who did the bulls beat for their 6 championships who did the bulls beat for their 6 championships

Mookie Blaylock was a member of the All-Defensive Second team and he also led the league in steals. When the Bulls eliminated the Knicks, they met the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. What Gary Payton told me in a radio interview about his classic matchup with Michael Jordan in 1996: At this point, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman could not be defeated. three came in 1991, 1992, and 1993. 1971: Milwaukee Bucks beat the Baltimore Bullets (now Washington Wizards) 4-0 1972: Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 4-1 1973: New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 1974: Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 4-3 1975: Golden State Warriors beat the Washington Bullets 4-0 1976: Boston Celtics beat the This was the 72-10 Chicago Bulls contingent that had to finish what they started, yet The Glove, Gary Payton was not impressed. He was also a member of the All-NBA first team and the All-Star team. They were second in both opponent points per game and defensive rating. The Chicago Bulls, a professional sports franchise playing in The Supersonics were a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference in the '90s, and 1995-96 was their best season as a team. the CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nba | pageType: stories | Horace Grant, now with Oralndo, made the All-Defensive Second team. 1987-88 Chicago Bulls, who both It was Chicago's only Finals series during the decade that didn't stretch to six games. This is probably the weakest offensively starting PF-Center duo on an NBA championship team. The holder of the all-time wins record until the 2015-2016 season. We are a full-service national event ticket marketplace. The Knicks, already considered one of the greatest defensive teams in NBA history, were first in both opponent points per game and defensive rating. Though the Bulls had the same record as the Atlanta Hawks in the Central Division, the Bulls won the tiebreaker and finished second. what makes muscle tissue different from other tissues? That was it for the Knicks. 1990-91 61-21 record, 15-2 in the playoffs, defeated Los Angeles 4-1. Karl Malone had another stellar season for the Jazz and was named the NBA's MVP in the process. Though the Bulls' success was great for the city of Chicago, it came at the expense of other teams from across the league's landscape, as the Bulls blocked a plethora of great teams from hoisting the title trophy during their six championship seasons. Chicago beat Utah in six games, and Jordan closed the series in Game 6 with"The Shot"over Byron Russell. Jordan averaged 33.5 points,four rebounds and 2.3 assists in the series. Please logout and login again. Unlike any other team with multiple titles, Jordans Bulls lacked two important pieces: A dominant big man (or a center) and a point guard. (Won 0 Rounds), Lost Eastern Conference Semifinals He made the All-Star team too. A player like Kerr should be over 40 %, which he was in the 1998 playoffs. Their second round opponent, the Charlotte Hornets, had a member of the All-NBA third team (Glen Rice). In 1989, the Bulls played in their first conference finals series since 1975, losing to the Detroit Pistons. was the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who What is are the functions of diverse organisms? [6] However, Jordan returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and lost in 1995 NBA Playoff despite posting one of his best numbers and close to his playoff average and with the added help of rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman, the team won three more championships from 1996 to 1998. The Bulls' luck turned for the better after selecting Michael Jordan with the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. Jordan retired from basketball for good when he was 40 years old after two seasons with the Washington Wizards. Sporting News decided to rank the relative strength of those six NBA titlists, whose banners still hang proudly at the United Center and whose memory has inspired one of the highest-rated sports documentaries ever to air on U.S. television. was the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls, who They had quite a dynasty in the 1990s, winning the championship Former Bulls guard Steve Kerr even referred to Game 7 against the Pacers in 1998 as the "scariest" game the Bulls ever faced. After eliminating a tough Hawks team, the Bulls met a tougher team in the Miami Heat during the Eastern Conference Finals. It depends. In terms of him as a basketball player in the league I would personally say 1988. In terms of him accomplishing his goals I would go wi They think Jordan had it easier. Jordan and James both have lengthy statistical resumes, but that six-championship trump card gets played the most in the debate. Hardaway was 4th in MVP voting and he made the All-NBA First team and the All-Star team. The Bulls starting center was Bill Cartwright. In the playoffs he averaged 7.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.6 apg. 2023 ChampsOrChumps.us Terms Privacy Policy, Won 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. 1996 NBA Finals. None of themexcept for Armstrongwere any better than the starters. 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. Bulls won that series 4-1. what six teams did the Chicago bulls beat, the original six teams are: Toronto, Detroit, Montreal, Boston, The Hawks were also coached by Lenny Wilkins. After losing to Chicago in consecutive postseasons in 1991 and 1992, the Knicks finally felt like they had a team that could beat the Bulls in 1992-93. Many try to diminish this great accomplishment because In the Second round the Bulls faced the Knicks (again). His Airness three-peated twice and won all six Finals MVPs for the Bulls. John Paxson for the series-clinching jumper. The team reached the Western Conference Finals in 1974 and 1975, but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors, respectively. started the season at 0-9. Combine all this with the great coaching of Jackson, and you have 55 wins. Chicago, Detroit, New York Rangers, Montreal & Toronto) came to This Jazz team had swept a Lakers team that won 61 games and featured four players that made the All-Star team that same season (Shaquille ONeal, Kobe Bryant, Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel). and Michael Jordan then announced his second retirement, because general manager Jerry Krause wanted to begin rebuilding the roster with younger athletes. The 90's Knicks is another team that is considered as one of the greatest defensive teams ever. 1991 - 1st Round - Defeated the New York Knicks in a 3-game sweep, 2nd round - defeated Philadelphia 4 games to 1, Eastern conference finals - defe New York rangers, and the Chicago blackhawks. The Bulls were struggling for a playoff berth. This team was fifth in both Opponent points per game and Defensive Rating. The Bad Boys Pistons of the late 80's and early 90's is considered one of the greatest defensive teams in NBA history. This time the Jazz had home-court advantage after they secured the first seed in the league with 62 wins. Penny and Shaq defeated Jordans Bulls in the second round of the 1995 playoffs, and back-to-back Finals appearances was certainly in play entering the 1996 Eastern Conference finals. In Fridays sectional semifinal, Boatright logged eight He was a good shooter in 1993, but before that, he was just like Paxson. He earned 80 of a possible 96 first-place votes for MVP, 93.8 percent of a perfect score. 6-keys: media/spln/nba/reg/free/stories, at In the final two rounds, they faced two formidable opponents, but the series went differently despite winning both 4-2. (Won 1 Round), Lost Eastern Conference Finals Perhaps they make a deeper run with Jordan and face the Houston Rockets who won back-to-back NBA championships in those two seasons. 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. He was a good three-point shooter, but his shooting percentage can be misleading. But the Bulls are the only team to do this with MULTIPLE appearances. Joe Dumars made the All-NBA third team and the All-Defensive second team. Cartwright missed 18 games because of injury but was back for a strong run in the playoffs, when he averaged 28 minutes, including a challenging matchup with Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing in which Ewing shot 8-of-19 from the field in the decisive game. The Magic, having won 60 games during the regular season, were the third seed in the league. The Knicks would get another shot at a title the following year after Jordan retired for the first time, but they fell to the Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals in seven games. Jordan led the series in scoring with 33.5 points a game, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were their usual defensive stalwarts and Phil Jackson's neutralization of the vaunted Utah Jazz pick and roll with Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone was more the story. This was Utah's best team ever record-wise, as they won 64 regular season games, which was good for the top seed in the West. The focus is on Jordan, whopushed the Bulls to those championship runs. They were 8th in Opponent points per game and 9th in Defensive Rating. Some of those teams had an opportunity to earn a ring before, or after, the Bulls' epic run, while others didn't. 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. The reason why the Bulls won 57 games in 1993 was because they were two-time defending champions. Most basketball fans know that Michael Jordan won six championships with the Chicago Bulls in the 90s and went 6-0 in the Finals. Just like the Pistons were no longer at the peak of their powers as a team when the Bulls finally bested them in 1991, the same could be said about the Lakers that same season. Your login session has expired. They reached the Finals six times during the decade and came away with six NBA John Paxsons 44 percent shooting from 3-poit range and Horace Grants growth into a 34-minute player were essential to the breakthrough. This season was one of the toughest for the Bulls. Payton was a member of the All-Defensive First team. How many nieces and nephew luther vandross have? Note: Statistics are correct as of the 202122season. (In fairness, Jordan was probably still a bit rusty at that point after a long time away from the court). Record:69-13 2. Yes,he was an All-Star in the 1990 season, but his stats were actually better in 1991. Their First round opponent, the Washington Bullets, had an All-Star in Chris Webber. In the Playoffs, the Bulls put together their best record of the six Finals runs, going 15-2. Detroit also eliminated Chicago in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 1988. They were 9th in defensive rating. Even Rodmans rebounding numbers can be misleading. MJ never played in a Game 7 in the Finals and only trailed in a Finals series twice. against the Lakers. Just like the Cavaliers, the Blazers had won 57 games. He and Charles Barkley were very good friends at the time, yet as Michael Jordan has done with all of his peers when it mattered most, Charles Barkley also did not win an NBA title. The Lakers in 1991 The Trail Blazers in 1992 The Suns in 1993 The Super Sonics in 1996 The Jazz in 1997 The Jazz again in 1998 Jordan averaged 35.8 points, 6.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds for the series. Robert Horry won seven championships through his time with the Rockets, Lakers and Spurs. The Bulls clinched the series on Father's Day, which was especially meaningful for Jordan because it was first championship since his father James died. This was the best record From 1985 onwards, the Bulls reached the playoffs every season he was on the team's roster despite having had a losing record in each of his first three years. So in the series with the Pistons in 1991 Jordan had to go against TWO All-Defensive team members. Furthermore, in just 6 postseasons the Bulls had to face 14 top-ten teams in Defensive Ratings. The Bulls had to surmount mental hurdles to at last win a championship with Jordan on their side. Be as it is, fans tend to forget who Jordan had to play and beat to get his six championships. 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. 1967-68 Chicago Bulls, who both They were clearly the class of the East and it showed come playoff time. 2021-22 Chicago Bulls NHL had seven teams , (and sometimes more). Charles Barkley was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the offseason from the Philadelphia 76ers, and his dominant play led the Suns to the best record in the NBA, and him winning NBA MVP. Pat Riley was also named Coach of the Year. Stockton was a member of the All-NBA Third team and the All-Defensive Second team. Did Jordan ever face true competition? They were finally the best team in the East and finished with the second overall record. The Original Six wasn't exactly "formed". Kauna unahang parabula na inilimbag sa bhutan. Utah Jazz (1997 & 1998) Bulls won all series 4-2 except This was the fourth Bulls championship, earned in the first full season after Michael Jordan returned from his mid-90s retirement. They had winning streaks of 13 and 18 games and only once lost consecutive games, to the Nuggets and Suns on an early February trip West. After all the losses and learned lessons leading up to the Chicago Bulls' first appearance in the NBA Finals, the fact that Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers stood in the way was apropos. The Western Division was renamed the Western Conference and split into the. The Blazers were also third in defensive rating. Six players from the 199798 Bulls (Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, Jud Buechler,[6] and Scott Burrell[13]) joined other teams through free agency or sign-and-trade deals, and with few established players left on the roster, the Bulls missed the 1999 playoffs. Who is Katy mixon body double eastbound and down season 1 finale? Pippen didnt even make the All-Defensive first team in 1991. Toni Kukoc was the backup forward. after that the Airness retires ..to play baseball..are you kidding me imagevRussell,Karrem,Magic,Bird,DrJ,and all the other greats,AKA Kobe ,Lebron,Shaq,Duncan,played till the wheels fell off played every play till they couldnt do it no more..he will never be the greatest (Mike)if it werent for commisioner to step in and stop the trade for Chris Paul coming to LA this would be a Kobe conversation. The 1998 NBA Finals was a repeat of 1997 - where the Chicago Bulls also dispatched the Utah Jazz. What six teams did the Chicago Bulls beat? The best start to a Bulls season 12-0. 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. It got even tougher for the Bulls in the NBA Finals when they faced the Utah Jazz. Once the postseason rolled around, the Jazz had no problem advancing past the Clippers, Lakers, and Rockets in order to make it to the Finals for the first time. Not only the Bulls were able to keep their head coach, second best player, and all of the role players, but they also added THREE role players that would later become important in the second three-peat. We already know he wasnt the best small forward of his generation. Of those 14 teams, five were in the Finals. was the 1999-00 Chicago Bulls, who Patrick Ewing made the All-NBA second team. The '97-98 Pacers were a tough-nosed team with a solid defense and two All-Stars in Reggie Miller and Rik Smits, and they pushed the Bulls about as hard as any team did during their title seasons. This season was no different, as their top four started no less than 79 games. Another impressive fact is that since the 1988-89 season, Jordan NEVER had a teammate averaging a double-double in the playoffs, and just once he had a teammate averaging a double-double in the regular season (Horace Grant, 1992). We know Rodman was a rebounding machine, but few know that he didnt average 10 boards in the 1997 playoffs. Although the Bulls signed European standout Toni Kuko to help alleviate the loss, despite only two less wins from the year before, they could not extend their championship streak, falling short in hard fought 7 games battle to the New York Knicks in the 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals. I'm probably going to get grilled for my answer by Jordan fans but if were talking about this modern era, I'm taking Golden State. If were talkin [6] Revered basketball writer Bob Ryan wrote that Sloan and Van Lier comprised the "physically and mentally toughest NBA backcourt" he ever saw. Remember that Riley was the coach of the early 90's Knicks. 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 2nd in the East behind the New York Knicks and 3rd in the league overall, while having "just" the 4th best-expected win total. started the season going 5-0. The Chicago Bulls were an unstoppable force throughout the 1990s. In the 1996 and 1997 playoffs he shot 32.1 % and 38.1 % from the three-point line, respectively. I dont understand what the big deal with this is. The Bulls have won 6 NBA championships: 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98 Michael Jordan was a member of all six Bulls championship The Bulls also reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1989 and 1990 before being eliminated by the eventual champion Detroit Pistons. [6] The Bulls' new playoff streak ended in 2008, when the team finished fourth in their division with a 3349 record. The Bulls would then meet the Knicks for the third straight time in the Eastern Conference Finals. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. This was the only Bulls title team that didnt reach the 60-win plateau, with the offense fading and more reliant on Jordan than at any point during the teams championship run. Also, teams and players wanted to beat Jordan. They defeated two of the top three teams in the league in four of their six championship runs: 1992 (Cavaliers and Blazers), 1993 (Knicks and Suns), 1996 (Magic and Sonics), and 1997 (Heat and Jazz). What about the 1995 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. The first team to ever lead the league in offensive and defensive efficiency. Since Jordan played for all of them and played great for all of them deciding among the six teamsis not so easy: MORE: Ranking Michael Jordan's championship teammates. In the Eastern Conference Finals the Bulls faced the Orlando Magic. 7. Almost any way you measure team success over a season, this team tops the chart. The start tonight was obviously what you want to get, Detweiler said. July 10, 1989: Days after firing Doug Collins, the Bulls hire Phil Jackson to be their fourth coach of the Jordan era. They won 86.7 percent of all games they played, a ridiculous percentage that places them among the most dominant teams in any major U.S. pro sport. The Los Angeles Lakers and Magic won five titles between 1980 and 1988, and were their own NBA dynasty. Why does Gary Soto's work seem autobiographical? The Bulls ultimately won the series 4-2 to take home their fifth title. The 1990s Chicago Bulls won six NBA Championships while they were being led by Michael Jordan. The Bulls had to deal with Laimbeer, Ewing, ONeal, Mourning, Kemp, Daugherty and Mutombo. Note: Statistics are correct as of the 202021season. Even Rodman, who won the DPOY and made the All-Defensive First team in 1991, guarded Jordan on some spots. Ultimately though, the Bulls came out victorious in the Game 7 and then went on to win their sixth title. This team featured one of the greatest duos in NBA history in Karl Malone and John Stockton. 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. Rookie Richard Dumas was a jumping gym all by himself; Cedric Ceballos was a baseline killer; Kevin Johnson was a super athletic scoring point guard in Barkley's support and the Thunder's Dan Majerle hit the three from deep and played above-average defense. The Lakers won 58 games in the regular season, good for third place in the league. The Bulls faced this team only once in their six title runs (1991), but they had met them in three previous postseasons (1988, 1989 and 1990). MORE:Ranking Michael Jordan's Bulls championship teammates. This was a great group of players, but as you can see, Jordans supporting cast is overrated. Though the Bulls had the same record as the Indiana Pacers in the Central Division, the Bulls lost the tiebreaker and finished fourth. So yeah, 3 teams have made it to the finals and have no losses. The third worst start to a season 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. Bill Bender is a national college football writer for The Sporting News. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. For those who say that this wasnt a competitive era, the 1997 season featured ten 50-win teams, including three 60-win teams. This was the year of Jordans famous shrug, a gesture during Game 1 of the Finals series with the Blazers that underscored not only a moment, but an era. They were still solid though, as they had the Defensive Player of the Year in Dennis Rodman, won 50 regular season games, and advanced all the way to the conference finals before they ran into a Bulls squad primed for their first championship run. Bob Cousy won six championships with Boston. They were 8th in Opponent points per game and second in Defensive Rating. The Nets had an All-Star in Jayson Williams and a member of the All-Rookie First team (Keith Van horn). 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. [6], The Bulls showed signs of improvement after hiring coach Scott Skiles in 2003, reaching the playoffs in 2005, 2006, and 2007. This was not a strong year for the NBA overall, still absorbing the expansion by four teams in the previous three years. The Suns then took down the Lakers, Spurs, and Sonics en route to their first Finals appearance since 1976. Seven of Russell's teammates in Boston have seven or more championships. The Suns shot the three at every opportunity and bullied teams with Barkley's inside presence. Michael Jordan on Leadership. Michael Jordan was Finals MVP in each of the six title runs. Episodes three and four of the series focused on the playoff battles between the two teams, and how the Bulls needed to overcome the Pistons in order to develop into champions. While it took seven years for Jordan to win his first championship, he never looked back once he got to the top of the mountain. Charles Barkley, who was now playing for the Suns, was the leagues MVP. Unfortunately for the Sonics, they couldn't quite keep up with the Bulls, who had won a then-league record 72 games during the regular season. The Bulls lost Horace Grant, who signed with the Orlando Magic as a free agent during the summer of 1994. He again made the All-Defensive First team in 1993, but he proved that he wasnt the best at his position when he barely made the All-NBA team when he was selected to the third team. For the Bulls, the '96 series between the two teams was personal, as the Magic had knocked them out of the postseason the previous year, after Jordan returned from his stint as a baseball player, and then advanced to the Finals. 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. season was Jordan led the final NBA championship run that is being chronicled in"The Last Dance." [6] Considered the greatest basketball player of all time by NBA.com,[10] Jordan averaged 28.2 points per game during his first season and received the 1985 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. The Bulls initially competed in the NBA's Western Division. Ewing was an All-Star. Hardaway was 3rd in MVP voting and he was also a member of the All-NBA First team. Though the Chicago Bulls were victorious in their usual NBA Finals 6 games, the Seattle Supersonics seemed like they were fighting for a Supersonics legacy continuum. The Bulls first opponent in the playoffs was the New York Knicks. started the season Had the two played together for longer the course of NBA history would be different, and perhaps Orlando would have a championship banner, or two. In the second three-peat the Bulls had Luc Longley as their starting center. Also, guarding Jordan was one All-Defensive First team member (Payton), three All-Defensive Second team members (Dumars, Starks and Majerle) and one DPOY (Payton). Reggie Miller had made the All-NBA Third team. Now that we know Jordans supporting cast from the second three-peat, lets take a look at the competition. After the season, the team hired a new coach, Vinny Del Negro. of the Eastern Conference. They conquered everyone in their path as they secured championship after championship While Drexler was a great player and a future Hall-of-Famer, Jordan didn't like being compared to Drexler, and he used the comparisons as motivation during the '92 Finals. In the Semifinals the Bulls met the Philadelphia 76ers. Jordan comparisons alwayslead to LeBron James, who has nine NBA Finals appearances and three NBA championships. So for the second time in the NBA Finals the Bulls didnt have home-court advantage. In the Eastern Conference Finals the Bulls faced a tough Indiana Pacers team. So Jordan won the 1991 NBA championship with teammates that didnt make the All-Star team or the All-NBA team. "Bulls, Suns assistant GM Del Negro agree on deal", "Bulls to pick first in draft; Heat, Wolves round out Top 3", "Derrick Rose: Number 1 Draft Pick By Chicago Bulls", "Celtics avoid overtime, advance past Bulls 109-99 in Game 7", "MVP Rose, Thibodeau, Taj's dunk stand out in Bulls' season", "Let the semi-season begin: Expect injuries, intensity and a new champion in '99", "Bulls' Rose claims Rookie of the Year honors", "Chicago's Derrick Rose Wins 2010-11 Kia NBA MVP Award", "Chicago's Tom Thibodeau named 2010-11 NBA Coach of the Year", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Chicago_Bulls_seasons&oldid=1109066354, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Final position in league or division standings, Games behind first-place team in division, This page was last edited on 7 September 2022, at 19:04. The Sonics took down the defending champion Rockets and a Jazz team that would win the conference for the next two years en route to their Finals showdown with Chicago. Jordan averaged 35.8 points per game over the course of the series, which Chicago won in six games. 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. After Michael Jordan returned to the NBA, and after some struggles to get it all back to NBA championship form, the Chicago Bulls' winning continued at the highest level, as the Chicago Bulls completed their second three-peat of the decade. Michael Jordan had his hands full, especially with him and Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton. During their inaugural season (196667), the Bulls compiled a 3348 record under coach Johnny "Red" Kerr and reached the playoffs. That Celtics team still had Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. The Heat won just 42 games but they were fifth in opponent points per game and sixth in Defensive Rating. Provided that it was: 1) still a 50 game season because of the lock out; 2) the starting five along with Kukoc and Kerr; and 3) barring any injurie