Miami Heat: Van Gundys Think Team Can Run with the '95-'96 Chicago Bull

More than a month clear of the rat race surrounding LeBron James and with two months until the NBA season, the Miami Heat are still finding their way into the sports headlines.

Most notably, the Van Gundy brothers–TV analyst Jeff and Orlando Magic coach Stan–have made their feelings about the new-look Heat quite public.

The elder Van Gundy got the hype ball rolling again when he proclaimed that Miami would "break the single season win record" set by the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls and "have a legit shot at the Lakers' 33-game streak", which still stands as the longest winning streak in NBA history some 38 years later.

Nary a fortnight later, little brother Stan Van went on record by suggesting Dwyane Wade and Friends could beat Michael Jordan's Bulls on paper, saying, "I am going to tell you that the Heat roster is better than any roster that Michael Jordan played with the Bulls."

Bold, if not calculated, lest anyone forget that Stan's Magic will be competing in the same division and for the same conference crown as the Heat.

Beyond the "oohs" and "aahs" associated with the "throwing down" of the Van Gundy gauntlet, is there any validity to their claims?

How Do the Heat Stack Up with the 1995-96 Bulls?

While Stan came out with his predictions after his big brother, the question that he raises–one of talent and ability–is the, arguably, more pertinent one to consider.

Because a team doesn't need to win 72 games in the regular season to win a championship, which is quite clearly the main goal and expectation of Miami Thrice this coming season and for the foreseeable future.

In comparing the two teams in question, what better place to start than with each squad's stars.

MJ vs. D-Wade

Make no mistake about it, D-Wade is and will be the most important player in Miami, just as Jordan was in Chicago.

Like Jordan, Wade will be the primary ball-handler and playmaker for the Heat. While LeBron may match up better historically with Jordan in terms of star power, Wade's role on his squad is much more likely to mimic Jordan's on his.

And of all the players in the league today, D-Wade is arguably the closest to Jordan in terms of skill set and ability. Kobe Bryant tends to receive the most praise as the player most resembling MJ today, and deservedly so; like Jordan, Kobe is a 6' 6" guard who has continued to develop his game and use his superior basketball IQ and competitive fire to maintain his best-in-the-NBA status, even as his physical attributes have begun to wain.

That being said, a healthy Wade looks eerily similar to Jordan in his prime. While perhaps not quite as tall, dominant, or prodigiously gifted as MJ, D-Wade plays with a measure of quickness, fluidity with the ball, and sheer determination that are "Jumpman-esque", to say the least.

Even so, as Jordan-like as Wade may be, he is no MJ (and neither is anyone else), as similar as their games may be.

Edge: MJ

Pippen vs. LeBron

Assuming the Heat play in "Wade County" just as the Bulls ran in Jordan's shadow, it stands to reason that LeBron James will be asked to fill the role of "best supporting teammate."

A foundation similar to the one on which Scottie Pippen built his Hall-of-Fame career.

On the surface, one might easily dismiss this matchup as one that LeBron easily dominates, with two MVP awards and a scoring title (among numerous other accolades) already under his belt–none of which Pippen ever achieved. Statistically, James' career averages are superior to Pippen's in just about every category imaginable.

However, dig deeper, and Pippen's chances against LeBron look as good as anyone's.

Unlike sports like baseball, basketball is a sport in which statistics only provide an outline of a story told in rich detail by what happens on the court.

And on the court, there were few better at shutting down any and every opponent to which he was assigned, than Pippen. As unprecedentedly gifted as "The King" may be, he has been shut down by opponents of lesser defensive prowess than Pippen, whose reputation as one of the best defenders to ever play the game suggests that he would've likely been up to the task.

That's not to say that James couldn't theoretically contain Pippen as well. Though LeBron's defensive acumen is often overrated thanks to his high steal totals, he's still an above-average man-to-man defender with the physical ability to suffocate an opposing player when he's in proper position.

It's difficult to predict how effective LeBron will be as a supporting member of a team rather than the undisputed leader. Pippen spent almost his entire time in Chicago as Jordan's second fiddle (aside from the two years MJ spent playing baseball) and played his part to perfection.

But after all that, there's little doubt that, as an overall ballplayer, LeBron is superior, if not far so, to Pippen.

Edge: LeBron

Rodman vs. Bosh

This comparison isn't quite as fair as the other two, due in large part to the vastly different playing styles of each combatant.

Dennis Rodman was, off-court antics aside, one of the most prolific rebounders in NBA history, especially when considering he was only 6' 7".

Chris Bosh is certainly no slouch, though. While his career rebounding average (9.4) is far below that of Rodman (13.1), "CB4's" scoring numbers (20.2 ppg) far outpace Rodman's (7.3 ppg), demonstrating the more multidimensional nature of Bosh's game.

And like his fellow Dallas native, Bosh will be expected to do some of the dirty work up front for the Heat.

However, Rodman, unlike Bosh, wasn't considered part of a "Big Three" with the Bulls in the same way that Bosh is with the Heat. Rodman was expected to rebound and defend (not to score), while Bosh will be looked upon to carry the bulk of the front-court scoring, rebounding, and defending responsibilities in Miami.

That's not at all to say that Bosh isn't up to the task. If anything, he's better equipped for the job than Rodman ever was. The big question, though, remains, as it does with LeBron: how will Bosh, who spent his entire career in Toronto as the focal point of the team, re-tool his game to fit in as a super role player with Wade and James?

With his bounty of talent and ability, such shouldn't be too much of a concern for CB4.

Edge: Bosh

The Supporting Cast

A more curious mystery than how Miami's "Big Three" will mesh together–much less how they'd match up with Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman–is how the Heat's bench would compare, as a unit, against that of the 72-win Bulls.

Chicago's principle role players–Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, Ron Harper, and Bill Wennington–each filled very specialized and well-executed niches that Miami's mercenaries–namely, Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Udonis Haslem, Eddie House, and Mario Chalmers–will need time to establish.

While some have likened Miller to Kerr because of his shooting ability, his career statistics, playing style, and physical attributes compare much more favorably to those of Kukoc. Both Miller and Kukoc are tall front-court players known primarily for their shooting ability but whose offensive repertoires include a measure of ball-handling and inside skills.

"Big Z" bests Longley in just about every category–height, scoring, jump-shooting ability, and defensive presence. Though about four inches shorter than Wennington, Haslem's career averages in points and rebounds (10.0 and 8.1) are far superior to those of Wennington (4.6 and 3.0), even when considering the fact that Haslem has averaged slightly more than twice as many minutes per game as Wennington did (30.9 to 13.5).

Where the Bulls' secondary personnel bests Miami's (aside from experience and unity) is in the personages of Kerr and Harper. During the 1995-1996 season, Kerr shot 51.5 percent on three-pointers, a number that House, his closest comparison on the Heat, has never come close to (45.2 percent in 2004-2005) and that wasn't even Kerr's career-best (52.4 percent in 1994-1995).

The comparison between Harper, who during the 1995-96 season was a nine-year veteran and 20-ppg-scorer prior to coming to Chicago, and Mario Chalmers may seem unfair, especially considering Chalmers is just entering his third year in the league.

But that's just another case-in-point for the superiority of Chicago's role players when compared to Miami's.

Edge: The Bulls

Coaching

Is this even a question? Erik Spoelstra has no rings. Phil Jackson won his fourth as the coach of the 1995-96 Bulls and has won SEVEN more since.

The Zen Master vs. The Boy Wonder

BIG Edge: Phil Jackson

So Who Would Win?

Overall, while the Heat bests the 72-win Bulls in terms of star power and its second and third options, Chicago takes the cake in every other category.  It's difficult to argue, much less compete, against a team with the greatest player of all time (Jordan), the greatest coach of all time (Jackson), and a symphony of secondaries who each performed their individual tasks to perfection.

So Stan's predictions may have been a bit presumptuous.

What about Jeff's?

Read on to find out (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/440872-van-gundys-miami-can-run-with-the-95-96-bulls-part-two).