The Last Dance. Who ya got 1995-96 Bulls or 2017-18 Warriors?

[UncleRico]

“Just watching our guys and how talented they are and how talented Houston is, there’s no way I could have played in the NBA today." Steve Kerr, All of us are nostalgic about the Bulls after watching this but the truth is that players are bigger, faster and more athletic today than they were 20 years ago. In every major sport that is true.

 

[UMFan12]

“Just watching our guys and how talented they are and how talented Houston is, there’s no way I could have played in the NBA today." Steve Kerr, All of us are nostalgic about the Bulls after watching this but the truth is that players are bigger, faster and more athletic today than they were 20 years ago. In every major sport that is true.

Not saying I disagree, but Steve Kerr ain’t the guy to take quotes from. Always beats up on himself. Just watch the MJ doc. He says “I was always competitive just wasn’t good enough to back it up.” Not to mention the fact that all 30 teams would be trying to sign Kerr right now regardless of how bad at defense he is. Best 3pt% in NBA history. He’d be better today than back then.

 

[Zirg]

Citay is a die-hard Warriors fan (it seems) ,so he is too biased to pass an honest assessment. Yes Golden State makes more 3 pointers and have changed (and ruined) basketball because of this one aspect. Nobody can argue that. Is that the only requirement for basketball greatness in your mind?

Golden State was 12th and 15th in the NBA scoring defense in the 2016-17 and 17-18 years. They won because they chucked in more 3 pointers than the others teams every game, not because of some defensive genius.

Jordan was a poor 3-point shooter (32.7% career). He scored through his plethora of offensive skills, which impresses me way more than the onslaught on 3 point chucking that is the NBA today. If you believe and value constant 3-point chucking success over Jordan's Bulls multiple skill-set success than I can't argue with you people.

Several rebuttals.

--Yearly defensive stats are deceiving. Why? Because for many games during their five-year dynasty, the Warriors blew teams out. By the fourth quarter, their best players were on the bench. And often when their offense was so good, they slacked on defense.

A better guide to defensive excellence? The playoffs! That's when the intensity ratchets up. And during the five years they went to the Finals, their field goal percentage defense among the 16 playoff teams ranked first for three of those years, second for one, and dropped only in the last year, when injuries hit Thompson and Durant, two of their best defenders.

In short, when the Warriors needed to play defense they could--and did.

--Point guard. Quick! Who was the point guard on that great Bulls team? Oh, Ron Harper. Steve Kerr. C'mon! At the most important position in basketball, the Warriors had one of the all-time greats, Steph Curry. Nobody's going to put Harper or Kerr among the all-time greats. And neither one of them could have stopped Curry.

--Depth. Okay, both teams had some stiffs on their 15-man roster. But I'd argue that when it came down to bona-fide NBA players, the Bulls had eight while the Warriors had ten. The Warriors motto was "Strength in Numbers," and they practised it. They had the players to do it. The Bulls? Where among Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Jason Caffey, James Edwards, Jack Haley, Dickie Simpkins and Bill Wennington were they going to find quality depth?

--The LeBron factor. Every time anybody mentions the Bulls, it's always Jordan, the GOAT. But LeBron has to be in that conversation as one of the all-time greats, and the Warriors faced him four times, winning three. And would have won all four had not Draymond Green acted like a jerk and been disqualified from a crucial Game 5 when the Warriors were up 3-1 and returning to their home court.

So, yeah, I'm a Warriors fan. But how does that disqualify me from making arguments on their behalf, against such lame rebuttals?

Aww Citay, you know I like pushing your buttons. I got you to admit that you're a Warriors fan at least, even if you didn't like my (lame?) stat-check about GS only being the 12th and 15th best defensive teams. I was actually shocked by that discovery and I think bolstered my contention, and your explanations (injuries) for why they had those numbers seem lame to me.

It's difficult, and usually fruitless, to try to compare great teams from different eras of any sport, especially since the NBA has so-dramatically changed even in 20 years, but Jordan,and Wilt Chamberlain were so heads-and-tails better than everyone in world at basketball in their day. It doesn't matter than Wilt would probably be an average NBA-er these days, but it doesn't change that he was so dominant in his era. I agree that Steph Curry is an all-time great,but is he unquestionably THE best player in the world today? And if Golden State's 2016-18 teams were so great, why did they have to go out and sign Durant? That would be like the Bulls getting Barkley to join their already great dynasty. It's a different era in many ways and I am not denying todays' Warriors would beat the 96' Bulls. Of course they would. But I am just comparing how dominant those teams were compared to the rest of the basketball world during their time. Last year's worst MLB team (the Detroit Tigers) would probably beat the 1927 Yankees too.

 

[ilovethecats]

“Just watching our guys and how talented they are and how talented Houston is, there’s no way I could have played in the NBA today." Steve Kerr, All of us are nostalgic about the Bulls after watching this but the truth is that players are bigger, faster and more athletic today than they were 20 years ago. In every major sport that is true.

He's not wrong. He'd have a hell of a time playing in the league today with his skillset. That said, two things stand out. This is classic Kerr speak and why so many people love him. Humble to a fault and really builds up his team. He's a great coach.

Next, it's true guys are bigger, faster, stronger than 20 years ago. Not sure anyone could argue otherwise. Hell, you can watch high school dunk contests and kids are doing things that won the NBA dunk contest only a handful of years ago. The argument isn't necessarily about the players but in my opinion has way more to do with how the game has changed. You can be the biggest, strongest dude the game has ever seen right now, and it's still no where near as physical as it used to be. The game has changed too much, and the officiating even more to really compare teams now to previous decades.

Always fun to talk about though!

 

[AZGrizFan]

“Just watching our guys and how talented they are and how talented Houston is, there’s no way I could have played in the NBA today." Steve Kerr, All of us are nostalgic about the Bulls after watching this but the truth is that players are bigger, faster and more athletic today than they were 20 years ago. In every major sport that is true.

He's not wrong. He'd have a hell of a time playing in the league today with his skillset. That said, two things stand out. This is classic Kerr speak and why so many people love him. Humble to a fault and really builds up his team. He's a great coach.

Next, it's true guys are bigger, faster, stronger than 20 years ago. Not sure anyone could argue otherwise. Hell, you can watch high school dunk contests and kids are doing things that won the NBA dunk contest only a handful of years ago. The argument isn't necessarily about the players but in my opinion has way more to do with how the game has changed. You can be the biggest, strongest dude the game has ever seen right now, and it's still no where near as physical as it used to be. The game has changed too much, and the officiating even more to really compare teams now to previous decades.

Always fun to talk about though!

Kerr’s argument is just dumb, really. Sure, if you take the Kerr of 20 years ago he might not be able to play (even that’s debatable) but Kerr of today would also be bigger, faster, stronger than he was 20 years ago....training tables are better, food is better, travel is better, etc., etc. There are 30 guys in the NBA right now who aren’t as good as Kerr was at his peak.

And I hate Kerr with a passion unrivaled. Grade A fucking douchebag. total fucking tool. But even with that, he’d be on a roster today.

 

[garizzalies]

I’m a Warriors fan but this is no contest.
And I hate to admit it but the dirty Bubcat is right. Not just the bit about how the game and officiating is so weak now, but also how it usually boils down to physicality and toughness.
You think Dramond is tough? And KD is frail and weak and I’m not talking about his physique.
If the new doc taught us anything, it’s that Jordan demanded toughness. It’s why they 3-peated (twice!) and the Warriors never could; because it’s incredibly tough to do.
Last thing. Jordan was not a bad 3pt shooter. Game was different. We don’t think of Kobe being a bad 3pt shooter but his career average is only two-tenths better than MJ’s (32.7% vs. 32.9%).
The real last thing. Someone find me a weakness in MJ’s game? Drives me nuts when people say Bronny is some how better. Good gracious, Bron has a ton of weaknesses. Dude can hardly shoot a free throw.