1992-93 Chicago Bulls: 20th anniversary of 1st three-peat
Coming up: Scottie Pippen looks back on the Bulls' run to a third straight championship, Sam Smith's top 20 moments from the 1992-93 season and breaking down the 1993 NBA Finals, and remembering John Paxson's series-winning shot in Phoenix
>> 1992-93 Chicago Bulls -- Playoff Results
>> 1992-93 Chicago Bulls -- Sports Illustrated covers
>> Sam Smith: MJ and the Bulls claim third straight title vs. Phoenix
>> Michael Jordan | HOF Class of 2009 and Scottie Pippen | HOF Class of 2010
>> Also: Bulls celebrate 20th anniversary of first NBA title
1991-92 Chicago Bulls: Back-to-back champions
Three the hard way
With the distance of two decades and the permanence of a pair of Chicago Bulls three-peats logged in the history books, it might seem like the team’s third title was a foregone conclusion.
But the road to becoming just the third team in NBA history to win three straight titles was incredibly long and bumpy, and ultimately helped to push basketball’s brightest star into a premature retirement.
Back on June 16, 1992, spirits were sky-high after a second straight title (and the first clinched at Chicago Stadium) and a virtual cruise to 82 wins (including a 67-15 mark in the regular season). At that annual rite of a summer celebration in Grant Park, reticent center Bill Cartwright made a promise: “We will be back!” Scottie Pippen took it a step further: “Let’s go for a three-peat!”
But Chicago’s central stars, Michael Jordan and Pippen, would leave Grant Park to embark on a mission with 1992’s Team USA Olympic “Dream Team,” ensuring they’d play basketball nearly non-stop for 21 straight months before potentially having the chance to defend their NBA title with the Bulls come the following June. On the other side of the velvet rope two other starters, Cartwright and guard John Paxson, had looming offseason knee surgeries on the horizon... continue reading.
An overview of the 1992-93 Chicago Bulls
REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 57-25 (.695)
PLAYOFF RECORD: 15-4 (.789)
HEAD COACH: Phil Jackson
ASSISTANT COACHES: Johnny Bach, Jim Cleamons, Tex Winter
STARTERS: B.J. Armstrong, Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen
RESERVES: Stacey King, Rodney McCray, Ed Nealy, John Paxson, Will Perdue, Trent Tucker, Darrell Walker, Corey Williams, Scott Williams
REGULAR SEASON: Fourth straight 50-plus win season ... 31-10 home record marked sixth straight season of 30-plus Stadium wins ... 26-15 road record ranked second-best in the NBA and first in the Eastern Conference ... 26 road wins marked third straight year of plus-.500 road record ... finished first in the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage at .363 and finished first in the league in fewest turnovers per game at 13.5.
PLAYOFFS: Won franchise’s third straight NBA title defeating Phoenix 4-2 in the NBA Finals ... swept Atlanta 3-0 in the first round and Cleveland 4-0 in Eastern Conference Semifinals ... defeated New York 4-2 in Eastern Conference Finals ... won the first two games of the NBA Finals at Phoenix, becoming the first team ever to open an NBA Finals series 2-0 on the road.
HONORS: Michael Jordan captured his seventh straight scoring title, which tied Wilt Chamberlain for most consecutive scoring titles ... Jordan named 1993 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, 1993 NBA East All-Star starter, All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team ... Scottie Pippen started for the 1993 East All-Stars, was on the All-Defensive First Team ... B.J. Armstrong led the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (63-139 3FG, .453) ... Horace Grant named to All-Defensive Second Team ... Bulls’ home sellout streak reached 294 games (includes regular season and playoffs - 242 and 52, respectively).
NOTES: Won the first two games of the Finals at Phoenix, becoming the first team ever to open a Finals series 2-0 on the road … Michael Jordan scored the second-most points in Finals history with 55 in Game 4 … Jordan also finished with the highest scoring average (41.0 ppg) in a single Finals series … Jordan also set the Finals record for most consecutive games of 40-plus points with four (Games 2-5).
No SI cover jinx for Jordan and the Bulls
In conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the Bulls' third championship, take a look back at the Sports Illustrated covers that Michael Jordan and Co. appeared on during the 1992-93 season. To view more of the archived Sports Illustrated covers, visit the SI Vault.
