"It was Jordan and not Pippen, it was Jordan and Rodman... Magic will tell you, Rodman was completely annoying" - Colin Cowherd believes Dennis Rodman's impact was understated during the Bulls' championship runs

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman formed the core of the Chicago Bulls’ dominant run from 1995-96 to 1997-98. They were the best players in the Bulls’ historic 72-win season, which opened their second three-peat.

While Jordan and Pippen grabbed the limelight, Rodman seemed like an afterthought among some NBA fans. It’s not the case, though, when it comes to those who played against the iconic Bulls team featuring the legendary trio.

Colin Cowherd on The Herd podcast stressed just how important “The Worm” was and how he was almost underappreciated by the league and the fans:

“If you ask people, and I’ve talked to players about this through the years, who faced the Bulls. It was Jordan and not Pippen, it was Jordan and Rodman. Magic will tell you, Rodman was completely annoying. Jordan was on another galaxy. Pippen would get his 18. It was Rodman’s ability to disrupt and discombobulate a Laker, Piston, Celtic offense that he was totally undervalued.”

Dennis Rodman made it to the Hall-of-Fame because he was pound-for-pound the NBA’s rebounding king. He won seven straight rebounding titles, which placed him second to the great Wilt Chamberlain's 11. While “The Big Dipper” was a massive figure with freakish athleticism, Rodman was only 6’7.

Rodman made rebounding an art in an era that had some of the game’s most skilled and bruising big men. David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal were the elite centers at that time and combined for only 3 rebounding titles mainly because of “Dennis the Menace.”

Despite his otherworldly rebounding skills, that may not even be Dennis Rodman’s best contribution to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls. “The Worm’s” ability to guard and get under the skin of opponents was an essential ingredient in the Bulls’ second grand slam.

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Dennis Rodman was arguably the 1996 NBA Finals co-MVP with Michael Jordan

Dennis Rodman would have been a deserving co-MVP with Michael Jordan in the 1996 NBA Finals against the Seattle Supersonics. [Photo: Sportcasting]

The 72-10 Chicago Bulls raced to a 3-0 lead against the Seattle Supersonics in the ‘96 NBA Finals and looked unbeatable. Instead of capping off their historic season with a sweep, they surprisingly faltered in Games 4-6. Seattle won back-to-back games and were on the verge of tying the series on their home floor.

In Games 1-3, Michael Jordan was his usual unbelievable self, averaging 31 points on 46% shooting from the field, including 50% from three-point distance. From thereon, his numbers would plummet to 23.7 points, hitting only 36.7% of his shots.

In the series-clinching Game 6, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen struggled badly. “His Airness” finished with 22 points on 19 shots while Pippen had 17 on 17 field-goal attempts. Dennis Rodman kept the Chicago Bulls’ floundering title aspirations with one crucial rebound after another. He ended up with 19 rebounds, 11 of them on the offensive glass, which tied his own NBA Finals record.

Rodman averaged 7.5 points, 14.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 6 games of the ‘96 NBA Finals. “The Worm” was a nuisance the entire series, a metric that still has no place in the box score. His impact, like his career in general, goes way above what his raw figures would show.