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Ever wonder who would win between the '96 Bulls and the '02 Lakers?

2K views 21 replies 15 participants last post by  Hoodey 
#1 ·
You no longer have to guess.... http://www.whatifsports.com/nba/default.asp allows you to simulate the games and actually get a play-by-play account of the game of your choice. Choose any 2 teams and let them do battle! The site provides full stats, including a player of the game...

'96 Bulls vs. '02 Lakers

Bulls win 83-73

Michael Jordan- 15points, 4rebs, 2asts
Scottie Pippen- 20points, 5rebs, 3asts
------------------
Shaquille O'Neal- 29points, 13rebs, 2blks
Kobe Bryant- 4points, 4rebs, 3asts, 6trnovrs(Pippen shut him down!)

Make your own simulations!
 
#5 ·
Originally posted by KC
You no longer have to guess.... http://www.whatifsports.com/nba/default.asp allows you to simulate the games and actually get a play-by-play account of the game of your choice. Choose any 2 teams and let them do battle! The site provides full stats, including a player of the game...

'96 Bulls vs. '02 Lakers

Bulls win 83-73

Michael Jordan- 15points, 4rebs, 2asts
Scottie Pippen- 20points, 5rebs, 3asts
------------------
Shaquille O'Neal- 29points, 13rebs, 2blks
Kobe Bryant- 4points, 4rebs, 3asts, 6trnovrs(Pippen shut him down!)

Make your own simulations!
First of all...the Bulls would have way more than 83 points! The Lakers would have way way way more than 73 points!

Kobe...4 points, thats pure wishful thinking! Ha! 4 points!:laugh:

The Lakers would win this series purely because Shaq would dominate and Kobe would basically equal MJ's numbers.

The first 3peat Bulls team could beat the Lakers, but not the second. Even Phil Jackson said so on TBDSSP.

4 points! Yeah right.

:laugh:
 
#6 ·
Yeah no kidding! Who is gonna stop Shaq?? Luc Longley? Bill Wennington :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:


And why did you have the Bulls practically blowing out the Lakers in every game?? And kobe scoring only 4 points! piipen would in no way be able to contain him that much
 
#7 ·
I simmed up a few games with the 2001/02 Raptors.


First up, the Magic:

Magic 76
Raptors 78

<u>Toronto</u>
<b>Vince Carter</b> 39 MIN, 10/18 FG, 3/4 3P, 7 REB, 4 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL, 2 TO, 23 points
<b>Antonio Davis</b> 39 MIN, 6/12 FG, 14 REB, 4 AST, 2 BLK, 13 points

<u>Orlando</u>
<b>Tracy McGrady</b> 45 MIN, 8/21 FG, 3/4 3P, 6 REB, 5 AST, 1 BLK, 2 STL, 5 TO, 21 points

<b>Vince Carter outplays Tracy McGrady</b>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, the Lakers

Lakers 71
Raptors 81

<u>Toronto</u>
<b>Vince Carter</b> 39 MIN, 7/16 FG, 1/4 3P, 3 REB, 0 AST, 3 STL, 5 TO, 15 points

<u>Los Angeles</u>
<b>Kobe Bryant</b> 36 MIN, 3/11 FG, 7 REB, 5 AST, 1 BLK, 6 TO, 8 points

<b>Vince Carter outplays Kobe Bryant</b>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next up, the Sixers

Sixers 57
Raptors 80

<u>Toronto</u>
<b>Vince Carter</b> 40 MIN, 11/23 FG, 2/6 3P, 6 REB, 3 AST, 3 BLK, 3 STL, 4 TO, 24 points
<b>Antonio Davis</b> 47 MIN, 10 points, 19 rebounds

<u>Philadelphia</u>
<b>Allen Iverson</b> 34 MIN, 3/21 FG, 0/4 3P, 4 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL, 2 TO, 7 points
<b>Dikembe Mutumbo</b> 39 MIN, 8 points, 14 rebounds

<b>Vince Carter outplays Allen Iverson</b>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for the Pistons

Pistons 73
Raptors 71

<u>Toronto</u>
<b>Vince Carter</b> 42 MIN, 8/18 FG, 2/4 3P, 7/8 FT, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL, 4 TO, 25 points

<u>Detroit</u>
<b>Jerry Stackhouse</b> 36 MIN, 5/19 FG, 1/2 3P. 4/8 FT, 5 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 3 TO, 15 points
<b>Ben Wallace</b> 29 MIN, 6 points, 17 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 steals

<b>Vince Carter outplays Jerry Stackhouse</b>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And finally, the Knicks

Knicks 67
Raptors 78

<u>Toronto</u>
<b>Vince Carter</b> 43 MIN, 10/22 FG, 4/8 3P, 4/4 FT, 6 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 5 TO, 28 points

<u>New York</u>
<b>Latrell Sprewell</b> 45 MIN, 9/16 FG, 2/7 3P, 5 REB, 1 AST, 4 TO, 20 points

<b>Vince Carter outplays Latrell Sprewell</b>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All these stats were on the first try.

See kids, Vince Carter IS the best 2 guard in the league! :D
 
#9 ·
Originally posted by kflo
unfortunately, bb, in 9 ACTUAL games against kobe, tmac and iverson this season, he was outscored in 7, and clearly outplayed both times against kobe.:)
Don't worry, he had an off year, and was injured too. Next season's gonna be different. :yes:
 
#12 ·
'96 Bulls vs. '01 Lakers

Game 1 in Chicago
------------------------
Bulls def. Lakers 94-82

Stats:

Jordan- 20pts, 7rebs, 5asts, 4stls
Pipppen- 17points, 10rebs, 3asts

O'Neal- 27pts, 8rebs, 1blk
Bryant- 21pts, 8rebs, 4asts


Game 2 in Chicago
------------------------
Bulls def. Lakers 106-82

Stats:

Jordan- 29pts, 7rebs, 7stls
Pippen- 16pts, 10rebs, 8asts

O'Neal- 31pts, 18rebs, 5blks
Bryant- 22pts, 5rebs, 7trnovrs


Game 3 in Los Angeles
-----------------------------
Bulls def. Lakers 96-92

Stats:

Jordan- 26pts, 7rebs, 7trnovrs
Pippen- 17pts, 7rebs, 5asts

O'Neal- 33pts, 10rebs, 7blks
Bryant- 19pts, 4asts, 6FOULS


Game 4 in Los Angeles
-----------------------------
Bulls def. Lakers 109-91

Stats:

Jordan- 38pts, 8rebs, 5stls
Pippen- 34pts, 5rebs, 4asts, 4stls

O'Neal- 27pts, 8rebs
Bryant- 24pts, 4rebs, 5trnovrs



Bulls win series 4-0
 
#22 ·
Based on what? This kind of conclusion is great if it contains an argument as to why.

That team would have been a disaster against the 91 Bulls. Shaq was a dominating force no doubt, but the rest of LA struggles.

First, Kobe. He shot 38% over the course of entire series losses to the 04 Pistons and 08 Celtics. Neither of those teams had defenders as imposing as Scottie Pippen or Michael Jordan. Kobe would still score, but you're just looking at him taking a LOT of shots to get close to 30 points. That actually hurts LA as Shaq's game is best when players function more like Nick Anderson, where they look to feed him the ball and wait for the open jumper.

Second the Bulls as a full court juggernaut. Nobody was ever a better full court team in terms of translating defense to offense. Where LA really suffers here is getting the ball upcourt, as the 91 Bulls game was to trap and then intercept passes that went beyond the trap. I don't question Shaq's dominance on Cartwright/King/Williams. I question how easily he'd EVER get the ball to begin with. LA played a bunch of stiff teams where almost anyone could get the ball upcourt and feed the post. The Bulls were the polar opposite of this, as Chris Mullin once noted by saying "those guys, sheesh, it was just hard to get the ball upcourt, let alone to get a shot up period. A good shot? You're almost dreaming."

The matchups. The problem is that even if Jordan guards Bryant, Jordan was a guy who was 2 years removed from a DPOY, and he'd have made Bryant's life hell. Now, imagine Horry and Fox trying to operate on Pippen and Grant. There's just no chance of them operating there. Consider too that even if Shaq gets the ball, Grant is going to hound him because if Shaq passes out, Pippen and Jordan are going to close out on the shooter.

Offensively you'd think "Bryant is like Jordan, right?" If Jordan can guard him, he can guard Jordan? Right? Wrong. Bigger players, even great athletes ALWAYS struggled to guard Jordan. Jordan's greatest asset in his early career was that not only was he 6'6" and a leaper, but he was LIGHTNING quick. The guys who gave him trouble were always smaller players like Dumars, Dennis Johnson and Kevin Johnson, because they could actually keep him from blipping right into the paint. They could make him be a shooter. No 6'6" player could do that. LA fans talk about Michael Cooper and how if the 92 Bulls played in 85, Cooper would have guarded Jordan. I watched Cooper guard Jordan in the 80s. Jordan used to make him look like a bad, slow offensive tackle trying to stay in front of Julius Peppers.

The 91 Bulls, like the 80s Lakers, were one of the few full court teams that could dominate full court and yet still score efficiently in the half court.

Once again, offensively, the Bulls main asset other than Jordan is probably Horace Grant, who often shot in the high 50% range in the playoffs. Robert Horry is not staying with 92 Horace Grant. Grant would play off of Jordan excellently, and when a defense had good team defense on Jordan, it would often result in a bullet pass and a dunk for a wide open Grant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4N6N5nLAbU

This can be seen on play 7 here for example.

Finally, don't underestimate Michael Jordan's competitiveness. People forget that that's what separated him from dominators like Kareem, Shaq, David Robinson and other freak athletes (see Lebron). He had a maniacal competitiveness more like a Bill Russell.

Shaq didn't have that. Kobe had it but wasn't the dominant athlete Jordan was. He was in that second tier all time of athletes more with guys like Magic, Jerry West, Isiah, Moses, Karl Malone. His game was more 96 Jordan's athleticism with a game that was half 96 Jordan and half Reggie Miller/Paul Pierce - that lame "jump into your body to draw contact and then throw up a jumper" crap. He was never like Jordan pre-93 in terms of physical dominance and the ability to absorb contact and still score in dominant fashion over multiple defenders. Besides, while Kobe was competitive, his was more douchy than that Russell/Jordan look of utter rage.

LA could have gone 6 games in competitive fashion on a good day, but they would not have beat Chicago...
 
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