Long before the 73-win Golden State Warriors, long before LeBron made it to countless NBA Finals, came Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, a show from 1984-1998 that defined the NBA, making it what it is today. Taking the best moments from the Chicago Bulls’ history means picking from that era.
MJ retired from basketball (the second time) nearly 20 years ago, and he’s still possibly the most famous athlete on the planet. Below is a look at my childhood the best moments that not only defined the Chicago Bulls dynasty, but the creation of an immortal icon.
Top 10 most memorable plays in Bulls history
Josh Helmuth is the editor of Crave Sports.
Photo credit: Getty
Top 10 Chicago Bulls Moments
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10 The Flu Game - 1997 NBA Finals
The Bulls were en route to their fifth world championship. But standing in their way was the Hall-of-Fame tandem of John Stockton and Karl Malone. Although some debate he was actually hung over, Michael Jordan was suffering from flu-like symptoms, unable to even participate in warmups ... He went on to drop 38 points in a crucial Game 5 win that gave the Bulls a 3-2 lead in the series. Jordan had to be carried off the floor by Scottie Pippen because he was so exhausted.
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Photo: Scottie Pippen (L) hugs Chicago Bulls teammate Michael Jordan at the end of game five of the 1997 NBA Finals 11 June at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jordan scored 38 points leading the Bulls to a 90-88 to take a 3-2 lead in the series. (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images) -
9 Kerr's Game-Winner - 1997 NBA Finals
Game 6 of the '97 Finals came down to a tie ball game with just seconds left. In the lead-up time-out, Jordan told Steve Kerr to look for the ball if (when) he gets double-teamed. You can hear Kerr respond, "If he comes off, I'll be ready." Sure enough, in the ensuing play, Stockton leaves Kerr to double-team Jordan, so Jordan dishes to a wide-open Kerr who drills the game-winning shot with five seconds left. It's like '93 all over again and the Bulls win their fifth title.
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8 Jordan Drops 63 On Celtics - 1986 Playoffs
Some call it the greatest game ever played. You know, you've seen the highlights; it's the game where Jordan dribbles between the legs about a dozen times on the baseline before drilling a jumper on Larry Bard quicker than he could say Energizer Bunny. Jordan went on to score 63 points in the OT loss, but it's a playoff scoring record that still stands today and solidified MJ as a bonafide superstar. Bird commented after the game that MJ wasn't human but "It was God disguised as Michael Jordan."
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Photo (Getty): Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan leaps to shoot over Boston Celtics' Danny Ainge (44), Bill Walton (5), and Larry Bird (right) during the opening round of the NBA playoffs at Boston Garden. -
7 Jordan Dunks On Ewing - 1991 Playoffs
One of the most famous in-game dunks in history was this one MJ threw down against the Knicks in '91 simply because of its ferocity. Well, that, and also because of the slicker-than-snot fake spin-move on the baseline and the fact he dunked over seven-footer Patrick Ewing.
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6 Jordan's Shrug - 1992 NBA Finals
Air Jordan wasn't known for swishing threes. So even MJ's 'surprised' shrug after drilling six threes en route to 35 points in the FIRST HALF of Game 1 (both NBA Finals records) against Portland in the 1992 NBA Finals went down as an instant classic.
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5 Paxson For Three!!! - 1993 NBA Finals
I can still remember the call as a kid: "Pippen's got the snap. Here's Paxson for three!!! YES!!! THE BULLS TAKE THE LEAD AND PHOENIX CALLS FOR TIME!!"
John Paxson drilled a three-pointer in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against Phoenix to solidify the Bull's first three-peat.
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4 Jordan Dunks From Free Throw Line - 1988
The 1988 Slam Dunk Contest is truly when Air Jordan became Air Jordan. Sure, he was already famous for defying the laws of gravity, but defeating Dominique Wilkins in the dunk contest en route to his second consecutive Slam Dunk title IN CHICAGO certainly didn't hurt his already legendary reputation as a basketball God.
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3 The Switch - 1991 NBA Finals
Few Jordan highlights are replayed more than Jordan's layup against the Lakers in the '91 Finals in which he somehow switched his hands in mid-air, seemingly floating as if he were on the moon, to finish off the backboard in perfect fashion. This play was the pinnacle moment that defined the Bulls' first championship.
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2 Jordan's Game Winner Over Ehlo - 1989 Playoffs
Jordan's most famous buzzer-beater for nearly a decade was this shot he drilled against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1989 Eastern Conference Playoffs. It not only won the game, but the series, against a really tough Cavs team led by Mark Price and Co. Craig Ehlo, defending MJ on the play, played perfect defense -- MJ was the only person on the planet who could have made that shot.
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Photo: Screenshot
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1 The Shot - 1998 NBA Finals
Only MJ could go out with such a storybook ending. His last game as a Chicago Bull, with his team down by three points and less than a minute to play against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Jordan makes a quick layup, goes to the to the other end of the floor to strip Karl Malone of the ball, all before going back to the other end to cross over Byron Russell and hit the game-winner with just seconds left on the clock. 'The shot' was Jordan's last as a Bull and it was his most iconic. It was that clutch-ness that defined MJ, and this time it won the Bulls their 6th and final title.
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Photo: Screen shot
