The 1992-93 Chicago Bulls DID coast in the regular season so I would definitely say their playoff dominance gives a better and more accurate indication of the quality of the team.
First of all, the Dream Team practices and the Americas qualifying tournament kicked off just a week or two after the finals and the Olympics would continue until 10th Aug so their two best players did not get as much time off in the off-season as they normally would have. This applies to a number of Dream Teamers including Karl Malone, John Stockton and Patrick Ewing as well.
BARCELONA BRUISES
This is not to suggest that a telethon is in order, but it has come to pass that a few of the Olympic Dream Teamers—remember them?—were adversely affected by their extended season. Not all of them. Certainly not the scourge of Angola.Charles Barkley, who is having a potential MVP year with the Suns.
But consider a few of the other Dream Teamers: The Blazers'Clyde Drexler underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Sept. 18 and has been slowed ever since (he has missed nine games). He says the surgery might not have been necessary if he had stayed home from Barcelona to rehabilitate the knee, which had bothered him much of last season. Knick center Patrick Ewing got off to a slow start—he didn't block a shot until the sixth game of the season—mostly because he did not have enough time between the end of the Olympics on Aug. 9 and the start of training camp on Oct. 9 to rest the left ankle that he had sprained badly in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals against the Bulls. And both of the Bulls' Olympians, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, have complained this season of physical and mental fatigue. "Even with all the pressure I would've taken [for not playing]," says Jordan, "I wouldn't have played if I knew then what I know now." Neither Bull is having a bad season—Jordan leads the league, after all, with a 32.2-point average, and Pippen leads the Bulls in assists (6.8) and is second in rebounding (8.0) and scoring (18.8)—but both have been more inconsistent than usual. In consecutive losses last week to the Lakers and the Cavs, Jordan shot a combined three for 17 in the fourth quarter. That sounds suspiciously like fatigue.
The Dream Teamers should not expect many sympathy cards. "From what I heard they did over there," says one general manager, "I had a tougher summer dealing with agents and mowing my lawn." That attitude is understandable.
But so is the fatigue. Even the Jazz's Karl Malone, the lone Dream Teamer so far to volunteer for duty in the '96 Olympic crusade, says he feels the effects of what amounted to a 10-month season.
"I don't expect anyone to feel bad for us," says Malone, "but that doesn't mean it's not a factor."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/ ... /index.htmAs a result of fatigue, the Bulls also did not use their vaunted pressure defense as much during the regular season.
But consider that Jackson's Bulls are heading for a third straight title not long after it was generally agreed it was too hard to keep a team motivated in this big-money era to win twice. Riley and Daly accomplished that and never got credit until they left.
But consider, also, that the Bulls remain the team to beat in the NBA with only about a quarter of the season left and that this is what Jackson has had to deal with:
U.S. Olympic Dream Teamers Jordan and Pippen are tired after a short summer, so Jackson has had to curtail the team's pressure defense. If the Bulls do win, it will be because they had the energy left to play that defense in the playoffs.
Jackson has had two-fifths of his starting lineup-Bill Cartwright and John Paxson-out much of the season with injuries. He had starters doubting B.J. Armstrong could play starting point guard. He has had all three backup centers asking for trades at one time or another. He has had Pippen asking to go on the injured list because of a painful ankle and Horace Grant laboring in silence with knee problems. He has had injuries and ineffective play from his key off-season acquisition, Rodney McCray. He has had Jordan, despite excellent play, openly wishing the regular season were over and looking forward to the playoffs.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993 ... il-jacksonAs you can see above, they also had injuries to deal with and a few chemistry issues early on as well since it was rumored the starters felt Armstrong was too selfish however most of these concerns were dealt with come playoff time. Horace Grant also complained this year (money and spotlight was an issue) as Jordan and Pippen had practices off and he felt they received preferential treatment that he deserved as well. But come playoff time, they were able to put their differences aside and work as a team.
Last but not least, Jordan himself admitted the regular season was boring and they were anxious to get to the playoffs.
Rome News-Tribune - Apr 30, 1993
We're anxious to get the playoffs going; the regular season has been a boring scenario," Jordan said after Thusday's practice."
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0u ... oing&hl=enSome quotes by the rest of the team giving credence to this theory:
The Bulls have no hesitation admitting that, in many ways, they have merely been biding their time this season, waiting for the playoffs to begin.
"Phil has done a job trying to motivate us during the regular season," Scott Williams says frankly, "but we know that the only thing that really matters to us is a third championship ring."
Jackson says that more than anything, cold, hard reality dictated the course of this season.
"Last season had a different energy altogether because we were healthy except for Bill (Cartwright) breaking his hand early in the season," he says. "We were right there and raring to go and so all our energy toward the games was there. But this year we realized, hey, we might have to take second or third place because we have guys who can't physically make it through the season. We were willing to take that chance and have some time to allow guys to rejuvenate their bodies.
"We anticipated we would come together in April and hopefully make a run to get ourselves together again so we could go into the playoffs with momentum. That's what's important."
If it has made this season less "fun," as Scottie Pippen suggests, then so be it. "Last season was a lot of fun because we had the challenge of trying to win 70 games, everyone stayed healthy and we were going for our second championship," Pippen says. "This year it hasn't been as much fun for us during the regular season because we've had guys banged up and it's been a long three years and a tough season for us, so the playoffs are something we've really been looking forward to."
Paxson agrees: "That's been kind of our attitude all year long. And I don't want that to sound like we've gone through the season not caring, because we have. But it's been hard for us to circle big games on our schedule, and it's not tough for other teams to find big games. And, of course, we're a big game for everyone."
Williams, for one, isn't worried. "This is the most focused team I've ever been on when it comes to competitive nature and when we have something we really have to play for," he says.
And while the Bulls may not possess the same ability to "turn it on" that characterized the '91-92 team during the regular season, Pippen says fatigue should not interfere with playing solid basketball.
"The enthusiasm of the playoffs brings a lot of energy in itself, so I can't see that as a problem," he says. "Normally, you can always get yourself going."
At the same time, the Bulls are quick to caution against expecting anything different from last year's playoffs, which were agonizing to watch, with 22 games needed for the title, and no picnic to play.
"We made it look too easy the first time around," says Paxson. "It's a grind."
"That first year was an unbelievable run that couldn't have been written any better," says B.J. Armstrong. "The unfortunate part is that after that, everyone expected us to always do that well and measured us by that standard of excellence. But realistically, last year was what playoff basketball is all about."
Now they face it all over again. The challenge by ripe newcomers, the determination by stubborn contenders, the uncertainty of it all.
"The regular season is a race, a great race," says Jackson, "but when you come down to the end of the year, it's a sprint and you just have to make it through. Everything boils down to two weeks of motivation, 10 days to start off, then the next two weeks, then two more weeks, then two more weeks and you keep building up to this crescendo. Is it going to be over or not? Can we sustain it? And will we be the last one left standing?"
It is all waiting to be played out, to be written, catalogued and documented. Jordan can hardly wait.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993 ... hip-team/2Due to the above, I'd be reluctant to be overly critical of the regular season Jordan and the Bulls had. In such a year, I'd certainly weigh their playoff performance more heavily than I normally would especially considering the fact they coasted didn't come to bite them later on. I have also talked about how several teams after logging in 2-3 deep postseason/championship runs wore down (1991 Pistons, 1993 Blazers, 1996 Rockets, 1999 Jazz, 2003 Lakers ect) due to a variety of reasons (though there's obviously exceptions as well) so that in a way makes the Bulls accomplishments this year even more impressive to me.
