i thought we were talking about Shaq and Kobe and the championship Lakers that lost only 1 game in the 2001 playoffs? That team could very well take MichAel Jordan's best Bulls team in less than 7 games. L.A. Phil Jackson would know how to handle his younger self and any weaknesses that the Bulls team had.
there are very few teams in nba history that would have challenged that '96 bulls team, and the 01 lakers aren't one of them.
All that pwnage above. what, honest question, were you watching the NBA through the 90s? It's okay if you weren't/weren't old enough, I'm asking because I don't know you but your statement suggests it. Dismissing the fact that they did go through Ewing's Knicks and Shaq's Magic....the second threepeat Bulls were specifically built to beat elite centers (specifically Shaq). Luc Longley and Bill Wennington were there to body up one on one and be foul machines...and Longley was a lot better than people remember. And the Lakers depth wasn't impressive. Horry, Fox, Fisher and the annual rotation of ringless vets (Richmond, Rice) are a joke versus Rodman-Kukoc-Harper (Harper/Fisher being the closest to equal footing)
The '96 Sonics took those Bulls to six games, and the '01 Lakers are a lot better than that group. I'm not saying I know for sure the Lakers are better, but to say they wouldn't even challenge seems a little silly.
Wins say more about the quality of competition in the league rather than the strength of the actual team itself. And besides, matchups are what this thread is about and the fact remains micheal's only lose in that 7 year span was to a shaq led magic team. It's funny how micheal's stats for that year in the playoffs were 31.5 and it wasn't like he was heading to a team or system he wasn't familiar with. If the bulls don't get rodman they might not have won again. Or even if shaq had went to a loaded team with experience. But again the star's aligned for Micheal and the mystique continues.
But, Shaq's Magic eliminated Jordan and the Bulls the prior season. And, I'd take Kobe over Penny Hardaway. I think it's endlessly debatable who would win (since we'll never get to see it), and I don't think either side should be too confident. I could see Jordan winning, depending on the supporting casts and other minor factors, but in uncertain cases like that, I'm going to go with Shaq because scoring in the paint is such an advantage in the NBA. I think Shaq/Kobe matches up pretty well with Jordan/Pippen to start off; it'd be everything else that decides the series.
This response is for you and what. The Bulls didn't have a legit PF in 95, as Horace Grant was in Orlando. A PF that could defend the perimiter and get back to the interior was crucial to their defensive scheme. The following year they got a PF again and continued winning. Since the topic is about whether or not those Lakers could beat any of the Bulls teams that won titles, I don't see why we are mentioning the 95 team that didn't win a title.
the 96 sonics may have been in the finals when the rockets were had it not been for the 94/95 nuggets. that team was close a lot of times, including losing to barkley's suns, good team that just could only get over that hump once
So i see how people dog kobe, no the shaq championship teams, simply saying that any great guard could have won with Shaq. So i guess Shaq is better than MJ right?
they had penny, a top 5 player at the time. and no, shaq's lakers would not beat the bulls. but it would be a very competitive and fun series to watch
and they were absolutely on fire in 1996 during the playoffs. they were shooting at a ridiculous clip, as i recall. but i still feel like the 2001 laker team would be a tougher matchup for that bulls squad than the 1996 sonics.
conversely, Shaq's Lakers teams never won against an elite team w two top 50 players of all time. MJ's Bull teams were better team defenders; any of these Bull teams would easily handle any of Shaq's Laker team; probably 4-2 if i m not mistken, evey team had 2 of the 50 greatest players of all time + role players willing to play tough D and take crap from Chief Triangle. no ? obviously, you haven't seen / heard much. do you know about Moses Malone's 4-4-4 team w Philly, where they swept every playoff series. the Shaq / Kobe teams never came close to that.
