"Tell Draymond, I yell back" - Scottie Pippen dismisses Draymond Green's claim about the 1998 Chicago Bulls, says the 1996 Bulls are the best team ever
Scottie Pippen has dismissed Draymond Green's take regarding the 1998 Chicago Bulls. Green recently made headlines by stating that the 2017 Golden State Warriors would have easily won against them. The former Defensive Player of the Year also believes that it's dumb to compare eras.
Green posted the tweet below two weeks ago. It sparked a debate regarding which team is the greatest of all time.
I’m watching the 98 Bulls vs Utah in the Finals… I can’t help but notice our 2017 team would’ve beaten these Bulls by a dub and these Jazz by 40 if they’re going to play these brands of basketball. And that’s why it’s dumb to compare Era’s
In an interview with Inside Fighting, Green explained that he was talking about the difference between their eras. He noted that teams in today's NBA score a lot more compared to the teams from the 1990s. He also doubled-down on his claim that the 2017 Warriors will easily beat the 1998 Bulls.
"See the part that people miss is there's a difference in eras," Green said. "So those guys are playing from the free-throw line, see I was watching Game 5 of the '98 Finals against the Jazz. The final score was 82-81. That is a halftime score."
"My whole point is comparing the eras. It just doesn't make sense. No one is scoring 82 points in a game today. ... I don't know if we're sweeping the Bulls, but I know we're winning and I'd have my fifth ring."
Pippen, a member of the Bulls dynasty, is not interested in debates. The Hall of Fame forward called out Green for his statement during an interview with NBC Sports Chicago. The six-time champ then proclaimed the 1996 Bulls as the greatest team in NBA history.
"Put this out there: The best team to win a championship is the '96 Bulls," Pippen said.
"Tell Draymond, I yell back."
The Bulls legend explained that their record in 1996 makes the greatest ever. They won 72 games in the regular season, while winning their fourth championship with a 15-3 record in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the 2017 Warriors had a regular season record of 67-15. They had a more impressive run in the postseason with a 16-1 record. Their lone loss came in the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Michael Jordan also called the 1996 Chicago Bulls as the greatest ever
Before all the debate on who the greatest team ever started, Michael Jordan had already made his choice about a decade ago. In a promotional video for NBA 2K12, Jordan called the 1996 Chicago Bulls as the greatest team of all time.
"People always debated who's the greatest player of all time," Jordan said. "Dumb question. It should be who's the greatest team of all time. There are so many teams to choose from. The '91 Chicago Bulls, sorry Showtime."
The '92 Bulls, back-to-back. The '93 Bulls, first three-peat. The '97 Bulls, even with the flu. The '98 Bulls, no push off. And my favorite, the '96 Chicago Bulls. 72 wins, tough to beat that."