison Square Garden (their only hiccup in the East), Pippen and Jordan’s defense stifles New York’s perimeter players. Victory 4-1. The Bulls aren’t just talented, they’re nasty.

Conference Finals (vs. Orlando Magic): Settling the score

This was THE series Jordan had been waiting for. A year earlier, Shaq and Penny Hardaway’s Magic had dared to knock out the Bulls. This time, it was a public execution. Rodman took care of frustrating Horace Grant (the former Bulls player). Pippen locked down Penny Hardaway. And Jordan? He was on a mission. Chicago handed a resounding 4-0 sweep to a team that had been undefeated at home in the playoffs until then. The key moment: Game 4. Jordan scored 45 points to seal the series. Shaq was disgusted, the Orlando team mentally imploded (Shaq left for the Lakers that summer). The hierarchy was restored.

NBA Finals (vs. Seattle SuperSonics): The End Boss

The dream matchup. The Sonics (64 wins) were athletic and cocky with the duo of Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton. Chicago quickly took a 3-0 lead, putting on a show. The series seemed over. But Seattle coach George Karl finally decided to put “The Glove” (Gary Payton) on Jordan in man-to-man defense. MJ is hampered, his shooting percentage drops, and Seattle wins two games through sheer determination. Game 6: Back in Chicago on Father’s Day (a terribly symbolic day for MJ, who tragically lost his own father), it’s not the offense that wins the title, it’s Dennis Rodman. In an ultra-defensive game, “The Worm” grabs 19 rebounds (including 5 crucial offensive rebounds) and mentally rattles Shawn Kemp. Jordan doesn’t need to be heroic in scoring (22 points), the team finishes the job (87-75). Victory 4-2. The circle is complete.

The journey has been epic, legend after legend falling by the wayside: Pat Riley, the 1990s Knicks (who often stumbled against Jojo and his team), Shaq, and finally the duo of Kemp and Payton. This victory caps off an already epic season with a title. It is the greatest season a basketball team has ever achieved collectively, led by the greatest player of all time.

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The Legacy: Why are they the GOATS ?

The 1995-96 season was a cultural earthquake. The Bulls were becoming the greatest team, the most famous in the world and perhaps of all time. So why did they have such an impact? For three main reasons:

No team has ever dominated like this: It was the definition of gluttony. Michael Jordan achieved the MVP “Triple Crown” (Season, All-Star Game, Finals). Phil Jackson was Coach of the Year. Toni Kukoč was the best sixth man. Jerry Krause was Executive of the Year. Basically? They took everything and every aspect of the game, leaving only crumbs for the other franchises.

Bigger than the Beatles: Back then, the Bulls weren’t just a basketball team, they were rock stars. Wherever they went, riots broke out. It was the height of “Jordan Mania,” the era of black pinstripe jerseys and Air Jordan XI “Concord” sneakers. They made basketball cool on a global scale.

“Yes, but, um, the Warriors, though”: We often hear about the 2016 Golden State Warriors and their record 73 wins. It’s huge, yes. But there’s a huge “but”: they lost the title in the end. The ’96 Bulls, on the other hand, finished the job. As Ron Harper said with his legendary T-shirt: “72-10 don’t mean a thing without the ring.”

With a combined record (season + playoffs) of 87 wins and 13 losses, this team dominated the league mentally, physically, and statistically. It was the beginning of the second three-peat, which would further cement MJ, Scottie, and Dennis in the legend of our sport.

The 1996 Finals were the fourth most-watched Finals in history, with 25 million viewers. The top three? 1997, 1993, and 1998.

In short, for your next top 10 all-time list of the best teams of all time, put the 1995-96 Bulls in first place.