great Scottie Pippen interview about 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls

[Scott Pippen]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rplU1n8oseI

[1987_Lakers]

'86 Celtics & '87 Lakers > '96 Bulls

[Scott Pippen]

'86 Celtics & '87 Lakers > '96 Bulls

[sonicman]

very good, thanks for posting!


WHAT TIME IS IT??
GAME TIME, OOOOHHHH!

[TmacsRockets]

'86 Celtics & '87 Lakers > '96 Bulls

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nba/playoff...=Finalists1-10


1. 1996 Chicago Bulls Score: 327.9
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 72-10
Postseason record: 15-3
Avg. scoring margin: +12.2
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +10.6
Finals result: Beat Seattle, 4-2 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: Michael Jordan, 30.4 ppg
Rebounds: Dennis Rodman, 14.9 rpg
Assists: Scottie Pippen, 5.9 apg
Coach: Phil Jackson
Finals MVP: Michael Jordan




Hands down, the greatest team of all time. How can you choose another when these guys won 72 regular-season games and 14 of their first 15 in the postseason? The Bulls were so good they were first in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and outscored their opponents by 12.2 points per game.

With names like Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, and Toni Kukoc, not to mention a coach like Phil Jackson, this team was pretty much unbeatable -- in fact, seven of its playoff wins were by 17 points or more. The only nit to pick was the Bulls' consecutive losses to the Sonics in the Finals, but they were up 3-0 by then and seemingly bored with how good they were.


2. 1987 Los Angeles Lakers Score: 301.5
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 65-17
Postseason record: 15-3
Avg. scoring margin: +9.3
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +11.4
Finals result: Beat Boston, 4-2 LEADERS
Scoring: Magic Johnson, 23.9 ppg
Rebounds: A.C. Green, 7.9 rpg
Assists: Magic Johnson, 12.4 apg
Coach: Pat Riley
Finals MVP: Magic Johnson




Fittingly, the great Lakers and Celtics teams are in a virtual dead heat for second place. (You'll note that I just call the Lakers "Los Angeles" in this list -- no risk of confusing them with the Clippers here.) This L.A. team nudged ahead of Boston by virtue of winning 65 games in the regular season and then trashing the West -- 11 wins in 12 games -- to make the Finals. The Lakers beat the Celtics in six, and for the playoffs as a whole outscored their opponents by 205 points -- the best of any team on this list. Seven different players averaged double figures, led by Magic with 23.9 points per game.



3. 1986 Boston Celtics Score: 301.1
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 67-15
Postseason record: 15-3
Avg. scoring margin: +9.4
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +10.3
Finals result: Beat Houston, 4-2 LEADERS
Scoring: Larry Bird, 25.8 ppg
Rebounds: Larry Bird, 9.8 rpg
Assists: Larry Bird, 6.8 apg
Coach: K.C. Jones
Finals MVP: Larry Bird




The Celtics won 67 games in '86 behind the best frontcourt ever assembled -- Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bill Walton -- and followed it up by stampeding through the playoffs in 15 games. They rank behind L.A. mostly because their victory margin wasn't as strong in the playoffs. On the other hand, this isn't a bad list to be No. 3 on. And few teams will ever have five players averaging at least 15 a game in the playoffs, as Boston's legendary quintet did in this postseason.

[1987_Lakers]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nba/playoff...=Finalists1-10


1. 1996 Chicago Bulls Score: 327.9
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 72-10
Postseason record: 15-3
Avg. scoring margin: +12.2
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +10.6
Finals result: Beat Seattle, 4-2 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: Michael Jordan, 30.4 ppg
Rebounds: Dennis Rodman, 14.9 rpg
Assists: Scottie Pippen, 5.9 apg
Coach: Phil Jackson
Finals MVP: Michael Jordan




Hands down, the greatest team of all time. How can you choose another when these guys won 72 regular-season games and 14 of their first 15 in the postseason? The Bulls were so good they were first in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and outscored their opponents by 12.2 points per game.

With names like Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, and Toni Kukoc, not to mention a coach like Phil Jackson, this team was pretty much unbeatable -- in fact, seven of its playoff wins were by 17 points or more. The only nit to pick was the Bulls' consecutive losses to the Sonics in the Finals, but they were up 3-0 by then and seemingly bored with how good they were.


2. 1987 Los Angeles Lakers Score: 301.5
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 65-17
Postseason record: 15-3
Avg. scoring margin: +9.3
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +11.4
Finals result: Beat Boston, 4-2 LEADERS
Scoring: Magic Johnson, 23.9 ppg
Rebounds: A.C. Green, 7.9 rpg
Assists: Magic Johnson, 12.4 apg
Coach: Pat Riley
Finals MVP: Magic Johnson




Fittingly, the great Lakers and Celtics teams are in a virtual dead heat for second place. (You'll note that I just call the Lakers "Los Angeles" in this list -- no risk of confusing them with the Clippers here.) This L.A. team nudged ahead of Boston by virtue of winning 65 games in the regular season and then trashing the West -- 11 wins in 12 games -- to make the Finals. The Lakers beat the Celtics in six, and for the playoffs as a whole outscored their opponents by 205 points -- the best of any team on this list. Seven different players averaged double figures, led by Magic with 23.9 points per game.



3. 1986 Boston Celtics Score: 301.1
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 67-15
Postseason record: 15-3
Avg. scoring margin: +9.4
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +10.3
Finals result: Beat Houston, 4-2 LEADERS
Scoring: Larry Bird, 25.8 ppg
Rebounds: Larry Bird, 9.8 rpg
Assists: Larry Bird, 6.8 apg
Coach: K.C. Jones
Finals MVP: Larry Bird




The Celtics won 67 games in '86 behind the best frontcourt ever assembled -- Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bill Walton -- and followed it up by stampeding through the playoffs in 15 games. They rank behind L.A. mostly because their victory margin wasn't as strong in the playoffs. On the other hand, this isn't a bad list to be No. 3 on. And few teams will ever have five players averaging at least 15 a game in the playoffs, as Boston's legendary quintet did in this postseason.

http://www.nba.com/playoffs2004/challenge_bracket.html

[Scott Pippen]

very good, thanks for posting!


WHAT TIME IS IT??
GAME TIME, OOOOHHHH!

[Scott Pippen]

http://www.nba.com/playoffs2004/challenge_bracket.html

[puppychili]

Lets see, when you break it down to numbers and formulas the Bulls come out on top. When you break it down to voting and emotion the Lakers come out on top.

Thats mainly cause everyone has this dogmatic view that the 80's were the greatest era of NBA basketball and thats where all of the greatest teams ever reside. Any challenge to this is seen as blasphemy. I have 2 challenges to this notion

1. Most of the writers out there and people overall who hold the 80's in such reverence are people who grew up or first started watching the NBA during this time. They came of age at the same time as the NBA did. So they romanticize it a little. Kind of like people do with music. People tend to think that the best music was the music that came out during their adolesence. Which is the reason why you see people on the sunset strip today still holding on to Motley Crue and Poison. The same reason why my dad still listens to the Beach Boys and my grandma would only listen to Sinatra and music from the rat pack era. Also during the 80's you were pretty much in one of two groups, Lakers or Celtics. It's where many people started off becoming a lifelong fan of either of those teams.

2. All those teams during the 80's are seen as great cause they beat each other. The Lakers beat the Celtics who beat the 76ers who beat the lakers who beat the Pistons who beat the Celtics, etc. Sure the lakers ended up with the most titles from that decade but all the above teams can say that they beat the Lakers in the Finals which makes them great as well.

The Bulls on the other hand were the sole dominant team of the 90's. The Rockets 2 titles are seen as tarnished since Jordan was retired for the majority of their run. If Jordan had continued playing during those 2 years and the rockets had still won those 2 titles likely beating the Bulls for at least one of them the Rockets would be considered a GREAT team. Likewise had the Knicks, Suns, or Jazz beat the Bulls in a playoff series during the 90's they too would be considered GREAT, cause they beat the awesome Bulls. But they didn't which in some ways makes the Bulls a victim of their own dominance. People act like there was no one to challenge them, forgetting that in 93 a 3-peat was something that had been unheard of since the 60's. The Bulls were not favored in every playoff series they played either. But the fact that during their championship years they were only pushed to 7 games twice, never in the Finals makes people look back and think that the playoffs were nothing but one big unchallenged cakewalk for the Bulls. Ironically enough, many people watching basketball during this era who now degrade it (Laker Fans) were giving a multitude of reasons why Jordan and the Bulls were gonna lose many of those given playoff series.

In the end, who the better team? The Lakers Celtics or Bulls? It's debatable. I tend to go by numbers and dominance. Averaging 70 wins over 2 seasons along with not one but two 3-peats in 8 years is unprecedented and will likely never happen again. The 80's were a golden era of basketball though not likely to be matched again either. It really all comes down to who your favorite team is. But to say that any of those match ups would be dominated by anyone or go less than 7 games is ignorant.

Thats just my 2 cents.

[BrianScalabrine]

Pippen is one ugly delusional overrated clown and 95-96 bulls is the most overrated team in NBA history. It's easy to win that many games in a weak and diluted era, especially if the commish rigged the games for you.

[juju151111]

'86 Celtics & '87 Lakers > '96 Bulls

nope sorry

[JPR]

Pippen: The most underrated player of all time. great interview, thanks for the link.

[puppychili]

Also don't forget how the 2000 era Lakers copied the Bulls so much, with pretty much the entire Bulls coaching staff along with Ron Harper and Horace Grant starting.

I don't think any other NBA team including the 80's Lakers has been emulated to that extent.

[1987_Lakers]

Pippen is one ugly delusional overrated clown and 95-96 bulls is the most overrated team in NBA history. It's easy to win that many games in a weak and diluted era, especially if the commish rigged the games for you.

[puppychili]

Pippen is one ugly delusional overrated clown and 95-96 bulls is the most overrated team in NBA history. It's easy to win that many games in a weak and diluted era, especially if the commish rigged the games for you.

What an absurd statement. The commish rigged games? If the talent was so diluted as you say then why would he have to rig anything? I'm sure in game 6 of the 98 Finals he "totally rigged it" so Jordan would score, steal and then score again to win the title.

What a lame brain.