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Dates | June 5–16 | |||||||||
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MVP | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) | |||||||||
Hall of Famers | Bulls: Michael Jordan (2009) Toni Kukoc (2021) Scottie Pippen (2010) Dennis Rodman (2011) SuperSonics: Gary Payton (2013) Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007) George Karl (2022) Tex Winter (2011) Officials: Dick Bavetta (2015) Hugh Evans (2022) | |||||||||
Eastern finals | Bulls defeated Magic, 4–0 | |||||||||
Western finals | SuperSonics defeated Jazz, 4–3 | |||||||||
The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1995–96 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics (64–18) played the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls (72–10), with the Bulls holding home court advantage. The teams' 136 combined regular season wins shattered the previous record of 125, set in 1985 between the Los Angeles Lakers who won 62 games and the Boston Celtics who won 63 games in the past regular season. The series, the 50th NBA finals in league history, was played under a best-of-seven format. This was the first championship in the Chicago Bulls' second three-peat.[1]
Chicago won the series 4 games to 2. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP, his fourth time winning the award.