The 72-10 Bulls, Just how focused was this team ?? The questions

[CB4GOATPF]

1995-96 Chicago Bulls were the best offensive team and best defensive team in 1996.

Offensive Rating: 115.2 (1st of 29) ▪ Defensive Rating: 101.8 (1st of 29)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1996.html

[SAKOTXA]

Scottie Pippen could have won the MVP that year, IMO he played better than MJ. Don't kill me.....

[Lebron23]

Scottie Pippen could have won the MVP that year, IMO he played better than MJ. Don't kill me.....

Michael Jordan was way better than Scottie Pippen in 1996.

[SAKOTXA]

Michael Jordan was way better than Scottie Pippen in 1996.

Well yea he was, but IMO Pippen was the more important, he played great defense all year, and was very consistent on both offensive and defensive ends of the floor.

[SAKOTXA]

Oh ***** nvm, I was referring to the Bulls 1996-1997 season, my bad I mixed it up.

[OldSchoolBBall]

Well yea he was, but IMO Pippen was the more important

LMAO

EDIT: Doesn't matter which season you're referring to. L...M...A...O

[SAKOTXA]

LMAO

EDIT: Doesn't matter which season you're referring to. L...M...A...O

1996-1997 season

Scottie Pippen 20.2 PPG , 6.5 RPG, 5.7 APG, 2SPG, 0.6 BPG on 0.474 shooting.

Michael Jordan 29.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0. 5 BPG on 0.486 shooting.

The reason I said Pippen was more important is that he played great on both defensive and offensive ends of the floor. Like I said this was my opinion, and I wouldn't disagree with you If you said that MJ was more important to that team. It is not laughable to say that Pippen arguably had a better season than MJ.

[ShaqAttack3234]

Everything just came together for that team. MJ was obviously embarrassed about their loss the year before and he came back more motivated than ever. By that time his jumpshot and post game were peaking and he had learned how to pace himself perfectly. The additions in the frontcourt, particularly Rodman filled in the hole that Horace Grant's departure had left. A big reason why they lost to Orlando the year before was because they didn't have a frontcourt that could compete. Ron Harper's contributions also can't be underestimated. He was a very good defender, he gave them a very big and versatile backcourt and he was another smart player who made the right plays. Roundball Rock perfectly summed up the advantage of having a SF who was your de facto point guard as well.

The team was just filled with talent and experience. That was another key, all of the players, particularly Jordan and Pippen had a lot of years under their belt and they had gained a lot of knowledge in that time. They also had a lot of players who really worked hard. Obviously we all know about Jordan's work ethic, Pippen broguht it every night and say what you want about Rodman off the court, but on the court, he was relentless. Remember how well he played in the 1996 finals?

[Dizzle-2k7]

Ive never seen a team as feared as the 96 Bulls..just imagine tying up your kicks, stretching, warming up, walking onto the court for the jumpball, and seeing Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on the other team.

You also got the crazy Chicago fans, a top 3 basketball Coach all time, Kukoc, Rodman, and most importantly: role players that knew their role.. damn what a team. So much class and so much hunger.

[OldSchoolBBall]

1996-1997 season

Scottie Pippen 20.2 PPG , 6.5 RPG, 5.7 APG, 2SPG, 0.6 BPG on 0.474 shooting.

Michael Jordan 29.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0. 5 BPG on 0.486 shooting.

The reason I said Pippen was more important is that he played great on both defensive and offensive ends of the floor. Like I said this was my opinion, and I wouldn't disagree with you If you said that MJ was more important to that team. It is not laughable to say that Pippen arguably had a better season than MJ.

It certainly IS laughable to anyone with half a brain. Here, let me show you:

[Mister JT]

And if I remember correctly, that Bulls team finished January with only 3 losses.

I think that should be the standard for teams that are chasing the record. If a team today finishes January with around 3-5 losses, they're more or less on pace for 70. Then people can legitimately talk about the record.


I remember that we were vacationing in Orlando when they beat the Bucks in Milwaukee to get the record. I used to have a '96 Penny Hardaway San Antonio All-Star replica and pair of white Air Shake N Destruct Rodmans with the laces on the sides. Haha!

[04mzwach]

They were the closest things to superheros in basketball. I saw Jordan hit buzzer beaters. I saw Kukoc hit DAGGERSSSS!! I saw Pippen lock down players. It was a thing of beauty and beast. It was crazy watching a team so good at a young age. It was a shock when they lost. It just didn't make any sense that they were losing. They were so good that when they lost you couldn't believe it and you were in shock. They beat everybody. I think this might of been the year the only team that beat them twice was the Pacers. Reggie Miller had to let his name be known as well as Rick Smitz...very underrated IMO. No team will ever match or beat their record, ever. It's a once in a life time type of thing. If you read this, you won't see another team like them.

[puppychili]

At one point they were 41-3. Makes me laugh at all the people that start to hype up their team for 70 wins after their team goes 3-0 or something like that.

Most dominant team ever. Don't forget they won 69 the next year and had a chance to win 70 on the last game of the regular season but they lost to the Knicks.

Still though over two seasons the Bulls averaged 70 wins. Incredible.

[Roundball_Rock]

Scottie Pippen could have won the MVP that year, IMO he played better than MJ. Don't kill me.....

They will kill you but guess what? MJ himself believed Pippen should have been MVP that year and he had a strong MVP candidacy going before he got hurt late in the season. Would he have won? No, but he would have at least finished 3rd and perhaps even 2nd (instead of 5th, narrowly behind 4th place Hakeem. How often do two teammates finish in the top 5 in MVP voting? The only other time I know of is Magic/Kareem in 85', but that was a straight fight in which neither was the "chosen one" if you get my drift).

The reason I said Pippen was more important is that he played great on both defensive and offensive ends of the floor. Like I said this was my opinion, and I wouldn't disagree with you If you said that MJ was more important to that team. It is not laughable to say that Pippen arguably had a better season than MJ.

That is a legitimate argument to make for 1996 and 1997. Pippen was the team's best defender (arguably the best defender in the league and the best perimeter defender who only Payton rivaled) and defense was the key to those teams. Pippen also served as the team's primary ballhandler/playmaker. Without Pippen you could not have Ron Harper, another very good defender, play as PG because he was in reality a SG and could not handle PG duties. If Pippen went down you would have had to send Harper to the bench and replaced Pippen with Kukoc. Or you could start Kukoc, keep Harper and divide Pippen's role between Kukoc and Jordan (which obviously would sap energy from an aging past his prime MJ). Of course, Kukoc/Jordan did not do nearly as good a job as Pippen in elevating their teammates when Pippen was hurt for half of 98'. Just look at the FG % of every Bull before and after the all-star break and you will find a dramatic increase when Pippen was running the offense. In fact, the differential in FG % with and without Pippen is comparable to the decline Lakers had with and without Magic after he retired (again, MJ fans will not like to hear this but this is documented fact. You can compare the percentages yourself at basketballreference) or the Celtics when Bird was hurt in 88'. Either way the net result would be a vastly inferior defense. If Jordan was injured you would slide Harper over to his natural position of SG and insert Kerr into the starting lineup as PG. Or, you could start Kukoc as SF, move Harper to SG and put Pippen at PG (a position he played in college, on the Dream Team and in Portland). All of this sure beats having to replace MJ with a CBA player doesn't it?

What about their relative impacts on the offensive bottom line? You posted the 97' stats but Pippen in 96' was even better. 96' was Pippen's best offensive season and perhaps his best season overall. Despite playing with the league leader in field goal attempts Pippen was averaging around 21.5-22 ppg (keep in mind the pace was ultra-slow during this time and the Bulls were slower than most teams. 22 ppg back then would place you in the top 10 in scoring) before getting hurt (he averaged only 15 ppg during the final fifth or so of the season and that dragged him down to 19.4). Compare that to MJ's 30.4. Jordan was scoring 9 more points per game (using 21.5), but Pippen averaged two more assists per game. When you factor that in Jordan was producing about 5 more points per game than Pippen. In 97' their relative gap in scoring stayed the same (due to a slower pace) as did their assists so the same argument can be made in 97'. So offensively Jordan produced 5 more points. Did Pippen's greater impact on defense offset that? A reasonable case can be made that it did.

People often confuse "best" with "important." Kareem was better than Magic in 82' but one could make a legitimate case that Magic was more important to the team.

Many people have forgotten how highly prime Pippen was rated. He was considered by some to be the second best player behind Jordan in 96', and to a lesser extent in 97' (and second best behind Hakeem in 94' and 95'). These weren't the opinions of some random Pippen fans. These were views expressed in Sports Illustrated, Slam Magazine, and ESPN. Here is an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTRqN...eature=related Fast forward to 3:50 and listen to the comments.

1995-96 season ESPN Sunday Conversation

Roy Firestone interviewing Scottie: "They are saying this is an MVP season for you..."
[Who was "they" you ask? Several people, including some guy named Michael Jeffery Jordan... ]

Bob Ryan: "This guy gives them elements on the court that are unattainable, unapproachable anywhere else..."

Dick Schaap: "Is he is good as his teammate?"

Ryan: "Well, as a matter of fact technically he is, but he doesn't have the aura of Michael Jordan but he can do things--in a package--that is unsurpassed in the NBA today..."

Some may scoff at that but Bob Ryan is a very respected NBA observer and this is what was said in 96', not with 13 years of "Jordan is god" coverage on ESPN coloring our views of that period.

Here is another video from that period. Guokas makes this comment during the pregame analysis portion.

Matt Guokas: “Scottie Pippen, the best all-around player in the game.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJQvk...e=channel_page

Sports Illustrated/and THE GOAT: CHICAGO (AP) -- Say this for Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen's supporting cast, they're not stupid.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/bas...jordan_pippen/

Again, this was not the common view but there were some who viewed it as a 1a/1b type relationship during the second three peat.

These are commentators and writers. How did players rate Pippen during this period?

Dream Team III/Reggie Miller=: PHOENIX -- I walked up to each one of them and asked the question.

If you could be any other player here who would it be?

It was a question I'd asked 12 years ago to Dream Team III: Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Penny Hardaway, Gary Payton, Shaq.

Their answers lent insight into which players they respected, whose game they feared. Back then Scottie Pippen's name came up the most. Five out of the 12 players on that team wanted to be, even if for one game, Jordan's Green Hornet. When asked, "Why Pip?" it was Miller who explained it best: "Because Pippen can score only five points and still dominate a basketball game."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...jackson/090216

This isn't me speaking or OldSchoolBBall, these are NBA legends like Reggie Miller. Think about it: they were asked who they would want to be if they could be anyone in the league at the time and Pippen was the overwhelming choice. In 2009 when the same question was asked of the NBA's elite (of NBA all-stars) the most frequent answer was Lebron.

Jordan clearly was the best player in the NBA in 1995-96/1996-97 (which is why he got nearly every first place MVP vote in 96') but Pippen had a very strong case for being the second best or at least third (behind Shaq, although Shaq missed half of 96' and it was Penny who was the Magic MVP candidate that year). This is what the Jordan revisionists want people to forgot. Moreover, given their respective roles on the team one can make a legitimate argument that Pippen was as valuable to the team in 1996 and 1997 than Jordan. By that time Jordan was past his prime and Pippen was in his prime (I consider his prime to have been 1994-1997). Pippen was the better defender, rebounder, and passer. In other words, he was better in practically everything other than scoring, although concedely there is a signifcant gap between 30 ppg and 21.5-22 ppg.

[OldSchoolBBall]

Of course, Kukoc/Jordan did not do nearly as good a job as Pippen in elevating their teammates when Pippen was hurt for half of 98'. Just look at the FG % of every Bull before and after the all-star break and you will find a dramatic increase when Pippen was running the offense.

Disingenuous.