RealGM

Who was better?

Barkley: 6 games, 46.2 minutes per game, .476 FG%, .250 3PT%, .750 FT%, 27.3 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocks, 1.7 turnovers

Kemp: 6 games, 40.3 minutes per game, .551 FG%, .857 FT%, 23.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.0 blocks, 4.0 turnovers

Horace Grant against Barkley: 8.8 FGA, .528 FG%, 3.2 FTA, 11.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists

Dennis Rodman against Kemp: 5.8 FGA, .486 FGA%, 3.2 FTA, 7.5 points, 14.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists

maybe i'm underrating kemp but barkley's creation and lower turnovers seem too much to overcome for kemp without kemp being an elite defender. also, hard to feel the bulls really went all out when they were down 3-0 while the suns series was competitive throughout.

f4p wrote:also, hard to feel the bulls really went all out when they were down 3-0 while the suns series was competitive throughout.

Suns; Sonics
After G1: down 1; down 1
After G2: down 2; down 2
After G3: down 1; down 3
After G4: down 2; down 2
After G5: down 1; down 1
After G6: defeated; defeated

Does that single point of greater deficit really affect the average level of competitiveness of the Bulls?

To be honest I'd be surprised if any team tried less in an NBA finals game on the basis they thought it was in the bag.

Owly wrote:

f4p wrote:also, hard to feel the bulls really went all out when they were down 3-0 while the suns series was competitive throughout.

Suns; Sonics
After G1: down 1; down 1
After G2: down 2; down 2
After G3: down 1; down 3
After G4: down 2; down 2
After G5: down 1; down 1
After G6: defeated; defeated

Does that single point of greater deficit really affect the average level of competitiveness of the Bulls?

To be honest I'd be surprised if any team tried less in an NBA finals game on the basis they thought it was in the bag.

well i would say the 2020 lakers didn't try very hard the entire finals until jimmy butler put the fear of god in them in game 5, then the lakers dropped the hammer. i can't say if the bulls did, but 3-0 is pretty uniquely "in the bag" throughout NBA history as no team has ever come back before, so it certainly seems possible the 72-10, 14-1 in the playoffs bulls started to taste the champagne and feel invincible and the 64 win sonics reminded them that they weren't.

Barkley easily. Kemp wasn't in the same tier as a player. Also Horace Grant was a much better offensive player than Rodman so this comparison doesn't really add much.