great Scottie Pippen interview about 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls

[QUOTE=1987_Lakers]Bill Walton wasn't playing for Boston when they played the Pistons in '87 and '88.

And Kevin McHale was dominating the Bad Boys Pistons frontcourt from '87 - '88.

[B]Kevin McHale vs Bad Boys Pistons[/B]
[U]'87 Season[/U]
1. 37 Points...12 Rebounds...60 FG%
2. 38 Points....14 Rebounds... 71 FG%
3. 22 Points...10 Rebounds... 50 FG%
4. 25 Points...10 Rebounds... 50 FG%

[U]'88 Season[/U]
1. 20 Points...9 Rebounds...67 FG%
2. 31 Points...7 Rebounds...69 FG%
3. 20 Points...3 Rebounds....53 FG%
4. 33 Points...11 Rebounds...62 FG%
5. 29 Points...11 Rebounds...63 FG%
6. 33 Points..7 Rebounds...87 FG%

Besides..The Pistons Frontcourt was better than the Bulls Front Court.

Laimbeer, Mahorn, Rodman >>>>>> Longley, Wennington, Rodman[/QUOTE]

[B]Somebody that knows Basketball :applause: [/B]

[QUOTE=Sir Charles][B]Somebody that knows Basketball :applause: [/B][/QUOTE]

Except for the fact that the Bulls front court was Longley, [B]Pippen[/B] and Rodman. Little bit of a difference there.

He also left out the fact that despite those numbers put up by McHale, the Celtics lost in 88.

And lets break down those front lines a little bit more.

Pistons:

Lambier- no individual awards

Mahorn - no individual awards

Rodman - made his first NBA all defensive first team in 88.

We are just talking 87-88 here when it comes to the Pistons right?

Now the 96 Bulls:

Longley - No individual awards

Pippen - NBA All defensive first team (His 6th by 96), All NBA First team (His 5th by 96)

Rodman - NBA All defensive first team (his 8th by 96), Rebounding leader for the 5th straight year by 96.

Oh but you guys are right. The Pistons front line was better cause you say so.:rolleyes:

[QUOTE=puppychili]Except for the fact that the Bulls front court was Longley, [B]Pippen[/B] and Rodman. Little bit of a difference there.

He also left out the fact that despite those numbers put up by McHale, the Celtics lost in 88.[/QUOTE]

Well, if you are going to add Pippen then I would add Dantley and Salley as well.:D

[QUOTE=puppychili]And lets break down those front lines a little bit more.

Pistons:

Lambier- no individual awards

Mahorn - no individual awards

Rodman - made his first NBA all defensive first team in 88.

We are just talking 87-88 here when it comes to the Pistons right?

Now the 96 Bulls:

Longley - No individual awards

Pippen - NBA All defensive first team (His 6th by 96), All NBA First team (His 5th by 96)

Rodman - NBA All defensive first team (his 8th by 96), Rebounding leader for the 5th straight year by 96.

Oh but you guys are right. The Pistons front line was better cause you say so.:rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

I'm sorry but the Bulls only had 2 quality players in Pippen and Rodman. Longley and Wennington were total scrubs.

'96 Pippen & Rodman > '88 Dantley and Rodman (small advantage)

'88 Laimbeer, Salley & Mahorn >>>>>> Longley and Wennington (HUGE advantage)

There is no doubt the Pistons had the better frontcourt.

[QUOTE=puppychili]Except for the fact that the Bulls front court was Longley, [B]Pippen[/B] and Rodman. Little bit of a difference there.

He also left out the fact that despite those numbers put up by McHale, the Celtics lost in 88.[/QUOTE]

[B]You also left out the fact that a 1986 Mchale would not be 31 years old like in 1988 [U]but a 28 years old Mchale = That is Right On His Prime and would school Rodman even more [/U]:) and the fact that Bird from 1987 to 1992 schooled Scottie Pippen (even at ages 31 to 35 with no back) [U]but a 1986 Larry Bird would be 29 yeards old = That is Right On His Prime again and "before his back injury" of 1989, would School Even More [/U] :) . :confusedshrug:

Then again a 32 year old Parish would destroy Longley Offensively and Defensively :)

Only Jordan would Dominate Offensively [U]but you must also remember this is no longer a Jordan in his 20s with No Longer The Same Athleticism and Leaping ability[/U] but Jordan [U]who relied more on Post Up and Outside Jumper.[/U]

= [COLOR="DarkGreen"]This will favor the Celtics becase they loved the Post Up Slow Paced Game.:)[/COLOR]

Jordan would not dominate like in 1986 driving to the basket but still would dominate the Score Board with high 30s and 40s and also prevent Ainge from Scoring Higher Numbers [U]but one must remember that 1986 Ainge was also in his Prime at 26 years old and that same day in 1986 when MJ scored 63 points against the Celtics ainge also scored 24 points[/U]. Danny Ainge was no easy task : One of the Set Shooters (not to mention a Good Passer) and One of the Best Role Players Ever. He had the Fundamentals to create for others too.

Harper vs DJ would not be as easy task as many think because DJ had smarts and would make the game flow in Slow Pace/Half Court Game which he was good at while using his butt and body to push his opponent. Ofcourse Harper would have the advantage of driving to the basket but there is very little chance he would have a comfortable shot when facing Parish-McHale-Walton-Kite or Bird. Harper would have to rely on his Outside Jumper.

And finally....

If the Celtics just want to tire off Rodman and Pippen in the Pant they can just switch for some minutes and play with a Two Center Piece/Twin Tower System with Walton as CF, Parish as C and McHale as PF...leaving Bird as SG/PG and Ainge as Pure PG.

This would tire of Rodman and Pippen for Rebounds and inmedietly give out some Important Fouls for the Celtics Frontline in Parish, McHale, Walton and sometimes Bird (as he drives through pick and rolls on to the basket). Lets also rembmer that Parish-McHale and Walton are not bad FT% Shooters :)

So here is how ti Goes:

[U]Parish (32 yr) vs Longley (27 yr) [/U]

[COLOR="darkgreen"]Parish Owns both Defensively and Offensively > Longley[/COLOR]

[U]McHale (28 yr)/Walton (33 yr) vs Rodman (35 yr) [/U]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]McHale Owns both Offensively and Defensively > Rodman [/COLOR]

***Rodman, would have the Edge on Rebounds until the Celtics Use the BIGGER LINE UP with Walton as CF and put in Mr Greg Kite 6`11/250 lbs for some pownding :)

[U]Bird (29 yr) vs Pippen (30 yr)/Kukoc (27 yr)[/U]

As I said before Bird would own him Scoring Wise in the Post, Away from the Post, Would Own the Rebounds and Ofcourse Assist his Whole HIGH FG% FRONTLINE (McHale-Parish-Walton) and Perimter Shooters (Ainge, Siesting and DJ)

Only way for Pippen to Score a Bit is to try to Drive but Bird was a Smart Team Defender: As i said he would Just Retreat Closer to his Frontline for Pippen to Shoot From the Outside = Pippen Not the Grreatest Of Outside Shooters.

[COLOR="darkgreen"]Bird Owns Pippen Offensively, Creativily and Rebounding Wise > Pippen[/COLOR]

[U]Jordan (32 yr) vs Ainge (26 yr)/DJ and Siesting Sometimes..[/U]

[COLOR="Red"]Jordan Owns Offensively and Defensively > Ainge[/COLOR]

[U]But....You have DJ, Bird and Walton so Mr Ainge will definetly get to Shoot from the Oustide Through Pick and Rolls and Set Jumpers[/U]

[U]Harper (32 yr) vs DJ (31 yr) /Sometimes Ainge[/U]

That is alreadly explained. Harper would have the drive advantage but would have to accomodate his shot from a 15 foot range because it would be hard for him to shoot a Comfortable Shot with Mchale-Parish-Walton and Kite in the Paint.

DJ would slown the game down to create fouls on Harper and also Spot up Ainge and Bird off Pick and Rolls or Assist for the Higher FG% Shot with McHale and Parish. Lets also mention that DJ could Shoot CLUTCH from the Outside and wasn`t a bad Driver. Not to mention Great Rebounder for his Height:)

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Harper = DJ[/COLOR]

Here is how it goes:

Celtics OWN 3 Positions
Bulls OWN 1 Position and
Have an EQUAL Match Up in 1 Position.

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]3 Celtics (Parish, McHale, Bird, Walton, *Kite)[/COLOR] > [COLOR="red"]3 Bulls (Longely, Rodman, Pippen, *Kukoc)[/COLOR]
[COLOR="Red"]1 Bull (Jordan)[/COLOR] > [COLOR="DarkGreen"]1 Celtics (Ainge)[/COLOR]
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]1 Celtic (DJ) [/COLOR]= [COLOR="Red"]1 Bull (Harper)[/COLOR]

Series will End Up Like the 2008 Finals Celtics vs Lakers [COLOR="darkgreen"]4[/COLOR]-[COLOR="DarkOrange"]2[/COLOR]

The Bulls have 3 Black Wholes in Their Line Up. The Celtics Own the Frontline (Offensively, Defensively and Rebounding Wise) and even Have an [U]EQUAL Match Up in the Frountcourt[/U] to their advantage somewhat because "Bird > Jordan in Making Others Better". Remember what happend to Bryant in the finals? Similar would happen to Jordan (ofcourse not as Much because MJ is MJ). Mj would obviously Score his High 30s and 40s, get 6-7 Rebound and 8-9 Assits... but the Rest of His Team Will Be Owned because the Celtics have 3 Clearly Superior Spots and Bird to make others Better. The Rest of the Bulls Line Up Has No :no: Chance

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]1986 Celtics[/COLOR] > [COLOR="Red"]1996 Bulls[/COLOR][/B]

[B]A Fact[/B] :confusedshrug:

Well you could also say Gasol + Odom > Garnett + Perkins

Kobe >> Pierce

Fisher > Rondo (based on experience)

How come the Finals turned into a rout for Boston?

Because L.A. could not run their offense versus Boston.

I don't think any team, not the 87 Lakers, not the 86 Celtics could just shrug off the Bulls defense that easily.

If they had trouble with the Bad Boy Pistons, they would have trouble with the Bulls.

And also while yes Longley, Wennington, etc. were "scrubs" they were effective within the Bulls system of clogging up the lane with their big bodies.

And no, the Bulls would not fold like Kobe's Lakers. The Bulls are far too smart and mentally tough to get punked out of any series like Kobe's Lakers did.

Pippen would get his 20+ too, I don't see who on the Celtics would match up with Pippen and prevent him from doing that. Pippen owned the Lakers offensively in 1991 also while dogging Magic Johnson for the series as well. It's not an either/or thing for Pippen, he could shut down or slow the other team's star and could still chip in with 18-22 a night.

[QUOTE=Soundwave]Well you could also say Gasol + Odom > Garnett + Perkins

Kobe >> Pierce

Fisher > Rondo (based on experience)

How come the Finals turned into a rout for Boston?

Because L.A. could not run their offense versus Boston.
[/QUOTE]
WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE 2008 NBA FINALS.

[QUOTE=Soundwave]If they had trouble with the Bad Boy Pistons, they would have trouble with the Bulls.[/QUOTE]
That's a dumb argument. We ARE TALKING ABOUT THE '86 CELTICS... NOT THE '88 CELTICS.

[QUOTE=Soundwave]And also while yes Longley, Wennington, etc. were "scrubs" they were effective within the Bulls system of clogging up the lane with their big bodies.[/QUOTE]
Exactly, they were scrubs. They would have no chance vs the Celtics Frontcourt. Anyone who trys to argue this should get their basketball pass revoked.

[QUOTE=Soundwave]And no, the Bulls would not fold like Kobe's Lakers. Pippen would get his 20+ too, I don't see who on the Celtics would match up with Pippen and prevent him from doing that. Pippen owned the Lakers offensively in 1991 also while dogging Magic Johnson for the series as well. It's not an either/or thing for Pippen, he could shut down or slow the other team's star and could still chip in with 18-22 a night.[/QUOTE]
And who on the Bulls would match up with Larry Bird? Sorry, even a prime Pippen can't stop him. And if you think so..you are overrating Pippen.

And I can't believe how many people beilieve Scottie shut down Magic in the '91 Finals. Magic still averaged 18.6 PPG. 8 RPG. and 12.4 APG. And it was actually Jordan NOT Pippen who guarded Magic for most of the series.

In the end the biggest weakness for the Bulls is their Centers and the lack of inside scoring from their big men. And the Celtics are the perfect team to exploit this weakness. After all the '86 Celtics did have THE GREATEST FRONT COURT IN NBA HISTORY.

[QUOTE=Soundwave]Well you could also say Gasol + Odom > Garnett + Perkins

Kobe >> Pierce

Fisher > Rondo (based on experience)

How come the Finals turned into a rout for Boston?

Because L.A. could not run their offense versus Boston.

I don't think any team, not the 87 Lakers, not the 86 Celtics could just shrug off the Bulls defense that easily.

If they had trouble with the Bad Boy Pistons, they would have trouble with the Bulls.

And also while yes Longley, Wennington, etc. were "scrubs" they were effective within the Bulls system of clogging up the lane with their big bodies.

And no, the Bulls would not fold like Kobe's Lakers. The Bulls are far too smart and mentally tough to get punked out of any series like Kobe's Lakers did.

Pippen would get his 20+ too, I don't see who on the Celtics would match up with Pippen and prevent him from doing that. Pippen owned the Lakers offensively in 1991 also while dogging Magic Johnson for the series as well. It's not an either/or thing for Pippen, he could shut down or slow the other team's star and could still chip in with 18-22 a night.[/QUOTE]

[B]Stop Dreaming please :violin: its a fact the 1986 Celtics not only has a Superior Starting Line Up than the 1996 Bulls. Not only could they exploit their Half Court Game on a Bulls Weak Frontline but even Score Great in A Fastbreak Game. Enough Proof has been given through my writings /and many other people have to.

And by the way Lamar is one of the most unintelligent unfundamental forwards I ever saw. The level of game has gone so much compared to the 90s and 80s its frightening!. The Lakers have to get a more talented Forward if they want to compete with the actual Celtics Frontline again. Not to mention a Forward that has some Offensive Skill and Shoots at a Higher FG%:confusedshrug: [/B]

Despite all those match ups you pointed out, the 86 Celtics still had to play six games to beat the 86 Rockets. You gonna tell me that the 96 Bulls aren't [B]way[/B] better than the 86 Rockets. So by that token you'd have to say that it would at least go seven. And as soundwave pointed out you can't just go by matchups on paper, because alot of times, as shown in this years Finals, the games don't always go as the match ups predict.

And I like how you guys completely ignored my post on the Celtics playoff run. Everyone wants to hate on the 96 Bulls cause the talent was so "diluted". But are you really gonna tell me that the 86 Bulls, Hawks and Bucks are really [B]that [/B]much better than the 96 Heat, Knicks and Magic. If I asked you who was better, the 86 Bucks or 96 Magic who would you pick?

Look I have no problem with someone saying that the 86 Celtics would beat the 96 Bulls. I just have a problem with how you come to that conclusion and act like it would be so easy. No team in NBA history would have an easy time with the 96 Bulls.

And I think my earlier post pretty much dispelled the romanticized notion that everyone has about the 80's being filled with all star teams as far as the eye can see.

Those Bucks teams of the 80's are one of the most underrated teams in history. You had guys like Sidney Moncrief, (one of the most underrated players in history) Terry Cummings, Ricky Pierce, Paul Pressey etc. The '86 Bucks actually won their games by an average of 9 PPG during the season.

I'm not saying those Bucks teams were bad. I'm just saying that there were more than a couple teams besides the Bulls in the 90's that would match up with the Bucks quite well if not out right beat them.

[QUOTE=puppychili]I'm not saying those Bucks teams were bad. I'm just saying that there were more than a couple teams besides the Bulls in the 90's that would match up with the Bucks quite well if not out right beat them.[/QUOTE]

But the NBA was stronger in 1986 than it was in 1996. In '86 there were 23 teams in the NBA by '96 there were 29 teams in the NBA. And there is no doubt the eastern conference was stronger in 1986 than it was in 1996. The Bulls played strong teams during the playoffs but the Celtics played much better teams during the regular season than the Bulls did. You had a great Magic team but by 1996 the Knicks and the Cavs were no longer threats like they were in the early 90's.

[QUOTE=1987_Lakers]Those Bucks teams of the 80's are one of the most underrated teams in history. You had guys like Sidney Moncrief, (one of the most underrated players in history) Terry Cummings, Ricky Pierce, Paul Pressey etc. The '86 Bucks actually won their games by an average of 9 PPG during the season.[/QUOTE]

There's a reason why those Bucks teams are underrated, they were a team who was never that good. They made the conference finals in '83, '84, and '86 and won a total of 1 game in 3 conference finals appearances. They also had a letdown year in '81 where they expected to challenge for the championship.

[QUOTE=1987_Lakers]But the NBA was stronger in 1986 than it was in 1996. In '86 there were 23 teams in the NBA by '96 there were 29 teams in the NBA. And there is no doubt the eastern conference was stronger in 1986 than it was in 1996. The Bulls played strong teams during the playoffs but the Celtics played much better teams during the regular season than the Bulls did. You had a great Magic team but by 1996 the Knicks and the Cavs were no longer threats like they were in the early 90's.[/QUOTE]

I wont deny that the NBA was stronger back then but it wasn't [B]THAT[/B] much stronger. But athletes of the 90's were better conditioned that athletes of the 80's. I would argue that there was a bigger talent pool of players in the 90's than in the 80's.

But look, I don't have a problem with people saying that the 80's were stronger than the 90's. I just have a problem with the notion that people put out there that the 80's was filled with all star teams from top to bottom and that the 90's were some kind of wasteland which is the only reason why the Bulls were so good.