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Bob Myers Discusses Debate of Steph Curry's Warriors vs. Michael Jordan's Bulls
May 16, 2020
Golden State Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers said he would have "loved" to see the Dubs at the height of their recent dynasty take on Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls.
"I tell you what, it would be a hell of a fun [matchup] to watch," Myers told ESPN's Nick Friedell in an interview released Saturday. "I'd love to see it. I'd go to that series. I'd pay good money."
Myers wouldn't predict a winner, leaving the debate up to the fans as The Last Dance documentary about the 90s Bulls comes to a close Sunday night, but he credited Jordan's teams for creating his now lifelong passion in the NBA.
The Warriors, led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, broke the NBA record with a 73-9 regular-season record during the 2015-16 season. It was one game better than Chicago's 72-10 mark during the 1995-96 campaign.
Golden State lost the 2016 NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers, however, and proceeded to sign the summer's top free agent, Kevin Durant, to bolster an already star-studded roster.
The Dubs won the next two NBA titles in almost universally dominant fashion. They lost a single game during the entire 2017 playoffs and five games during the 2018 postseason.
Those Warriors teams up against Jordan's Bulls of 1996, which also featured Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, Kerr, Luc Longley and Ron Harper, is a true dream matchup.
Although it's only possible in video games—Sporting News' Bryan Wiedey ran a simulation in 2017 that showed the 1996 Bulls beating the 2017 Warriors in 39 of 50 simulations, though 20 of Chicago's triumphs went a full seven games—a lot would depend on the rules.
The NBA has changed dramatically over the past two-plus decades, both in the style of play and the way games are officiated. You could make an argument the recent Warriors teams would be better built for the more free-flowing, high-paced style of the modern era.
Yet, it's impossible to know how good those Bulls teams would have been if brought up in the same wide-open playing atmosphere, which is what makes the debate so intriguing.