Wednesday, September 13

Video: '96 Finals Highlights

It's video time again. Today, we get a heart-breaking glimpse at what might have been: The '96 Finals. (Sigh.) The video is a bit low-res, but at least you get to see The Glove dunk on Jordan. (Sigh x2.) FEED THE HAWK!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sick! One of the best teams not to win a championship. Beautiful to watch.

Anonymous said...

My favorite part is when Jordan bites his jersey...

-Q

chunkstyle23 said...

I had to watch that bit where Kemp blocks MJ's layup several times because a) I was shocked the refs didn't call a foul or goaltending, and b) it was FEELTHY.

Anonymous said...

By 1996, as good as the Sonics were, the 'Championship Window' had already closed on them due to the return of MJ. Between 1993-1995 they were a relatively better team compared to the rest of the NBA.

I'm a life-long Chicago Bulls fan, but I was at Game 7 of the 1993 Western Conference Semifinals at Key Arena - when the Sonics beat the Rockets in OT. (That's still the most exciting sporting event I've ever been to - other than the 1986 NFC Championship Bears 23 Rams 0). The Sonics were the equals of the Suns, who were pretty much the equals of the Bulls that year.

For the next two seasons the 'Championship Window' was WIDE open for the Sonics. Heck, it was more like a 'Championship Garage Door That You Could Drive A Truck Through.' The Sonics easily could've beaten the pants off the Knicks and the Orlando Magic, if they only could've won in the FIRST round!! Sorry, sad but true.

In 1996 the Bulls went 87-13 (including the playoffs), and they lost multiple times to only the Sonics (three times) and Pacers (twice). They also lost twice in a row only two times: at Denver and at Phoenix in Feb, and in the Finals against the Sonics.

Sorry to rehash history for ya, but it's all to easy to remember the great 1996 Sonics team because they came so close. But they also went as far as they possibly could - the Bulls were a superior team, if only by a little.

The 1996 Sonics were a team to be proud of - as you are. The 'heart-breaking glimpse at what might have been' really refers to the two prior years - when the Sonics really SHOULD have won it all.

chunkstyle23 said...

I hate to say it, but you speak the truth, anonymous. The Rockets mini-dynasty never should have happened. Ugliest years of basketball ever.

Anonymous said...

Ugly must be a Ewing reference (or Knicks ball in general). The Dream Shake was a thing of beauty.

Anonymous said...

i think the anonymous chicago fan loses 3/4 of his credibility when he says a 23-0 game was "the most exciting sports i've ever been to."

i'm just sayin'

he might be right about "windows of opportunity" and what-not, but that Sonics team WAS the equal to the Bulls in the Finals, and that was in the heydey of "Superstar Calls" that went for Jordan.

Notice how he threw a fit when Payton got him in the air, he came down on GP and they called the foul. "Wha-!?!? A foul on me!?!?"

I'm not saying we were better. Just equals. GP could guard MJ as well as anyone alive, which took away the monstrous advantage the Bulls had over 99% of the league.

But in all seriousness, I hope you haven't been to many games if a 23-0 was "exciting." Fun for a Bear fan, yes. Exciting??? no way. Wrong word or no credibility...

Anonymous said...

Ha, Canal + 2 Deportes, that's spanish tv... Thought you might care :p

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Seven Trees said...

I remember those days. My house was Sonics Central for all the games. I even took a portable TV (pre-WiFi days) to a camping trip to watch the Sonics-Utah series in 1996.

I think what made that team stand out was the more equal (for those 'superstar' days) distrbution of action between the whole team.

Watching the Bulls, you knew who was going to rack up points. But the Sonics, maybe Detlef or Perkins would score some sweet 3's, or Nate work his magic, all nestled in with the Kemp/Payton dance.

So much more entertaining....