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Bulls–Cavaliers rivalry

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Bulls–Cavaliers rivalry
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
First meetingDecember 20, 1970
Bulls 116, Cavaliers 103
Latest meetingNovember 8, 2025
Cavaliers 128, Bulls 122
Next meetingDecember 17, 2025
Statistics
Meetings total271
All-time series153–120 (CHI)
Regular season series133–106 (CHI)
Postseason results20–14 (CHI)
Longest win streakCHI W13
Current win streakCLE W5
Postseason history
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
210km
130miles
Cavaliers
Bulls

TheBulls–Cavaliers rivalry is aNational Basketball Association (NBA)rivalry between theChicago Bulls and theCleveland Cavaliers. The teams have played each other since the Cavaliers joined the NBA as anexpansion team in 1970, but the rivalry did not begin in earnest until the Bulls draftedMichael Jordan with the third overall pick in1984. After Jordan would go on to theWashington Wizards and eventually retire, the rivalry died down, but when Cleveland pickedLeBron James with the first selection in2003, the rivalry heated up again.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

In 2011, Bleacher Report named the Bulls as the Cavaliers' "Greatest Rivalry."[7] The NBA called it "one of the great NBA rivalries."[8]

The Michael Jordan era

[edit]

Chicago had the third selection in the1984 NBA draft, and selectedMichael Jordan out ofNorth Carolina. Jordan won theNBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1985 and led the Bulls to a38–44 record and the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. As for Cleveland, they had a36–46 record, just a single seed under Chicago with the eighth seed. The Cavaliers wouldn't play the Bulls in theplayoffs until1988, which the Bulls would win,3–2.

The Shot

[edit]

Back when the first round wasbest-of-5 instead ofbest-of-7, it was game 5 of theFirst Round in 1989, on May 7, Jordan hit what is known today as "The Shot" even with Cleveland sweeping Chicago in the season, it wasn't enough to get by Jordan's shot to win and play theKnicks the next round.Craig Ehlo was the player Jordan shot over to win the game. The Cavaliers wouldn't play the Bulls in the playoffs until the1992 Eastern Conference Finals, which Chicago would win yet again4–2. The Shot is remembered by Cleveland fans as part of theCleveland sports curse, along withThe Drive,The Fumble andRed Right 88.

A sequel to "The Shot" occurred at the end of Game 4 of the1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals, again with Jordan hitting a series-winning shot on the same end of theRichfield Coliseum floor as in 1989. The Bulls swept the Cavaliers en route to their third consecutive title. Then in the1994 First Round, the Bulls again swept the Cavaliers despite Jordan retiring for the first time the previous autumn.

A notable regular season moment between the two teams took place on March 28, 1990, at the Richfield Coliseum. In the Bulls' 117–113 overtime win over the Cavaliers, Jordan scored a career-high 69 points along with 18 rebounds, six assists and four steals, while playing all but three minutes in the game.

The Bulls would win sixNBA championships with Jordan and his partnerScottie Pippen, and 3 of those championships withDennis Rodman.

The LeBron James era

[edit]

The Cleveland Cavaliers were dominated by the Bulls in the rivalry, even with likes ofMark Price,Steve Kerr,Ron Harper and others playing the franchise, Jordan was too much to handle and addingScottie Pippen made it even more difficult on the Cavaliers, but Jordan would eventually retire and Pippen was traded to theHouston Rockets. Cleveland would have the first pick in the2003 NBA draft[9] and used that selection to pickLeBron James. The Cavaliers would take over the rivalry with LeBron, Chicago would pick a hometown player with the first pick as well inDerrick Rose.[10] However, Rose had an injury in the playoffs against Philadelphia that would deter Rose's promising career that won him the MVP in2011. Both teams met up in the first round in 2010, and Cleveland won their first ever series against Chicago,4–1. They would play again in 2015 which Cleveland won again,4–2.

Bulls' resurgence

[edit]
The Cavaliers drafted Irvingfirst overall in 2011.

In the summer of 2010, Cavaliers superstar LeBron James became a free agent, and announced onESPN that he wouldjoin theMiami Heat, to joinChris Bosh andDwyane Wade.Cleveland's first season without James was an awful year, finishing with a record of19–63. Meanwhile, theBulls finished62–20 and earned the first seed in theEastern Conference playoffs; Derrick Rose would win theNBA MVP. However, the Bulls lost in theEastern Conference finals against theMiami Heat, who would lose in theNBA Finals against theDallas Mavericks. Cleveland would draftDuke point guardKyrie Irving with the first pick andTexas centerTristan Thompson with the fourth pick in the2011 NBA draft.[11] Irving would win the Rookie of the Year Award. However, the Cavaliers' best season without James was when they finished33–49 in2013–14.

Return of LeBron James, 2015 semifinals rematch

[edit]

On July 11, 2014, James announced his return to Cleveland in a letter published toSports Illustrated.[12] The Cavaliers would selectAndrew Wiggins in2014[13] first overall, who they would trade along withAnthony Bennett to theMinnesota Timberwolves in exchange forKevin Love. Both the Bulls and Cavaliers would qualify to play in theplayoffs.

TheCavaliers earned the Eastern Conference's second seed, and theBulls earned the third seed. The teams would play each other in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Chicago won game 1 with Derrick Rose scoring 25 points. Cleveland won game 2 with James scoring 33 points. Chicago won game 3, as Derrick Rose made a shot as time expired. Cleveland won game 4, as James also made a shot as time expired. The Cavaliers would also win games 5 and 6 to eliminate the Bulls, and advanced to play in the2015 NBA Finals, where they would lose to theGolden State Warriors in 6 games. The Cavaliers played Golden State in theNBA Finals again thenext year and came back from a3–1 series deficit to end the52-year championship drought in Cleveland.

LeBron leaves again, both teams start rebuilds

[edit]

During the2017 NBA draft the Bulls traded all-starJimmy Butler to theMinnesota Timberwolves in exchange for the 7th overall pick (used to pickLauri Markkanen),Zach LaVine andKris Dunn to start a rebuild for the Bulls. Meanwhile, for Cleveland they traded superstarKyrie Irving (upon request) to theBoston Celtics in exchange forIsaiah Thomas,Jae Crowder,Ante Žižić and theBrooklyn Nets first round draft pick, later used for Alabama star Collin Sexton. Towards the beginning of the season there was rumors of LeBron possibly leaving Cleveland again in free agency. The Cavaliers finished with a record of 50–32 and earned the 4th seed. Meanwhile, for Chicago they finished with27–55. The Cavaliers beat the fifth seededPacers, first seededRaptors, and second seededCeltics to make their fourth straight finals appearance. However they would fall toGolden State led byKevin Durant and Stephen Curry again, this time getting swept. The2018 NBA draft came with possible big NBA stars, and Chicago tookWendell Carter Jr. with their 7th pick, and Cleveland tookCollin Sexton straight afterwards with the 8th pick. The LeBron rumors for Cleveland would turn out to be true, as he signed a 4-year $154 million deal with the Lakers. Both Cleveland and Chicago entered the rebuilding stages, with Cleveland returning the playoffs beginning2023 and the Bulls making the2022 playoffs.

On January 2, 2023, the Cavaliers'Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points against the Bulls for the highest scoring performance sinceKobe Bryant's 81-point game in 2006. The Cavaliers and Bulls faced-off under East Group C in the2024 NBA Cup, with the Cavaliers winning the group stage game on November 15 with a score of 144–126.[14][15] On July 6, 2025, during the offseason, the Bulls and Cavaliers agreed to a trade that sentLonzo Ball to the Cavaliers in exchange forIsaac Okoro.[16]

Season-by-season results

[edit]
Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Season-by-Season Results
1970s (Bulls, 26–12)
SeasonSeason seriesatChicago BullsatCleveland CavaliersOverall seriesNotes
1970–71Bulls4–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,4–0Cleveland Cavaliers joined the NBA as an expansion team.
1971–72Bulls4–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,8–0
1972–73Bulls3–1Bulls,2–0Tie,1–1Bulls,11–1Bulls win 10 games in a row (1970-1973).
1973–74Bulls4–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,15–1Final season Cavaliers played atCleveland Arena.
1974–75Tie2–2Tie,1–1Tie,1–1Bulls,17–3Cavaliers open upColiseum at Richfield.
1975–76Cavaliers4–0Cavaliers,2–0Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,17–7Cavaliers sweep season series for the first time.
1976–77Bulls3–1Bulls,2–0Tie,1–1Bulls,20–8
1977–78Bulls3–1Bulls,2–0Tie,1–1Bulls,23–9
1978–79Cavaliers3–1Tie,1–1Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,24–12
1979–80Bulls2–0Bulls
126–117		Bulls
123–117		Bulls,26–12Only season where the Bulls and Cavaliers played twice.
1980s (Bulls, 41–28)
SeasonSeason seriesatChicago BullsatCleveland CavaliersOverall seriesNotes
1980–81Bulls5–1Bulls,2–1Bulls,3–0Bulls,31–13Bulls move to theEastern Conference and are placed in theCentral Division, resulting in the matchups between the Cavaliers a divisional rivalry.
1981–82Bulls5–1Bulls,3–0Bulls,2–1Bulls,36–14
1982–83Bulls5–1Bulls,2–1Bulls,3–0Bulls,41–15
1983–84Cavaliers4–2Cavaliers,2–1Cavaliers,2–1Bulls,43–19
1984–85Cavaliers4–2Bulls,2–1Cavaliers,3–0Bulls,45–23Michael Jordan makes his debut for the Bulls.
1985–86Tie3–3Bulls,2–1Cavaliers,2–1Bulls,48–26
1986–87Bulls5–1Bulls,3–0Bulls,2–1Bulls,53–27
1987–88Tie3–3Bulls,2–1Cavaliers,2–1Bulls,56–30
1988 Eastern Conference First RoundBulls3–2Bulls,3–0Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,59–321st postseason series.
1988–89Cavaliers6–0Cavaliers,3–0Cavaliers,3–0Bulls,59–38
1989 Eastern Conference First RoundBulls3–2Tie,1–1Bulls,2–1Bulls,62–402nd postseason series.
1989–90Bulls5–0Bulls,3–0Bulls,2–0Bulls
67–40
1990s (Bulls, 34–22)
SeasonSeason seriesatChicago BullsatCleveland CavaliersOverall seriesNotes
1990–91Bulls5–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,3–0Bulls
72–40		Bulls win1991 NBA Finals.
1991–92Bulls3–2Bulls,2–1Tie,1–1Bulls
75–42		Bulls finish with the best record in the league (67–15). Bulls win 13 in a row (1989-1992).
1992 Eastern Conference FinalsBulls4–2Bulls,2–1Bulls,2–1Bulls,79–443rd postseason series. Bulls would go on to win1992 NBA Finals.
1992–93Cavaliers3–2Tie,1–1Cavaliers,2–1Bulls,81–47
1993 Eastern Conference SemifinalsBulls4–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,85–474th postseason series. Bulls would go on to win1993 NBA Finals.
1993–94Cavaliers3–1Tie,1–1Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,86–50Michael Jordan leaves the Bulls in the offseason. Final season the Cavaliers played atRichfield Coliseum. Final season the Bulls played atChicago Stadium.
1994 Eastern Conference First RoundBulls3–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,1–0Bulls,89–505th postseason series.
1994–95Cavaliers3–2Bulls,2–1Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,91–53Midway through the season, Michael Jordan rejoins the Bulls. Cavaliers open upGund Arena (now known as Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse). Bulls open upUnited Center.
1995–96Bulls4–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,95–53Bulls finish with the best record in the league and also set a record for most wins in a season at the time (72–10) (Broken by the2015 73–9 Warriors).
Bulls win1996 NBA Finals.
1996–97Bulls3–1Bulls,2–0Tie,1–1Bulls,98–54Bulls finish with the best record in the league (69–13).
Bulls win1997 NBA Finals.
1997–98Tie2–2Bulls,2–0Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,100–56Bulls record their 100th win over the Cavaliers. Last season Michael Jordan played for the Bulls.
Bulls win1998 NBA Finals.
1998–99Cavaliers3–0Cavaliers,2–0Cavaliers,1–0Bulls,100–59Due to alockout, only three games were played this season.
1999–2000Cavaliers3–1Cavaliers,2–0Tie,1–1Bulls,101–62
2000s (Cavaliers, 23–17)
SeasonSeason seriesatChicago BullsatCleveland CavaliersOverall seriesNotes
2000–01Cavaliers3–1Tie,1–1Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,102–65
2001–02Cavaliers3–1Tie,1–1Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,103–68
2002–03Bulls3–1Bulls,2–0Tie,1–1Bulls,106–69
2003–04Tie2–2Tie,1–1Tie,1–1Bulls,108–71LeBron James makes his debut for the Cavaliers.
2004–05Tie2–2Bulls,2–0Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,110–73
2005–06Cavaliers4–0Cavaliers,2–0Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,110–77
2006–07Tie2–2Tie,1–1Tie,1–1Bulls,112–79Cavaliers lose2007 NBA Finals.
2007–08Bulls3–1Bulls,2–0Tie,1–1Bulls,115–80
2008–09Cavaliers3–1Tie,1–1Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,116–83Cavaliers finish with the best record in the league (66–16).
2009–10Tie2–2Tie,1–1Tie,1–1Bulls,118–85Cavaliers finish with the best record in the league (61–21).
2010s (Bulls, 30–20)
SeasonSeason seriesatChicago BullsatCleveland CavaliersOverall seriesNotes
2010 Eastern Conference First RoundCavaliers4–1Tie,1–1Cavaliers,3–0Bulls,119–896th postseason series. Cavaliers win the series for the first time.
2010–11Bulls4–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,123–89Lebron Jamesleaves the Cavaliers to join theMiami Heat. Bulls finish with the best record in the league (62–20).
2011–12Bulls3–0Bulls,1–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,126–89Due to alockout, only three games were played this season. Bulls finish tied with the best record in the league (50–16).
2012–13Bulls3–1Tie,1–1Bulls,2–0Bulls,129–90
2013–14Bulls3–1Bulls,2–0Tie,1–1Bulls,132–91
2014–15Cavaliers3–1Tie,1–1Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,133–94Lebron James rejoins the Cavaliers.
2015 Eastern Conference SemifinalsCavaliers4–2Cavaliers,2–1Cavaliers,2–1Bulls,135–987th postseason series. Cavaliers would go on to lose2015 NBA Finals.
2015–16Bulls3–1Bulls,2–0Tie,1–1Bulls,138–99Cavaliers win2016 NBA Finals.
2016–17Bulls4–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,2–0Bulls,142–99Cavaliers lose2017 NBA Finals.
2017–18Cavaliers4–0Cavaliers,2–0Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,142–103Cavaliers record their 100th win over the Bulls.
Cavaliers lose2018 NBA Finals. Last season LeBron James played for the Cavaliers.
2018–19Bulls3–1Tie,1–1Bulls,2–0Bulls,145–104
2019–20Bulls3–1Bulls,2–0Tie,1–1Bulls,148–105
2020s (Cavaliers, 15–5)
SeasonSeason seriesatChicago BullsatCleveland CavaliersOverall seriesNotes
2020–21Cavaliers2–1Tie,1–1Cavaliers,1–0Bulls,149–107Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, only three games were played this season.
2021–22Bulls3–1Bulls,2–0Tie,1–1Bulls,152–108
2022–23Cavaliers4–0Cavaliers,2–0Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,152–112
2023–24Cavaliers3–1Tie,1–1Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,153–115
2024–25Cavaliers4–0Cavaliers,2–0Cavaliers,2–0Bulls,153–119On November 15, 2024, at Cleveland, the Cavaliers beat the Bulls 144–126 during the2024 NBA Cup group stage.[14]
2025–26Cavaliers1–0Cavaliers,1–0Bulls,153–120Season ongoing.
Summary of Results
SeasonSeason seriesatChicago BullsatCleveland CavaliersNotes
Regular season gamesBulls133–106Bulls,79–42Cavaliers,63–55
Postseason gamesBulls20–14Bulls,12–5Cavaliers,9–8
Postseason seriesBulls5–2Tie,1–1Bulls,4–1Eastern Conference First Round:1988,1989,1994,2010
Eastern Conference Semifinals:1993,2015
Eastern Conference Finals:1992
Regular and postseasonBulls153–120Bulls,91–46Cavaliers,72–62

References

[edit]
  1. ^Swartz, Greg (August 29, 2014)."Memorable Bulls-Cavaliers Rivalry Picks Up Right Where It Left Off".Bleacher Report. Turner. Archived fromthe original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved26 August 2025.
  2. ^Johnson, K. C. (September 12, 2014)."Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving ready for Bulls-Cavs rivalry".Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived fromthe original on June 23, 2025. Retrieved26 August 2025.
  3. ^Krishnamurthy, Aaditya (January 9, 2025)."Joakim Noah On LeBron James Mocking The Bulls During Their Rivalry: "He Was Arrogant"".Fadeaway World. Archived fromthe original on August 26, 2025.
  4. ^"Cavs–Bulls rivalry tops pairing".The Robesonian. Associated Press. April 26, 1994.
  5. ^"Cavs fend off Bulls to end streak".The Vindicator. March 3, 2000.Archived from the original on August 26, 2025. Retrieved26 August 2025.
  6. ^"In Cleveland, Jordan will be remembered as Cavs killer".The Vindicator. January 13, 1999. Retrieved26 August 2025.
  7. ^Favale, Dan (August 8, 2011)."NBA: Each Team's Greatest Rivalry".Bleacher Report. Retrieved26 August 2025.
  8. ^Smith, Sam (November 29, 2016)."Greatest Moments in Bulls vs. Cavaliers History".NBA. Archived fromthe original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved26 August 2025.
  9. ^"NBA Draft history: 2003 Draft". National Basketball Association. February 27, 2013. RetrievedJune 5, 2017.
  10. ^"NBA Draft history: 2008 Draft". National Basketball Association. February 27, 2013. RetrievedJune 5, 2017.
  11. ^"NBA Draft history: 2011 Draft". National Basketball Association. February 27, 2013. RetrievedJune 5, 2017.
  12. ^LeBron James; Lee Jenkins (July 11, 2014)."LeBron: I'm coming back to Cleveland".Sports Illustrated. RetrievedJune 5, 2017.
  13. ^"NBA.com/Stats–2014 Draft History". National Basketball Association. RetrievedJune 5, 2017.
  14. ^ab"Group Play schedule unveiled for Emirates NBA Cup 2024".NBA.com. RetrievedAugust 18, 2024.
  15. ^"Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers Nov 15, 2024 Game Summary".NBA.com. RetrievedNovember 29, 2024.
  16. ^"Chicago Bulls acquire Isaac Okoro from Cleveland Cavaliers | Chicago Bulls".bulls.com. Retrieved2025-07-06.

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