Getty Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Toni Kukoc
The Chicago Bulls have not had much success during the last two decades, but as everybody knows that was not always the case. During the 1990s, the Bulls won six titles, including two different sets of three-peats led by the great Michael Jordan.
Once the Bulls got over the struggles against other conference foes like the Bad Boy Pistons, they beat the LA Lakers during the 1991 Finals, they would only lose one series in the entire decade with Jordan by their side.
Scottie Pippen was one of the best sidekicks ever throughout NBA history. A seven-time All-Star and 10-time All-Defensive Player in his career, Pippen was no slouch. He averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2 steals per game in 12 seasons for Chicago.
When people look back, they realize that Jordan needed Pippen as much as Pippen needed Jordan. As great as Jordan ever was, he still needed teammates, and Pippen was the perfect yin to Jordan’s yang.
Recently, Pippen spoke with NBC Sports Chicago to promote a partnership with DICK’s Sporting Goods and reminisced a bit about the old times.
At the very end of the interview, Pippen was asked about his response to the comments that Draymond Green tweeted on July 24, in comparison between the 1996 Bulls and the 2017 Warriors.
“Let him say whatever he wants, just put this out there,” Pippen pauses for dramatic effect. “The best team to win a championship is the ’96 Bulls.”
He did not offer much of an explanation after this as he only gave two words as the reasoning as to why he believed the Bulls were the better team.
“Our record,” Pippen says without offering anything else.
The Bulls finished that season with a 72-10 record in the regular season, which stayed the best until the 2015-16 Warriors broke that record with a 73-9 record.
The 2017 Warriors finished five games worse than the ’96 Bulls with a not too shabby record of 67-15.
The Case for the ’96 Bulls
During the regular season of the 1995-96 season, the Bulls were on cruise control for most of the regular season. After Jordan retired in 1993, he tried his hand at baseball and played for over a season with the Chicago White Sox farm team.
Jordan was hungrier than ever when he returned for the full 1995-96 season. The team fed off Jordan’s intense thirst for another title, and they steamrolled the rest of the competition.
The 2017 Warriors would not have been able to handle the constant hard-nosed defense on their shooters, especially if the game was called like it was in the 90s. The sheer determination of the ’96 Bulls to dominate the competition and zap any sort of confidence for the Dubs’ offense is not too farfetched.
The Case for the ’17 Warriors
On the other hand, the Dubs had just got Kevin Durant, and that took the team from a legitimate contender to a team that was simply unfair to the rest of the competition. It was only Durant’s first season with the team, but he fit in seamlessly and the team had no qualms in the playoffs, finishing with a 16-1 record.
After blowing a 3-1 lead in the previous year’s Finals, the Warriors were hungry for a title. Just like the Bulls were excited with Jordan returning during 1995, the same could be said for the Dubs with Durant’s first season with the team.
If the referees called the game more like how it is today, it’s a safe guess to pick the Warriors due to the efficiency they would make from the perimeter. No matter how efficient the Bulls could be with long twos and dunks, the difference between three and two points is just too much to overcome.