Bulls 70th Win Proved They Were One-of-a-Kind

CLEVELAND - I remember it so vividly. The chase. The dominance. The cautious celebrating. The insatiable intensity.

It was once-in-a-lifetime.

It was 13 years ago today that the Chicago Bulls rewrote NBA history by winning their 70th game of the season and thus, becoming the first pro hoops team ever to do such a thing. In an ugly game against the Milwaukee Bucks on the road, the Bulls eclipsed the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers' record of 69-13 with their star pupil, Michael Jordan having a horrible shooting game.

Jordan, 33 at the time misfired to the tune of a woeful 9-of-27 shooting performance. He managed 22 points and 9 rebounds, but it was Luc Longley's two foul shots in the closing seconds that sealed the gut-it-out 86-80 victory. Chicago improved to an unreal 70-9 on the season.

Sheesh!

Both Longley and All-Star Scottie Pippen scored 16 while the enigmatic Dennis Rodman grabbed 19 rebounds. Chicago used a 24-12 fourth quarter to erase a 68-62 deficit after three quarters. All-Star Vin Baker was unguardable for the Bucks as he finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds.

The Bulls, overjoyed once the victory and record became a reality were very careful in their excitement. They repeatedly mentioned the importance of winning the NBA championship and how that mattered far more than their glittering record. By season's end, their record stood at 72-10 and they eventually authored a 15-3 jaunt through the postseason and defeated the Seattle Supersonics for their 4th NBA title in six seasons.

Naturally, Jordan was the "ringleader."

In the 13 years since the Bulls' historic run, many NBA teams have seemed poised to challenge or eclipse the 70-win plateau, or the 72 overall victories. All have failed, which has only proven how very difficult it is to accomplish this enormous feat. Fueled by the hyper-competitive Jordan, the Bulls never let up on any team and were never buried when they fell behind by huge deficits. Though not the most talented team, they were clearly a well-rounded one with every guy playing their roles to perfection.

With last night being the end of the 08-09 NBA regular season, I think this is the perfect time to salute Chicago's seminal 1995-96 campaign. It was truly one for the ages and it will never be replicated ever again.

Remember, there was only one Jordan.