Bulls legend Michael Jordan talks about achieving a historic 70 wins during the 1995-96 season, emphasizing the importance of winning a championship over everything else.
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Having won almost every accolade in the NBA book, Michael Jordan knew what it took to be on the next level. The Bulls guard never settled for anything less than a championship, keeping the bigger picture in mind. Though he took pride in individual accolades, his ultimate goal was the Larry O’Brien trophy.
The 1995-96 season is known to be the greatest season in Bulls’ franchise history. The season marked the comeback of Jordan as the best player in the world. The Bulls would become the first team in NBA history to have 70+ wins ending the season with a 72-10 record.
At the time, His Airness was coming off a playoff elimination at the hands of the Orlando Magic. Thus MJ had the pressure to prove himself once again after his baseball hiatus. And Jordan did it in style, winning the MVP, All-Star MVP, scoring title, and Finals MVP that season.
In an old clip, Jordan addresses the media on the historic 70th win of the Bulls in the 1995-96 season. Though he was happy with the achievement, he didn’t feel the same as winning a championship or an Olympic medal.
Michael Jordan wasn’t satisfied with having the title of being the most successful regular-season team.
To many, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls were the greatest team in NBA history. However, an argument can be made for the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors. The Bulls took the league by storm in that season, defeating every team in its way and establishing Jordan as the untouchable king of the NBA.
The Bulls would set a record with 70-wins, having Jordan address the media. However, MJ didn’t put too much meaning into it.
“It was a sigh of relief, won’t put too much meaning into the 70. I’m happy, believe me, I’m not disappointed at all, I’m very happy we achieved this. Now 70 means you guaranteeing us a championship, I’ll be even more happier. But we know that pressure adds from this point forward cause we’ve put our names in history books, and I think that’s great, but I want to continue to do that with the final piece of this puzzle which is a championship.”
When asked where did this rank amongst his other accomplishments, MJ said the following.
“It’s hard to rank it right now. You know, 70 games is a great record to be a part of, but to say that it is above the championships, world championships, national championship, gold medal, it’s too early to compare it to that.”
The Bulls would top their record season with MJ winning his 4th title and Finals MVP.
The Bulls’ 72-10 record was broken by the Golden State Warriors, who finished with a 73-9 record in the 2015-16 season. Unfortunately, the Dubs would lose to the Cavs in one of the greatest NBA Finals.
