“They thought they had the night off” – Rex Chapman recalls torching the 72-win Bulls after they had stayed out late originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Rex Chapman, never the quintessential offensive powerhouse, averaged south of 15 points per game in his NBA career.
Advertisement
With that in mind, it’s striking that one of his highest-scoring nights came against arguably the greatest team ever —the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls — when he put up an efficient 39 points.
Now, you might think this out-of-the-blue performance must have come under unusual circumstances. And you’d be right — the former 6’4″ guard himself revealed the full story in a candid 2021 interview.
Behind the upset
When Chapman appeared on “The Rematch” podcast, one topic was inevitable: his iconic late February 1996 performance — the poster-child moment of a non-star suddenly stealing the spotlight from NBA legends and future Hall of Famers.
Advertisement
At the time, Rex, a seven-year NBA veteran, played for the Miami Heat, then a solid team but far from the Eastern Conference powerhouse they’d later become.
Meanwhile, their opponents, the Bulls — heavy favorites led by head coach Phil Jackson and superstar duo Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen — were on track for a historically dominant 72-10 season.
The team from Windy City might have even finished 73-9. Yet Chapman’s standout performance, combined with some unusual circumstances, threw a wrench in their plans.
A “lucky” game
While Chapman played a big role in Miami’s 113-104 upset over Chicago, he called the game he had “lucky.”
Advertisement
Rex explained that was mainly the case because the Heat were short-handed, playing with just eight players amid a trade, which pushed his minutes well beyond his season average and also increased his offensive role.
On top of that, their opponents clearly lacked proper preparation for the contest.
“They were out all night on South Beach… they thought they had the night off,” the 57-year-old recalled.
Was there anyone to confirm that? Well, yes — Chapman himself.
“I know they were because I was right there with them,” he quipped.
Still recovering from what Miami’s nightlife had to offer, the Bulls showed up sluggish, while the Heat came energized and ready. Their sharpshooter, showing absolutely no signs of fatigue, caught fire, delivering arguably one of his finest shooting performances ever.
Advertisement
Playing 40 minutes, Chapman shot 9-for-10 from three, 6-for-7 from the free-throw line, and 12-for-17 overall.
What made the performance and win even sweeter was that en route to 39 points, he outscored Jordan, who had “only” 31.
Chicago certainly wasn’t used to getting torched like that, especially with multiple lockdown defenders and relentless hustle on their stacked roster. Still, normally, when an opponent caught fire, they responded with offensive dominance. However, Chapman broke that pattern — he recalled only one other player doing the same that season.
“Of the players they played against that year, I scored the most points. I think it was me, then Karl Malone, and just a weird list,” he added.
Advertisement
However, Jackson’s iconic team wouldn’t be what they were without their bite — the will to seek revenge. They showed it in the next matchup, as the 1989 All-Rookie Second Team member recalled — a decisive loss for Miami defined by an MJ masterclass.
Both teams met again later in the playoffs with a similar outcome.
“We didn’t even have a chance,” Rex recalled about the Heat getting swept during the 1996 playoffs. “That was fun for me because it was my first playoff experience. I got to see how good they were when they were on a mission when they were playing good teams.”
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.