2015- 2016 Warriors vs ‘95-96 Chicago Bulls

Then led by ‘His Airness’ Michael Jordan, perhaps the greatest to have ever played basketball in history, the ‘95-‘96 Chicago Bulls hold the NBA record for most games won in a single season at 72 games, beating the previous mark of 69 set by the Los Angeles Lakers. It has been 20 long years since the Bulls established that record that still stands until today.

Fast forward to the present, with the way Stephen Curry and the reigning NBA champions Golden State Warriors stomp on their opponents and just keep on rolling, one couldn’t help but make a comparison between the two sublime teams even if they evolved from different periods of time.

Just two months gone by in the 2015-2016 NBA season, the Warriors easily shattered, and even extended the longest winning start in the history of the league. They are now 20-0 and still counting. Having achieved that spectacular feat, the Warriors now train their sights on the longest winning streak at 33 games currently held by the LA Lakers.

The Warriors still has a long way to go. Maybe it’s too early, but it is realy worth looking at the team comparison.

As a team, the Bulls and the Warriors are different in every way. First, they play in different generations The Bulls were in a more physical, tougher and defensive era. The Warriors is a run and gun team where offense dictates its game. Statistically, Jordan’s Bulls squad scored 105.2ppg and gave up 92.9ppg. The Warriors of today are averaging 114.1ppg, so far, but have given up 100.1ppg. The Warriors have a better offense than the 95-96 Bulls, but the 95-96 Bulls had  better defense.

Like Jordan, Steph Curry has winning attitude. Statistically, Curry is currently averaging 32.7ppg. Michael Jordan averaged 30.4ppg in 1995-1996. Curry is the best player of the Warriors, although he is not the highest paid in the team. His unselfish playing style makes him very hard to defend and he’s always been a nightmare for the opposing team. He has a deadly 40-foot outside jumper, which makes him all the more tougher to defend. As most athletes do shooting drills, Curry take a notch higher by adding dribbling drills, which most players often fails to practice or hone. During practice, we see mostly are into shooting and fast break drills, but not dribbling drills, which is seemingly unheard off.

Leader is good if one has a follower, and the common denominator for both teams is their leader has a second in command. Klay Thompson is currently averaging 16.6ppg, while Scottie Pippen normed 19.4ppg during his prime with the Bulls. Both players are tall and plays tough defense. Both are assigned to the best offensive player of their opponents.

If the 95-96 Bulls have their Dennis Rodman, the 2015-2016 Warriors have Draymond Green. Green is currently averaging 7.9 rpg, while Rodman posted a 14.9 clip during his heydays. Draymond is not Dennis but his intensity is what the Warriors need minus the antics, technical fouls and colored hair.

Not mentioning the Warriors’s secret weapon in Andre Iguadala. When all offense of Golden State fails, he is the go-to-guy from shooting three points and driving it strong to the basket. Andre also is a good defender. Not all remembered that AI was the star player from the Philadelphia 76ers.

The biggest piece to the Warriors puzzle is coach Steve Kerr. He instilled the art of defense to his already highly offensive hardcourt warriors. Kerr has played alongside Michael Jordan and was under two great coaches in Phil Jackson and Greg Popovich, making him one great coach in his own right. Although sidelined with a back injury, his assistant coach Luke Walton is not also new to the system having played with superstars Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant under coach Phil during the glorious era of the Lakers.

Both the Bulls and Warriors played solid team basketball. Looking at all angles, it is very difficult to say who is better between the two great teams. But at the end of the day, the Warriors could break the 72-10 win-loss mark set by Jordan and his band of fighting Bulls two decades ago.

For the Warriors, health is the biggest stumbling block. As long as team is healthy though, they are going a long way. As of this point, the only way for Warriors to lose is against themselves. They have the attitude of a champion when they broke the 16-0 record. The players showed class because when the confetti streamed down as the final buzzer sounded, the players barely celebrated, knowing clearly that this record means nothing without that shining, sparkling championship RING!