It is no question that when it comes to sports, Chicago has a history that can boast the claim of being the best amongst any other city as its legacy spans almost a century across different leagues. For this reason, it is no surprise that there is an ongoing debate as to which sports team was the best of the best in the city’s rich history. Chicago has had a plethora of teams that have brought honor and greatness to the city, so this question is not as clear-cut and easy to answer as one might think. Now, because this list is so vast and full of details, there’s no way I can cover it in one blog. So, over the next few months, I will be taking a look at a couple of the greatest sports teams in Chicago History. So, here is part one of Chicago’s Greatest Sports Teams.

Honestly, any one of the six championship teams involving Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls could be added to this list. Each one of them displayed a level of greatness and dominance that hadn’t been seen in the NBA since the great dynasties of the Lakers and the Celtics. At the start of the 91-92 season, the Bulls got off on a hot start winning 15 of their 17 games. They then went on a 20-4 run in the second half of the season top end with a record of 67-15. Michael Jordan led the team averaging 30.1 points per game which also gave him his sixth-straight scoring title. This was the third straight season that saw the Bulls win 50 or more games as well as the fifth-straight season that they won 30 or more games at home.

In the playoff, they swept the Miami Heat before enduring a grueling series with the New York Knicks in which they won in seven games. They finally dispatched the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals to earn a trip to the NBA Finals where the Portland Trailblazers awaited. In the Finals, the Bulls took a commanding 3-1 series lead before Portland started to show some life. The Blazers won Game 5 and, then, in Game 6, took a strong lead where they held a comfortable lead of 79-64 by the 4th quarter. However, key players from the Chicago bench along with Michael Jordan rested and back in the game proved to be too much and Bulls came back to win 97-93 giving them their second NBA Title.

The Chicago Cubs team of 1908 is not only one of the best teams in Chicago history but also in all of baseball. That year, the Cubs led the MLB with 99 wins. On the pitcher’s mound, the Cubs were led by right-handed Mordecai Brown who had 29 wins with a 1.47 ERA, and 27 complete games. They also had right-handed Ed Reulbach who added 24 wins and 25 completed games out of the 35 he started in that year. At the plate, they had a myriad of weapons like Shortstop Joe Tinker who led the team with 68 RBIs. So, overall it was a collective effort up and down that gave the Cubs their success that year.

Now, while they may not have scored a lot of runs, they fit right in with the other teams of that era. What they did have, was a team that pitched very well, and could generate enough support at the plate that allowed the starters to win games.