The 1991–92 season would prove to be a breakthrough season for Rice and the Heat, as the team improved to 38 wins and featured other young players such as Steve Smith and Brian Shaw. By now Rice had become the team's leading scorer and averaged 22.3 points a game with 155 three-point field goals (second in the league), leading the Heat to its first playoff series in which the young team was swept by the defending champion Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan. Despite this, the Heat won fewer games the following year, while Rice's scoring average slipped to 19 as the scoring load of Seikaly and Smith increased.