The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls is regarded by most as the greatest team in NBA history. The team won the NBA title in a 4-2 series victory over the defensive powerhouse Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals.
- Loss No. 1: Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic 88-94 (November 14, 1995)
- Loss No. 2: Chicago Bulls vs. Seattle SuperSonics 92-97 (November 26, 1995)
- Loss No. 3: Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers 97-103 (December 26, 1995)
- Loss No. 4: Chicago Bulls vs. Denver Nuggets 99-105 (February 4, 1996)
- Loss No. 5: Chicago Bulls vs. Phoenix Suns 96-106 (February 6, 1996)
- Loss No. 6: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat 104-113 (February 23, 1996)
- Loss No. 7: Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks 72-104 (March 10, 1996)
- Loss No. 8: Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors 108-109 (March 24, 1996)
- Loss No. 9: Charlotte Hornets vs. Chicago Bulls 98-97 (April 8, 1996)
- Loss No. 10: Indiana Pacers vs. Chicago Bulls 100-99 (April 20, 1996)
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Of course, winning the championship is one of the reasons why they are considered the best, but it’s not the only reason. The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls won a then-record 72 games, as they finished 72-10 during the regular season.
The record would be broken in the 2015-16 season by the Golden State Warriors, who went 73-9 during the regular season. Of course, those Warriors would suffer a historic collapse in the NBA Finals, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Warriors broke the regular season record, but there’s a famous saying the 96 Bulls always said, and it is this: “Don’t mean a thing without the ring.”
— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) September 7, 2022
That statement is absolutely correct. At the end of the day, winning a championship is the only thing that matters. Still, winning 72 games is also a nice touch.
The 96 Bulls won 72 games, which means they lost 10 games during the regular season, which isn’t much. In this article, we are going to go through all 10 losses Chicago suffered that season. Without further ado, here are the 10 games the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls lost during their historic season.
Loss No. 1: Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic 88-94 (November 14, 1995)
The Chicago Bulls famously lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic during the 1995 NBA playoffs. Michael Jordan returned during the 1994-95 NBA season, playing in only 17 games.
Jordan famously wore the number 45 when he returned that year, and he’d wear 45 until Game 2 against the Magic in the playoffs. In Game 1 of the series, Jordan uncharacteristically messed up in the clutch of the game.
Jordan lost the ball, which led to a Horace Grant slam dunk (Grant was a member of the Magic by then). Then, Jordan passed up a shot and threw the ball away as the Bulls lost 94-91 in Game 1.
MJ returned to his iconic 23 in Game 2, but it wasn’t enough, as the Bulls lost the series in six games. The next season, the Bulls started the 1995-96 season with a 5-0 record. The Magic started their season with a 5-1 record, so you knew it was going to be an early-season battle.
The Bulls appeared to have the upper hand in this game as the Magic were without Shaquille O’Neal, who was out with a thumb injury. With the Magic shorthanded, the Bulls jumped all over Orlando in the opening quarter, looking to send a message.
The Magic would not receive this message. After the Bulls took a 29-19 lead after the first quarter, it was all Orlando for the remainder of the game.
Penny Hardaway had himself a game. Hardaway scored 36 points on 12-18 shooting. He also shot 4-7 from three. Hardaway wanted to prove to Jordan and everyone watching that he was the real deal.
For the Bulls, they seemed not to have the same energy they had in their first five games. Jordan scored 23 points in the game, but he only shot 8-20. Scottie Pippen finished with 17 points, but he only shot 7-20.
The Magic won 94-88, and at this point in the season, Orlando, the defending Eastern Conference champions, appeared to be the best team in the East. Of course, this would soon be proven to be false.
Loss No. 2: Chicago Bulls vs. Seattle SuperSonics 92-97 (November 26, 1995)
The Chicago Bulls won five games in a row after their first loss against the Orlando Magic. This time, the Bulls would fall to the team that they’d meet up with in the NBA Finals.
The Chicago Bulls traveled to Seattle to play the SuperSonics, who were led by “The Glove” Gary Payton and “The Reign Man” Shawn Kemp. At this point in the season, the Bulls were 10-1, while the SuperSonics were struggling a little with an 8-5 record.
Like the game against Orlando, the Bulls started out hot. Chicago took a big lead after the first quarter, leading 35-24. Chicago would extend their first-quarter lead by two at halftime with a 64-51 score.
The second half would go in the complete opposite way. The SuperSonics looked like the Bulls in the third and fourth quarters. They seemed to make every correct play.
The Bulls, on the other hand, couldn’t put the ball in the basket, especially in the third quarter. Chicago scored only 11 points in the third, while the SuperSonics scored 26. Seattle was proving why they’re one of the best defensive teams the NBA has ever seen.
By the end of the game, the SuperSonics walked away with a 97-92 victory over the Bulls. Jordan struggled to shoot, finishing 6-19 from the field for his 22 points. Pippen scored 18 in the game, but he shot an incredibly bad 2-11 from the free-throw line.
The Bulls center, Luc Longley, helped Jordan and Pippen with 21 points, but it wasn’t enough to give Chicago the victory. For Seattle, they were led by their stars, Gary Payton, who scored 26, and Shawn Kemp, who finished with 25 points.
Payton also came up with a key steal on Jordan with 25 seconds left in the game. This defense by Payton on Jordan would return as a big talking point later in the 1996 NBA Finals.
Loss No. 3: Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers 97-103 (December 26, 1995)
The Chicago Bulls took a 13-game win streak into Christmas 1995. The very next day, Chicago traveled to Indiana to play the Pacers.
There was always a rivalry between the two teams, even though by December 26, 1995, the two squads never faced off in the playoffs. Still, Chicago being so close to Indiana and the fact Reggie Miller was looked at as being the second-best shooting guard during the 1990s, only behind Michael Jordan, set this rivalry up.
Plus, Jordan’s famous “I’m Back” game came against the Pacers as well. So, that helped fuel the rivalry somewhat, as well.
For this late December game, the Bulls would start out differently from their previous two losses. Chicago came out flat in this game, and Indiana took advantage.
The Pacers led 30-18 after the first quarter, and they extended their lead to 59-40 by halftime. The Bulls would battle back in the game, but they’d fall short as the Pacers took the game by winning 103-97.
Chicago was led by Michael Jordan, who scored 30, but shot 11-28. Pippen added 26 points on an efficient 10-18 shooting. Both Jordan and Pippen added 10 rebounds in the game, and Rodman grabbed 11 boards himself.
The Bulls out-rebounded the Pacers 47-37, but that wasn’t enough to get the victory. Chicago shot 43.7% as a team, while the Pacers shot 49.4%. Indiana was led by their center, Rik Smits, who scored 26, and Reggie Miller added 20 points.
The Indiana Pacers proved to be a real rival to Chicago, and to add to this rivalry, the Pacers would do something no other team did during the regular season… They will appear on this list twice.
Loss No. 4: Chicago Bulls vs. Denver Nuggets 99-105 (February 4, 1996)
After losing to the Indiana Pacers on December 26, 1995, the Chicago Bulls went on a franchise-best 18-game winning streak. This was the point of the season where everyone was talking about Chicago possibly winning 70 games.
The Bulls entered the game with a 41-3 record, while their opponents, the Denver Nuggets, were struggling with an 18-26 record. Nobody thought the Nuggets had a chance, but on this night, they’d prove the doubters wrong.
Denver couldn’t miss in the first half. Everything the Nuggets put up seemed to drop in the net. The Nuggets were led by the sharpshooting Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who scored 23 points in the first half to help his Nuggets take a 68-43 at the half.
Chicago, being the champions they are, weren’t about to go down without a fight. The Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, battled back in the second half.
Chicago outscored Denver 39-16 in the third quarter, and Jordan had 23 of Chicago’s 39 third-quarter points. After trailing by 25 at the half, the Bulls only trailed by two (84-82) heading into the final quarter.
The Nuggets would regroup and hold Jordan and the Bulls off to win the game 105-99 behind 32 points by Abdul-Rauf. Jordan finished with 39 in the loss, but he gave an incredible effort.
Loss No. 5: Chicago Bulls vs. Phoenix Suns 96-106 (February 6, 1996)
Only two days after losing to the Denver Nuggets, the Chicago Bulls did the unthinkable and lost a second straight game against the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix was led by the brash-talking Charles Barkley, who’d score 35 points and grab 16 rebounds in the game.
Jordan scored 28 for Chicago on 9-22 shooting, but the team couldn’t bring their energy levels up to match the Suns. Chicago started hot, scoring 33 in the first quarter and taking a 13-point lead, but the Bulls would be outscored in the final three quarters.
The Suns walked away with the 106-96 victory, handing the Bulls their fifth loss of the season. At this point, all five losses for Chicago have come on the road.
Loss No. 6: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat 104-113 (February 23, 1996)
The Bulls would regain their winning ways by building a seven-game winning streak. They’d travel to Miami on February 23 to play the Miami Heat and they’d surely feel the heat from Rex Chapman.
Chapman was a man on a mission in this game. He scored a game-high 39 points on 12-17 shooting and an incredible 9-10 from downtown.
Chapman, on top of his lights-out shooting, also famously trash-talked Michael Jordan during the game. Chicago battled hard, led by Jordan’s 31 points, but they ultimately fell 104-113 to the Miami Heat.
Loss No. 7: Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks 72-104 (March 10, 1996)
The Bulls enjoyed a six-game win streak as they traveled to New York to face the Knicks on March 10. In this game, it was Michael Jordan vs. The Knicks.
Jordan finished with a game-high 32 points on 12-26 shooting, but only had two teammates (Scottie Pippen and Steve Kerr) score in double figures. The Knicks had a balanced attack, as they had six players in double figures.
The Knicks were led by Patrick Ewing’s 26 points and 14 rebounds. Chicago was never really close in this game as the Knicks controlled everything, winning easily by a score of 104-72.
Loss No. 8: Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors 108-109 (March 24, 1996)
The Chicago Bulls’ eighth loss of the season is the most shocking loss. The Bulls played the Toronto Raptors, who were in their first season as a franchise.
No one expected the 17-49 Raptors even to end up remotely close to the 60-7 Chicago Bulls. Not only were they close, but they squeaked out the victory.
The Bulls had the ball trailing by one with less than 16 seconds remaining in the game. First, Jordan mishandled the ball, but it was picked up by Steve Kerr, who quickly tossed the ball over to Scottie Pippen.
Pippen gave the ball back to Kerr with 3.2 seconds left in the game. Kerr took a long three for the win, but his shot missed. Jordan grabbed the rebound and tossed up a long fadeaway, which he banked in, but time had already expired.
The Raptors walked away with the 109-108 victory behind Damon Stoudamire’s 30 points. Jordan led the Bulls with 36 points.
Loss No. 9: Charlotte Hornets vs. Chicago Bulls 98-97 (April 8, 1996)
The Chicago Bulls would suffer their first home loss of the season against the Charlotte Hornets on April 8, 1996. This would also be the Bulls’ second one-point loss.
Jordan had 40 to lead Chicago, and Charlotte was led by Kenny Anderson’s 20 points. As you can see by the point difference between the leading scorers, Chicago was a one-man offense, while Charlotte had a more balanced team attack.
The Bulls had three players in double figures, while the Hornets had five players reach double figures. At the end of the game, trailing by one, Toni Kukoc missed a spinning layup, and this was followed by tip-in misses by Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen.
The Charlotte Hornets shocked the Bulls in Chicago, leaving with a 98-97 victory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuc5y_V4m_c
Loss No. 10: Indiana Pacers vs. Chicago Bulls 100-99 (April 20, 1996)
I mentioned earlier, when the Bulls suffered their third loss at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, that the Pacers would return to this list. The team from Indiana became the only team to defeat the Bulls twice during the regular season.
In this game, the Bulls would lose their second game at home and their third straight loss by only one point. What made matters worse for the Bulls was the Pacers played without their star Reggie Miller, who was out with an eye injury.
The game was close, it was intense, as this rivalry was really starting to blossom. At the end of the game, something you rarely see happen… Michael Jordan was called for a foul on Eddie Johnson as time expired.
After review, .5 of a second was put back on the clock, and Johnson shot two free throws with the game tied 99-99. Johnson would hit one of two free throws, giving the Pacers the surprising 100-99 victory, handing the Bulls their 10th and final loss of the 1995-96 regular season.
The Chicago Bulls ended up going 15-3 in the playoffs, losing once to the New York Knicks in the Semifinals and twice in the NBA Finals against the Seattle SuperSonics, once Gary Payton switched onto Michael Jordan.
Despite what Seattle or any other team threw at the Bulls, nothing was going to stop Chicago from achieving their goal, which was winning their fourth title in franchise history. The championship win marked the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls as the greatest team in NBA history.
