He's talking about the '96 expansion... Grizzlies and Raptors Don't forget multiple-time 3PT Shootout winner Craig Hodges. MJ's Bulls had plenty of talent. I will say both Kerr and Hodges were limited to set shots. Ray's shot diversity is much greater. You're welcome, GoRox. Good call
Miami has better supporting stars, but Chicago had a better overall team. It's weird I could see both teams beating each others opponents. Miami would probably beat the Sonics, Jazz, and Suns, but ironically struggle against the Knicks, Magic, Pistons and Trailblazers, like Chicago...either great bigs...physical defense...or good depth. Like the Bulls, they can shutdown the perimeter. Yes, I could see them winning 3-7 titles in the 90s, if they traded places with the Bulls. On the other hand, the Bulls would've dominated or beaten every team Miami's played in the playoffs. Even the Spurs and Mavs, Parker, Green, and Ginobili would be overmatched against Pip, MJ, and Harper. Leonard would do a fair job against MJ...even with Pops strategies and team defenses ... it would be neutralize Phil Jackson. A 35+ Tim Duncan would be little less effective against the Bulls. The only team I could see giving the Bulls trouble is OKC w/Harden. 3 elite level scorers, great shot blocker, and Sefolosha/KD on MJ would be interesting. Still, Chicago trumps them 6-7 games...Brooks gets out schemed
Yep. Bottom line right here. Joining a team of all-stars is very different from turning guys into all-stars.
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Yet people are using regular season wins to inflate the value of Jordan's supporting cast. Once Jordan left, those guys were on a mission to prove they weren't just Jordanaires. Teams thought they could relax against them which allowed them to pile up wins by sneaking up on the opposition. They had something to prove all year and went all out every night.
Yeah in a direct comparison of Ray Allen and Steve Kerr's shooting, trying to diminish #1 ALL TIME 3pt% Steve Kerr wasnt a good move. Don't forget BJ Armstrong, as good an NBA shooter as there's been (top 10 all time 3pt FG%) And unlike Kerr, he actually made an All-Star team. So Jordan has had some Ray Allen level shooters Credit to Ray Allen still, later in his career when he's become more an outside shooting specialist, a role Kerr played his ENTIRE career, he's comfortably finished in top 5 3pt FG% a couple times, right there with Steph Curry. So like the poster said, Ray Allen is a GOAT 3pt CANDIDATE
That team almost took down the Knicks...but I have to say maybe that was the overlooked genius of Phil Jackson. Overachieved in 95, but fell to 7th until MJ came back.
I hate 90's romanticizers. The league was watered down then, not now. - People compare the top-20 players from both times and conclude that the 90's were clearly better, when players #50-450 right now are light years better than they were back then. - The defenses are far more schematically complex and effective now, yet people see a few hard fouls from the Bad Boy Pistons and conclude the opposite. Compare team defensive stats from now to then, and you'll find that it's far harder to score in today's NBA than it was back then. - People complain about all the fouls and ref-ball today, when teams shot considerably more FTs back then than they do now. There were plenty of absolute garbage squads at the bottom of the league that people choose to forget about as well (the '96 season was full of win inflation due to all the expansion teams). And when comparing MJ and LeBron, you can't look at their casts in vacuums. MJ's team, because it was built more organically, had players who grew in their roles. LeBron's cast had several players who had already grown on their own, but had to completely change their games to fit the roles given to them on Miami. So while Wade is a superior individual player than Pippen, he's an inferior 2nd option (that's not even mentioning the fact that his availability is erratic at best).
Outside of Jordan/Lebron....my opinion is the Heat players individually is better (overall), compared to the 90/94 bulls, however that Bulls team had players that played their role better within in the team (hope that makes sense). But the 96/98 Bulls were better than the current Heat, individually and better fit in the team. You don't become the most dominant team in history for a 3 year span without having also a great players/coach around you. Also I get sick and tired of ppl bringing up the Jordan-less Bulls going 55 wins in that season to diminish Jordan's achievements. Ppl forget that team by that stage had developed their players into great players and the core has been together for years and that they have won 3 consecutive rings together prior to that year. No superstar, I repeat no superstar can ever win a 3 peat on their own. That needs years of chemistry or/and great supporting cast. I LOL'd at ppl that state if Lebron left the Heat next year....Wade, Bosh and Ray Allen can't make the Heat into 50+ team. L. O. L. Lebron with the current Heat team makes them into one of the greatest teams going for their 3rd straight title....but current Heat without Lebron will still make them into a championship contending team.
Really?? 90's to early 2000's were the hardest to score in the history of NBA. Show me some facts pls.
Based on what? If it was easier to score back then, why did the league feel the need to institute new rules that made it easier to score? League is more perimeter today than the 90's. less post ups = less fouls I will say the '96 Bulls' win total is inflated by 4-5 wins. A healthy Wade is a better 2nd option than Pippen.
Sure, maybe from '97 to '06ish, but I'm comparing MJ's career and title years to LeBron's career and title years. The average scoring per team: Mid to late 80's: Roughly 110ppg Early to mid 90's: Roughly 106ppg Mid 90's to ~1998: Roughly 99ppg '98-'99 was an outlier year (92ppg?!) '99 to mid-00's: Roughly 98ppg Mid 00's til today: Roughly 99ppg LeBron never played in the offense-happy league that MJ enjoyed for most of his years. Only in his last few years did he face the defenses/style of ball that LeBron has had to deal with the entirety of his career.
Sen89 The '90s was the era of the center. You can create vastly better defenses around centers of that era. The defenses today are nowhere close to the '90s And you're also wrong about schematically more complex. This isn't the NFL. The is to a great deal of complexity in this sport, certainly not enough for paradigmatic shifts on a regular basis And btw: the bulls with rodman were the best defensive team in the league and arguably best ever. Certainly the best perimeter defensive tem ever Defenses today are nowhere close to the era of the centers Calling it the era of the centers is a fact. Call it romaticizimg all you want,,,but it's an undisputed fact making it the best defensive era ever
@ Sen 89 you are way off line... Jordan has to freakin' get dragon upper cutted to get a flagrant call in some cases. But the game was called better back then as I've sat and watch well over 1000 hrs of 80s to early 90s basketball.
I'll say no. The Heat are a slow, old, plodding team without a lot of depth. Without LeBron they don't make the playoffs.
Wow your going in that angle? I see that you're doing a Jordan to LBJ comparison individually and sounds like you have already put him above or equal to Jordan....that is just way too premature my friend. Annoying Kobe fans did it all the time although he never really deserved the comparison. Now looking back, it all seems like a Joke. LBJ DOES deserve the comparison...but to put him => Jordan is just being an LBJ homer. Let's put them side by side (as it currently stands) with the only 4 stats that matter the most when judging the greatest players. Other stats as player A has 0.8 assists more than player B is irrelevant to me. When the Bulls decide Jordan play a PG type of role, he avg 30+ points 8 reb and 8 assists at 50%+ fg. But it's not about how many reb or assists, its about adapting your game to maximise your teams chance of winning, not individual stats. BTW: I don't count Regular Season MVP's since it's not a true reflection of the best player for a season LBJ - 5 finals, 2 finals MVP's, 2 rings, Best Player in the League 5-7 years Jordan - 6 finals, 6 finals MVPS, 6 rings, Best Player in the league for 10 years. Also when you mentioned "offense-happy league", now I know you're really out of your depths. You know how much easier it is now to score if you're a perimiter player compared to the first half of Jordan's years when the league was ruled by big men in the post?
Once Jordan left other stars they were sacrificing for him, Pippen and Grant, got more opportunities to produce. A team with two star players, including arguably the best SF in basketball, and a decent supporting cast will win a lot of games.
