Steph Curry: "2017 Warriors would win in 6 against the 96 Bulls"

[GSP]

Jordan wasn't driving a whole lot by that point in his career. If they weren't constantly in foul trouble against Lebron there is zero reason to think it would be a problem against second 3peat Jordan and Pippen.

This is easily the 2017 Warriors, who are by far the most talented team in NBA history. The only teams that maybe come close are some of the 80s Lakers and Celtics teams, but those teams would need to adjust significantly to have a chance against a team with modern 3 point shooting and defensive principles. The first 3peat Bulls were more talented teams than the second 3peat, and MJ and Pippen were younger and better, but their records were worse because the league in the late 90s was so watered down by expansion and a string of bad drafts.

You gain younger Jordan and Pippen, but lose Rodman and Harper. That is NOT a trade you want to make for this particular series.

Rodman and Harper would be major, major offensive liabilities and with modern rules the Warriors would be free to ignore them like they did with Tony Allen. I'd take Horace Grant's rim protection over Rodman's man defense and rebounding anyway.

Harper to an extent yes but if you ignore Rodman specially a team like the Warriors hes gonna average 20 rebounds a game that series. Rebounding was a big issue for them. Leaving Rodman alone b/c he cant shoot sounds fine until hes offensive rebounding every miss the Bulls have

[thamadkant]

We will never find out either way.

But I think Bulls win assuming modern rules apply... Harper, Kerr, Buechler would all get open looks from 3pters with Kukoc, Jordan and Pippen just drawing the defenses inwards. Draymond Green and Rodman would probably try to get each other kicked out but Rodman will win that one, Green is more emotional and would retaliate.

Bulls have 4 Very Good to Elite wing defenders in Harper, Jordan, Pippen, Rodman....

Bulls in 5-6, with Kerr, Buechler averaging career highs in points and 3 points made and Jordan going to the free throw 15 times a game.

[art_tatum]

I don't care how good a defender 1 on 1 you are, you're getting shed most of the time off the multiple and half the time barely legal screens set around curry. Also add on the transition 3 bombs from their 3 shooters. The bulls don't have enough fire power to keep up. No one is stopping KD either. They couldn't contain bird really so they ain't with KD. And for at least 2 games a series Klay goes crazy.
Meanwhile the team D of GSW in 2017 would be enough to keep the bulls from having a layup line.
They will take Jordan turn around mid ranges all day over KD or klay


People forget how stacked and good the 2017 Cavs were. They were better than their 2016 selves. Imo the closer series would be 17cavs vs the bulls.

[KembaWalker]

I see a lot of people worrying about how the Bulls are gonna guard the splash bros
I'm wondering who the hell is gonna guard Michael Jordan... Klay Thompson with Draymond at the rim? he's either dropping 60 (depending on the pace the game goes) or half the "death lineup" is gonna be on the bench with foul trouble

[Message Boar]

Honestly I think it all depends on the refereeing.

If it's reffed by mid 90's standards, the Bulls win (handily). If it's reffed by late 2010's standards, the Warriors win (probably also handily).

[Hitachi77]

People thinking the Bulls would win are on crack. You realize the 90s Bulls never faced anyone nearly as good as those Cavs teams? And the Warriors demolished the Cavs in 5.

Any physicality or hand checking arguments are grasping at straws. Like modern players would cry in a corner if they get hand checked. As a whole, the league is more talented than it ever was. Personalities aren't as big, but players are better overall.

[toodles23]

I see a lot of people worrying about how the Bulls are gonna guard the splash bros
I'm wondering who the hell is gonna guard Michael Jordan... Klay Thompson with Draymond at the rim? he's either dropping 60 (depending on the pace the game goes) or half the "death lineup" is gonna be on the bench with foul trouble

Good lord the MJ deification is absolutely insane. The last time in his career he scored 60 was in 1993 against a lottery team, but somehow he's going to drop 60 against the most talented team of all time stacked with great defenders and with a far better understanding of how to defend star players than any team he played in his career, and without the illegal defense rules?

In the 1996 Finals MJ averaged 23.7 ppg on 36.7% from the field in the last three games once George Karl finally put Payton on him as the primary defender. He was not some unstoppable god, especially second 3peat MJ who was clearly a couple steps removed from his GOAT level peak around 1991.

[KembaWalker]

Also the Warriors were 1 year removed from losing in the Finals to a team that averaged 8 3pm makes per game in that series, 1 more than the Bulls averaged in 96 (too lazy to pace adjust all that so probably closer tbh)
I think everyones imagining Curry Klay and Durant going like 8/14 each from 3 and it just aint like that

[JN61]

Ye just like Curry could be finals MVP. Keep dreaming buddy.

[mademan]

You can make up the difference in 3PT shooting with size, defense and offensive rebounding.

You can make up some difference, sure, but no team taking 30 3's is losing to a team taking 17 over a long series if the competition is competent. You just cant close that gap in offensive efficiency over a 7 game series

[Tor_Raps]

I'm a huge Jordan fan but the 2017 Warriors were the best team of all time without question in my eyes.

[Cubbies2120]

100%

The Warriors had 2x top-5 players and 2x top-20 players. The Bulls would be badly outclassed.

Bulls have the best player of all time though. MJ is equivalent in value to KD plus Steph. So it comes down to the rest of the roster which is close

Sent from my SM-G950W using RealGM mobile app

This is a joke right?

You'd rather have MJ than both KD and Steph on your team?

[SF_Warriors]

We will never find out either way.

But I think Bulls win assuming modern rules apply... Harper, Kerr, Buechler would all get open looks from 3pters with Kukoc, Jordan and Pippen just drawing the defenses inwards. Draymond Green and Rodman would probably try to get each other kicked out but Rodman will win that one, Green is more emotional and would retaliate.

Bulls have 4 Very Good to Elite wing defenders in Harper, Jordan, Pippen, Rodman....

Bulls in 5-6, with Kerr, Buechler averaging career highs in points and 3 points made and Jordan going to the free throw 15 times a game.

Harper was a career 29% three point shooter, and buechler averaged 10mpg in 95/96 and 11.7mpg for his career. Buechler is a garbage time player. I do not see either being a factor from distance. Kerr and Kukoc however, would be deadly under today's playstyle. Kukoc would not be a guy I would fear from deep either, but his passing meshes really well with pip, mj, harper who are all good playmakers. I think Kukoc in today's era would be a decent enough shooter from three (36-37% most likely).

[ibraheim718]

The Bulls don't have 2 superstars is the issue. Scottie is not up to KD or Curry's level and Draymond provides similar defense. Draymond can spend a lot of energy on defense saving Curry/KD a little while MJ & Pippin have to cover the 2 best players on GS.

The other issue is if we're talking 90s rules or modern rules. Each team is built/setup for the rules of their time but the Bulls don't have any bigs to punish the Warriors so that might be closer than people think, I'd put the Warriors at like 95% for a 7 game series on modern rules and say 60/40 (Warriors winning) on a 7 game series on 90s rules.

Come on man.. how old are you?

[ibraheim718]

I see a lot of people worrying about how the Bulls are gonna guard the splash bros
I'm wondering who the hell is gonna guard Michael Jordan... Klay Thompson with Draymond at the rim? he's either dropping 60 (depending on the pace the game goes) or half the "death lineup" is gonna be on the bench with foul trouble

Good lord the MJ deification is absolutely insane. The last time in his career he scored 60 was in 1993 against a lottery team, but somehow he's going to drop 60 against the most talented team of all time stacked with great defenders and with a far better understanding of how to defend star players than any team he played in his career, and without the illegal defense rules?

In the 1996 Finals MJ averaged 23.7 ppg on 36.7% from the field in the last three games once George Karl finally put Payton on him as the primary defender. He was not some unstoppable god, especially second 3peat MJ who was clearly a couple steps removed from his GOAT level peak around 1991.

You can't even breathe on a player when you're defending him in 2017. If you don't think Mike would've owned everybody now in the present you smoke crack. It isn't about style of play or 3pt shooting.. it's about Mike being way smarter and way tougher mentally than any of them boys on GSW. I have full confidence he would've prepared himself physically and mentally to wax them kids. How do I know this? Because that's what he did when he played. You tell me a team as good as the bad boy pistons that GSW had to face? Cleveland? lol

[OdomFan]

The same 2017 Warriors that didn't look so good out there against the Spurs before Leonard got hurt? Yeah..I don't see them winning in 7 games unless Zaza also puts MJ out of action like that. The 1996 Bulls roster has someone and a back up that can challenge all of the 2017 Warriors key players.

Jordan or Pippen can deal with Curry
Harper/Jordan or Pippen can deal with Klay
Rodman or Kukoc can deal with the Durant assignment
and Rodman or Kukoc can also deal with Draymond.

The Bulls would stand a better chance at getting a win in Golden State than the Warriors would at winning a game in the United Center. So that pretty much sums it up right there for me. Bulls in 6 at the most.

The Warriors would likely beat the 98 squad though, but even that wouldn't be easy.

[CIN-C-STAR]

90s rules, Bulls win (probably in 7).
Modern rules, Dubs win (probably in 5).

[ibraheim718]

Jordan wasn't driving a whole lot by that point in his career. If they weren't constantly in foul trouble against Lebron there is zero reason to think it would be a problem against second 3peat Jordan and Pippen.

This is easily the 2017 Warriors, who are by far the most talented team in NBA history. The only teams that maybe come close are some of the 80s Lakers and Celtics teams, but those teams would need to adjust significantly to have a chance against a team with modern 3 point shooting and defensive principles. The first 3peat Bulls were more talented teams than the second 3peat, and MJ and Pippen were younger and better, but their records were worse because the league in the late 90s was so watered down by expansion and a string of bad drafts.

You gain younger Jordan and Pippen, but lose Rodman and Harper. That is NOT a trade you want to make for this particular series.

Rodman and Harper would be major, major offensive liabilities and with modern rules the Warriors would be free to ignore them like they did with Tony Allen. I'd take Horace Grant's rim protection over Rodman's man defense and rebounding anyway.

Rodman and Harper were major offensive liabilities when they played..lol.. I need an age roll call in this thread.

[ibraheim718]

Stupid hypothetical. You wanna have a dream match up, you 'll put yourself vs pre 1993, limitless stamina, Jordan. Its absolutely certain Jordan averages 40+ vs the 2017 Warriors and takes at least one of their 3 perimeter players out of the game, either with defense or by getting in foul trouble or from exhaustion. Bulls in 5.

No way, then you lose Rodman who is key to that series guarding KD. As well as Ron Harper, who could be key defensively.

Yeah but you gain Paxson and Amrstrong.

[mademan]

cult of Mike has shown up, lol. ya u cant have any kind of discussion regarding him. 96 Mike was extremely limited by Gary Payton. He wasnt some deity in 96 that no defense could ever figure out, lol