One of the many luxuries about the NBA is looking back on its well-documented history. Often, this can be an enchanting experience, given the many superstars that have graced the league and the countless records broken along the way.
Sometimes, however, it paints a cruel picture of superstars who have underachieved or teams that never quite reached the heights the world was expecting them to. In the case of the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls , while they made NBA history at the time by notching 72 wins, little did people realize that the last month of the season may have cost them the title of the “greatest regular season of all-time” and a near-perfect campaign.
As we all know, the Golden State Warriors swooped in during the 2015-2016 season to outdo the Bulls by claiming 73 wins and subsequently being dubbed the greatest regular-season team we have ever seen. However, there is no doubt some Bulls players were watching it, thinking that they had the opportunity to put the record beyond any reach.
The home stretch
Going 12-3 in 15 games is an incredible stretch of form in usual circumstances, but for the Bulls, their record to end the regular season was actually their worst 15-game stretch of the year. They capped their season at 72 wins, as they were on track to finish with 75 victories.
To make matters worse, it's not just about the losses but more so the fashion in which they lost and the opponents who got their numbers as the campaign wound down.
The first of which was the lowly Toronto Raptors, who collected just their 15th win of the season at the hands of the Bulls 109-108. Steve Kerr had a chance to win it at the end of regulation with a missed open three-pointer. MJ's fadeaway as time expired was deemed late – handing Chicago an embarrassing loss.
A fortnight later, Jordan's 40-point performance wasn't enough for the Bulls to get past the average Hornets, who prevailed 98-97 in a lackluster performance by Phil Jackson's men.
Lastly was a familiar foe in the Indiana Pacers, who handed the Wind City team their season 100-99 loss after a six-game winning streak. It would be just the Bulls' second home loss of the campaign and guaranteed they were stuck at 72 wins.
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Advantage Dubs?
One could argue that the Bulls potentially took their foot off the gas as the season was coming to a close and their focus started to shift towards the playoffs, but given how close all the defeats were in the 12-3 stretch, all signs point to Chicago wanting to win as many games as possible in 95-96.
With this in mind, the indirect beneficiary in all of this may, in fact, be the Golden State Warriors – who superseded the Bulls with their 73 wins. Fans have long fantasized about a matchup between the two juggernauts, with cases to be made for both outfits.
Nevertheless, although the GSW gets the advantage in the win column, the Bulls may, in fact, get the last laugh – given they succeeded in capturing a championship in their record-setting season while the Dubs fell to the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
When comparing the teams, the underlying advantage may be in the eyes of the beholder. Still, there's no escaping the fact that the Bulls had the opportunity to end the conversation before it even started if it wasn't for their final 15-game stretch.
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