91 Jordan/Pippen vs 02 Kobe/???

rand · Post #1 » by **rand** » Wed Jul 13, 2022 7:35 am

Who is the worst player in NBA history you could pair with 2002 Kobe that would cause you to take the 2002 Kobe/??? pair over 1991 Jordan/Pippen for a single postseason? Assume 2002 officiating/coaching.

FuShengTHEGreat · Post #2 » by **FuShengTHEGreat** » Wed Jul 13, 2022 9:21 am

rand wrote:Who is the worst player in NBA history you could pair with 2002 Kobe that would cause you to take the 2002 Kobe/??? pair over 1991 Jordan/Pippen for a single postseason? Assume 2002 officiating/coaching.

I had to pick someone historically ranked behind Shaq as a player. But I also wanted someone that could exploit the 91 Bulls' weakest link which was Bill Cartwright.

I went with 90-91 David Robinson. GOAT tier shotblocking/help defense. FAR too explosive for any Bulls C off the dribble, and Horace was too small to guard him.

And before anyone brings up the simplistic "oh he and SA got upset by GS", that was one of the rare moments in the 90s where he didn't falter individually in the playoffs. He almost never missed from the floor vs GS. His squad was just outgunned by Run TMC.

I'd have to re-check, but the Spurs gave the 1st 3peat Bulls some issues in their few meetings chiefly because of the Admiral. It'd be scary to think of how much more dominant he could be defensively without the expectation of delivering 25+ppg as a go to option.

As the world saw with Duncan's arrival, Robinson had no problem deferring to another superstar on offense