98 Pacers were the only legitimate threat to the 90s Bulls

[Street Messiah]

96 Sonics easily

If The Sonics coach wasn't a dumbass and put Gary Payton on Jordan earlier, they could have beaten the Bulls

That and sonics played scared early in the series. It was their first time and against MJ and a dominant bulls team so its understandable but guys like detlef and hawkins were definitely shook. They didnt play their game until they were down 3-0 and the pressure came off. Shawn kemp one of the few players that didnt let dennis antics throw him off his game. They had the pieces to get it done for sure.

 

[Mike Wins]

That Suns series was as close as the Sonics series, or any 6 game series for that matter, which is to say: it wasn’t. With ANY 6 game series there’s a lot of coulda woulda shoulda but ultimately it wasn’t *that* close.

Strong disagree. Some of the GOAT, most competitive series been 6 games. You can have a 6 game series that's decided by 2-3 plays. Meanwhile you can have a 7 game series where one of the teams never came close to losing 4 games. Give me a 6 game series where every game's competed at a high level and comes down to the wire over a 7 gamer that features 3 or 4 blowouts

Not saying the Pacers series in '98 was that way but Phoenix was legit 2-3 plays from winning in 6 themselves in '93. The Sonics were not close to winning that series, not only were they down 3-0 they got blown out in 3 if their 4 losses

 

[cornercommission2k12]

IMO their toughest opponent should've been Orlando... but the year ORL beat them, Bulls didn't have Rodman and so Shaq/HGrant dogwalked Chicago's frontline tho everyone just focused on it being MJ's baseball season. The next year in which the Bulls swept Orlando, HGrant had a season ending injury in game 1 which allowed Rodman to be a terror on the glass, unimpeded. Not to mention half of Orlando's key supporting cast was injured by game 3. We never got to see an ideal series between the Bulls and Magic.

Chi won 72 games in '96... but Orlando won 60 with Shaq missing 28 games. It's a damn shame that so much shyt luck hit Orlando. The Anderson freethrows vs HOU, the major injuries the next year leading up to and through the Bulls series... including the Penny knee injury vs Detroit that basically was going to close their chapter even if Shaq hadn't left. But those are the breaks.

I agree with some points of your post but it's a bit misleading on what actually took place in that series and why the bulls swept Orlando. Grant went down but Shaq was still there pulling down double digit rebounds. Rodman was doing well on the boards but you have to remember Rodman was a weakness on the offensive end. So although Rodman was destroying them on the offensive glass there were times Phil Jackson had to go with kukoc at the 4 when Orlando would send Rodman man to Jordan.

The reason the bulls swept Orlando was the same reason the rockets swept them. They had a pedestrian offense that relied too much on dumping it to O'Neal him drawing the double then Shaq kicking it out to the shooters. Rodman gave the bulls the ability to single cover Shaq and when that happened and Orlando couldn't kill the bulls from 3 it was over for them. Gotta remember the bulls beat Orlando 3 out of 4 in the regular season too with Horace Grant there and Orlando most competitive game was game 2 when they went up 18 and Grant didn't play that game. Bulls just figured them out.

 

[Braman]

Strong disagree. Some of the GOAT, most competitive series been 6 games. You can have a 6 game series that's decided by 2-3 plays. Meanwhile you can have a 7 game series where one of the teams never came close to losing 4 games. Give me a 6 game series where every game's competed at a high level and comes down to the wire over a 7 gamer that features 3 or 4 blowouts

Not saying the Pacers series in '98 was that way but Phoenix was legit 2-3 plays from winning in 6 themselves in '93. The Sonics were not close to winning that series, not only were they down 3-0 they got blown out in 3 if their 4 losses

Bulls led 2-0 and 3-1…

It IS the finals, no one expects you to just dogwalk a team, but chicago handled their business. Survive and advance.

If you lose in 6 you lose all claims to be a ‘tight’ series. There are far too many 6 game series to split hairs and do the what if game. If you are really a threat you’ll get it to a game 7, no exceptions

 

[viktordoomsecretwars]

Well it depends on what you mean by threat. Take it from me, someone who has seen all these games and has uploaded more Jordan's Bulls games on Youtube than anybody.

In 1991 many people thought the Pistons were going to beat the Bulls again. Here is Pat Riley predicting a Pistons victory over the Bulls:



Also, at the end of the Finals, you'll hear Marv Albert say it was a surprise for many that the Bulls beat the Lakers.

In 1992:

The Knicks took the Bulls to 7 games. They were obviously a threat and they tried to the same tactics that the Pistons a couple years earlier.

Blazers were also a threat and objectively speaking, a more talented team than the Bulls top to bottom. The difference is that team had a fairly low bball IQ and the Bulls had Jordan. That's it.

In 1993:

Obviously Knicks were a threat and the better team in the regular season. They won 60+ games compared to the Bulls 57 and had HC advantage.

Suns were a threat. Again, another 60+ win team that was top to bottom more talented than the Bulls and had the newly crowned MVP.

In 1997:

The Heat were a threat to the Bulls and Jordan had one of the roughest series of his career in that series. They were an ultra-physical bump and grind team that also won 60+ odd games that year and had Pat Riley as their coach.

The Jazz were also a threat but the Bulls managed to get past them based on HC advantage

In 1998:

The Jazz were a 60+ win team and better than the Bulls. They had HC advantage and the experience, hunger and determination to avenge their loss in 1997.


Even in 1996, the Bulls had to face to really strong teams in the Magic and Sonics. They just made it look easy because that year, they had the best team the NBA has ever seen.

 

[Mike Wins]

Well it depends on what you mean by threat. Take it from me, someone who has seen all these games and has uploaded more Jordan's Bulls games on Youtube than anybody.

In 1991 many people thought the Pistons were going to beat the Bulls again. Here is Pat Riley predicting a Pistons victory over the Bulls:



Also, at the end of the Finals, you'll hear Marv Albert say it was a surprise for many that the Bulls beat the Lakers.

In 1992:

The Knicks took the Bulls to 7 games. They were obviously a threat and they tried to the same tactics that the Pistons a couple years earlier.

Blazers were also a threat and objectively speaking, a more talented team than the Bulls top to bottom. The difference is that team had a fairly low bball IQ and the Bulls had Jordan. That's it.

In 1993:

Obviously Knicks were a threat and the better team in the regular season. They won 60+ games compared to the Bulls 57 and had HC advantage.

Suns were a threat. Again, another 60+ win team that was top to bottom more talented than the Bulls and had the newly crowned MVP.

In 1997:

The Heat were a threat to the Bulls and Jordan had one of the roughest series of his career in that series. They were an ultra-physical bump and grind team that also won 60+ odd games that year and had Pat Riley as their coach.

The Jazz were also a threat but the Bulls managed to get past them based on HC advantage

In 1998:

The Jazz were a 60+ win team and better than the Bulls. They had HC advantage and the experience, hunger and determination to avenge their loss in 1997.


Even in 1996, the Bulls had to face to really strong teams in the Magic and Sonics. They just made it look easy because that year, they had the best team the NBA has ever seen.

The narrative that they beat bums is way overblown

Suns, Jazz and Sonics were great teams that easily could have won championships if they didn't have to play the GOAT

Portland was really good too, made 2 Finals in 3 years and just had the misfortune of playing two of the GOAT teams once they got there

Lakers were on the downside and any chance they had of making it a series disappeared once Worthy and Scott went down but that was still a very good team loaded with championship experience

 

[Ruck]

6-0 cocksuckas. That aint no accident

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

I thought I explained it clearly.

There are people who insist that the talent and league was better and deeper in years past. The implication being that even the secondary teams of that era would run circles against the best teams today. And it’s simply not true.

Nobody cares breh. Bulls would wash GSW. So who cares?

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Bulls led 2-0 and 3-1…

It IS the finals, no one expects you to just dogwalk a team, but chicago handled their business. Survive and advance.

If you lose in 6 you lose all claims to be a ‘tight’ series. There are far too many 6 game series to split hairs and do the what if game. If you are really a threat you’ll get it to a game 7, no exceptions

What a dumb post The actual game 6 literally came down to a last shot and the point differential was zero.

 

[Remote]

Nobody cares breh. Bulls would wash GSW. So who cares?

They wouldn't though

 

[viktordoomsecretwars]

The narrative that they beat bums is way overblown

Suns, Jazz and Sonics were great teams that easily could have won championships if they didn't have to play the GOAT

Portland was really good too, made 2 Finals in 3 years and just had the misfortune of playing two of the GOAT teams once they got there

Lakers were on the downside and any chance they had of making it a series disappeared once Worthy and Scott went down but that was still a very good team loaded with championship experience

It's a bunch of baloney repeated by Jordan haters, Bron fanboys and clueless people.

 

[bigde09]

Knicks in ‘93 ,they blew it tho

Bulls went small at the end of game 2 and almost won it. Knicks had no real answer for it for the rest of the series

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

They wouldn't though

The is The for a reason..

 

[FAH1223]

 

[The God Poster]

You're forgetting about the 92 Knicks that took them 7 games.

Nobody give a damn about the Knicks

Just saw you from Brooklyn