Re: Bulls all-time best ? Not according to San Jose Mercury article

["Greg Odegaard" <gmodegaa@longvred.rmc.com>]

I feel that it was not enough for this great individual to post the connect
to this great piece of sports writing, I want to copy the actual article
for all to read.  What fun.

Published Friday, June 12, 1998, in the San Jose Mercury News 



Bulls' claim as best hurt by lack of rivals


WHEN THE Chicago Bulls dispatch the Utah Jazz -- be it tonight in Game 5 of
the NBA finals at the United Center, or sometime in the coming days -- it
will mark their third consecutive championship, and their sixth in eight
seasons. Heck, they might be working on an ``eight-peat'' had Michael
Jordan not decided to chase curveballs a few years ago.

Clearly, the Bulls have dominated an era like few other teams in the
history of sports.

But best of all time?

Tell that to the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL or the New York Yankees, who
ruled major league baseball for much of four decades. UCLA had a
stranglehold on college basketball in the 1960s and '70s, winning 10 titles
in 12 years. Who knows how many more Stanley Cups the Edmonton Oilers would
have won had they been able to fill a 23,000-seat palace, with 200 luxury
suites, to pay the salaries of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and the rest of
that awesome team.

Even in the NBA -- especially in the NBA -- the Bulls fall short by
comparison. A fellow named Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to 11
championships in 13 years.

Admittedly, comparing dynasties is tricky business. Anyone can argue the
Mings were formidable in their day, but who's to say the Romans wouldn't
have whipped their butts on a neutral court?

So much depends on how you define your terms. Could the 1998 Bulls defeat
the 1961 Celtics? Well, one can argue that since Russell was only 6-foot-9
and 220 pounds, the 7-2, 280-pound Luc Longley could dominate him
physically. That Scottie Pippen could lock up Sam Jones and have the wing
span left over to help Ron Harper stop Bob Cousy from getting in the lane
and flipping one of his patented behind-the-back passes to Bill Sharman for
a set shot.

But that would be missing the point. Today's athletes are bigger and
stronger; that's a fact. The question is, ``How do they stack up in their
time?''

What made those Celtics teams so great was Russell, first of all, and that
he was surrounded by some of the greatest talent the NBA has ever seen.
Cousy, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek, Satch
Sanders, Frank Ramsay and others.

Legendary Coach Red Auerbach hoarded players in an era when free agency
didn't exist, and those players revolutionized the game with their
team-oriented approach and fast-breaking style.



Fortunate timing

Frankly, the Bulls were fortunate to come along when they did. Jordan
didn't win his first championship until his seventh season, a fact that's
often attributed to the time it took for Jordan to learn how to make his
teammates better, and for management to get him better teammates.

But the truth is, Jordan had to wait his turn until some amazing teams had
completed their runs. The Bulls dominated the '90s, but wouldn't have done
the same had they been transported into the '80s.

In Chicago, they long for the days of yore -- i.e. last year -- when Brian
Williams came off the bench. Well, that's nice. But tell that to the folks
in Boston, who once had a reserve named Bill Walton. Or the Lakers, who
once used three-time scoring champion Bob McAdoo as their energizer off the
bench.

One need look no further than the Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s to see
how Rodman was no better than the eighth- or ninth-best player on his team.
Today, Rodman is the third-best player on the Bulls, and the ninth best --
perhaps Jud Buechler -- probably wouldn't even make the roster of those
Lakers, Celtics or Pistons.

Just because the Bulls have dominated a decade doesn't make them better.
Who was their competition? Until this season, the Bulls faced different
Western Conference opponents in five trips to the finals, which points up
the fact there wasn't any team playing the role of the loyal opposition.

It's nothing like the early '80s when the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers
duked it out for the right to meet the Lakers in the finals. They were
three of the greatest teams in NBA history, all beating one another to a
pulp. Which of those teams would the Bulls dominate?

•  The 76ers with Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney
and Bobby Jones?

•  The Celtics with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis
Johnson, Danny Ainge and Walton?

•  The Lakers with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Byron
Scott and Michael Cooper?

That's not to say the Bulls wouldn't have been in the mix, or even the best
of the lot. But the Lakers won five championships and reached the finals
nine times from 1980 to 1991, a feat arguably more impressive than the
Bulls' current run.

Johnson said this week on his new television talk show how he hopes the
Bulls don't win the title, if only because he doesn't want Jordan to have
anything over him. Johnson broke into that famous smile of his, which was
supposed to indicate it was a joke, although it sure didn't sound like one.



Celtics get edge

Well, sorry, Magic. Michael is going to get that sixth championship.

About the only thing more certain is that Jordan will never get his 11th.
And for that reason, Russell is cackling that famous cackle of his. The
greatest dynasty ever? The Bulls will have to settle for being Celtic green
with envy.



------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mercury News staff writer Jesse Barkin has covered the NBA since 1985.

----------
> From: HMURDOCH@aol.com
> To: celtics@igtc.COM
> Subject: Bulls all-time best ? Not according to San Jose Mercury article
> Date: Friday, June 12, 1998 4:34 PM
> 
> Today's San Jose Mercury has a very good story on the issue of whether
the
> current Bulls are the best ever.  There are some good comparisons to some
> teams of the past.  I think you'll like the conclusion.  (Hint : 11
> championships in 13 years...)
> 
> http://www.mercurycenter.com/premium/sports/docs/nba12.htm
> 
> Hank M.