Chapter 62: The Dirtiest in NBA History!

Having left Los Angeles and completed yet another grueling road trip, the Bulls were once again granted a two-day break.

During these two days, Jackson practically went on a rampage, locking the doors of the training facility and forbidding anyone from entering outside of official practice hours. He also made his stance crystal clear:

"If anyone starts messing around or picking fights again and ruins their match fitness, you can pack your bags and go warm the bench!"

"No exceptions for anyone—that includes Jordan, Pippen, and every single person on this team!"

Following Jackson's near-furious outburst, both Jordan and Pippen finally behaved. Although they still competed fiercely against Lin Tian during practice, the outrageous double-team tactics were at least temporarily shelved.

After a few days of rest, the Bulls finally reclaimed the form of a league powerhouse. They defended their home court by consecutively crushing the visiting Nets and the league's expansion team, the Raptors. Across these two games, the Bulls secured a staggering combined victory margin of 47 points!

Sweeping away the gloomy aftermath of their upset loss to the Clippers, they set off once again!

In these two games, Lin Tian also delivered a stellar performance, scoring 20+ points in back-to-back matches while logging over 20 minutes of playing time in both!

The system's mission—requiring him to play at least 20 minutes in 10 consecutive games—finally resumed its count.

As the Bulls got back on track and the season progressed deeper, Jackson once again began tweaking his rotation. The starting five was no longer set in stone; aside from Jordan and Pippen, even Rodman was relegated to the bench for two games!

Even though it was only January, Jackson, keeping his sights firmly on the championship, was already preparing for the playoffs, fine-tuning combinations, and searching for the ultimate lineup rotation!

What was most astonishing, however, was the terrifying consistency the Bulls displayed during this stretch!

Throughout January, the Bulls deployed a total of 7 different starting lineups, with 9 different players getting the nod to start. Even Lin Tian found himself in the starting five twice. Yet, during this period, the Bulls suffered merely a single defeat, posting an utterly flawless record!

No matter how they shuffled the lineup or deepened the bench to test various combinations, they simply kept winning game after game, firmly holding onto the league's top spot!

When January 31st rolled around, the Bulls had notched yet another 9-game winning streak!

Their overall record had skyrocketed to an exaggerated 41 wins and 6 losses!

Not only did they unassailably occupy the league's number one position, but Jordan was also averaging 31 points per game for the season. Meanwhile, Hakeem Olajuwon, sitting second in scoring, averaged a mere 27 points! A chasm-like lead of over four points meant Jordan had essentially locked up his eighth scoring title a full three months in advance!

The Bulls were averaging a league-high 105 points per game this season, while surrendering just 92 points per night, the second-fewest in the league!

In other words, the Bulls possessed the league's premier offense and second-best defense this season!

Their average point differential comfortably claimed the top spot in the league without a shred of doubt!

The unique and terrifying dominance of Chicago had swept across the entire league by the midway point of the season, sending shivers down the spines of opponents everywhere!

It felt as though this season's conclusion had already been decided ahead of time!

Unawares, the ambition of the Bulls had quietly shifted from merely winning a championship to capturing the best regular-season record in NBA history!

After all, judging by their current win rate, the Bulls' performance in the first half of the season ranked as the second-highest in league history!

It trailed only the invincible 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers—the very team that strung together 33 consecutive wins, coasted to a flawless 69-13 regular-season record, finally shattered the Celtics' monopoly, and claimed the championship!

Now, the Bulls stood as the most likely candidate to shatter the Lakers' record and become the first team in NBA history to achieve a 70-win season!

Everyone looked forward to their exploits with breathless anticipation!

On January 31, 1996, the 9-game-winning Bulls took the court at the United Center in Chicago to face yet another formidable adversary.

It was none other than Jordan and the Bulls' old rivals—the second seed in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz, spearheaded by the "Utah Malone and John Stockton!

To the Bulls, the Jazz were undeniably a powerhouse. They sat proudly as the second seed in the West, trailing only the Seattle SuperSonics, another powerhouse anchored by an elite guard-forward duo.

The pairing of Malone and Stockton was renowned as one of the most legendary golden partnerships in NBA history. Having played alongside each other for nearly two decades, they had amassed countless accolades—with the elusive championship ring being the sole exception.

Beyond the moniker of the Utah Malone and Stockton possessed another, far more infamous nickname:

The Utah Thugs or the Utah Dirt-bag Duo!

When it came to playing dirty, these two were unmatched, each outdoing the other!

Throughout the long river of NBA history, countless players earned renown for their physical and dirty play: Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, and later figures like Bruce Bowen, Patrick Beverley, and Zaza Pachulia could all secure a spot on that list.

Yet, it is worth noting that the vast majority of these individuals were role players rather than franchise centerpieces. In other words, true superstar foundational players might play tough and resort to minor sneaky tactics, but most elite stars considered it beneath their dignity to personally engage in dirty plays intended to cripple opponents.

They simply had too much pride for that!

Malone and Stockton, however, were absolute anomalies on that list!

Both men qualified as bona fide league superstars. In terms of capability, status, and statistics, they operated at the absolute pinnacle of the league!

Yet, the two of them harbored a peculiar fondness for throwing cheap shots, pulling sneaky tricks, undercutting opponents on jumpshots, and using flying elbows to incapacitate rivals!

They played dirty simply because they genuinely loved getting their own hands dirty!

Therefore, if one were to search NBA history for the single dirtiest player, opinions would vary wildly with numerous nominees.

However, if the prerequisite of being a "superstar" were added to the screening criteria, then apologies—across the entire annals of the NBA, only these two fit the bill!

Being elite players while simultaneously playing dirty was their defining trademark!

Perhaps it was this shared passion for dirty play that allowed the pair to cooperate so seamlessly, fighting side by side in Utah for nearly twenty years!

Birds of a feather flock together!

Consequently, the Jazz were not merely a top-tier powerhouse in the league; they were universally despised. Especially after the dissolution of the Detroit Pistons' Bad Boy Detroit era, they stood as the most hated bunch of bastards in the entire association!

Fair to say, outside of Utah, they could hardly find a single fan!

Any decent person would be hard-pressed to like them!

Crossing paths with the Jazz at this juncture did not sit well with the people of Chicago.

This was already the third time this season that the Bulls had strung together a 9-game winning streak.

On the previous two occasions, they had suffered regretful defeats right as they made their push for a 10th consecutive win.

This marked their third attempt at the 10-game milestone!

Yet, precisely at this moment, they ran into the toughest nut to crack in the league—the most rugged and universally loathed opponents imaginable!