Michael Jordan, according to Bulls guard Randy Brown, was pissed off at the fact that the Bulls had dropped a game, resulting in 72 wins instead of 73.
Michael Jordan is as competitive as a player can get in any sport. The ‘Last Dance’ docuseries from last summer proved this very same point as it was shown how he was not afraid to burn bridges with his own teammates if it meant he could maximize their abilities on the court. Jordan also tended to hold himself accountable on several occasions as well.
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Many argue over which of Jordan’s six NBA championships is the greatest and most memorable. His first was against Magic Johnson while his last featured perhaps the most iconic shot of all time. However, Michael Jordan himself has stated that his 1996 title is his favorite and his greatest, with their regular season record of 72-10 being at the crux of this opinion.
It felt as though the Chicago Bulls were destined to win the 1996 NBA championship after having lost to Shaq and the Magic the postseason prior in MJ’s return to the NBA; and they did.
Michael Jordan was not happy with the Bulls losing a single game and chairs were thrown in the locker room afterwards.
Randy Brown, a former member of the Chicago Bulls who was on the ‘96 title roster, talked about how the locker room after a particular home loss was quiet with a couple chairs being thrown out of frustration. Michael Jordan, of course, was not too happy with the loss himself.
“At some point we were probably 50-5 and everybody was upset we just lost a game. A lot of people don’t understand, we actually lost a home game. We were 40-1 at home. We actually should’ve been 73-9 and I remember losing that game and Michael Jordan was pissed; there were chairs thrown.”
“Crazy situation, the locker room was quiet and that’s when I knew this team was going to win a championship. We were locked in as one. It was a lot of luck on our side. We didn’t have a bunch of injuries. We had the right amount of talent on our team, right amount of role players.”
“Michael was pissed. There were chairs thrown. And I’m like ‘We’re 40-1 at home!’”
🔊 Former #Bulls Point Guard Randy Brown tells @talkhoops & @DarthAmin why one loss late in the season cost the ’96 Bulls a chance to be 73-9 #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/L8cFV6qTj4
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 5, 2021
Of course, the Chicago Bulls were still the record holders for the best regular season record despite going 72-10, for 20 years until the Golden State Warriors bested their record by a single win, reaching the coveted 73-win mark.