The Golden State Warriors, a franchise that long represented futility in the NBA, have started the 2015-16 season 19-0, breaking the 1993-94 Houston Rockets record for number of consecutive wins to begin a season. Understandably, the Warriors have drawn comparison to the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, the team that owns the NBA record for wins in a regular season with 72.
That Chicago team was led by Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all time by any statistical or aesthetic measure. Scottie Pippen, arguably the greatest perimeter defender ever, flanked him on the wing. Along with those two superstars were Dennis Rodman, Ron Harper and Luc Longley.
The Warriors are led by reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry, who is, bar none, the best shooter in the NBA. He’s accompanied in the backcourt by sharpshooter Klay Thompson. Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli make up two-thirds of the frontcourt, and Draymond Green rounds out Golden State’s starting five.
Comparing the two teams requires a study of the era in which each played. The Warriors dominate today’s wide-open, pace-and-space style of basketball in which defenses are constantly scrambling to cover open shooters. The Bulls, however, played in the mid-1990s, when defenses were allowed far more leeway in how they operated.
During the early 2000s, the league approved several rule changes, namely banning hand-checking (the act of placing your hand upon an opponent while guarding him) and increasing the strictness of the defensive three-second rule.
The first beneficiary of these new rules was Steve Nash’s mid-2000s Phoenix Suns, who brought back the “run-and-gun” style that Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers popularized in the late 1980s. The Warriors have perfected and refined the Suns’ style. To play against the Warriors in 2015 is to play a team that will both run you off the court on offense and cripple you on defense. Through 18 games, Golden State has made an unbelievable 49.1 percent of its shot attempts, including 42.9 percent from 3-point range.
To compare, the ’95-96 Bulls shot 47.8 percent from the field, and 40.3 percent from beyond the arc. That being said, the Warriors attempt 30.7 3-pointers per game, while the Bulls managed just 16.5 attempts from deep.
The two teams played in different eras, but are still worth comparing.
PPG = points per game, RPG = rebounds per game, APG = assists per game, FG = field goal percentage, 3P = 3 point field goal percentage, FT = free throw percentage, SPG = steals per game, BPG = blocks per game, PER = player efficiency rating (higher the better, league average is 15.0). Anything BOLD is a league record or on pace to set one.
Point Guard
| Name | Team | PPG | RPG | APG | FG | 3P | FT | SPG | BPG | PER |
| Stephen Curry | GSW | 31.9 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 51.5% | 44.3% | 93.9% | 2.6 | 0.2 | 34.7 |
| Ron Harper | CHI | 7.4 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 46.7% | 26.9% | 70.5% | 1.3 | 0.4 | 14.4 |
While Harper was a serviceable floor general, he was on the downside of his career. Conversely, Curry is entering his prime, and is on pace to have arguably the greatest individual season in NBA history. Harper wouldn’t have a prayer on defense.
Advantage: Warriors
Shooting Guard
| Name | Team | PPG | RPG | APG | FG | 3P | FT | SPG | BPG | PER | |
| Klay Thompson | GSW | 16.1 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 44.9% | 40.2% | 83.3% | 0.5 | 0.8 | 14.2 | |
| Michael Jordan | CHI | 30.4 | 6.6 | 4.3 | 49.5% | 42.7% | 83.4% | 2.2 | 0.5 | 29.4 | |
While Klay Thompson is a potent scorer, asking him to get buckets against (and to try to defend) the best player of all time is a tall task. Jordan, a fearsome competitor who enjoyed psychologically destroying his opponents, would have no trouble dismantling the young Golden State guard.
Advantage: Bulls
Small Forward
| Name | Team | PPG | RPG | APG | FG | 3P | FT | SPG | BPG | PER |
| Harrison Barnes | GSW | 13.4 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 50.0% | 38.9% | 83.0% | 0.9 | 0.2 | 16.5 |
| Scottie Pippen | CHI | 19.4 | 6.4 | 5.9 | 46.3% | 37.4% | 67.9% | 1.7 | 0.7 | 21.0 |
Scottie Pippen was the best perimeter defender of his time. Much like the Thompson-Jordan matchup, Barnes finds himself in an unfortunate matchup with one of the finest players the league has ever seen.
Advantage: Bulls
Power Forward
| Name | Team | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | SPG | BPG | PER |
| Draymond Green | GSW | 12.8 | 8.1 | 7.1 | 48.2% | 42.6% | 77.1% | 1.2 | 1.5 | 19.3 |
| Dennis Rodman | CHI | 5.5 | 14.9 | 2.5 | 48.0% | 11.1% | 52.8% | 0.6 | 0.4 | 13.6 |
Dennis Rodman, one of the most colorful players in league history, was also one of the toughest defenders to score on. However, Draymond Green affects the game in so many ways other than scoring that it renders Rodman’s advantage moot.
Advantage: Warriors
Center
| Name | Team | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | SPG | BPG | PER |
| Festus Ezeli | GSW | 8.1 | 6.4 | 1.2 | 55.8% | N/A | 51.7% | 0.3 | 1.6 | 19.3 |
| Luc Longley | CHI | 9.1 | 5.1 | 1.9 | 48.2% | N/A | 77.7% | 0.4 | 1.4 | 11.9 |
The two function in similar ways on their teams: basically forgotten on offense, but used effectively on defense. That said, Ezeli is a far superior defender than Longley ever was.
Advantage: Warriors
Bench
Golden State’s key reserves, according to PER (the best measure of a player’s efficiency, with 15.0 being league average and anything over 20 being considered outstanding):
Andre Iguodala (SF): 16.6
Andrew Bogut (C): 19.8
Leandro Barbosa (PG/SG): 14.7
Chicago’s key reserves, according to PER:
Steve Kerr (PG): 15.2
Bill Wennington (C): 11.0
Jud Buechler (SF): 14.1
Advantage: Warriors
Coaching
Warriors: Steve Kerr, second year (85-15 lifetime record, one NBA title as coach)
Bulls: Phil Jackson*, seventh year (342-150, three NBA titles as coach)
- Jackson’s statistics are given for the period from 1989-1995.
I’ll let Phil Jackson’s name and legacy speak for itself. It’s also worth noting that Jackson remains the only NBA coach to ever persuade Michael Jordan to share the basketball with his teammates.
Advantage: Bulls
As you can see, the comparison is a bit of a wash. Ultimately, if the two teams were to play against one another, the outcome would depend on which era’s rules the game played under. If played under the pre-2006 rule changes, the Bulls defense would smother the Warriors high-octane attack, and Michael Jordan would impose his will on the game to lead his team to victory. However, if the game ran by 2015 rules, with prohibitions on hand-checking and a stricter defensive three-second rule, the Warriors would prevail thanks to their record-setting offense.
We’ll never know which team is “better.” But it’s fun to measure them statistically, and even more fun to imagine.
Your high dude, I don’t care which year they played each other.. Michael Jordan ,,,enough said . Not to mention that the Bulls had to play the Knicks the Pistons and teams that blow away the competition today. My wife says I sound old ,lol , but think about all the great teams back then. Jordan ate every one of those MAJOR superstars for lunch. Today’s NBA just can’t compete with back then. If jordan played today he would be even more successful than he was ,the players now just are not as good as then. Great article though . In a fantasy world ,it makes for a good argument.