Top 5 playoff runs that you watched live.

[Breezy]

Everyone knows the players from the 60's 70's and 80's Had wicked playoff runs and were no doubt dominant. I'm 30 and I assume I'm on the older side of posters here so there is a good chance that only a small number of us were even watching magic and bird live, Let alone Wilt and Russel.

So what I want is the top 5 "Damn that guy's good" runs that you witnessed and were glued to your tv watching to see how they would play next. Justify it however you want. (And by the way if you did see those older players play live by all means tell us about it!)

1. Dirk 2011 - Just couldn't miss a shot when it counted, That WCF!!! Game comeback, playing while sick. It really just seemed like he went into another gear and just chewed up and spit out all stars and hall of famers.... Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Russel Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Chris Bosh... All Brushed aside by Dirk. It was incredible.

2. Jordan 1993 - In the back of my mind I assumed he would start fading in third go around. And it seemed like it might be the end after those first 2 games in New York but it after that it was like someone poured rocket fuel in his gatorade. And that finals... Holy crap that was insane. Im acutually surprised he only averaged 41 ppg in that finals. It seemed like he was gonna hit 50.

3. Lebron 2009. I know he didn't win which knocks him down a peg, but they swept the first 2 round with Lebron going bonkers in what seemed like every game. and for all the criticism he gets. He's not the reason they lost. Dear lord that ECF was insane.

4. Iverson 2001 - My main memory of this is the second round against Vince. 2 50 point games in the same series was crazy and then the first game against the lakers made my brain melt.

5. Duncan 2003 - This is a bit of an outlier because Nothing Timmy did was exciting per se but every game I would watch and it was just like "Damn, Timmy doing work", "There's another 30/15/5 and nothing anyone does changes that." He was like a slow moving wrecking ball making his way to a ring.

[no pun intended]

Everyone knows the players from the 60's 70's and 80's Had wicked playoff runs and were no doubt dominant. I'm 30 and I assume I'm on the older side of posters here so there is a good chance that only a small number of us were even watching magic and bird live, Let alone Wilt and Russel.

So what I want is the top 5 "Damn that guy's good" runs that you witnessed and were glued to your tv watching to see how they would play next. Justify it however you want. (And by the way if you did see those older players play live by all means tell us about it!)

1. Dirk 2011 - Just couldn't miss a shot when it counted, That WCF!!! Game comeback, playing while sick. It really just seemed like he went into another gear and just chewed up and spit out all stars and hall of famers.... Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Russel Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Chris Bosh... All Brushed aside by Dirk. It was incredible.

2. Jordan 1993 - In the back of my mind I assumed he would start fading in third go around. And it seemed like it might be the end after those first 2 games in New York but it after that it was like someone poured rocket fuel in his gatorade. And that finals... Holy crap that was insane. Im acutually surprised he only averaged 41 ppg in that finals. It seemed like he was gonna hit 50.

3. Lebron 2009. I know he didn't win which knocks him down a peg, but they swept the first 2 round with Lebron going bonkers in what seemed like every game. and for all the criticism he gets. He's not the reason they lost. Dear lord that ECF was insane.

4. Iverson 2001 - My main memory of this is the second round against Vince. 2 50 point games in the same series was crazy and then the first game against the lakers made my brain melt.

5. Duncan 2003 - This is a bit of an outlier because Nothing Timmy did was exciting per se but every game I would watch and it was just like "Damn, Timmy doing work", "There's another 30/15/5 and nothing anyone does changes that." He was like a slow moving wrecking ball making his way to a ring.
No one on that team has ever won an NBA championship before then. Very underrated run thanks to the media focusing on the Heat's failure rather than the Mavericks' success. But yeah, Dirk was a god.

[JohnFreeman]

1. Wade 2010
2. C Webb 2001
3. LeBron 2012
4. Iverson 2001
5. Duncan 2003

[MMM]

1. Wade 2009
2. C Webb 2001
3. LeBron 2012
4. Iverson 2001
5. Duncan 2003

didn't they lose in the first round that year??? because T-Mac would deserve some mention. He would have consistently have crazy 1st rounds but wasn't able to advance.

[Breezy]

didn't they lose in the first round that year??? because T-Mac would deserve some mention. He would have consistently have crazy 1st rounds but wasn't able to advance.

The only rule is it had to make you go :bowdown:

Obviously more people will :bowdown: to deeper runs and title wins but if a first round series was the most impressive thing you saw then list it!

[ImKobe]

1) MJ 1998 - it's not his best run, but the last one and the one I saw, that Finals series has been my favorite for over 15 years now...MJ takes the cake here
2) Shaq 2001 - Swept through the entire Western Conference that included the Spurs and Kings, 15-1 overall record, just dominant
3) Duncan 2003 - He carried an entire team to a championship, very dominant Finals series
4) Dirk 2011 - sweeping the defending champs, crushing the big 3, beast.
5) Kobe 2009 - averaged 30 5 5 with almost 2 steals against the Western Conference in the playoffs with great efficiency, very dominant WCF and a dominant Finals, have to include this one, my personal favorite.

[JohnFreeman]

didn't they lose in the first round that year??? because T-Mac would deserve some mention. He would have consistently have crazy 1st rounds but wasn't able to advance.

Yeah i mean't 2010 sorry. I really enjoyed watching that first round against the Celtics.

33.2 ppg .564 FG% 5.6 RPG 6.8 APG.

My list isn't really in an order

[pauk]

Michael Jordan 1993
Lebron James 2012
Lebron James 2009
Dirk Nowitzki 2011
Reggie Miller 1995 (clutchness & drama galore)

[sejoon101]

In recent memory.. Seriously Dirk. I never followed the Mavs before, and far from a fan, but I hated the Heat so much, I bet $5000 per game every game of the NBA finals that year. The results? I follow the Mavs now, and my pockets got fat like Trina ass.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk158/sejoon101/1-butt-bouncing-cup-cute-girl-gifs.gif (http://s279.photobucket.com/user/sejoon101/media/1-butt-bouncing-cup-cute-girl-gifs.gif.html)

[JohnFreeman]

In recent memory.. Seriously Dirk. I never followed the Mavs before, and far from a fan, but I hated the Heat so much, I bet $5000 per game every game of the NBA finals that year. The results? I follow the Mavs now, and my pockets got fat like Trina ass.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk158/sejoon101/1-butt-bouncing-cup-cute-girl-gifs.gif (http://s279.photobucket.com/user/sejoon101/media/1-butt-bouncing-cup-cute-girl-gifs.gif.html)

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/125/cherrymoonprince.gif

[Stringer Bell]

Jordan- 91
Duncan- 03
Olajuwon- 95
Shaq- 01
Lebron- 12


You could probably put a couple more for Jordan and Shaq, or 94' for Olajuwon, but I figured I'd put just one for each player.

[havoc33]

These are the most memorable playoffs runs to me that I saw live, though not necessarily the best:

1) Jordan 1998 (Not his best playoffs, but as we all sort of knew it was the last hurrah, every game was especially precious that year. For me being able to watch it live made it that much more special as well of course).
2) Kobe 2001 (for the first three rounds of the 2001 Playoffs, Kobe was the MVP of the league. I'll never forget those back to back games vs the Kings and Spurs)
3) Kobe 2009 (played at a very high level throughout, finally got his first ring sans Shaq, which made it a special one)
4) Pippen 1997 (clutch all playoffs, with gamewinner against Washington, steal&assist to Kukoc to clinch the title. Proved yet again he was the best allround player in basketball, and prompted Stockton to say after the defeat that the most difficult thing about facing the Bulls was not Jordan, but Pippen due to his disruptive nature on defense)
5) Pippen 1998 (probably the only wing player throughout history that I've seen that could totally dominate an ECF game with only scoring 4 pts, as he did against the Pacers that year. A defensive juggernaut)

[JebronLames]

Lebron 2012
Lebron 2013
Lebron 2009
Lebron 2007
Lebron 2008

:cheers:

[longhornfan1234]

1. '06 Wade - 28/5/5 playoff run. 26/61 FG% in ECF, 34/ 47 FG% in finals.

2. 2003 Duncan

3. '01 Shaq

4. '12 LeBron

5. '11 Dirk

[JohnFreeman]

Lebron 2012
Lebron 2013
Lebron 2009
Lebron 2007
Lebron 2008

:cheers:

LeBron was so sick against Detroit. Orlando was incredible as well.

[Magic 32]

Lebron 2012
Lebron 2013
Lebron 2009
Lebron 2007
Lebron 2008

:cheers:

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8j1s8Itzr1qbo1a5.gif

http://s2.postimg.org/oaerk96ih/Nyt_billede.jpg

[JebronLames]

Lebron 2012
Lebron 2013
Lebron 2009
Lebron 2007
Lebron 2008

:cheers:

Okay. Real list.

Dirk 2011
Lebron 2012
Lebron 2013
Kobe 2009
Lebron 2009

[JohnFreeman]

Okay. Real list.

Dirk 2011
Lebron 2012
Lebron 2013
Kobe 2009
Lebron 2009

Probably Kobe's best playoffs run. Gasol averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds as well. Just a shame Cavaliers didn't make it instead of Orlando.

[SilkkTheShocker]

LeBron 2012 - didnt have a bad game all postseason. Even when his jumper was off he still dominated the game with playmaking. Guy was a machine that wasnt going to lose that year

[JebronLames]

Probably Kobe's best playoffs run. Gasol averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds as well. Just a shame Cavaliers didn't make it instead of Orlando.

Yeah, the magic shooting threes over expectation, and also mo Williams and big z doing bad killed the cavs. That was the season I became a lebron fan.

[JohnFreeman]

LeBron 2012 - didnt have a bad game all postseason. Even when his jumper was off he still dominated the game with playmaking. Guy was a machine that wasnt going to lose that year

Yeah he was a beast. I think the Indiana series was the most impressive, especially when Bosh went down.

[Fresh Kid]

1. 1994 knicks

2. 1998 bulls

3. 1999 knicks

4. 2001 sixers

5. 2009 lakers

[Fresh Kid]

Yeah, the magic shooting threes over expectation, and also mo Williams and big z doing bad killed the cavs. That was the season I became a lebron fan.
dont forget tha choking by queen james:no: :lol

[Fresh Kid]

LeBron 2012 - didnt have a bad game all postseason. Even when his jumper was off he still dominated the game with playmaking. Guy was a machine that wasnt going to lose that year
yea thanx to tha paid refs:applause:

[Magic 32]

Probably Kobe's best playoffs run. Gasol averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds as well.

I think 2008 was better.

Too bad he ran out of steam in the last 3 games.

That would have been a perfect season.

[JohnFreeman]

I think 2008 was better.

Too bad he ran out of steam in the last 3 games.

That would have been a perfect season.

Yeah individually 2008 was probably better. 2009 the team did step up.

[ImKobe]

I think 2008 was better.

Too bad he ran out of steam in the last 3 games.

That would have been a perfect season.

08 playoffs against Western Conference teams

31.9 ppg 6.1 reb 5.8 ast 1.3 stl 50,9% FG :bowdown:

[SilkkTheShocker]

Yeah he was a beast. I think the Indiana series was the most impressive, especially when Bosh went down.

Definitely. He went absolutely cold from the perimeter after Game 6 of the ECF and it still didn't hold him back. He got to the line, posted up, etc. Did whatever needed to be done to win. A lot of people forget that the Thunder were being pimped hard in those Finals to beat Miami.

[SilkkTheShocker]

08 playoffs against Western Conference teams

31.9 ppg 6.1 reb 5.8 ast 1.3 stl 50,9% FG :bowdown:

It's not that they didn't win the Finals that ruins it. It's the fact his team blew one of the biggest leads in Finals history in Game 4 and lost by 39 in game 6. That totally tainted the run imo. They were favored to win to for what it's worth.

[tmacattack33]

Everyone knows the players from the 60's 70's and 80's Had wicked playoff runs and were no doubt dominant. I'm 30 and I assume I'm on the older side of posters here so there is a good chance that only a small number of us were even watching magic and bird live, Let alone Wilt and Russel.

So what I want is the top 5 "Damn that guy's good" runs that you witnessed and were glued to your tv watching to see how they would play next. Justify it however you want. (And by the way if you did see those older players play live by all means tell us about it!)

1. Dirk 2011 - Just couldn't miss a shot when it counted, That WCF!!! Game comeback, playing while sick. It really just seemed like he went into another gear and just chewed up and spit out all stars and hall of famers.... Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Russel Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Chris Bosh... All Brushed aside by Dirk. It was incredible.

2. Jordan 1993 - In the back of my mind I assumed he would start fading in third go around. And it seemed like it might be the end after those first 2 games in New York but it after that it was like someone poured rocket fuel in his gatorade. And that finals... Holy crap that was insane. Im acutually surprised he only averaged 41 ppg in that finals. It seemed like he was gonna hit 50.

3. Lebron 2009. I know he didn't win which knocks him down a peg, but they swept the first 2 round with Lebron going bonkers in what seemed like every game. and for all the criticism he gets. He's not the reason they lost. Dear lord that ECF was insane.

4. Iverson 2001 - My main memory of this is the second round against Vince. 2 50 point games in the same series was crazy and then the first game against the lakers made my brain melt.

5. Duncan 2003 - This is a bit of an outlier because Nothing Timmy did was exciting per se but every game I would watch and it was just like "Damn, Timmy doing work", "There's another 30/15/5 and nothing anyone does changes that." He was like a slow moving wrecking ball making his way to a ring.

That is pretty similar to mine.

Dirk 2011 really does stand out...maybe because Dirk is not really GOAT worthy and just had a playoff run that was not expected at all.

1. Dirk 2011
2. Lebron 2012
3. Wade 2006
4. Iverson 2001
5. Shaq 2001


Now this is my most memorable, not necessarily the best.

Duncan 2003 would be on my BEST list. And multiple Shaq years might be too...but some of them aren't too memorable to me because they all blend together.

[clutchinho]

In terms of entertainment value nothing will beat 2011 Lebron

That was the only time in league history I can remember that every single basketball fan in the world(outside of Lebron dickriders) was rooting for the one team, and got what they wished for

[ImKobe]

It's not that they didn't win the Finals that ruins it. It's the fact his team blew one of the biggest leads in Finals history in Game 4 and lost by 39 in game 6. That totally tainted the run imo. They were favored to win to for what it's worth.

Well, Gasol was traded to LA mid-season and the team wasn't nearly as good as it was in 09. Bynum was injured and Ariza was a non-factor.

[K Xerxes]

Olajuwon 95
Jordan 93
Jordan 98
Duncan 03
James 12

Honestly could put all of Jordan's ones, but I stuck with the two. 93 for his flat out dominance signalling the end of the first 3 peat, 98 for the end of the dynasty. Those two were probably the most memorable for me.

I put Olajuwon 95 at the top due to the competition he faced and the dominance he was still able to exert. It was remarkable what he was able to do in that run.

Duncan 03 for the level of help he received. James 12 for the 'redemption' and his back against the wall performances against Indiana and Boston.

[JohnFreeman]

Definitely. He went absolutely cold from the perimeter after Game 6 of the ECF and it still didn't hold him back. He got to the line, posted up, etc. Did whatever needed to be done to win. A lot of people forget that the Thunder were being pimped hard in those Finals to beat Miami.

Yeah I was surprised at how many people were saying the Thunder were going to win. I think even Vegas had Thunder at higher odds. LeBron really did expose Ibaka and Perkins on their defense

[SilkkTheShocker]

Yeah I was surprised at how many people were saying the Thunder were going to win. I think even Vegas had Thunder at higher odds. LeBron really did expose Ibaka and Perkins on their defense

It was a bad matchup for OKC. Perkins was useless against a team like Miami. Him and Ibaka more than once got their defensive assignments messed up because of the confusion. Pretty shocked still Brooks didn't run with a more mobile lineup with Collision instead of Perk.

[JohnFreeman]

It was a bad matchup for OKC. Perkins was useless against a team like Miami. Him and Ibaka more than once got their defensive assignments messed up because of the confusion. Pretty shocked still Brooks didn't run with a more mobile lineup with Collision instead of Perk.

Not too sure what plays OKC has to be honest. Seem too just ISO and hope for the best.

[Odinn]

Chronologically;
2000 Shaq
2003 Duncan
2011 Nowitzki
2012 LeBron

There are 4 candidates for 5th spot.
2001 Shaq (I know '15-1' but he wasn't tested at all aside from just 1 series[the Finals])
2005 Duncan (he was just back from an injury which highly limited him)
2006 Nowitzki (due to his run against the WC)
2008 Kobe (same with, Dirk. due to his run against the WC)
2009 LeBron (his team was so weak so he could average some crazy numbers with crazy performances but kept him from getting any further)


The best one is debatable between 2000 Shaq and 2003 Duncan.

[Dagouch]

Knicks 92-95 Before I moved.

My highlight was the "Dunk" By Starks. Saw that Live. The Crowd was insane.

[PJR]

Wade 2006
LBJ 2012

Don't care about any others. :lol

[SilkkTheShocker]

Wade 2006
LBJ 2012

Don't care about any others. :lol

Wade in 06 is unreal. Shot over 60% against the Pistons defense in the ECF. Took a team of old Shaq and role players to the title.

[Deuce Bigalow]

1949 Mikan
1950 Mikan
1952 Mikan
1953 Mikan
1954 Mikan

Honorable mention: 1951 Mikan

[kurple]

In recent memory.. Seriously Dirk. I never followed the Mavs before, and far from a fan, but I hated the Heat so much, I bet $5000 per game every game of the NBA finals that year. The results? I follow the Mavs now, and my pockets got fat like Trina ass.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk158/sejoon101/1-butt-bouncing-cup-cute-girl-gifs.gif (http://s279.photobucket.com/user/sejoon101/media/1-butt-bouncing-cup-cute-girl-gifs.gif.html)
:applause: you are now my favorite poster

[SamuraiSWISH]

Ending w/ a championship:

Jordan 1993
Olajuwon 1995
James 2012
Olajuwon 1994
Jordan 1998

Though I could've littered this list with Jordan's first three championship runs from '91 - '93, I purposely only focused on the '93 run.

His '93 was impressive from all perspectives. Numbers, performances, competition faced. '98 due to his age, and sheer skill / will power. His '93, and '98 seasons the Bulls were underdogs believe it or not.

Honorable Mentions to Duncan '03, Wade '06, Shaq '00, Dirk's 2011, Kobe's 2009, Kobe's 2001.

Kobe definitely would've been on the top five list for his '08 if he lead the Lakers over the 2008 Celtics. That was a stacked opponent. He had an amazing run to the Finals until Gasol got bullied by Garnett and the entire defense was able to focus in on Mamba.

P.S. that big booty flippy cup GIF is AMAZING

[JUDGE WITNESS]

1. Lebron 1999
2. Lebron 2001
3. Kobe 2002
4. Lebron 2012
5. Lebron 2013

[magnax1]

Shaq 00/01
12 Lebron
AI 01
Kobe 09
Wade 06

[Black and White]

1. Lebron 1999
2. Lebron 2001
3. Kobe 2002
4. Lebron 2012
5. Lebron 2013

:biggums:

[moe94]

:biggums:

What's wrong with that? Those playoffs were god damn legendary. LeBron was so dominant, he was having multiple playoff runs while not being in the league. :pimp:

[Black and White]

For me, in no order:

2009 Kobe
2011 Dirk
2006 Wade
2000 Shaq
2013 LeBron

HM: Duncan 2003, 2009 LeBron

[TheMarkMadsen]

Lakers-01
Lakers-09
Lakers-10
Mavs-11

[Black and White]

What's wrong with that? Those playoffs were god damn legendary. LeBron was so dominant, he was having multiple playoff runs while not being in the league. :pimp:

Yea they were pretty good, I just can't remember them :pimp:

[Quizno]

i thought kobe's 2010 run was better than his 2009 run. similar numbers but the lakers had to go up against a really tough suns team in the WCF. in 6 games kobe put up 34 ppg on 52% shooting, 8.2 apg and 7.1 rpg and was hitting some RIDICULOUS clutch shots to put game 6 away. if kobe doesn't perform THAT well, there's no way the lakers move on. that series was tough

[TheMarkMadsen]

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm @ people putting Lebron 09..


I guess Jordan 88, 89, 90 get my vote if thats how we are voting on these things

[SilkkTheShocker]

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm @ people putting Lebron 09..


I guess Jordan 88, 89, 90 get my vote if thats how we are voting on these things

LeBron>>>>Kobe

Get mad :oldlol:

[JUDGE WITNESS]

What's wrong with that? Those playoffs were god damn legendary. LeBron was so dominant, he was having multiple playoff runs while not being in the league. :pimp:

at least somebody watches basketball

[ImKobe]

i thought kobe's 2010 run was better than his 2009 run. similar numbers but the lakers had to go up against a really tough suns team in the WCF. in 6 games kobe put up 34 ppg on 52% shooting, 8.2 apg and 7.1 rpg and was hitting some RIDICULOUS clutch shots to put game 6 away. if kobe doesn't perform THAT well, there's no way the lakers move on. that series was tough

He was great in the WCF but he had a hard time in the Finals, plus he got his knee drained...I can't put 2010 over 2009 because of that 6-24 Game 7. I just can't. He was more impressive in the 2009 Finals and he had a bigger impact on the team, 2010 Pau was almost equally dominant and it took both Pau and Artest to have great Game 7s for us to barely pull it out. Kobe just wasn't as good in 2010. Mileage, age, injuries. He wasn't as good. You also have to take into count that the Suns were not exactly a defensive juggernaut, they had no one to check Kobe. He simply outscored them in that series. 2010 WCF was equally impressive as 2009 WCF, but 2009 Finals he was much better.

[tpols]

00 Shaq because he was just unstoppable scoring the basketball.. just over and over taking hope out of any team.

11 Dirk.. Like Shaq in the clutch. You just knew the other team was losing if Dirk had the ball. Over and over scoring to build leads, not just in the flow of the game type scoring. The important kind was on full display whenever mavs needed a late bucket he got them it.

01 AI was probably the most exciting basketball player I've ever seen.. way he attacked defenses and generated momentum.

08 Kobe was probably the best most dominating Kobe ever until Boston...

03 Kidd.. Guy was putting up 24 pts 10 reb for whole series as a point guard. He was a threat to be a 20/10 big man numbers every single game with 8 or 9 dimes. Like a defensive version of Larry Bird.. Literally was doing everything on the court

[97 bulls]

1991 Michael Jordan
2001 Shaq O'Neal
1994 Hakeem Olajuwan
2012 LeBron James
1991 Scottie Pippen

[blood yes]

1. Lebron 1999
2. Lebron 2001
3. Kobe 2002
4. Lebron 2012
5. Lebron 2013
Agreed, LeBron was dominating at those middle school games, 60-20-30 with 18 blocks and 22 steals. Lets not forget a replaced rim every quarter:bowdown: :bowdown:

[Quizno]

He was great in the WCF but he had a hard time in the Finals, plus he got his knee drained...I can't put 2010 over 2009 because of that 6-24 Game 7. I just can't. He was more impressive in the 2009 Finals and he had a bigger impact on the team, 2010 Pau was almost equally dominant and it took both Pau and Artest to have great Game 7s for us to barely pull it out. Kobe just wasn't as good in 2010. Mileage, age, injuries. He wasn't as good. You also have to take into count that the Suns were not exactly a defensive juggernaut, they had no one to check Kobe. He simply outscored them in that series. 2010 WCF was equally impressive as 2009 WCF, but 2009 Finals he was much better.
nahh man pau wasn't close to being as dominant as kobe in the finals. pau had a pretty good finals but kobe was muchhhh better. you're trippin with saying pau had a great game 7....he was 6/16 for 19 points. and pau straight up did not show on the road. he scored 12 and 13 points in 2 of the 3 games on the road (he had 21 in the other one). lakers win game 5 if pau shows up for sure (kobe dropped 38). pau was pretty good in the finals but it's a joke saying pau was "almost equally dominant" no offense

[Mr. Incredible]

Jordan> everyone else

[SamuraiSWISH]

1991 Michael Jordan
2001 Shaq O'Neal
1994 Hakeem Olajuwan
2012 LeBron James
1991 Scottie Pippen
One of these doesn't belong.

[HoopsFanNumero1]

One of these doesn't belong.

Is it Jordan? We all know he was carried by Dirk, Magic, and Wade-caliber players.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Is it Jordan? We all know he was carried by Dirk, Magic, and Wade-caliber players.
:oldlol:

[moe94]

Is it Jordan? We all know he was carried by Dirk, Magic, and Wade-caliber players.

:roll:

[97 bulls]

One of these doesn't belong.
How so?

[SamuraiSWISH]

How so?
1991 MJ:

MVP, Finals MVP

2012 LeBron:

MVP, Finals MVP

1994 Hakeem:

MVP, Finals MVP

2001 Shaq > 1991 Pippen

How on earth could '91 Scottie Pippen be the fifth most dominant run through the playoffs, and Finals when he was clearly the second best player on his own team? Makes no sense.

Each one of those guys was the best player in the league, put up amazing performances, and memorable games. Pippen while one of the best supplemental players ever, didn't have games / performances like that in 1991. He wasn't Alpha.

Given context, I mean ... 2000 Shaq, 2001 Iverson, 2009 Kobe, 2010 Kobe. Hell, if we're going on sidekicks: 2001 Kobe, and 2002 Kobe are better than '91 Pippen. Possibly even 2012 D. Wade.

That's just 90's and beyond. Are we talking pre-1990 too? That's really the fifth most dominant run through the playoffs you've ever seen? No bias?

[Genaro]

Shaq 2000
Duncan 2003
Kobe 2008
Dirk 2011
Lebron 2012

[97 bulls]

1991 MJ:

MVP, Finals MVP

2012 LeBron:

MVP, Finals MVP

1994 Hakeem:

MVP, Finals MVP

2001 Shaq > 1991 Pippen

How on earth could '91 Scottie Pippen be the fifth most dominant run through the playoffs, and Finals when he was clearly the second best player on his own team? Makes no sense.

Each one of those guys was the best player in the league, put up amazing performances, and memorable games. Pippen while one of the best supplemental players ever, didn't have games / performances like that in 1991. He wasn't Alpha.

Given context, I mean ... 2000 Shaq, 2001 Iverson, 2009 Kobe, 2010 Kobe. Hell, if we're going on sidekicks: 2001 Kobe, and 2002 Kobe are better than '91 Pippen. Possibly even 2012 D. Wade.

That's just 90's and beyond. Are we talking pre-1990 too? That's really the fifth most dominant run through the playoffs you've ever seen? No bias?
Well.....

I look at both sides of the ball. Pippen avg 22/9/6 and be the best defender in the playoffs. Now let's consider games.

Pip had some monumental games while helping lead the Bulls past their bitter rival the Pistons and then beat the dynasty of the 80s in the Lakers.

The way I see it, the Bulls had three games that were their most important to winning that championship. The 91 Eastern finals game 3, the 91 NBA Finals game two, and obviously the closeout game 5 in LA. Pippen led the Bulls to wins in all three of these games.

In remember when the Bulls took that 2-0 lead vs Detroit. The bug question was how would they play the Pistons when they went on the road. I remember an interview with Isaiah Thomas in which he stated they still had to go to Detroit. Im sure the Pistons believed all they needed to do was win game three and based on past results, the Bulls would feel the pressure and be in a dog fight. Pippen came out and set the tone for the Bulls with his scoring. Every run the Pistons made was snuffed out by Pippen. Either by making a clutch shot, or a key defensive play. When Vinnie Johnson got hot and made three to four straight baskets, Jackson put Pippen on him and he was shut down. Do you remember this game? After game three, the Pistons spirit had clearly been broken and in game 4, they clearly gave up.

Then the Bulls moved to the Finals. The big question was how the baby Bulls would respond to playing on such a big stage for the first time vs Lakers who were chalked full of established vets who had been there. Then even more pressure was added when they lost game one at home. Then even more pressure was added when Jordan got into early foul trouble. Jackson put Pippen on Magic and he shut him down while scoring 20 pts and grabbing 10 rebounds. Magic himself said Pip gave him fits in that game. Just think what would've happened had the Bulls lost that game. Down 0-2 with three games in LA?


The final game was game 5 of the Finals. Pippen led the Bulls in scoring, and rebounds I believe. He had 32/13/7 with five steals. And once again set the tone in a close game when he scored 13 pts in the third quarter.

That run was monumental not only due to stats, but because what those key wins meant to the Bulls. Its snuffed out two Dynasties and ignited another.

Thats why I put so much stock in that run.