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.
The Pacers in 98 had a really good team. They had 3 legit big men (Rik Smits, Dale Davis, and Antonio Davis). Jalen Rose, Reggie Miller, Derrick McKey, Austin Croshere, Mark Jackson, and Chris Mullin. They won 58 games, 2nd in the east and only 4 fewer than Chicago. They had size, depth, shooting, and a high basketball IQ.
Thinking that the Bulls would roll over the Showtime Lakers and 80s Celtics is a little ridiculous. They couldn't beat the Bad Boy's Pistons at their peak. There's a lot of Bill Brasky/Chuck Norris/World's most interesting man type of mythology surrounding Jordan nowadays.
I don't think the rockets would beat them 94,95 but it would be close
But Jordan did play in 95, and was playing at basically his normal level throughout the playoffs, and they still lost to the Magic. So even if he played the whole season I'm not sure they would even have made it to the finals to face the Rockets.
As for '94, I'm not sure, but 3 long playoff runs in a row takes a toll physically and mentally. That's a lot of games. It's really hard just to repeat, let alone win 4 in a row. The last time a team won 4 in a row was 1965. The Bulls would be one of the few teams capable of doing it, but I think it would hardly be automatic like some think.
As we all know, Jordan and the Bulls won a ship in 98 and walked into basketball history as probably the greatest dynasty in the history of the NBA (yes, I know about Bill Russell's run).
The next year, in 99, the Spurs went on a historical 15-2 run to win their first title with the Duncan and Robinson.
If MJ and the Bulls stay together, do they win in 99 as well?
Eventually they would have had to lose at some point because father time is undefeated. Would that have been the year they were finally taken, or would they have won number 7?
Good question. I remember either Jordan or Pippen stating that they would have won in 99. I'm not so sure. Duncan/Robinson would have been dominant on the inside against that team.
BTW, I think it is quite obvious the Bulls would have won in 94 and 95 too. 8 years in a row would have been unbearable for a Phil Jackson hater like me!
Seriously doubt it. The 1999 season was a shortened one and IIRC there were a lot of back-to-back games, regular season and playoffs, and there wasn't much of a training camp. The 1998 Bulls barely got by Indiana and in game 6 of the finals, Jordan pretty much carried the team to a one point win. Also, that team got off to a very slow start at the beginning of the regular season, they were barely above .500 in the early stages due to Pippen sitting out. It wasn't until he returned that the Bulls started their winning ways again.
So if there was ever a "right of passage" as Greg1977 put it, 1999 would in all likelihood been the season.
I think thats 'rite of passage' too, isnt it? My bad.....
I agree with the peanut gallery regarding 1999. But, how about 1994?
Assuming Jordan didn't retire? I'll give them 94, especially with the addition of Kukoc off the bench. I'm wondering if Grant still leaves for Orlando in 95 had MJ not retired( it was reported that he wasn't overly fond of MJ, so it might have happened anyway), which leaves their frontcourt paper thin regardless of whether MJ had left or not.
But Jordan did play in 95, and was playing at basically his normal level throughout the playoffs, and they still lost to the Magic. So even if he played the whole season I'm not sure they would even have made it to the finals to face the Rockets.
As for '94, I'm not sure, but 3 long playoff runs in a row takes a toll physically and mentally. That's a lot of games. It's really hard just to repeat, let alone win 4 in a row. The last time a team won 4 in a row was 1965. The Bulls would be one of the few teams capable of doing it, but I think it would hardly be automatic like some think.
It's no gimme of course, but with Jordan there for both seasons they'd certainly be the favorite. The Bulls were out of sync in 95 when he came back it was so short.
As for what you keep going back to about the Celtics Lakers Pistons, every player has a ramp up period Jordan was not immune to that, the Bulls weren't at full strength yet, that's normal. What I would say regarding missed championships is that if Jordan had played through 99 or 2000 he would certainly have 7 for sure and possibly 8 titles depending on the Bulls roster moves in those two last seasons. Then he could have skipped the whole Wizards thing.
As we all know, Jordan and the Bulls won a ship in 98 and walked into basketball history as probably the greatest dynasty in the history of the NBA (yes, I know about Bill Russell's run).
The next year, in 99, the Spurs went on a historical 15-2 run to win their first title with the Duncan and Robinson.
If MJ and the Bulls stay together, do they win in 99 as well?
Eventually they would have had to lose at some point because father time is undefeated. Would that have been the year they were finally taken, or would they have won number 7?
No I don't think so because it was clear that the 98 team was the weakest out of all the championship teams since they needed a game 7 to beat the Pacers. Plus that Pacers team was getting better and they showed that by making the Finals in 2000. Also the Western teams were getting better and that was also evident by how the jazz battled the Bulls.
But Jordan did play in 95, and was playing at basically his normal level throughout the playoffs, and they still lost to the Magic. So even if he played the whole season I'm not sure they would even have made it to the finals to face the Rockets.
As for '94, I'm not sure, but 3 long playoff runs in a row takes a toll physically and mentally. That's a lot of games. It's really hard just to repeat, let alone win 4 in a row. The last time a team won 4 in a row was 1965. The Bulls would be one of the few teams capable of doing it, but I think it would hardly be automatic like some think.
Can you really count Jordan as playing 94-95? He played 17 games.
Can you really count Jordan as playing 94-95? He played 17 games.
17 regular season games plus 10 playoff games. By the time the playoffs began he was playing at an extremely high level and in the playoffs averaged 31.5 ppg, on 48.4% shooting, 6.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2.3 spg, 1.4 bpg.
In comparison, the folowing year in '96 he averaged 30.7 ppg on 45.9% shooting, 4.9 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.3 bpg.
So yeah, I wouldn't write off that year and wouldn't discredit the Magic by thinking that the Bulls would have just rolled over them had Jordan come back a month or two earlier.
In 94-95, by the time the playoffs rolled around alot of Jordan's 'physical' abilities were returning; his natural talent alone was enough to perform at a level higher than most. I think the big difference was the synergy and timing with teammates( the Bulls roster outside of Pippen had basically overhauled between 1993 and 1995), and his own ability to come through in the clutch wasn't at the level we were accustomed to. ***
But the biggest factor in the Bulls losing that series to Orlando was their razor-thin frontcourt. No Grant, and Rodman didn't join until the following year. For that reason alone, had they somehow managed to squeeze past Orlando with a 'full season' from Jordan, I don't see them beating Houston. Hakeem's 'greatness' in the playoffs that season would have easily matched Jordan's level of play at that point. In fact Hakeem would have the major advantage of having to face off against guys like Luc Longley and Bill Wennington, which means he could effectively rest on defense. Jordan, on the other hand, would have to produce his usual offensive heroics and still be accountable on the defensive side defending Drexler, who while not at his peak was still an all-star caliber player. With such a weakness upfront, I really don't see the Bulls beating Houston had Jordan played the entire year, as is often assumed. Once you take Hakeem/Drexler and Jordan/Pippen out of the equation, I think Houston's 'support cast' with Kenny Smith, a young Robert Horry, Sam Cassell, Mario Elie were better than the Bulls role players.
*** Adding to this point synergy with teammates, especially ones he wouldn't have been familiar with, takes training camp, preseason and a full 82 game season at minimum to understand player tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. From an individual standpoint, being able to consistently come through in the clutch is a product of establishing rhythm over the haul of the season. So while we saw moments of brilliance in 95 ( the game winner against Atlanta, the double-nickel against New York, the 48 point game against Charlotte in Round one) we also saw uncharacteristic lapses in concentration like being stripped from behind by Nick Anderson and throwing the ball out of bounds at the end of game 1 vs Orlando. Simply it is a question of rhythm, both individually and collectively.
Last edited by Roman77; 06-03-2013 at 01:32 PM..
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.
