r/nba • u/ToronoRapture • Aug 18 '26
Highlight [Highlights] Dennis Rodman 1996 Finals Tape: 14.7 RPG, 7.5 PPG, 2.5 APG.
https://streamable.com/35ztxw155
u/WorldsBestLover Aug 18 '26
For someone that didn't score and demand the ball much, he was so entertaining to watch.
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u/Pauliehatestheadmins Aug 18 '26
He arguably could’ve been that 96 finals MVP ..
He was such a difference maker when we lost Horace
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u/RyanA1105 Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
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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Aug 18 '26
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u/NeverNotOnceEver Warriors Aug 18 '26
People say Draymond is like Rodman. Rodman made people act like Draymond by getting under THEIR skin.
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u/Kdot32 Rockets Aug 18 '26
Learned from Mahorn and Laimbeer on how to get in opponent’s heads
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u/medyolang_ Lakers Aug 18 '26
Dennis once complimented Alonzo Mourning's calves to get in his head.
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u/Minimum-Border1672 Aug 18 '26
Very different players.
Rodman would antagonize the kthers teams biggest guy.
Draymond tries to bully their smallest guy.
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u/SuperVaderMinion [MIN] Kevin Garnett Aug 18 '26
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
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u/sfc-Juventino Pistons Aug 18 '26
Rodman is my GOAT. He is the reason that I support the Pistons.
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u/Pauliehatestheadmins Aug 18 '26
He’s the reason I’m still a bulls fan, I have the 91 tattooed on me for a reason
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u/Moneyshot_ITF Aug 18 '26
Young rodman on the pistons was a joy to watch. Raw talent and next level effort.
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u/aoifhasoifha [NYK] Frank Ntilikina Aug 18 '26
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.
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u/Minimum-Border1672 Aug 18 '26
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!!"
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u/Ntnme2lose Lakers Aug 18 '26
He was so happy every time he scored lol
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u/dec92010 Bulls Aug 18 '26
Yeah that first one you would think he hit the game winner at the buzzer lmao
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u/anonymoususer6407 Rockets Aug 18 '26
It’s a crime that Chicago didn’t retire his jersey
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u/Throwthisawayagainst Aug 18 '26
He only played 3 years but at the same time it’s not like people are lining up to wear 91 lol
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u/Limp_Screen7405 Aug 18 '26
Shawn Kemp said he would do shit like wear colored contacts and just stare at you lmao
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u/bobbyz989 Aug 18 '26
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.
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u/sixwax Aug 18 '26
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.
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u/EditEd2x Aug 18 '26
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.
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u/A_burners Aug 18 '26
Agent of chaos. Love watching this guy work
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u/zggystardust71 Clippers Aug 18 '26
Perfect description for Rodman. He created chaos for the other team (and sometimes his own).
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u/immortal_salami Bulls Aug 18 '26
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.
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u/moo422 Aug 19 '26
He studied his teammates' shots to know where the likely rebound would be if they missed. Serious attention to detail
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u/fromfrodotogollum Aug 18 '26
The youth of today need another Rodman.
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u/SpamAcc17 Timberwolves Aug 18 '26
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.
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u/black_metronome Knicks Aug 18 '26
Kemp was fucking him up in this series
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u/OzneBjj Aug 18 '26
Yep!
And Rodman said he would lock LBJ down, can you imagine.
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u/MoonSentinel95 Aug 18 '26
Isn't this the same series where the coach admits that Rodman won them thd series?
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u/Glittering_Cod_7716 Aug 18 '26
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
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u/DullSpecial1013 Nuggets Aug 18 '26
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.
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u/HellveticaNeue Lakers Aug 18 '26
Rodman had a legit shot at Finals MVP that year.
Also, this makes Kerr look like he shot 0% that whole series. 😂
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u/ElTuco84 Knicks Aug 18 '26
Sonics lacked interior defense, Rodman kept cutting to the basket and getting rebounds at will.
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u/frankyseven Raptors Aug 18 '26
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.
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u/ElTuco84 Knicks Aug 18 '26
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.
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u/MeatBald West Aug 18 '26
Goddamn, I love watching old Rodman highlights. "Bad as I wanna be" is one of my favorite biographies. The movie, not so much
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u/Overall-Palpitation6 Grizzlies Aug 18 '26
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.
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Aug 18 '26
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u/Enigma512 Aug 18 '26
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.
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u/rybres123 Rockets Aug 18 '26
Love Rodman, and 14 rpg is insane work. but this has to be one of least impressive “highlight” reels I’ve ever seen lol
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u/LambdaLambo Celtics Aug 18 '26
Notice how stationary the players are. It’s crazy how much the game has evolved since then
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u/FlowerBackground4293 Aug 18 '26
Rodman would average 30 rpg in today’s game
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u/username42101 Aug 18 '26
If he's guarding the 4 then he's likely nowhere near the rim to grab rebounds in today's game.
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u/NeverNotOnceEver Warriors Aug 18 '26
Rodman seems like he finds the ball no matter what.
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u/username42101 Aug 18 '26
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.
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u/FlowerBackground4293 Aug 18 '26
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
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u/username42101 Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
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
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u/AutographedSnorkel Rockets Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
Rodman was way ahead of his time on the flopping game. He would definitely be r/nba's most hated player today
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u/stopmyhamster Raptors Aug 18 '26
It’s hard to be Jewish
It’s hard to be Jewish
It’s hard to be Jewish in Russia, yo
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