1995-96 Chicago Bulls. 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. One series to settle all the marbles. If only there were a way to do this on an actual basketball court rather than through simulations or hypothesizing what would actually transpire. That would be nice. Instead, there are only articles.
According to one such piece, the Bulls would beat the Warriors in six games because of the premier defensive ability of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. It’s certainly interesting to see six games used as the litmus test for all things here, considering the Bulls never went beyond six games in any Finals series they played.
From Jim Litke, columnist for the Associated Press:
The 1995-96 Bulls get our vote, based on the body of work. That edition was a veteran team, led by a relatively rested Jordan (who’d been playing baseball) at the start of a three-year championship run.
Sure, it’s hard to argue against their ability to lockdown opponents and make life tough, but this isn’t just any opponent they’d be facing. The 2015-16 Warriors are the single greatest shooting team in NBA history, and that’s an undeniable fact outlined by numbers. While the 1995-96 Bulls were first in Defensive Rating, they were just fifth in Effective Field Goal Percentage Allowed.
Look, no one has any earthly idea how this hypothetical series would ever turn out. They’re the two greatest teams in NBA history, and should be appreciated as such. No one wants to believe a Jordan-led team could ever lose, but it happened before. Look no further than the 1995 Magic-Bulls series.