Shawn Kemp admits Dennis Rodman should have won the 1996 Finals MVP: "He was the one that really hurt us as a team"
Dennis was doing all the silent and dirty work.
Former Seattle SuperSonics star Shawn Kemp has never been shy in giving Dennis Rodman his flowers for "The Worm's" performance in the 1996 NBA Finals.
Kemp has always said that Rodman was the key to the Bulls winning that championship series. However, during a recent interview, Shawn took Dennis's praise to the next level, saying that the power forward should've won the hardware that went to Michael Jordan's trophy case.
"To play against him, he's simply one of the best," Kemp said of the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner. "And what I mean that he is, we played against him in '96 in the championship, with Jordan. I thought that Michael Jordan was the MVP but Dennis Rodman should've been the MVP, I thought, because he played the best on their team. He's the one that really, really hurt us as a team. We had no control for Dennis Rodman".
Jordan struggled on 5-19 shooting in Game 6
Jordan averaged 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in the six-game series. When it was all said and done, he ran away with his fourth Finals MVP award in as many championships as he won.
MJ scored 36 points in Game 3, giving the Bulls a commanding 3-0 series lead. But not even his offensive heroics could close out the Sonics, who battled back to win the next two games and cut Chicago's lead to 3-2, making the series more interesting.
In Game 6, Mike struggled on 5-19 shooting, but four other Bulls scored in double digits, providing him the much-needed scoring boost. Meanwhile, Rodman grabbed 19 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards, while scoring 9 points with five assists and three steals.
Rodman's hustle plays frustrated the Sonics
"The Worm" finished the series averaging 7.5 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. His 41 total offensive rebounds in the series were 61 percent of the Sonics' total 67 offensive boards as a team. For Kemp, the extra possessions that Rodman generated for the Bulls were the difference in the series.
"Every time that they needed a second shot, something special, extra rebound, or tip-in, this mother****** was flying and winking and kissing and frustrating everybody on the team," Shawn said. "Dennis is not even like that; he just do that s***. He had my team just flustered."
Sonics head coach George Karl agreed with Kemp. He credited Rodman's offensive rebounding for the Bulls' two wins —Games 2 and 6. When it was time to vote, however, Jordan received six out of the 11 Finals MVP votes. Shawn, despite playing for the losing team, got three, while Dennis took the remaining two.
The fact that three votes were given to a player on the losing team meant that not one player from the Bulls was definitively the best performer in the series. Of course, it was easy to make an argument for Jordan. However, you can't blame Kemp and Karl for saying it was Rodman.
Shane has been writing online sports articles since 2013. He specialises in telling old-school stories and introducing readers to never-before-heard anecdotes from the previous NBA eras. If he isn't writing basketball stories on BN, he's just chillin' at home with his wife and three Golden Retrievers named Ranger, Horry, and Fisher.
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