There is no doubt that the Chicago Bulls were the most successful team in the 1990s. Being at the pinnacle of the sport meant that they made a few enemies along the way, so let's take a look at some of Chicago's most hated rivals of all time. One of the five rivalries we listed below even spilled over past the Michael Jordan era, so be sure to read on below to see which particular team this was.
Stockton-to-Malone
Hate is a pretty strong word, so we're not sure John Stockton and Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz fit this particular description. Then again, the Jazz met the Bulls in the NBA Finals for two consecutive seasons, so they make the list.
Perhaps its more the other way around, with the Bulls serving as the Jazz's roadblock to ultimate success in the league. Michael Jordan's Bulls defeated the Jazz in six games in the 1997 NBA Finals and repeated the same feat one year later in the 1998 Finals. Two of Jordan's most memorable moments in his career were the Flu Game in 1997 and his game-winning, series-clinching jumper in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals. On both occasions, the Jazz were the victims.
Stockton and Malone, both Hall of Famers, were one of the best duos in league history. Both had decorated careers, and the one thing they missed out on was an NBA title. They have MJ and the Bulls to thank for that.
Uncle Reg/Mighty Mouth
Uncle Reg and Mighty Mouth were just some of the monikers the great Reggie Miller earned throughout his NBA career. One of his unofficial titles included being a hated rival of the Chicago Bulls in the '90s. As Michael Jordan and the Bulls were on the rise prior to their dynasty years, the Indiana Pacers were one of their fiercest division rivals. At the center of it all for the Pacers was, of course, 6-foot-7 sharpshooting 2-guard Reggie Miller.
Miller had a mouth on him and was one of the most epic trash talkers ever. He also had the game to back it up, so it was always an exciting matchup when the Pacers faced off with the Bulls. Being the best player on both their teams, Miller was Jordan's primary assignment on the defensive end, and they produced a ton of memorable games against each other.
Miller's Pacers only faced off with the Bulls once in the postseason, but it was indeed an epic one. The series went all the way to seven games, with Jordan and company edging out Indiana in the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals.
Miami's Big 3
This is the only entry we have that does not involve the Michael Jordan era Bulls. Also, this is the only rivalry on this list in which Chicago did not have the final say on.
Derrick Rose, who's still the youngest MVP winner ever, is without a doubt the best post-dynasty Bulls player. Aside from his injuries, one of the biggest stumbling blocks he and the Bulls faced were the infamous Miami Heat Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Actually, Chicago's rivalry with LeBron himself dates back to his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers (and also for one season during his second), but it was during James' time in Miami that his rivalry with the Bulls was at its peak.
Chicago faced off with the Heat in the playoffs twice between 2011 and 2014 (the Big 3 era), and on both occasions, it was Miami that came out on top. In Rose's unforgettable MVP year in the 2010-11 season, the Bulls were knocked off by the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, 4-1.
These two sides met again in the 2013 playoffs. This time around, it was in the second round, but it resulted in the same outcome, even after the Bulls stole Game 1 in Miami.
'90s Knicks
There was perhaps no bigger rivalry in the '90s than that of the Bulls and New York Knicks. The Knicks had a very formidable side with Patrick Ewing, John Starks, and Charles Oakley (himself a former Bull and a close friend of Jordan) at the helm, and boy did they have a ton of memorable matchups in the day.
In the playoffs, Chicago faced off against New York five times during the '90s, and while it was the Bulls that always came out on top (except for the single season when Jordan was playing baseball), the Knicks certainly gave them a run for their money. It was in 1994 that the Knicks defeated the Bulls in the playoffs, and it also featured an all-out brawl between the two sides in Game 3 of the series:
The Bad Boys of Detroit
The Knicks were formidable opponent for the Bulls, but there's no denying that Chicago's biggest adversaries were the Detroit Pistons of the late '80s/early '90s. Known for their extremely physical and forceful style of play, the Pistons were called the “Bad Boys” of the NBA, and they definitely flexed their collective muscle against the Bulls on more than a few occasions.
Led by Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, and Bill Laimbeer, the Pistons were the thorn in Chicago's side during Jordan's early years. The Bulls lost to Detroit in the playoffs for three straight years between 1988 and 1990. The Eastern Conference Finals in the 1990 playoffs had to hurt the most, with the series going all the way to seven games only to end in heartbreak for the Bulls.
Jordan and company would get their revenge, though, sweeping the Pistons on the same stage the following season en route to Chicago's first championship in franchise history.
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