Debate this, TD in the MJ category soon?

[bigzak25]

he didn't save the league...he just carried the torch and made the MARKETING explosion occur.

He carried the torch passed on from Magic and Bird, and Men like Ice and Dr. J before them...and all the rest of the players people are mentioning in this thread...

if you want to talk saviors? you can put DRob and TD in that discussion when it comes to Saving the San Antonio Spurs...

[DieMrBond]

My point is that Jordan didn't go up against talent such as Kobe, TMAC, Carter, and such, if Jordan were in his prime today playing in the league he wouldnt be considered so great, he and Kobe would probably be the same....and I'm still not talking about team-wise im talking the player's alone.....if it were going to be a team battle i think the Spurs and Pistons of today would have killed the bulls of Jordans time

Jordan didnt go up against such talents as Kobe, Tmac, and Carter? Puh-lease!

What about Dominique Wilkins, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Steve Smith, Glen Rice, not to mention most likely being guarded by Scottie Pippen in practice almost every day... - heard of any of those guys? Most of them considered better than at least Tmac and Carter, and some most likely better than Kobe (or at least equal).

Consider the Spurs/Pistons of today, versus Jordans bulls. Take the 96/96 bulls, where jordan was still tearing the league up at an older age...

Ron Harper vs Tony Parker - Pretty close, but id probably give the edge to Harper... mostly because of size and experience.

Michael Jordan vs Manu Ginobili - as great as Manu is, is this really a question?

Scottie Pippen vs Bruce Bowen - okay, bruce would probably guard jordan (and get torn up) and scottie would probably guard manu, but you get the point that at both the 2 and 3 we are outclassed.

Dennis Rodman vs Tim Duncan - okay, our first main advantage. Rodman sure wasnt a slouch on defence though... He would of given TD more fits than Rasheed and Ben Wallace, thats for sure..

Luc Longley vs Rasho/Nazr - pretty much a wash...

Id say, we would still lose to that team. Our only main advantage (TD) would of been slaughtered by Dennis/Scottie Dennis/MJ double teams. Not to mention that the bulls were pretty damn cluth in their own right...

If it was the 99 team, then it is a different story. They are probably the only spurs champ team that would have a chance against the Bulls in my opinion. David was still a force (and a force the bulls couldnt of countered), Tim would of been great, Sean would of done alright, but again the bulls guards would of caused problems for Mario, Avery, et al...

While the Spurs are fantastic, theres a reason that team was so dominant.

[Mixability]

Jordan was just a living highlight reel thats it.

WTF?
Yeah, Jordan is a living highlight reel ........... a highlight reel that is made up of more than 2/3 of championship footage!

Get back to me when TMac gets within a series of winning a championship!

[Mixability]

Michael Jordan vs Manu Ginobili

Scottie Pippen vs Bruce Bowen - okay, bruce would probably guard jordan (and get torn up) and scottie would probably guard manu, but you get the point that at both the 2 and 3 we are outclassed.

I'd pay high dollar to see those matchups.

I think Bruce would hold his own against MJ for a while, but Jordan has a way of exploiting any defense.

[ambchang]

I think Bruce would hold his own against MJ for a while, but Jordan has a way of exploiting any defense.

Unless it comes down to the Bad Boys.
However, to beat the Bulls, the team has to stop Pippen, not Jordan. He was their point forward, and he directs a LOT of the offense. Jordan, of course, can direct the offense as well, but he usually creates for himself.
On defense, Pippen is probably the best perimeter defender in the history of the league (don't count the part after he went to Houston, he was old then, and Cooper, Dennis Johnson and Bobby Jones could argue that), and he really makes the Bulls gel on defense.
Anyways, if the Spurs were to beat the Bulls, they beat them through Pippen, not Jordan.

[hussker]

he didn't save the league...he just carried the torch and made the MARKETING explosion occur.

He carried the torch passed on from Magic and Bird, and Men like Ice and Dr. J before them...and all the rest of the players people are mentioning in this thread...

if you want to talk saviors? you can put DRob and TD in that discussion when it comes to Saving the San Antonio Spurs...

23 = Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan = Marketing explosion
Marketing explosion = $$
$$ = success in business
success in business = Current NBA
Current NBA = Spurs
Spurs = boring team
boring team = not much $$
not much $$ = find someone who will make $$
find someone who will make $$ = Lebron James
Lebron James = 23

Case settled...
Retire 23...not for LBJ, but for MJ.

[hussker]

AND...He saved the league when the Magic/Bird intrigue was fading/gone. The NBA played that for ALL it was worth before those guys even got into the NBA during the Ind State Mi State NCAA finals. They were grasping at straws then. The certainly lucked out. The NBA was not popular until Bird/Magic, and then MJ had to come to revive. And I am not a 25 yr old living in my recent past, I am old enough to remember the Celtics-Suns game on CBS in the mid 70's and how I snuck to watch it and broke my prized Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Championship glass because that playoff game was so exciting.

[hussker]

And who saved the Spurs? Jaime Feick and injuries. He sucked so bad that we lost and we got the #1 pick and the TD man. TD did not save the Spurs. Heck, if Tarkanian could not sink them, then saving them was no big task. What saved the Spurs was a very fortunate event of suffering a nasty, ugly 96-97 season.

AND: I will state again, if anyone reading this has always loved POP from day one, you are LYING (unless you are POP or a family member). We wanted to crucify him in 96 for firing Bob Hill. Now, we love him. I was a crucifier and now a lover. That is thanks to teamwork at all levels for our SPURS!

GO SPURS GO!

[TDMVPDPOY]

I reckon bulls team is overrated, look if mj cant gaurd iverson, htf is he goin to gaurd gino? all i can say is the spurs team are impossible to beat.

[Sense]

I reckon bulls team is overrated, look if mj cant gaurd iverson, htf is he goin to gaurd gino? all i can say is the spurs team are impossible to beat.

[Emperor]

i think MJ would score at least 30 points a night against the Spurs no matter who you put on him. But i feel that the Spur's team defense would be the main reason for defeating Jordan's Bulls in a finals matchup. It would be a low scoring series considering the Bulls consistent defense also. MJ will be as dominant as he is, no doubt about that, but his team will lose against Timmy's Spurs, no question.

[batman2883]

Jordan didnt go up against such talents as Kobe, Tmac, and Carter? Puh-lease!

What about Dominique Wilkins, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Steve Smith, Glen Rice, not to mention most likely being guarded by Scottie Pippen in practice almost every day... - heard of any of those guys? Most of them considered better than at least Tmac and Carter, and some most likely better than Kobe (or at least equal).

Consider the Spurs/Pistons of today, versus Jordans bulls. Take the 96/96 bulls, where jordan was still tearing the league up at an older age...

Ron Harper vs Tony Parker - Pretty close, but id probably give the edge to Harper... mostly because of size and experience.

Michael Jordan vs Manu Ginobili - as great as Manu is, is this really a question?

Scottie Pippen vs Bruce Bowen - okay, bruce would probably guard jordan (and get torn up) and scottie would probably guard manu, but you get the point that at both the 2 and 3 we are outclassed.

Dennis Rodman vs Tim Duncan - okay, our first main advantage. Rodman sure wasnt a slouch on defence though... He would of given TD more fits than Rasheed and Ben Wallace, thats for sure..

Luc Longley vs Rasho/Nazr - pretty much a wash...

Id say, we would still lose to that team. Our only main advantage (TD) would of been slaughtered by Dennis/Scottie Dennis/MJ double teams. Not to mention that the bulls were pretty damn cluth in their own right...

If it was the 99 team, then it is a different story. They are probably the only spurs champ team that would have a chance against the Bulls in my opinion. David was still a force (and a force the bulls couldnt of countered), Tim would of been great, Sean would of done alright, but again the bulls guards would of caused problems for Mario, Avery, et al...

While the Spurs are fantastic, theres a reason that team was so dominant.

Okay your forgetting one vital thing in this comparison and thats the bench...the Spurs bench would have torn into the BUlls' bench. I'm sorry but Luc Longley was not a better centern than Nazr, the dude was overrated and thats why he sucked so bad once Jordan left.