Scottie Pippen Says Michael Jordan Was ‘Angry’ After Bulls Lost To Magic In 1995 Playoffs: ‘It’s Not Generally A Good Idea To Make Michael Jordan Angry’

The Chicago Bulls lost to the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA playoffs. It was the only postseason series Michael Jordan lost from 1991 to 1998. 

Jordan retired from the NBA in 1993 to play baseball. He returned to basketball near the end of the 1994-95 season but wasn’t able to lead the Bulls past the Magic. 

Scottie Pippen, Jordan’s partner in crime on the Bulls, wrote in his book that MJ was “angry” after losing to the Magic. 

“Another takeaway from camp was how sharp Michael looked,” Pippen wrote. “This was the Michael of old, not the Michael who allowed Nick Anderson to steal the ball. The loss to the Magic made him angry. It’s not generally a good idea to make Michael Jordan angry. Perhaps he also realized, after being away from the game for 21 months, how fortunate he truly was, and that this blessed career of his wouldn’t last forever. Whatever time he might have left, he would make the most of it. He was 32 years old. That’s getting up there for a basketball player. While in Los Angeles the summer before to shoot Space Jam, Michael worked out with other NBA players in a gym the studio built specifically for him.”

The 1995-96 NBA season was a magical campaign for Jordan, Pippen and the Bulls. Chicago went 72-10 and Jordan won his fourth MVP and eighth scoring title. 

Jordan averaged 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.5 blocks in 1995-96, while Pippen averaged 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks. 

The Bulls defeated the Miami Heat in the first round and the New York Knicks in the second round of the 1996 playoffs, setting up a rematch with the Magic, this time in the conference finals. 

“From the first day of training camp, this was the team the guys wanted to face,” Pippen wrote. “The Magic players celebrating in our building, carrying Horace Grant on their shoulders, was an image we couldn’t get out of our heads. Getting revenge was the only way.”

The Bulls got their revenge. They swept the Magic to advance to the 1996 NBA Finals. 

Chicago faced the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals and won the series in six games. Jordan and Pippen won their fourth title and Jordan was named Finals MVP for the fourth time. 

Two of the best players in NBA history, Jordan and Pippen won six championships on the Bulls. They went undefeated in the Finals and three-peated twice.