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Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 5:01 pm
by AMW27
How many of those NBA Finals do you think Jordan and the Bulls would have won if every opponent had peak Kevin Durant.

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 5:22 pm
by Lalouie
actually....he'd prolly want to JOIN mj

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 5:32 pm
by California Gold
6. After the Lakers would lose with Durant, he’d want to jump to Chicago so there would only be one opponent with Durant on it.

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 5:33 pm
by Ckay
Image

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 5:35 pm
by EmpireFalls
Obviously they’d lose all of them if he was added to each single Finals team individually. There was no player in the 90s who could match his 3 point efficiency and his iso shotmaking would be unguardable. KD with any of the 91 Lakers 92 Blazers 93 Suns 96 Sonics 97/98 Jazz would be better than the Bulls.

But if he joined the Lakers before 91 he likely wouldn’t be able to switch teams every year, would he? So in all likelihood they’d lose the first one and then KD would be stuck with failed superteams aka exactly what happened after 2019 in reality.

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 5:59 pm
by TheNG
Rodman would eat him alive

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 6:02 pm
by bledredwine
Lalouie wrote:actually....he'd prolly want to JOIN mj


Just like Lebron would.

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 6:11 pm
by uncleduck13
KD in the 90s would be another Detlef Schrempf ….






jk

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 6:15 pm
by uncleduck13
bledredwine wrote:
Lalouie wrote:actually....he'd prolly want to JOIN mj


Just like Lebron would.



Bron would prolly have too much pride to join MJ but definitely the second tier stars like Barkley , Malone, Olajuwon, Robinson

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 6:58 pm
by Lalouie
uncleduck13 wrote:
bledredwine wrote:
Lalouie wrote:actually....he'd prolly want to JOIN mj


Just like Lebron would.



Bron would prolly have too much pride to join MJ but definitely the second tier stars like Barkley , Malone, Olajuwon, Robinson


one of the things about great people is their dna has to display it. essentially they're a prisoner of their talent.

lebron will not put himself in a position as a #2. he has to be #1 with surrounding players who can enable him. so mj would give him the big middle finger, or else

kd, otoh, thinks he's a 1 but he's really a 2

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 7:04 pm
by MrBigShot
TheNG wrote:Rodman would eat him alive


Peak KD would utterly embarrass Rodman. He'd have no answer for KD's combination of size, length, handle and shooting touch. People also forget, younger KD was a good athlete. He used to posterize guys every now and then.

The answer is zero. You're talking about adding a guy who has arguably one of the ~15 highest peaks ever and putting him on teams that were already good enough to get to the finals.

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 7:10 pm
by LakerLegend
Well KD never won a title without a super team..

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 7:16 pm
by JVFRMN
LakerLegend wrote:Well KD never won a title without a super team..

all those finals teams with KD in them would be super teams and of course they would have won all of them, it's a silly question really.

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 7:27 pm
by Iwasawitness
bledredwine wrote:
Lalouie wrote:actually....he'd prolly want to JOIN mj


Just like Lebron would.


Talk about rent free. But no, LeBron more than likely wouldn’t join MJ.

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 7:28 pm
by bkkrh
Of course the other teams would win, maybe the Bulls steal onr somewhere, but it basically means:

1991 - KD replaces Sam Perkins until James Worthy is out. Probably the best chance for the Bulls due to Worthy's and Scott's injuries.
1992 - Terry Porter - Clyde Drexler - Durant - Buck Williams - Duckworth + Uncle Cliffy, Ainge & Kersey from the bench
1993 - KJ - Thunder Dan - KD - Barkley - Mark West + Dumas, Ainge & Chambers from the Bench
1996 - Payton - Hawkins - KD - Kemp - Brickowski/Johnson + Schrempf (2x 6th man of the year, Perkins & McMillan of the Bench
1997 & 1998 - Stockton - Hornaceck - KD - Malone - Ostertag + Russell from the bench

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 7:29 pm
by Quattro
Trick question. He'd immediately demand a trade to the bulls.

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 7:33 pm
by KyRo23
bledredwine wrote:
Lalouie wrote:actually....he'd prolly want to JOIN mj


Just like Lebron would.

Image

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 7:36 pm
by The4thHorseman
Iwasawitness wrote:
bledredwine wrote:
Lalouie wrote:actually....he'd prolly want to JOIN mj


Just like Lebron would.


Talk about rent free. But no, LeBron more than likely wouldn’t join MJ.

Hard to join MJ when he quits the league multiple times.

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 7:43 pm
by Sane
The gap between two finals teams is narrow. If you’re talking about just outright adding a player to them without losing anyone, you can add a Jaylen Williams even and it would change half those series.

You flat out add KD to the opponents you’re talking Malone/KD/Stockton? Barkley/KD/KJ? Kemp/KD/Payton? I think MJ is the GOAT but he would lose most of those Finals matchups if you add KD to the opponent.

I think you’re underestimating what it means to add a player vs trade/lose players for one.

Re: Peak Kevin Durant added to Michael Jordan's NBA Finals opponents.

Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 7:52 pm
by Patches Perry
Obviously 0.

It took 6 games for the Bulls in 5 of their 6 finals. Adding a prime Kevin Durant probably has a 3 game swing in any given series. Bulls in 6 would become Jazz/Sonics/Blazers/Suns in 5 or 6. Lakers probably win too but in 6 or 7.