“We should have swept the Knicks” — GOAT TD

[J_Paco]

​*

Yes, because the 2011-12 season is also given an (imaginary) asterisk by Phil......

And the Spurs played a shortened season while everyone else enjoy an 82 game grind. Oh, wait.....

[Chillen]

Spurs were lucky the Bulls decided to break it up. They would have cruised to the Finals with MJ/Pip/Kukoc in the weak East that season. Instead Pippen got shipped to Houston, Kukoc became the team leader and Jordan was out golfing.

I would have loved a Spurs/Bulls NBA Finals, it would have went to 6 or 7 games. I think Spurs had a great chance at handing MJ his first Finals loss. We will never know but no doubt Spurs would have been the toughest matchup for Chicago.

[phxspurfan]

Plus Malone and Mourning had been crowned early in the season. That also happened when Iverson won the 2001 MVP when it really should have gone to Shaq. But Iverson came on strong to start the season so there was so much MVP hype for Iverson even though the Lakers became unbeatable by the end of the season heading into the playoffs.

Iverson was the Sixers. Shaq had Kobe, among others in LA. Take Shaq away from LA and they still make the playoffs. Take Iverson off the 01 Sixers and thats a lottery team. Iverson was also scoring like no one in history besides MJ and Wilt

[phxspurfan]

Spurs were lucky the Bulls decided to break it up. They would have cruised to the Finals with MJ/Pip/Kukoc in the weak East that season. Instead Pippen got shipped to Houston, Kukoc became the team leader and Jordan was out golfing.

I would have loved a Spurs/Bulls NBA Finals, it would have went to 6 or 7 games. I think Spurs had a great chance at handing MJ his first Finals loss. We will never know but no doubt Spurs would have been the toughest matchup for Chicago.

MJ vs. Sean Elliott/Elie/Avery Johnson? That's like KD vs Mills and Forbes. Dude would have averaged 50

[phxspurfan]

Yep I remember thinking Knickref was out to throw that game. I have no doubt in my mind that the game NY won was tainted by Knickref...

Knick Bavetta

[Chillen]

MJ vs. Sean Elliott/Elie/Avery Johnson? That's like KD vs Mills and Forbes. Dude would have averaged 50

Yeah good point, but Bulls would have had no answer for Duncan/Robinson as Longley would have pulled his hair out guarding them. So you don't think the series could have went 6 or 7 and Spurs had a shot? Come to think of it you may be right Jordan/Pippen would have feasted on Elliot/Elle/Johnson. Maybe it could still have gone to 6 games but yeah Bulls probably would have beaten the Spurs.

So yes Spurs did get lucky the Bulls dynasty ended, I would take 1 loss to Knicks over having to get mauled by 2 Doberman's (Jordan/Pippen) in the Finals.

[Chillen]

double post.

[baseline bum]

Spurs were lucky the Bulls decided to break it up. They would have cruised to the Finals with MJ/Pip/Kukoc in the weak East that season. Instead Pippen got shipped to Houston, Kukoc became the team leader and Jordan was out golfing.

I would have loved a Spurs/Bulls NBA Finals, it would have went to 6 or 7 games. I think Spurs had a great chance at handing MJ his first Finals loss. We will never know but no doubt Spurs would have been the toughest matchup for Chicago.

Pippen wanted to get paid and that wasn't going to happen in Chicago with Jordan hypothetically taking most of the team's cap with a $35 million salary for 99 (no way he wouldn't have taken the max the 99 CBA would have allowed, which would have been 105% of his grandfathered $33 million from 97-98). Pippen was so ridiculously underpaid his entire time in Chicago so no way he was taking shorts again with Houston coming and offering $13 million a year. And Jordan wasn't taking a cent less than he could since he hated Krause and Reinsdorf. There was no way that team was ever staying together, even without the new CBA after the lockout.

[Chillen]

Pippen wanted to get paid and that wasn't going to happen in Chicago with Jordan hypothetically taking most of the team's cap with a $35 million salary for 99 (no way he wouldn't have taken the max the 99 CBA would have allowed, which would have been 105% of his grandfathered $33 million from 97-98). Pippen was so ridiculously underpaid his entire time in Chicago so no way he was taking shorts again with Houston coming and offering $13 million a year. And Jordan wasn't taking a cent less than he could since he hated Krause and Reinsdorf. There was no way that team was ever staying together, even without the new CBA after the lockout.

It's to bad Pippen wasted a year of his prime with a washed up Hakeem and Barkley after they broke the Bulls up.

[baseline bum]

Yeah good point, but Bulls would have had no answer for Duncan/Robinson as Longley would have pulled his hair out guarding them. So you don't think the series could have went 6 or 7 and Spurs had a shot? Come to think of it you may be right Jordan/Pippen would have feasted on Elliot/Elle/Johnson. Maybe it could still have gone to 6 games but yeah Bulls probably would have beaten the Spurs.

So yes Spurs did get lucky the Bulls dynasty ended, I would take 1 loss to Knicks over having to get mauled by 2 Doberman's (Jordan/Pippen) in the Finals.

Rodman was washed up by then (see his stints in LA and Dallas) and Pippen never seemed to be the same player after all his injuries in 97-98. The 96-97 Bulls would have taken down that Spurs team no problem but they were running on fumes in 97-98. If Karl Malone doesn't choke that ball away on the block at the end of Game 6 that Jazz team most likely rings with either no Pippen or 35% Pippen for Game 7. Plus they needed a lot of help from the refs with that clearly in time Howard Eisley three being waved off as well as Ron Harper's buzzer beater counting. The Bulls escaped with that le on Jordan's shoulders but that's asking a lot for him to do it again and against a much better team while likely losing a lot of his supporting cast to free agency, even assuming they did find some way to get Pippen back.

[cd98]

Yeah, their best player Ewing was out.

Naw, Ewing sucked by then. He was old and no good. He was older than David, I believe. Camby was much better.

[baseline bum]

It's to bad Pippen wasted a year of his prime with a washed up Hakeem and Barkley after they broke the Bulls up.

That team was really hard to watch. Just seeing everyone stand at the three point line with Barkley and Olajuwon taking turns milking the clock and then throwing it out to Pippen, Cuttino Mobley, or Micheal erson for a desperation three to beat the shot clock every possession was painful. That was the ugliest basketball I had seen outside of Fratello's Cavs teams.

[baseline bum]

Iverson was the Sixers. Shaq had Kobe, among others in LA. Take Shaq away from LA and they still make the playoffs. Take Iverson off the 01 Sixers and thats a lottery team. Iverson was also scoring like no one in history besides MJ and Wilt

I hate seeing storyline determine awards. Shaq was a far superior player that season and Iverson was racking up wins against the worst conference the league has ever seen, but he was little and people rooted for him. If you want to see a real MVP carrying a crap cast look at LeBron dragging that garbage 09 Cavs team to 66 wins in a conference with strong Celtics and Magic teams.

[spurraider21]

I hate seeing storyline determine awards. Shaq was a far superior player that season and Iverson was racking up wins against the worst conference the league has ever seen, but he was little and people rooted for him. If you want to see a real MVP carrying a crap cast look at LeBron dragging that garbage 09 Cavs team to 66 wins in a conference with strong Celtics and Magic teams.

crofl supporting cast of Mo Williams, Ilgauskas, and delonte west

crofl wally sczcerbiak getting 20 mpg on that squad

[baseline bum]

crofl supporting cast of Mo Williams, Ilgauskas, and delonte west

crofl wally sczcerbiak getting 20 mpg on that squad

LOL back when Kobestans used to cite guys like Mo Williams and Anthony Parker as proof LeBron's supporting casts weren't crap.

[spurraider21]

LOL back when Kobestans used to cite guys like Mo Williams and Anthony Parker as proof LeBron's supporting casts weren't crap.

yeah, even during the pre-pau years, at least the lakers had odom as an automatic 15-10-5 guy. that was better than any teammate lebron ever had pre-heatles

[Arcadian]

Naw, Ewing sucked by then. He was old and no good. He was older than David, I believe. Camby was much better.

He was still good for 17 points, 10 boards, and 2.5 blocks per game...not bad at all.