Basketball's Peak

So, what team is the pinnacle of the NBA’s illustrious history? Who deserves to be on top? And who can claim the title for being the best team of all time? Some would say the early 2000’s Lakers with Shaq and Kobe. Others might say the mid 80’s Celtics led by legendary small forward Larry Bird. Many current day NBA fans would say the best team in NBA history is the current Golden State Warriors who are led by Steph Curry and an extremely deep and talented roster. But as good as these legendary squads are they all pale in comparison to 1996-1998 Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.

Many people say that the current day Golden State Warriors are the best team to ever lace ‘em up. The Warriors are a fantastic team and deserve a ton of respect for the type of season they are putting together. At this point they are 41-4, a record only matched by the 1995-1996 Bulls who won an NBA record 72 games. So, can the Warriors catch the Bulls? As their schedule plays out the Warriors have a decent chance to make that 73 win mark. But, the record in this case honestly makes no difference. The league has come a long way from what it was in the 90’s. More fouls are called and softer defensive rules have completely changed the game. When Jordan and his Bulls were playing the Detroit Pistons literally created the Jordan rules which were made to specifically knock Michael Jordan off his game. Many times Jordan was nearly injured and had to be taken out due to this ultra-aggressive style of play. In today’s NBA you wouldn’t see rules like this that were so aggressive because the game has implemented more and more rules.

Now, I will give credit where credit is due. The Golden State Warriors are the greatest shooting squad ever hands down. Curry, Thompson, Green, Iguodala, Barnes; all of these guys can literally pull up from 30 feet and are expected to make their shot. They have a good defense and offensively, they will oppose their will on you.

Here’s why I give the Bulls advantage, 2 words: MICHAEL JORDAN. The greatest basketball player to have ever lived, Jordan was unstoppable and it is almost blasphemous to put anyone’s name in the same sentence as him. Jordan was the epitome of a winner. He went to 6 finals and he won all 6 without flinching. I mentioned earlier that teams literally made Jordan rules to specifically stop him. Now while there have been countless other players to acquire special attention, no one ever had the type of attention that Jordan had. Not only that, but they had one of the greatest defenders of all time in Scottie Pippen, who by my estimation is a very underrated basketball player. They also had an all-time great rebounder in Dennis Rodman who used to play for Jordan’s rivals, the Pistons.

In a head to head matchup, it would truly be epic. We would see the greatest shooter of all-time vs. the great player of all time. We would see the best shooting team vs. a fantastic perimeter defense. In the end it would be a close one, but I have no doubt that the Bulls would take this game and remain atop the NBA mountaintop of great teams. What do you think? Comment your thoughts below!

Written by Kenny Quinn