Vegas Oddsmakers Would Favor '17 Warriors over Michael Jordan's '96 Bulls

Some oddsmakers in Las Vegas see the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors as a superior team to the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who went 72-10 en route to an NBA title.

ESPN.com's Ben Fawkes spoke with six bookmakers in Vegas, four of whom considered the Warriors the favorites were they matched up with the Michael Jordan-era Bulls.

While many NBA fans will be quick to come to the Bulls' defense, Jeff Sherman, manager of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, hit on what makes the comparison between the two teams so difficult.

"It's a different era now, and today's game is played at a pace unlike in the 1990s," Sherman said. "Players are bigger, faster and stronger than back then."

Michael Jordan is one of the greatest ever to play the game, but he'd be giving up an inch and 20 pounds to Klay Thompson, who measures 6'7" and 215 pounds. And for all of his defensive abilities, Scottie Pippen would have a hard time matching up with Kevin Durant.

If the New York Knicks' struggles are any indication, the Bulls would be at a tactical disadvantage as well. Phil Jackson's commitment to the triangle offense has essentially become a punchline around the Knicks. While the offense would obviously work better with Jordan and Pippen in the fold, the strategy looks outmoded in today's NBA.

FiveThirtyEight's Neil Paine wrote the Warriors were second to the '95-96 Bulls in all-time peak Elo ratings but that Golden State would overtake Chicago by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers by at least eight points in Game 1 of the 2017 Finals. The Warriors won 113-91.