Anthony Farris
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The 2017 version of the Golden State Warriors would handle Michael Jordan and the 1996 Bulls with relative ease. At least that’s the opinion of Warriors point guard Steph Curry.
A fan prompted Curry via a video Q&A with GQ Sports to consider the hypothetical: “I gotta ask fully healthy, do you believe the Warriors with (Kevin Durant) could have beat the ’96 Bulls in a 7 game finals?”
Curry then raised some eyebrows when he sided with his 2017 Warriors championship squad. But as Curry tells it, the Warriors wouldn’t even need the full seven games to take care of business.
“I’d say Dubs in six,” said Curry.
Steph's taking the Warriors with KD over the '96 Bulls 👀 pic.twitter.com/gSqeanttBA
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 11, 2022
For reference, that Warriors team trotted out a nightly lineup that included Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. They finished the regular season 58-24 and swept Cleveland in the Finals.
Curry can’t envision sweeping Jordan’s Bulls — he would never be so presumptuous! — but he’s adamant that Golden State would get the job done.
“Absolutely,” answered Curry. “Obviously we will never know, but you put us on paper with them, I like our chances.”
That’s a bold proclamation for sure. Chicago’s roster included Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, current Warriors coach Steve Kerr, and some cigar aficionado named Michael Jordan. Together, they went 72-10 and set an NBA record for most wins in a regular season (a record the Warriors broke in 2016.) They then beat Seattle four games to two in the Finals to win their first of three-straight championships.
It’s impossible to know who’d have won, but one certainty we can take from Curry’s opinion is that Michael Jordan will surely disagree with it.
Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF
A different game back then he do that showboating Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn be putting him on the deck repeatedly and no chance against the great MJ guys a clown
Good lord, the game has changed so much in the 27 year span of time. Talk about apples and oranges.
So true
He must have forgotten the Bulls were so good because they played D like nobody else. People forget Pippen was arguably the best defender in the league, and only arguably because the other two contenders were across from him (Rodman and MJ). Pippen would be on Klay and I’m not sure Klay gets 10 shots off per game. Guess who’s on Curry? 6’6” MJ trash talking while getting all up in your personal space. KD, man you get The Worm for 48 minutes, so enjoy that. He’ll draw 2-3 charges in the first half and KD will foul out. Forget scoring, the Bulls would manhandle those soft guys on defense.
Excellent!
Bulls in 5. I’ll give Steph a game that’s all. Different game back then. These players would be crying at the refs the entire game. Probably get ejected over it.