Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So, my roommate and I are having this debate(he's a Rocket's fan) about whether or not the Rockets would have won those two championships if Jordan would have played. I think the Rockets would not have won. Therefore I feel the Rockets championships come with an astrisk(in my opinion). They did not beat the best.
1994 possible, 95 tough to call. Many people use the argument that the Bulls lost regularly to the Rockets during the regular season. I think we can agree, especially going by this playoffs, that regular season doesn't necessarily translate to post-season. However, it's possible the Bulls could have been burnt out by that point, and were ripe to be beaten. Difficult to say with any certainty, but I think the 95 Rockets would have been the most difficult test for those Bulls.
i would say the only real chance would be if the bulls where fatigued from long run after long run. you dont really realize that the playoffs can easily add an additional 1/4 of a season to your legs. a 4 peat is nearly impossible for that fact IMO, i mean that squeezing 4 seasons into 3 years leaving very little time for rest.
if all things where equal and both teams played the exact same schedule/number of games i dont think the rockets beat them in 1994 or 1995.
So, my roommate and I are having this debate(he's a Rocket's fan) about whether or not the Rockets would have won those two championships if Jordan would have played. I think the Rockets would not have won. Therefore I feel the Rockets championships come with an astrisk(in my opinion). They did not beat the best.
Who the hell did the Bulls beat?
1991: aged and very slow Laker and Pistons teams
1992: not ready for primetime Blazers and Cavs
1993: soft Suns and limited Knicks
1996: knucklehead Sonics and Magic (tough w/ Shaq and Penny)
1997: perennial also-rans Jazz and a thuggish, unexplosive Heat team
1998: perennial also-rans Jazz2 and Pacers whose best player was Reggie Miller.
These were all easy roads. Nothing compared to the acheivements of the Western champs to come like the Spurs and Lakers teams, the West was brutal then.
Back to the original question, the Rockets of those days generally played very well vs the Bulls, granted just twice a year. Vernon Maxwell had a reputation for guarding Jordan very well. And the Cartwrights, Perdues and Wenningtons could only hope to foul the Dream.
Yes, i believe they would've won both titles with the reason of Olajuwon. His defensive presence of shot blocking but more so altering shots would've negated alot of easy points(in the paint) for the Bulls and that is the key of any series. Otis Thorpe and Robert Horry were good defenders too. Keep in mind that the Bulls didn't have a Ewing or Shaq, so Olajuwon could really slack off Perdue, Longley,Stacey King, or Cartwright and roam in the paint which he was great on weakside defensive help. By making the other team think twice going to the paint changes the entire game plan for the opponent. I can recall in so many games where the opposing player would blow a wide open layup even when Hakeem only went over to his direction w/o attempting to block his shot. Other teams were always thinking twice going inside when Olajuwon was in the game.
Offensively, Olajuwon would've commanded a double team and he would always kick it out to their shooters. Kenny Smith was a career 40% 3pt shooter and underrated. Maxwell was streaky, but a good defender. Horry was extremely versatile and could guard the 2 and 3. Rudy T knew that Hakeem was dominant enough that they just had to surround him with sharp shooters and this worked.
One thing the Bulls didn't face during their 3 pt years was a dominating center on BOTH the defense and offense. While the Bulls had a great D, they would've had trouble closing out on the sharpshooters with Olajuwon posting deep down and passing the ball out to the perimeter quick. Also, Hakeem was also good in going early to the hoop when he felt the double teams coming as his career progressed. He was good in reading defenses. I watched the Rockets play the Bulls during the Bulls first 3 peat and while we shouldn't stress that regular season translates into playoff success, the Rockets were 5-1 against them over the 3 yr period. However, it wasn't the record , but the common thing i saw in those 6 games was how Hakeem was able to alter alot of their shots in the paint. At times, the Bulls were reluctant to go inside. Hakeem's mere presence did that.
I think the Rockets would've won 1 of the 3 peat titles that the Bulls if they had gotten to the Finals. In all, it is really about a matchup and the Rockets i believe matched up well with the Bulls. Too bad we never really got to see them play in the Finals. We can all speculate now for fun.
When MJ retired at the last minute, they couldn't replace him with a quality SG. They had to replace MJ with CBA player Pete Myers and Pippen had to play a lot of point guard. Myers was the starting 2 and it was the first time he had played an NBA game since December 1990.
Also keep in mind the Bulls should have beaten the Knicks. If Hugh Hollins doesn't make that call in game 5, the Bulls likely win in 6.
There is a reason no team has won four titles in a row since the Celtics of the 1960's. I know we like to think of Michael Jordan as superhuman, but four straight trips to the finals would have taken a toll on him and the Bulls. I think the Rockets would have beaten the Bulls in 1994. Of course, that is just one more opinion.
There is a reason no team has won four titles in a row since the Celtics of the 1960's. I know we like to think of Michael Jordan as superhuman, but four straight trips to the finals would have taken a toll on him and the Bulls. I think the Rockets would have beaten the Bulls in 1994. Of course, that is just one more opinion.
Jordan was more or less burnt out by the end of the first 3peat, not forgetting the Dream Team participation from the year before. If by some chance they were able to beat the Rockets in 1994, I don't see them beating them in 1995. And remember, Horace Grant wasn't with Chicago in 1994-95, and Rodman didn't join until 1995-96. So had Jordan not retired, who knows how that all would have worked out. Perhaps Grant doesn't leave for Orlando, perhaps Rodman never joins Chicago. It's fun to think about what 'could' have happened, though.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
