Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are an NBA franchise in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. Starting play with the 1966-67 season, the Bulls qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural season. The team was known for a tough, defensive mentality embodied by current Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.

Throughout the 1970s, however, the Bulls were unable to build a team that could truly contend for a title. Losing a coin flip in 1979 that would have brought Magic Johnson to Chicago, the Bulls finally got lucky in 1983 when they snatched up Michael Jordan at No. 3 in the draft.

Though Jordan immediately proved his singular brilliance and in 1987 had the highest single season scoring average since Wilt Chamberlain (37.1 ppg), the Bulls fell short in the playoffs to Larry Bird's Boston Celtics and Isiah Thomas' Detroit Pistons. With the evolution of Scottie Pippen and a coaching change to Phil Jackson, the Bulls finally came out of the East in 1991, taking down the Los Angeles Lakers in five games for their first title.

The Bulls won two more titles in a row before Michael Jordan temporarily retired to pursue a career in baseball. Following his return, the Bulls won another three titles in a row (1996, 1997, 1998) also helped by rebounding machine Dennis Rodman before Jordan retired yet again. In the 1995-96 season, the Bulls won a league-record 72 games.

Painfully rebuilding after Jordan and Pippen's exit, the Bulls were finally competitive again in 2006-07, fielding a young defensive-minded team without a standout player. This year, however, Luol Deng, Ben Wallace and Kirk Hinrich have been the NBA's biggest disappointment. Predicted to contend in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls are currently on pace to miss the playoffs altogether.

Created by: Ole