Do the Bulls win 8 straight titles if MJ never retires?

[3ball]

LeBron was so burnt out he only went on to make 4 more Finals and win another title

Oh, so he's good enough to 3-peat a weak conference but not the league?

he 3-peated a weak conference with a stacked team, when he already beat it with a weak team (07'), along with everyone else (09', 03', 02' 01')..

2006-2010 showed us that Lebron's skillset + non-stacked casts = perennial loser of weak conference..... 2011-2018 showed us that Lebron's skillset + strong casts = perennial winner of weak conference but loser of Finals, 3/8

Simply not goat.... this is goat:

85-87' showed us that young MJ + lottery cast = not lottery.... That's better than young Lebron/Curry/Durant + lottery cast = lottery

88-90' showed us that MJ + garbage cast = nearly beating the champs..
91-98' showed us that MJ + 18 ppg, garbage-shooting 2nd option (least offensive help ever) = goat dynasty

[baudkarma]

Possible, sure. But not likely. If MJ never retires they may not even get to 6. There's no question that playing in that many finals in a row is taxing both physically and emotionally. It wouldn't take much of a misstep for the Bulls to lose one of those finals series to Hakeem and the Rockets. And once the rest of the league sees that Jordan, Pippen, and Jackson can actually be beaten, maybe Malone and Stockton don't fail when they play the Bulls later.

[iamgine]

They might've won less than 6 if MJ never retires.

So what we can say is they might've won 3+ titles if MJ never retires. Most likely scenario is 4-8 titles.

[Gileraracer]

Dad Killer was afraid of Hakeem Olajuwon.

Oh so we have to be thankful that Hakeem only played in the NBA for 2 years

[LostCause]

Oh so we have to be thankful that Hakeem only played in the NBA for 2 years

1 and a half actually

For some reason Jordan, fearing Hakeem, decided to come back the season after Hakeem won MVP, DPOY and the Championship While Hakeem was in the midst of a statistically better season and Chicago was barely a playoff seed.

He was shook

[DaHeezy]

Orlando did take them out with Jordan so the correct answer in no. Shaq's Magic was bound to go to the finals that year regardless of a full season of Jordan.

[AirBonner]

**** no

[andgar923]

The Bulls had losing records during the regular season vs a number of teams, only to beat them in the postseason.

The post season is a different beast altogether.

[stalkerforlife]

Orlando did take them out with Jordan so the correct answer in no. Shaq's Magic was bound to go to the finals that year regardless of a full season of Jordan.

Don't be ridiculous.

He played 17 regular season games.

An entire camp and regular season would've improved them.

[DaHeezy]

Don't be ridiculous.

He played 17 regular season games.

An entire camp and regular season would've improved them.

17 games is a fair enough sample size to have under your belt to adjust, considering he was only removed a season and a half and not due to injury. Plus a whole series under your belt in which he played at his elite level. That load management helped him if anything. That was Orlando's time. They weren't losing the EC.

[Jasper]

I actually think 9 were possible.

[JBSptfn]

Heck no, especially if Rodman ends up on the Magic (I don't see Grant leaving if MJ is still there, so Rodman would have went somewhere else. The Magic would have had a void at PF without Grant).

[Akeem34TheDream]

Of course not.

[SpaceJam]

Not if Pippen doesn't save him from going down 0-3 in the '93 ECF

[Ainosterhaspie]

How did MJ show us an 8 peat is possible when he couldn't handle more than three straight finals runs? He literally proved twice he didn't have it him him to try for more than three.

But let's pretend MJ isn't who he proved himself to be, i.e. a quitter who kept abandoning the game and his team. The grind and natural complacency that comes with that many wins was going to lead to a slip up by his teammates if nothing else somewhere along the way. There was going to be an injury, or someone being fed up with MJ being an asshole who hits teammates, or some guy with an ego sick of grinding for MJ to get all the glory.

As it was, they barely slipped by the Pacers in 98. If nothing else they lose that series trying for number 8 thought they probably lose something well before that.