Less than a week ago, the Chicago Bulls unveiled their Ring of Honor, immortalizing the legendary 1995-96 Bulls, which went 72-10, winning the first championship of the second three-peat.
The following season, the Bulls were just as impressive, going 69-13, on their way to winning back-to-back titles again. However, despite their repeated success, Jordan wouldn’t win back-to-back MVPs, though he would make up for that in the Finals later that season.
An MVP-worthy performance
Halfway through the 1996-97 season, the Bulls hosted the New York Knicks at the United Center. Chicago sat at 34-5, while New York entered the game 28-11. By that point in the season, the Bulls were allowing just 90.6 points per game while averaging 104.7 per game.
Despite being closely matched in terms of their record, the game was much closer than many anticipated. This game alone could’ve been reason enough for Jordan to win MVP, yet that’s not the way the season panned out. The game ended 88-87, with Jordan scoring 51 points, while also recording 4 assists. He single-handedly accounted for 68% of Chicago’s total scoring.
Like many of his Airness’s greatest games, this one, too, was personal for him.
The Ultimate Con
MJ finished just behind Karl Malone in MVP voting in the 1996-97 season. He averaged more points and steals than the Mailman, but his lack of assists and rebounds gave Malone the edge that season. Additionally, the Jazz’s 64 wins were just 5 behind Chicago’s 69, meaning the difference between the two came down to their individual stats.
Not winning MVP was enough to fuel the fire for the GOAT, leading his Bulls to another championship, the 5th in 7 years for the franchise. It seems that despite the repeated success of MJ and Chicago, people never seemed to learn that Jordan would find motivation in the smallest things, something which would lead to each of their inevitable downfalls.
