[Highlights] Dennis Rodman 1996 Finals Tape: 14.7 RPG, 7.5 PPG, 2.5 APG.
For someone that didn’t score and demand the ball much, he was so entertaining to watch.
He arguably could’ve been that 96 finals MVP ..
He was such a difference maker when we lost Horace
I do not want to concede “arguably.” However, to those who watched the 1996 finals… it was clearly MJ’s worst finals performance, despite the boxscore numbers. He shot poorly in a game 2 four point win, shot them out of a game 4 loss, and then had a terrible closeout game 6 (by his standards) but the Bulls held Seattle to just 75 points to close it out.
I remember thinking at the time that he was semi-washed (compared to first 3peat) and might not be the world’s best player anymore. This was after the 1995 comeback when he lost to the Magic and overall didn’t look like his old self. He looked great winning MVP in the 96 RS, but he couldn’t get to the basket the same. This seemed to really destroy his efficiency against the 64 win Supersonics, which honestly might have been his best finals opponent.
He obviously proved this narative wrong in 1997 and again in 1998, having 2 fantastic finals performances, which to me enhances his legacy because he had to overcome 2 seasons of rust and a reliable part of his game failing him. We don’t have tracking data from back then, but to my eye, MJ really adjusted his game in 1997 to become more post-centric. He did it some before then obviously, but his middy was more often created from a faceup pre-1997 before the back to the basket game ramped up.
But I do not think it’s a crazy narative that the 96 Bulls could have lost this series without Rodman doing Rodman things. He had 11 offensive boards in that 4 point game 2 win. Although I’m a believer in the butterfly effect and losing game 2 probably changes the rest of the series, if the rest of the games hold up, Seattle would’ve won the pivotal game 5 to go up 3-2. Rodman changed the entire trajectory of the series with that game 2.
Edit: Added to last paragraph before any replies. Also, you do not deserve the downvotes. A bit of a hot take, but I think you’re clearly just trying to emphasize the impact Rodman had in that series.
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Bot or wrong thread?? We’re not talking about Draymond
Holy shit, do we have anti Draymond bots now?
Bot? I’m not a Bot
People say Draymond is like Rodman. Rodman made people act like Draymond by getting under THEIR skin.
Very different players.
Rodman would antagonize the kthers teams biggest guy.
Draymond tries to bully their smallest guy.
Unless it’s Gobert
Just not accurate
It gets upvotes so the truth doesn’t matter
Learned from Mahorn and Laimbeer on how to get in opponent’s heads
Dennis once complimented Alonzo Mourning’s calves to get in his head.
I’m not saying Draymond isn’t a total fuckin goon with how dirty of a player he was but he absolutely knew how to trash talk and get under people’s skin too
Rodman is my GOAT. He is the reason that I support the Pistons.
He’s the reason I’m still a bulls fan, I have the 91 tattooed on me for a reason
Nit a bulls fan but have the rodman pinstripe 94-95 jersey.
Was in an airport in chicago standing im the wrong spot and I hear a guy yell “HEY RODMAN move it!!”
Young rodman on the pistons was a joy to watch. Raw talent and next level effort.
He’s one of the great low-key what if’s. You can see when he fully locked on his public character, the defensive rebounder and wild man off the court (who also became scared to take a free throw or lay up). I wonder what kind of player he would developed into if he didn’t have the off court issues because holy shit, he’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen and his understanding of spacing was all time.
He was my goat until Dirk came along. Love Rodman.
Shawn Kemp said he would do shit like wear colored contacts and just stare at you lmao
rodman completed the trinity of the bulls.
Yet not Trinity his daughter
The Bulls were a massive team. Pippen, Rodman, Jordan, Harper, Toni, Luc and even Wennington off the bench. Krause built an amazing team around his Airness.
Yet somehow “Unlike Lebron, Jordan never needed help” or something.
I don’t care about the GOAT convo…. but ignoring the greatness of Pippen and Rodman is just ignorance.
Absolutely loved watching Rodman play. So freakin’ fun.
Jordan was my favorite player as a kid. Until Rodman started his rockstar era. Rodman made the NBAs garbage work more entertaining than MJ on offense.
It was wild. Once he joined the Bulls I had my two favorite players on a historic run together.
I never bought a pair of Js. Still to this day Rodmans shoes are the only players shoes I’ve ever bought. Almost got those green and black Lukas this year but they fit too snug.
A missed shot was turned into a pass by the Worm
He was so happy every time he scored lol
Yeah that first one you would think he hit the game winner at the buzzer lmao
Rodman is such a fun watch, I love that guy.
It’s a crime that Chicago didn’t retire his jersey
His number is retired in Detroit, where it belongs.
He only played 3 years but at the same time it’s not like people are lining up to wear 91 lol
Agent of chaos. Love watching this guy work
Perfect description for Rodman. He created chaos for the other team (and sometimes his own).
My favourite player, Dennis Rodman.
Rodman had a legit shot at Finals MVP that year.
Also, this makes Kerr look like he shot 0% that whole series. 😂
The youth of today need another Rodman.
Thompson twins are a fit option for that. No go in the modern school, but they’re just such talented athletes and defenders.
For rebounding though it’s hard to find a modern equivalent with a limited rodman skillset yet talent. At best I can remember Julian reese putting up 12reb per 36.
Kemp was fucking him up in this series
Yep!
And Rodman said he would lock LBJ down, can you imagine.
Isn’t this the same series where the coach admits that Rodman won them thd series?
My favorite defender of all time
What’s most interesting to me is just how below the rim he was. Like imagine if he could just dunk those close opportunities instead of throwing up prayers lol
His timing on when to disengage the guy who is boxing him out is insane. His jump is perfectly timed as well. You can box this guy out nearly perfectly and he’ll still grab one over the top of you, legally.
I watched this series live, I did not remember, nor can I fathom, how he scored 7.5 a game. Rodman was a defensive and rebounding powerhouse, but he almost never got points.
Free throws and the occasional tip in
Bag Deep
Out of 11 Finals MVP votes, Rodman had 2, Kemp had 3, and Jordan had 6.
Sonics lacked interior defense, Rodman kept cutting to the basket and getting rebounds at will.
Rodman would get that amount of rebounds no matter what, it’s just the different type of rebound he would get. All out hustle for the ball.
Oh for sure, but you can tell he was wide open a few times below the basket. Sonics were too focused on MJ and Pippen.
All the while too sweeting with Carmen Electra and Hulk Hogan.
Goddamn, I love watching old Rodman highlights. “Bad as I wanna be” is one of my favorite biographies. The movie, not so much
There no more Athlete who play that way
There will never be another one. Simply one of a kind.
Makes you wonder how good Dennis would have been at volleyball.
is boxed out gets board anyway
Crazy how open he managed to get to receive a pass or even grab a rebound, given the rules requiring one-on-one defense in this era. It’s like as soon as he moved, nobody went with him.
Great watch, thanks! More content like this!
Love Rodman, and 14 rpg is insane work. but this has to be one of least impressive “highlight” reels I’ve ever seen lol
Finals MVP this series
He was definitely very impactful but the difference in PPG between him and Jordan this series is just too much to ignore despite his clutch rebounding. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a Finals MVP who wasn’t even top four among their team’s leading scorers.
Notice how stationary the players are. It’s crazy how much the game has evolved since then
Rodman was way ahead of his time on the flopping game. He would definitely be r/nba’s most hated player today
He was hated when he played.
Bot
It’s hard to be Jewish It’s hard to be Jewish It’s hard to be Jewish in Russia, yo
Rodman would average 30 rpg in today’s game
If he’s guarding the 4 then he’s likely nowhere near the rim to grab rebounds in today’s game.
Rodman seems like he finds the ball no matter what.
He’s an all time great rebounder, no doubt.
I just don’t think anybody other than a centre that doesn’t defend the perimeter is going to average 10+ boards per game.
I don’t think you understand the game, what about offense boards? And he attacks the rebound doesn’t matter where he is on the court, watch more film, his effort is unmatched
I’m certainly no expert when it comes to basketball.
I don’t think you are either.
I think that fundamentally the way that basketball is played has changed from Rodman’s era and nobody is going to average more than 15 rebounds per game and certainly not 30.
For reference, only 8 players averaged more than 10 rebounds per game in the 25⁄26 season and all of them are centers.
Simply, the vast majority of players will spend too much time guarding the perimeter on defense and too much time screening, in actions or stretching the floor in the corner on offense to average 10+ rebounds per game