Bill Simmons: "96 Bulls are not a top-10 All-time and are worse than the '01 Lakers"

this is what happened to Shaq when he crossed paths with MJ

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8g40udNBfM[/url]

I know he wasn't in his prime but MJ would still posterize his ass all night long...

[B][I][U]Bill Simmons: Yes. Emphatically. I think they won the most games ever. I would not have them in the top-10. You're telling me they could have beaten the 2001 Lakers in a series? Or the '86 Celtics? Or the '85 Lakers? or the '83 Sixers? Gimme a break.
[/U][/I][/B]
uh ...what...WTF Stupid, stupid thing to say. Truly. I am no Bulls fan but damn anyone who has been alive long enough to see the last couple of decades plus of basketball should no better. 96 Bulls are the top of the heap as far as championship teams go.

[QUOTE=teflon don][url]http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=16169[/url]

Wow. Just wow.

But seriously, is there anything more enjoyable than seeing a critically-acclaimed sports writer lose all bodily credibly in just one sentence. Wow.

Let's get this future 10-page thread started.[/QUOTE]


Bill's on crack thats why ;)

[QUOTE=IBLEEDGREEN43]they are a top 10 team of all time, but the 1986 celtics were better and always will be the greatest NBA team ever esembled..[/QUOTE]
ummmm, no. no they are not.

Well hell, you could also make an arguement that the 2001 Lakers would beat the 80s Celtics or Lakers too.

Or the 1990 Pistons could also have taken both.

But here come the Bird/Magic "apologists" now I guess.

My personal feeling is in a 7 game series defense > offense just about every single time.

The Bulls went 72-10. How can they not be in the top 10?

[QUOTE=LMFAO]ummmm, no. no they are not.[/QUOTE]


name a team with a better roster than

bird
parrish
mchale
walton
dennis johnson

good luck

[QUOTE=IBLEEDGREEN43]name a team with a better roster than

bird
parrish
mchale
walton
dennis johnson

good luck[/QUOTE]
jordan/pippen/rodman and any 2 random nba players

[QUOTE=-primetime-]jordan/pippen/rodman and any 2 random nba players[/QUOTE]

bird/mchale/parrish is better than jordan, pippen, rodman... jordans the greatest of all time, but as far as im concerned.. rodman is no where near parrish, and pippen wasnt better than mchale.. no way

[QUOTE=-primetime-]jordan/pippen/rodman and any 2 random nba players[/QUOTE]

lmao! So true.

[QUOTE=ConanRulesNBC]lmao! So true.[/QUOTE]


as far as hall of famers, and talent

bird
walton
mchale
parrish
ainge
johnson

is better than any bulls team, ever.. its pretty simple to see..

jordan > bird
Pippen >= Mchale
Rodman < than Parish but >>rebounder, defender which is all he needed to do.

Edge goes to Celts for talent overall , but 96 Bulls combined better as a team IMO

[QUOTE]Prime-Shaq led Championship team that went 15-1 in a VERY tough western conference finals... [/QUOTE]

Chicago went through a better East and then played a real team in the finals to boot. The NBA's decline may have started around 96 but it went into full steam ahead in 99 and has gotten worse with each passing year to the point where the league is pretty much a joke.

[QUOTE=-primetime-]jordan/pippen/rodman and any 2 random nba players[/QUOTE]
This is one of the worst posts I've seen in a long time.

The Lakers second best player was Kareem!. They would definitely account for the Bulls. So would Bird & company.

[QUOTE=sydneyking]This is one of the worst posts I've seen in a long time.

The Lakers second best player was Kareem!. They would definitely account for the Bulls. So would Bird & company.[/QUOTE]
Jordan would have dunked all over kareem just like he did with shaq...

do I really need to bring everyone back to reality with a bunch of MJ footage?

you don't think Rodman could handle Kareem as well as anyone else could?...yeah that hook shot was great and all but you have a defensive MVP in Jordan and a great defender in Rodman...I am sorry but the 96 Bulls could hang with the best of them....ALL OF THEM...

I am sick of people trying to act as though they have great basketball knowledge in saying that other teams could have stomped the 90s Bulls...it simply is not the truth...

[QUOTE=-primetime-]Jordan would have dunked all over kareem just like he did with shaq...

do I really need to bring everyone back to reality with a bunch of MJ footage?

you don't think Rodman could handle Kareem as well as anyone else could?...yeah that hook shot was great and all but you have a defensive MVP in Jordan and a great defender in Rodman...I am sorry but the 96 Bulls could hang with the best of them....ALL OF THEM...

I am sick of people trying to act as though they have great basketball knowledge in saying that other teams could have stomped the 90s Bulls...it simply is not the truth...[/QUOTE]

the 90's bulls.. would literally be like the 2007 cavs in the finals, against the 86 celtics.... all one player getting the team by.. especially against a team like boston in the 86' season..

the bulls simply wouldnt be able to match up with the 86 celtics.. with jordan scoring alot.. like lebron right now, and pippen being like drew gooden or big Z.. the rest of the team is blahhhhhhhhh and the 86 celtics were fine tuned like the current spurs team..

celtics would win easy..

it would be like.. jordan may score alott.. we could go down low to.... against mchale.. and we have a scoring presence... uh... against parrish... and we have a great player... uh.. to match up with bird.. while a number of players we could throw at jordan...

I respect you opinion, but the Celts have no one to guard a smart efficient Jordan, nor the versatile Pippen. Likewise the celts had a very finely tuned offense with 3 or 4 great options. It would be pretty close

[QUOTE=Lebron23]Kobe will no longer win any championship rings unless he played as a role player in some future powerhouse team in the NBA. Maybe a sidekick of OJ Mayo, Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley once the LA LAKERS became a lottery team next season.[/QUOTE]

?????????

Kobe will be better than them for the next 5 years, in which he probably will age and slow down.

[QUOTE=IBLEEDGREEN43]the 90's bulls.. would literally be like the 2007 cavs in the finals, against the 86 celtics.... all one player getting the team by.. especially against a team like boston in the 86' season..

the bulls simply wouldnt be able to match up with the 86 celtics.. with jordan scoring alot.. like lebron right now, and pippen being like drew gooden or big Z.. the rest of the team is blahhhhhhhhh and the 86 celtics were fine tuned like the current spurs team..

celtics would win easy..

it would be like.. jordan may score alott.. we could go down low to.... against mchale.. and we have a scoring presence... uh... against parrish... and we have a great player... uh.. to match up with bird.. while a number of players we could throw at jordan...[/QUOTE]

did you really just compare the 96 Bulls to the FU-CKIN CAVS???

I am done with your homerism

[QUOTE=-primetime-]did you really just compare the 96 Bulls to the FU-CKIN CAVS???

I am done with your homerism[/QUOTE]


no, i am not comparing the two teams.. the bulls vs the celtics matchup.. is like the current nba finals matchup.. with boston being the spurs.. and chicago being cleveland

[QUOTE=G-train]I respect you opinion, but the Celts have no one to guard a smart efficient Jordan, nor the versatile Pippen. Likewise the celts had a very finely tuned offense with 3 or 4 great options. It would be pretty close[/QUOTE]

yeah, the frontline of the celtics would overtake the bulls mediocre forwards, though

One thing that cannot be denied is that Simmons flat-out can write.

[QUOTE=IBLEEDGREEN43]no, i am not comparing the two teams.. the bulls vs the celtics matchup.. is like the current nba finals matchup.. with boston being the spurs.. and chicago being cleveland[/QUOTE]
I really do believe you have green blood now...

[QUOTE=-primetime-]I really do believe you have green blood now...[/QUOTE]

my point is.. the only matchup advantage would be jordan against the celtics.. thats it.. nothing else.. so.. if jordan played really, really, really good.. the bulls would have a chance.. aka lebrons cavs in the finals... the celtics own the bulls, as far as matchups..

and yes, i do bleed green.. all day, every day

[QUOTE=IBLEEDGREEN43]yeah, the frontline of the celtics would overtake the bulls mediocre forwards, though[/QUOTE]

break that down

Pippen would guard Bird
Rodman would guard Mchale
Longley on Parish

Parish would score on Longley, to the tune of at least 20 per.

But otherwise I dont see a takeover, but a slight edge

You have to understand who wrote this, it's like understanding the loyalty of posters on ish--then you understand the agendas. Simmons is obviously emotionally invested in the '86 Celtics, and despite him being a Jordan fan, he's going to try and protect that '86 team's place in history. I think his heart may be trumping his brain in this instance. He's not an unbiased observer here.

[QUOTE=G-train]break that down

Pippen would guard Bird
Rodman would guard Mchale
Longley on Parish

Parish would score on Longley, to the tune of at least 20 per.

But otherwise I dont see a takeover, but a slight edge[/QUOTE]

mchale would shotfake rodman to the ground... and bird would score over pippen..

and walton comes off the bench, he won 6 man in 1986..

dennis johnson was awesome, too

[QUOTE=IBLEEDGREEN43] if jordan played really, really, really good.. the bulls would have a chance..[/QUOTE]
ok...

I don't think that would be a problem

the odds that Jordan would play really, really, really, good are 100%

now if you added a fourth "really" then i don't know...

this is what jordan would do to Bird and Parish...

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bFDwd68-DA[/url]

[QUOTE=IBLEEDGREEN43]mchale would shotfake rodman to the ground... and bird would score over pippen..

and walton comes off the bench, he won 6 man in 1986..

dennis johnson was awesome, too[/QUOTE]

dude, Rodman doesnt jump for fakes. thats one reason he was multiple DPOY and considered one of the greatest defenders ever.

Walton came off the bench for Mchale or Parish, so Rodman would guard one. Longley was a sound defender as well - he would get beaten by these guys but not abused

the comment made was that the frontline would overwelm the bulls, so DJ is irrelevant right now

[QUOTE=-primetime-]ok...

I don't think that would be a problem

the odds that Jordan would play really, really, really, good are 100%

now if you added a fourth "really" then i don't know...[/QUOTE]

jordan of the 90's.. couldnt beat the 86 celtics by himself, and every other matchup is won by boston.. so why dont you think about that..

im not even being a serious boston fan in this thread..

just look at the matchups.. jordan couldnt do it alone, and every position, other than jordan on whoever, is owned by boston.. even the great scottie pippen.. isnt better than kevin mchale... :bowdown:

[QUOTE=-primetime-]this is what jordan would do to Bird and Parish...

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bFDwd68-DA[/url][/QUOTE]

yeah, too bad bird got his shot off, whenever.. on whoever, at any time.. he even told defenders what he was going to do.. it wouldnt matter if it was jordan.. he wouldnt be intimidated by jordan, at all

its larry bird.

[QUOTE=IBLEEDGREEN43]
jordan couldnt do it alone,[/QUOTE]
disagree
[QUOTE=IBLEEDGREEN43]even the great scottie pippen.. isnt better than kevin mchale...[/QUOTE]
disagree

you need to do some reasearch on what pippen did the two years that MJ was gone...

[QUOTE=IBLEEDGREEN43]yeah, too bad [B]jordan[/B] got his shot off, whenever.. on whoever, at any time.. he even told defenders what he was going to do.. it wouldnt matter if it was the [B]celtics[/B].. he wouldnt be intimidated by [B]bird[/B], at all

its [B]Jordan[/B].[/QUOTE]
fixed

[QUOTE=-primetime-]disagree

disagree

you need to do some reasearch on what pippen did the two years that MJ was gone...[/QUOTE]

whether jordan was there or not, you still think he was a better player than kevin mchale.. i consider kevin mchale a top 5 power forward of all time, i dont consider scottie pippen anything except a good player who won titles next to a great player.

[QUOTE=IBLEEDGREEN43]whether jordan was there or not, you still think he was a better player than kevin mchale.. i consider kevin mchale a top 5 power forward of all time, i dont consider scottie pippen anything except a good player who won titles next to a great player.[/QUOTE]


[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottie_Pippen#Pippen_without_Jordan[/url]

[I]Michael Jordan unexpectedly retired in 1993, and the 1994 season marked Pippen's stepping out from Jordan's shadow and he performed as one of the best players in the league. That year, he earned All-Star Game MVP honors. He had perhaps his best season, leading the Bulls in scoring, assists, and the entire league in steals, averaging 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.9 steals, 0.9 three-pointers, and 0.8 blocks per game, while shooting 49.1% from the field and a career-best 32% from the three-point line. For his efforts, he earned the first of three straight All-NBA First Team nods, and finished third in the MVP voting. The Bulls finished the season with 55 wins, only two less than their previous championship year with Jordan still on the team.[/I]

[QUOTE=-primetime-]fixed[/QUOTE]


believe it or not.. if i had to pick a player, on getting shots off.. i'd take bird in a heartbeart..

[QUOTE=-primetime-][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottie_Pippen#Pippen_without_Jordan[/url]

[I]Michael Jordan unexpectedly retired in 1993, and the 1994 season marked Pippen's stepping out from Jordan's shadow and he performed as one of the best players in the league. That year, he earned All-Star Game MVP honors. He had perhaps his best season, leading the Bulls in scoring, assists, and the entire league in steals, averaging 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.9 steals, 0.9 three-pointers, and 0.8 blocks per game, while shooting 49.1% from the field and a career-best 32% from the three-point line. For his efforts, he earned the first of three straight All-NBA First Team nods, and finished third in the MVP voting. The Bulls finished the season with 55 wins, only two less than their previous championship year with Jordan still on the team.[/I][/QUOTE]

thats pretty cool, it doesnt mean anything to me... mchale was better

its not about having better individual talents

Why did the Bulls win 72 games?

Defense. the bulls smothered teams into oblivion

1-5

Harper - Great onball defender with long arms and a high bball IQ and would contain DJ, he certainly wouldnt be flogged by DJ.
Jordan - regarded as the greatest defensive guard ever (certainly top 3)
Pippen - regarded as the greatest defensive small forward ever
Rodman -regarded as one of the top 5 defensive power forwards
Longley - A sound defensive center

The celts had a lot of offensive talent, but as a defensive unit, plus the scoring of Jordan and Pippen and the triangle offence running well, its a very close series

[QUOTE=-primetime-]you don't think Rodman could handle Kareem as well as anyone else could?.[/QUOTE]
:roll: :roll:

*throws up*