“This seals the deal, Jordan was obviously clutch… Steph has never hit one in the playoffs” - Chris Broussard says the 1996 Chicago Bulls are the best team ever
Draymond Green's podcast comments, choosing his 2016-17 Golden State Warriors over the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls as the best team ever, has ruffled some feathers.
"To be quite frank with you, I still think we had the best team ever. Although we didn't finish it and win a championship, I still think that was the best team ever, until 2017. ... I can't see anyone beating that 2017 team." (h/t) The Draymond Green Show
Steph Curry agreed:
"I concur." (h/t) The Draymond Green Show
While Curry and Green believe the 2016-17 Warriors were the best basketball team in history, Chris Broussard still believes the '96 Chicago Bulls are:
Were the 2016-17 Warriors 'the best team ever?'
"I'm going with, not surprisingly, the '96 Bulls — best regular season ever, 72 wins, No. 1 offense & defense that year. Jordan being the best clutch player seals it. ... The Bulls never went 7 games w/ anyone." — @Chris_Broussard https://t.co/6Ut2NNVeH4
"I'm gonna go, not surprisingly, with the Chicago Bulls of 1996, Michael Jordan and the Bulls. ... Defensively, the Bulls were the best in the league. Golden State, second best, but the Bulls rating 101, Golden State 104."
Broussard also compared Michael Jordan's clutch tendencies with that of the Warriors' Big Three:
"Not to mention the best player in the game in the series obviously with the Bulls, Michael Jordan, but not only the best player, the best clutch player. This seals the deal. Jordan was obviously clutch He's got the most game-winners, game-winning buzzer beaters in NBA history with nine.
"Guess how many Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have combined? Four. KD got three of them, and he hasn't hit one since 2012."
The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who went 73-9, came close to being the greatest team of all time if it wasn't for their historic meltdown in the NBA Finals. They were the first and only team to blow a 3-1 series lead, falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James.
The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls reign supreme to this day
Michael Jordan's 72-10 team was the best basketball team of all time, an opinion held by fans and analysts alike. Those who are statistically savvy and those who scoff at using statistics to measure greatness happen to be in agreement in this debate.
Greatest NBA team ever?
25 years ago today, the 95/96 Chicago Bulls won their 72nd game of the season. They went on to win the first of 3 straight championships. https://t.co/bKD2lMMXWc
Fivethirtyeight's ELO rates the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls as the greatest basketball team ever, with a peak ELO of 1853 and a composite ELO of 1815. The Bulls also have the best combined playoff and regular-season record at 87-13.
The parts that made up the 1996 Bulls were all heavily decorated. Michael Jordan led the league in scoring and won the MVP award that season. Dennis Rodman led the league in rebounding, and Toni Kukoč was the Sixth Man of the Year.
The 2015-16 Warriors came close, but the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls are yet to be dethroned as the greatest basketball team to have ever played the game.