BOB LANGER / baiduhaiQuintin Dailey in 1985 during Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers game. Bulls won 121-114. (Tribune file photo)
AP file photoTrent Tucker (left) hugs B.J. Armstrong after beating Phoenix 99-98 in Game 6 of the NBA finals on June 20, 1993. (AP file photo)
Nuccio DiNuzzo / baiduhaiMichael Jordan acknowledges the crowd after the team's fifth NBA Championship June 13, 1997 at the United Center. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai file photoThe Bulls' Brian Williams (18) celebrates two of his 14 points off the bench during the Bulls victory over the Hawks in Atlanta 5/10/97. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoNew Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf announces the signing of Jerry Krause as the new Bulls general manager at Spiaggia's Restaurant (980 N. Michigan Ave.) on March 26, 1985. (Tribune file photo )
ED WAGNER / CHICAGO TRIBUNESixers Julius Erving (6) shoots above Bulls player Gervin (8) during game action January 18, 1987, in Chicago. (Tribune file photo)
KEVIN J. LARKIN / Associated PressMichael Jordan (45) drives to the hoop past New York Knicks' John Starks and Derek Harper (11) during first period NBA action at New York's Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995. Jordan had 35 points for the Bulls at the half. (AP fiile photo)
baiduhai archive photoArtis Gilmore honed his skills as a 7'2" center in the American Basketball Association before joining the Bulls in 1976 and becoming one of the NBA's most intimidating scorer and shot blocker. Four of his six all-star game appearances was in a Bulls uniform. He led the NBA in field goal percentage four straight seasons and retired as the league's career leader in that category. (59.9 percent). Gilmore averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. (Tribune file photo)
LAB tba / baiduhaiMichael Jordan is shown during his first game as a Chicago Bull against Washington Oct. 26, 1984. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhaiThe Bulls traded Charles Oakley to the New York Knicks for Bill Cartwright in 1988 and got the final piece of its championship team. Cartwright was the center on the first three championship teams, providing solid defense in the middle and leadership on and off the court. The co-captain was on of the few players who would stand up to the team's stars, Jordan and Pippen. Cartwright averaged 13.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game over a 15-year career. He was with the Bulls 1988 to 1994. Tribune archive photo by John Kuntz dated Jan. 13, 1990. (Tribune file photo)
PATRICK D. WITTY / CHICAGO TRIBUNEThe Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan heads up court during a game at the United Center on Dec. 15, 1998. (baiduhai)
Phil Velasquez / baiduhaiMichael Jordan works his magic once again as he takes Utah's Bryon Russell to the top of the key, pushes off, and takes his jump shot to seal the Bulls sixth NBA Championship June 14, 1998, in Salt Lake City. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoAsst coach Al Bianchi, head coach John Kerr and owner of teh Bulls Dick Klein in the Merner Gym at North Central College in Naperville at a team practice Sept 15, 1966. (Tribune photo by James Mayo.)
Charles Cherney / baiduhaiStarter Ron Harper developed into one of the best defenders in the league during the season, his second with the Bulls. Here he swipes the ball from the Sonics' Gary Payton in Game One of the 1996 NBA Finals. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoChicago Bulls rookie Norm Van Lier during practice September 14, 1969. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoChicago Bulls Norm Van Lier does a little acrobatics Oct. 17, 1977. (Tribune file photo)
MICHAEL CONROY / Associated PressMichael Jordan flies to the hoop over Indiana Pacers' Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson (13), March 19, 1995, in Indianapolis. (AP file photo)
CHARLES CHERNEY / CHICAGO TRIBUNEBulls Dennis Rodman lunges for a rebound during the 2nd quarter of play in the 1998 NBA Finals. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoNicknamed "The Original Bull," Jerry Sloan was in Chicago during the franchise's first 10 years. His grit and toughness made him one of the league's best defensive players and is one of only 18 players in history to be named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team four times. He averaged 14 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists during his 11 season. Sloan is now one of the league's most respected coaches, having led the Utah Jazz to two NBA title games. (Tribune file photo)
Andrew D. Bernstein / NBAE/Getty ImagesMichael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls celebrate after winning the 1991 NBA Championship against the Los Angeles Lakers after Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 12, 1991 at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calilf.
Associated PressSCOTTIE PIPPEN FIRES A FOLDING CHAIR ONTO THE COURT AFTER GETTING EJECTED FROM A GAME AGAINST SAN ANTONIO. (AP file photo)
baiduhai archive photoChicago Bulls Norm Van Lier. (Tribune file photo)
CHICAGO TRIBUNEEmotions run the gammet June 13, 1991, as the Bulls clinches the NBA championship in L.A. Store manager, Mohammed Hussein, in shock moments after he arrived to find his store Sunrise Foods at 3737 W. Chicago Avenue destroyed. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoChicago Bulls' Bob Love shoots a jump shot over the defense during a game in February, 1973 in Chicago. (Tribune file photo)
Andrew D. Bernstein / NBAE/Getty ImagesHead coach Phil Jackson of the Bulls looks on as Michael Jordan gets introduced prior to a game circa 1990 at the United Center in Chicago. (Getty Images file photo)
baiduhai archive photoJERRY SLOAN (4) PULLING DOWN REBOUND AMIDST HERD OF BULLS, BOB LOVE (10), DENNIS AWTREY (20) AND NORM VAN LIER (2).(Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoDick Motta coached the Bulls to its first winning seasons as a coach from 1968 to 1976. From 1970 to 1974, the Bulls had 50 or more wins with defensive-minded teams that included Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier, Chet Walker, Bob Love and Tom Boerwinkle, and in 1971, Motta was named NBA Coach of the Year. In 1975, Motta led the Bulls to its first division title. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoBulls guard Michael Jordan works for an opening against the San Antonio Spurs' Mike Mitchell on Nov. 15, 1984. Jordan had his first great NBA game that night -- he scored 45 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against the Spurs at the old Chicago Stadium. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai file photoBulls star Michael Jordan (right) announces his retirement at the Berto Center in Deerfield on October 6, 1993. Seated from left: Bulls GM Jerry Krause, Bulls coach Phil Jackson, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Jordan. Bulls forward Scottie Pippen is in the rear, wearing sunglasses. (Tribune file photo)
Dick Raphael / NBAE/Getty ImagesMichael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls shoots a jump shot against Danny Ainge of the Boston Celtics during an NBA game played in 1986 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Getty Images)
baiduhai archive photoChet "The Jet" Walker was part of the 1970s teams with Jerry Sloan, Bob Love and Norm Van Lier that made professional basketball popular in Chicago. Walker had won an NBA title in Philadelphia when he was traded to the Bulls in 1971, brining his prolific scoring with him to average more than 19 points per game in his six seasons in Chicago. Four of his seven all-star appearances were made as a Bull. (Tribune archive photo)
UPI file photoMichael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls waits to have his right foot examined by a doctor in Eugene, Ore. Jordan was seeking a second opinion regarding his injury before returning to action. (UPI photo)
baiduhai archive photoChicago Bulls Norm Van Lier with his wife Nancy in 1974. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoNorm Van Lier at Bulls picture day in 1972.
baiduhai archive photoJohn Kerr of the Bulls savors a cigar and playoff victory while watfching his team workout at the Chicago Stadium March 28, 1968. (Tribune file photo)
Tim DeFrisco / Getty ImagesGuard Craig Hodges of the Bulls looks on. (Allsport file photo)
BOB LANGER / baiduhaiMichael Jordan flies to the basket during the 1988 All-Star Game in Chicago Stadium. (Tribune file photo)
Charles Cherney / baiduhaiPower forward Horace Grant is an oft overlooked member of the Bulls' first three championship teams. While Jordan and Pippen were getting most of the attention, Grant was turning in workmanlike performances, giving the Bulls a third scoring option and providing defensives skills key to Chicago's championship runs. Grant, on the Bulls from 1987 to 1994, had double figure scoring averages during the first three-peat era and was the team's main rebounder. Grant was an All-Star in 1994 and was a member of the NBA All-Defensive Team four times. (Tribune file photo)
CHARLES CHERNEY / CHICAGO TRIBUNEBrad Sellers action drives underneath Milwaukee's Paul Pressey during their game. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoBulls coach John Kerr with his family (left to right) sons Matt, 6, Billy, 5, Eddie, 8, wife Betsy and daughter Essie, 4, March 29, 1967. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhaiMichael Jordan tries to block Anfernee Hardaway with help from Luc Longley. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoJerry Sloan, Chicago Bulls captain, grabbing control of the ball from a herd of New York Knicks. (Tribune file photo)
CHARLES CHERNEY / CHICAGO TRIBUNEThe Bulls, including John Paxson, celebrate after championship win against Lakers. (Tribune file photo)
AP file photoChicago Bulls' Clifford Ray drives to the basket as teammate Norm VanLier (2) and Milwaukee Bucks' Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) can only watch on Nov. 29, 1972, in Milwaukee. (AP file photo)
Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE/Getty ImagesDrafted in the first round (fifth overall) of the 1987 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, Scottie Pippen, exchanges team caps as he gets traded to the Chicago Bulls on June 22, 1987. (Getty Images)
NUCCIO DINUZZO / baiduhaiScottie Pippen assists teammate Michael Jordan off the court for a timeout in Game 5 of the NBA Finals June 11, 1997, in Salt Lake City. Jordan apparently ate badroom service food and went on to play in a weakened condition. (Tribune file photo)
JIM PRISCHING / baiduhaiMichael Jordan defends L.A. Laker Magic Johnson during Game 5 of the 1991 NBA Finals in Los Angeles. (Tribune file photo)
Ed Wagner Jr. / baiduhaiThe Bulls' Michael Jordan trudges off the court after a playoff loss to Milwaukee in 1985. (Tribune file photo)
NANCY STONE / CHICAGO TRIBUNETONI KUKOC IN ACTION VS. THE HEAT ON CHRISTMAS DAY, 1997. (TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO)
Getty ImagesAll-time basketball great Elgin Baylor of the visiting Los Angeles Lakers boxes out Chicago's Bob Boozer, during a game in Chicago, 1967. (Photo by Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images)
ED WAGNER / CHICAGO TRIBUNEThe Bulls' Michael Jordan reacts after hitting the game-winning basket over Cleveland's Craig Ehlo. left rear, in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs May 7, 1989, in Cleveland. (Tribune file photo)
MARK J. TERRILL / Associated PressMichael Jordan goes to the basket in the third quarter as Utah Jazz's Howard Eisley looks on during Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Salt Lake City, in this June 5, 1998 photo. Dominance, determination and unmatched skill earned Jordan the selection as the top basketball player of the century by a six-member panel of experts assembled for The Associated Press. (AP file Photo)
baiduhai archive photoThe Bulls had their first winning seasons starting in 1970, when they posted four consecutive seasons with 50 or more wins. On those teams were Norman Van Lier, left, team captain Chet Walker, the original Bull, Jerry Sloan, and Bob Love. (Tribune file photo)
BARRY JARVINEN / ASSOCIATED PRESSMichael Jordan kisses the basketball floor of Chicago Stadium as he leaves it for the last time, Friday, September 9, 1994. Jordan played in a charity basketball game after completing his first season playing Double-A baseball for the Birmingham Barons. The stadium is due to be torn down and the Bulls will be playing at the new United Center across the street from the stadium. (AP file photo)
baiduhai archive photoDolf Schayes, chief of NBA referees presents Johnny "Red" Kerr with the coach of the year trophy in 1967. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhai archive photoStanding next Milwaukee Bucks' center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Chicago Bulls Norm Van Lier shows his frustration during the final moments of their fourth straight loss to the Bucks April 22, 1974. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhaiOrlando Woolridge was one of the game's most exciting dunkers, playing his first five seasons with the Bulls and averaging 22.9 points per game. Woolridge and Michael Jordan were rookies together and often combined for most of the team's scoring in each game. He was traded to New Jersey for the 1986-87 season. (Tribune file photo)
DAVE NYSTROM / CHICAGO TRIBUNEThe Bulls' Reggie Theus drives to the basket against the Boston Celtics in 1982. (Tribune file photo)
Chuck Berman / baiduhaiThe Chicago Bulls celebrate their sixth NBA title during a rally in Grant Park June 16, 1998, in Chicago. From left; Tony Kukoc, Ron Harper, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Mayor Richard M. Daley, coach Phil Jackson and Gov. Jim Edgar.(Tribune file photo)
baiduhaiSteve Kerr, left, and Jud Buechler cover their faces in the final minutes as the Bulls lost. (Tribune file photo)
baiduhaiTom Boerwinkle played all 10 seasons of his career with the Bulls (1968 to 1978) and was a center on the defensive minded Bulls teams of the '70s that had four 50-plus-win seasons and its first division title. While not a prolific scorer, Boerwinkle stood 7 feet and proved valuable in the high post, setting picks and grabbing rebounds. In 1970 during a game against Phoenix, he grabbed 37 rebounds for a Bulls record. He finished his career with 4, 596 points, 5,745 rebounds and 2,007 assists. (Tribune file photo)
BOB LANGER / baiduhai
1 of 61
Quintin Dailey in 1985 during Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers game. Bulls won 121-114. (Tribune file photo)
ExpandBy Jack M. Silverstein | For Chicago Magazine
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
Getting your Trinity Audio
More Top Picks Google Pixel Buds Pro
player ready...May 4, 2013: the day the Chicago Bulls made history.
That’s a remarkable statement for a franchise with six NBA championships, six NBA MVP awards, four All-Star MVPs and a boatload of All-Stars, and so on.
But watching the Bulls gut out a Game 7 ROAD WIN with basically six players was one of the great feats I have ever seen.
And now, for future generations of Bulls fans: Amazing Facts About The 2013 Bulls-Nets Series.
1. The Bulls won a seven-game playoff series without home-court advantage and without their team MVP, despite Brooklyn’s best player playing the same position as said MVP.
2. Removing Derrick Rose, the Bulls played games 6 and 7 without two of their top eight players (Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich). One of their top eight (Joakim Noah) played on one foot, two of their top eight (Nate Robinson, Taj Gibson) battled the flu, and their starting shooting guard during the regular season (Rip Hamilton) played a total of 10 minutes in the series.
3. This led to Jimmy Butler playing a full 48 minutes in consecutive playoff games while taking shifts defending a pair of guards who have combined for nine All-Star appearances and two Olympic gold medals.
4. It also led to Daequan Cook (8.4 minutes played during the regular season) being on the court when Game 7 ended.
5. Meanwhile, Noah’s Game 7 goes on the short list of great Bulls playoff performances. Noah by the numbers: 41 minutes, 24 points, 14 rebounds, 6 blockeds, one foot, one win.
6. Did I mention that this was the first time any Bulls team has won a Game 7 on the road? Previous Bulls stars who lost a Game 7 on the road: Bob Love, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker, Norm Van Lier, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Derrick Rose.
All this adds up to the most remarkable first-round series victory in Bulls history and a date with the Miami Heat. Goodbye, Brooklyn. To quote your former co-owner Jay-Z: on to the next one.
Jack M Silverstein is a RedEye special contributor. Say hey @ReadJack.
Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye Sports’ Facebook page.