End Chicago-centric revisionist bullhonkey--Realize the Dream
>> Tuesday
In the spirit of the NBA Finals, I've decided it's time to weigh in on a fantastical myth that abounds among a good many NBA fans--especially those from the Chicago hereabouts.
This past Saturday night as I was trailing off to sleep watching the ESPN Classic NBA Finals marathon, I was reminded of two things: 1) how incredibly awesome it was to watch Hakeem Olajuwon in his prime and 2) how wildly underappreciated his mid-'90s Rockets are.
Lots of folks--lots of loudmouthed Chicagoans, that is--will tell you that the '93-'94 and '94-'95 NBA seasons were the most "meaningless" in the league's history. They'll tell you that they were invalidated by the phantom year-and-a-half of Michael Jordan's prime that never reached the court. They'll pretend that the Rockets served as default champions while the NBA awaited the return of M-Jay.
But such is not true.
Yes, the Bulls may very well have won in '93-'94 had Jordan been playing for them. He could very well have bridged the gap between a seven-game defeat to the Knicks in the second round and an Eastern Conference title. And as good as Hakeem and the Rockets were that year, they beat those Knicks in the most closely contested seven-game Finals in history. So it's not altogether unreasonable to extrapolate that potential defeat of the Knicks into a title.
But remember that the Bulls only slipped two games in the entirely-based-on-sheer-talent regular season from '92-'93 to '93-'94, which would indicate that they were only slightly less potent compared to league average. That is to say, the Knicks were a very good team that was peaking that season and had viably threatened the Bulls in the previous year.
However, '94-'95 was an entirely different story. And it's where the "Bulls woud've won" refrain gets really insane.
First of all, Jordan was there.
"But he was still rusty!"
Garbage. He put up 55 in his third game back. I realize that he shot 26% from the field that season (exaggeration), but could he have truly re-rustified so drastically over the next 18 games leading up to the Orlando series?
More importantly, the Bulls were godawful weak down low that year. No matter how sharp Jordan could have been, he had no control over this obvious weakness. Does Kukoc and Purdue ring a bell? The Bulls barely posed a challenge to Shaq's Magic--a team that posed no challenge to Hakeem's Rockets.
The 72-win season the following year obscures how mediocre the '94-'95 team was. A 14-man roster that sees 86% turnover in a three-year span is rarely a title contender--especially when it includes such an obvious sag. '94-'95 was the sag stage of that turnover, and it would have been that way regardless of whether Jordan had retired.
There never was an eight-peat; there never could have been an eight-peat; and most importantly, THERE NEVER WAS AN EIGHT-PEAT, SO GET OVER IT, LOSERS.
Perpetuating the myth that the '94 and '95 NBA titles rightfully belonged to the Bulls only distorts some really, really obvious reality. And worse, it undermines the brilliance of one of the finest athlete primes we have ever seen.
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35 comments:
Hakeem was the man,...and yes I DVR'ed the Orlando/Rockets game 1 on ESPN Classic. Watching him again almost brought tears to my eyes. He handled himself so well, did you see how he reacted to his buzzer beating tip at the end of overtime? He didn't violently jump around pumping his fists like MJ (and every other star),.....he justwalked away from the basket and briefly put his hands up, and cracked a smile. Class.
M-Jay...?
MJ
The Bulls were weak down low in 94-95, but if Jordan would have never left, then Horace Grant may not have signed with the Orlando Magic after the 93-94 season.
The concept of a probable 8-peat is valid!
Hakeem played against a frontcourt of Shaq AND Horace Grant,...the Rockets swept the series 4-0. So its a fantasy to think Horace Grant could have done ANYTHING to stop Olajuwon. I just watched the Magic/Rockets series and Olajuwon had his way with Grant everytime Shaq was out of the game. It seemed like he had a 3 point play everytime on Grant.
Grant was leaving no matter what because of $ - the Bulls couldn't pay him wanted he wanted while paying S.P. & M.J.
Hakeem is without question the greatest center of all time. In the playoffs, the list of big men he bested includes Kareem, Shaq, Robinson, Ewing, Barkley, Malone (yes, forwards had to cover him when their centers fould out) and many more. No big man beat the caliber of big men that Hakeem did in the post season.
Bulls fans should not assume they would have won in both 1994 and 1995. At the same time you cannot unequivocally state that it would not have happened. Had Jordan been on the roster these two seasons, roster moves would have likely been handled differently. The 1995 team in particular planned to play without MJ, and set up the roster to give a young guy like Kukoc a chance to step up. With MJ, that team may have looked for a more veteran option down low and kept Kukoc in the 6th man role he had during the 1996-1998 run. The Rockets would have been really tough to beat both years, but it's wrong to make such a definitive statement that it would not have happened. That is just as foolish as saying the Bulls would have definitely 8-peated.
Saying Akeem is the best center of all time is laughable. You should have your balls cut off if you believe that crap. Wilt? Kareem?Hello? Anyone in there?
calling MJ classless, at least on the court, is just irresponsible. him jumping around as you say. Since when is one fist pump over the top? I suppose complete lack of emotion would be much more entertaining and help us believe that athletes actually care. I bet you're a Tim Duncan fan as well; how exiting he and the Spurs are, can't you tell how much they want it...boring. Anyway, what did MJ do in '98 after hitting the last shot vs. the Jazz, single fist clenched in victory. I suppose you also bash Tiger Woods as well. Get over it, you're obviously biased; if you don't like Jordan or are simply jealous, that's ok, many are.
Yeah, Bulls would have won in 1994. Many Bulls fans believe that if they wouldn't have called that SHITTY call on Pippen (Hubert Davis' 3), we would have. And then disposed of the Rockets...without Jordan. I don't think they could have won in 95. But if Jordan was there, they wouldn't have had Pete Meyers....
if MJ stays with the Bulls, drexler migh be traded to an EC team looking to challenge. No trade to Hou then, sayonara
You are such a hypocrite. You use your blog to call out Bulls fans for making an assumption of the Bulls continued dominance, and then make an equally ridiculous assumption to serve your own agenda. Bulls fans can assume whatever the hell they want, just as Rocket fans can assume whatever the hell THEY want. It's not inconceivable that the Bulls would have won 8 straight. Had Jordan stayed, it's likely that the roster would have been different, moves would have been made differently. It would have been a fantastic final between the Bulls and Rockets, so leave it at that.
fuck you dream and dreamers. that was one of the worst years in nba history talent wise, the bulls would have handled the rockets in 6. its moronic to think that krause and jackson wouldn't have worked the 93-95 team differently had jordan never retired. you think veteran big men would wanted to sacrifice $ to play with jordan? i think so dipshit
Fans of a team with 6 championships in 8 years are losers? Good Lord, i'd hate to see what that makes you then.
As has been said, the Bulls nearly won in '94 without Jordan; with him they would have been comparable to the '96 team, just sans Rodman. And just because Jordan put up 55 in his second game back doesn't mean he wasn't a little rusty in '95 - after all, in '96 the Bulls STOMPED the Magic, even while still not having a better center than Luc Longley.
I don't know that the Bulls would definitely have won eight straight, and I don't think it takes away from Hakeem either way. But to say there's no way the Bulls would have won in either '94 or '95 is silly.
Garbage. He put up 55 in his third game back. I realize that he shot 26% from the field that season (exaggeration), but could he have truly re-rustified so drastically over the next 18 games leading up to the Orlando series?
Jordans PER in those 17 games was 22.1 !!!! The year before it was 29.7. The year after 29.4.
Thats like replacing a Dwyane Wade, Kobe, or KG at their peak with Manu Ginobili or Pau Gasol.
HE WAS RUSTY. Check the stats, you're wrong. Get over it
The Bulls are HUGE favorites to win in both those years if Jordan plays. You lose
Blah blah blah. None of this stuff matters becuase the bottom line is that Michael Jordan in his prime would never, ever let his team lose in a finals. If jordan plays the whole year, the Bulls coast to the finals, where MJ refuses to let his team lose.
Michael Jordan in his PRIME, with Pippen, coming off 3 straight titles... no reason to think they dont extend it.
Sorry, but "Horace Grant left" is just weak.
As a Chicagoan and a big Bulls fan who grew up watching those teams, I can't say I have an unbiased opinion here. But I will say that I find it hard to believe that MJ would have let his team lose in a Finals against anyone. He dispatched Magic and the Lakers (albeit on the downslope), Drexler and the Blazers, Barkley and the Suns, Payton/Kemp and the Sonics and Malone/Stockton and the Jazz. Not exactly a bunch of chumps.
I know, I know.....none of those teams had a center. Well let me ask you this? Who on the Rockets guards Michael Jordan? Who guards Scottie Pippen? What Rocket small forward scores at will on Pippen? Mario Elie?
I think (H)akeem Olajuwon is one of the top 5 players of all time, and he is my 2nd favorite NBA player ever. I have nothing but the greatest respect for him. But to say that Hakeem's Rockets would have beat the Bulls in 94 or 95 is not, how you say, smart.
sucks to live in houston.
8 PEAT FOREVER!!!
"I know, I know.....none of those teams had a center. Well let me ask you this? Who on the Rockets guards Michael Jordan? Who guards Scottie Pippen? What Rocket small forward scores at will on Pippen? Mario Elie? "
Vernon Maxwell and then Clyde covers Jordan. Vernon always played Jordan tough. Pippen would have been guarded by this guy named Robert Horry.
Bulls fans like to forget that the Bulls could do no better than split with Houston during that era in their regular season matchups. Houston went 4-2 against Chicago from 92/93 to 94/95 (the Rockets' began peaking that first year).
In the end, there is no way to know who would have won, but it is myopic for Bulls fans to think they'd have beaten Houston so easily twice. Just because you could beat a gutless Utah twice in two years doesn't mean anything. And "Jordan never would have let them lose" doesn't hold nearly as much weight considering that he did "let" his team lose to Orlando in 1995. Saying "Jordan wouldn't have let them lose" doesn't make it so, any more than saying "LeBron is the greatest thing since the Big Bang" makes it so either.
Check Jordan's career numbers against the Rockets and esp. vernon maxwell. Jordan put up some of his his worst stats when guarded by maxwell than any other player (look it up, its true). With Hakeem running the point from down low and everyone else knocking down 3s when he couldn't handle the double and triple teams, the Rockets easily couldv'e taken the Bulls in any season. Drexler wouldv'e pwnd Jordan in 93-94 as well. Hakeem is the best all around center of all time.
Hey, I know everyone has their own opinions, and hell I am about as biased as anyone with respect to this particular post given the fact that I grew up in Houston watching Hakeem and the Rockets play, but I just wanted to say thanks for this post simply for the fact that it illustrates how great a player Hakeem was and how lucky we were to have him... no one knows who would have taken the match-up of Hakeem's Rockets versus Jordan's Bulls, but at least I know there are those out there who think like me (who knew?!)... ketchup and mustard forever, son!!
Houston, the Rockets, Olajuwon, and mainly Clyde Drexler should thank MJ everyday that he took that time off. Heck up until then most people didn't think a team with Clyde Drexler could win anything of importance. Rumor has it that to this day the Glide starts gagging when he sees a picture of MJ or the NC State logo.
Bulls would have won. Jordan vs. Drexler in a big game? That's not even funny.
"Drexler wouldv'e pwnd Jordan in 93-94 as well"
No one ever owned Jordan, and Clyde Drexler had less of a chance of doing that than anyone; why did the author of this post begin by bashing Bulls fans for being arrogant and then write the snarkiest post ever?
"Drexler wouldv'e pwnd Jordan in 93-94 as well"
Yeah, just like he did in 91-92, right? And saying that the Rockets and Vernon Maxwell always played the Bulls tough is a bad argument, because the Jazz regularly killed the Bulls in regular season play, and yet the Bulls went 8-4 over them in the Finals over a span of two years.
And to the guy who said Pippen would get guarded by Robert Horry......are you kidding? Horry was (and still is) an average defensive player, at best, while Pippen regularly put up 18-22 points a game while playing unbelievable defense.
Actually, there has been an 8-peat:
Boston Celtics 1959-1966.
The ONLY reason you won titles is because 'M-Jay' retired. Had Jordan never left, the Rockets would have joined the Lakers, Blazers, Suns, Sonics, and Jazz as just another victim.
The greatest player in the history of the game took 2 years off, and your team wins 2 titles? Hmm ... not a coincidence, methinks.
Bill Winnington and Luc Longley would have bitch slapped the shit out of Hakeem.
I'm surprised the lack of credit the Bulls fans have given Houston here. Houston had two ridiculously good teams in 1994-1995, and it would not have been the cakewalk everyone assumes. Hell, the Suns series was much closer and in much more doubt than history suggests. Barkley really started going off the last few games, but his partner in crime KJ just had an awful series. Had Kevin Johnson played anywhere near his normal level, it may not have been a three-peat. As a Bulls fan, I have no problem claiming the 1996 team should be regarded as the best non-Auerbach coached team in NBA history, with it being unfair to really compare those two teams because of much different eras. However, it would be foolish to definitely make a statement one way or another of how the Bulls-Rockets series would have potentially turned out, and failing to give each viewpoint a fair examination is a huge mistake since it's far from a cut and dry situation.
Houston was a really good team in those years, though I think Chicago would have taken them in 1994 had they been at 100%. 1995 is a different story, and I don't think that team had enough fire to actually get the job done. You could even say the 1995 loss helped motivate the 1996 Bulls. Hakeem wasn't always going to be denied a title.
And who knows? If Jordan and the Bulls win in 1994 and 1995, how do we know Jordan stays for 1997 and 1998? We really don't. As a Bulls fan, I don't take offense to the argument put forth above as some of my fellow travellers seemingly do. As long as those titles aren't won by the Pistons or Celtics, I've got no issue with it.
C'mon man just because MJ scored 55 in one game does not make a valid case for him being up to par. The dude came back in the middle of March for chrissakes.
3 very important points to remember:
1) Pippen got called for fouling Daivs, even though he never touched him. That call eliminated the Bulls, and all hopes of a minimum twelve-peat, with them.
2) Jordan would not allow his team to lose. He could will things to happen on the court. No disrespect to The Dream or The Glide, but they couldn't stop Jordan.
3) There is no way Robert Horrie guards Pippen. If you can't jump more than 3 inches off the ground, you can't gurd Scottie.
"Drexler wouldv'e pwnd Jordan in 93-94 as well"
Yes he really pwned Jordan when Jordan dropped 35 points in the first half against Glide and the Blazers.
"Drexler wouldv'e pwnd Jordan in 93-94 as well"
I am pretty sure that Drexler did not go to the Rockets until '94-95 season and only won one title.
Now that this post is probably dead, I should clarify the real point of this post. I wasn't trying to dice a hypothetical Bulls-Rockets finals. I was just saying that 1) the Rockets won those two years and that won't ever change, 2) the Bulls didn't, and 3) assuming those two titles for the Bulls is unfair to those Rockets teams and (espcially in regard to '94-'95) kind of far-fetched.
I'll acknowledge my bad move insinuating that Jordan wasn't rusty in '95 because he was, but all this talk about Jordan "willing" his team? Cut it the fuck out. Give me something better than that.
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