“KD is just a different beast… But there’s nobody stopping Michael from getting to the basket” - Gilbert Arenas believes Michael Jordan’s 95-96 Bulls would beat the 16-17 Warriors
![Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls and Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors [Photo: Weebly]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/04/4cc03-16498776350547-1920.jpg?w=500)
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry sent the NBA community into a frenzy in January after claiming that the 2017 Warriors with Kevin Durant would defeat the 1996 Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in an NBA Finals series.
The All-Star guard was oozing with confidence seeing how he became the all-time three-point scorer the previous month. But former NBA player Gilbert Arenas does not share the same view.
Steph's taking the Warriors with KD over the '96 Bulls 👀 https://t.co/gSqeanttBA
The 1996 Bulls are arguably the best team in league history, with a 72-10 regular-season record and a championship. Although the 2016 Warriors had a better regular-season record (73-9), LeBron James prevented them from winning the title after pulling off an incredible 3-1 comeback.
Durant's addition in the 2016 offseason made the Warriors a stronger outfit. But the question of whether they were strong enough to defeat Jordan and his Bulls prevails.
On the latest episode of fubo Sports' No Chill with Gilbert Arenas, comedian Aries Spears brought up the topic, saying he gives the Warriors maybe two games. Arenas went ahead and tried dissecting the matchup to see who has the upper hand.
"It's a perfect matchup. But when you talking about somebody like (Michael) Jordan coming through the lane, like, he's going to average forty-something in that series because there's no one that can physically stop him."
"It's going to be KD and Jordan. Those are going to be two premier players because they don't have a seven-footer that's going to be able to keep up with him. No matter if you put Pippen on him or Jordan, he's still going to be able to pull up on anybody. It's those two, and then Jordan is going to carry."
After finally making a prediction, Arenas said the Warriors will win two games at most.
"I'll give them one, maybe two. I mean, like, depending on how mad Michael is. You gotta remember, KD is just a different beast. He can carry a team because he's gonna put Pippen in foul trouble, he'll put those guys in foul trouble but there's nobody stopping Michael from getting to the basket. But I don't think Golden State wins this series."
Just like the GOAT debate between Jordan and LeBron James, fans will continue to speculate and will make statements based on preference more than anything else. It will always be a hypothetical situation, as there is no way both teams will face each other to assert or disprove claims.
The 2017 Warriors had a better run than Michael Jordan's 96 Bulls on their way to the championship
On paper, Jordan's Bulls were the best offensive and defensive team in the league during the 1995-96 season. However, they lost three games throughout their playoff run.
While that was an impressive record, it was a mediocre display compared to the Warriors' 16-1 run on their way to the title. The Warriors had the second-best defensive team that season but lost only one game in the Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Although the 16-1 record goes a long way in showing how dominant the 2017 Warriors were, it does not provide a definite view of how they would stack up against the 96 Bulls. Both teams were great, but there is no way to find out what the outcome would have been if they were pitted against each other.