ESPN INSIDER:John Hollinger compares NBA dynasties

Nothing wrong with the article, as far as it goes.

Records withstanding, does anyone really believe MJ's Bulls, losers to Shaq's Magic, would have beaten the Rox in '95? Do many of us not believe that had the p/o of '97 not been fouled up (allowing Seattle back in/blowing Games 1 & 2 off v Utah/blowing Game 6) the Rox would have stepped all over MJ's 'legacy'?

Those Rox teams played on the court, not in quantifyable, statistics driven lists.

Who was #1 basketball player on the planet from '93 - '97? Who, indeed. Hakeem.

 

The Rockets wouldn't have beaten the Bulls in '97. Barkley still didin't play defense, we didn't have a penetrating point guard, which you absolutely needed to challenge them, and Hakeem and Drexler were just little slower. that team was overrated.

 

from pgabriel:

Maybe you're right. But in '93 we'd have beaten the Bulls with Horry as a rookie. I hate Utah, but the Sonics frikkin' drove me crazy in the early '90s.

 

Oh, I definitely think they could have competed with the Bulls in '93, but I believe they had their best shot when they had Cassell. I really wish they could have played them in '94. Cassell's penetration and Vernon's defense and of course Hakeem would have given them fits.

 

it would have been a good series, but Drexler wasn't half the player he was in 95 and Dream was slower. Dream is absolutely unstoppable when had his quickness.
Barkley was our best player that year, it was him who finally helped us beat Seattle. But unfortunately he couldnt stop Karl Malone.

 

That team was GOD's team. Cause how do you explain Nick Anderson's 4 missed shots and Kenny Smith going crazy for 9 3-pters? What about the comeback from Phoenix? That was divine intervention.

 

There is nothing wrong with the article. It's hard to really rank them because it's all about matchups, so the writer had to take into account the teams records and such, and quite frankly, neither of the rockets' championship teams cracked 60 wins. While what the rockets did in our eyes was amazing, let's not overstate their historical presence. Cause while we can pat ourselves on the back for enduring so many elimination games, the other side of the argument is if they were so great, why did they face elimination so much? Michael Jordan played in 6 NBA finals and not a single time was his team stretched to a 7th game. That is greatness. Records aside, if i had to rank the dynasties if terms of overall ability, and who i think would win a seven game series, not necessarily record wise, here is how would rank the modern era......

1) 85-88 Lakers
2) 91-93 Bulls
3) 00-02 Lakers
4) 96-98 Bulls
5) 84-86 Celtics
6) 89-90 Pistons
7) 80-82 Lakers
8) 94-95 Rockets
9) 03-05 Spurs

 

No team has taken on 4 teams with the most regular season wins and won the championship other than the Rockets. It's as unbelievable as when the Arizona Wildcats beat 3 number one seeds to win the National Championship.

Dominating? no
Great? Definitely.

 

Well the rockets did have a bad regular season during the second championship run, but the rockets then were a bit like the pistons now, played well only when their backs were against the wall, and not to mention they dominated all 60 win teams during the second run, i think utah had 59, close enough.

Also they went through a major trade during the middle of that season that also made the regular season not so impressive. the year before we had set the record 15-0. BTW, the first year rockets won, olajuwon did it by himself, the only time when a team has won with only 1 superstar.

 

"Never underestimate the heart of a champion." Rudy T

 

Dratted shame we didn't have the opportunity to have seen that series (which I, to this day, contend would have been Rox').

Bulls had no answer for Dream, who would have bested MJ overall. Barkley would not have fallen prey to Rodman's antics (always a big Bulls advantage).

My myopia remains intact. Ring #3, shouldabeen.

 

I actually think that the Rockets' lack of dominance in is what made the titles so sweet and memorable, especially the second one. That championship will always be special because of the backs-against-the-wall, underdog role the Rockets played in every series. They weren't expected to make it past the first round.

Being the 72-10 Bulls or the 2001 Lakers is one thing. Those teams are considered to be "dominant." They were never the underdogs, and their opponents were always clearly outmatched.

But being the 6th seed, never having home court advantage, and playing with no power forward against the 4 best teams to win the championship is really something else, and in IMO, much more special and memorable. They weren't dominant, but they were determined, they played with heart, and were incredibly clutch. It's as if their entire playoff run was staged to be an inspiring story for a movie.

Being the underdogs also solidified Hakeem's status as being the best center of his time, since he had to carry the Rockets against seemingly insurmountable odds.

So, I think Rockets fans don't need to take offense at others saying the 94-95 Rockets were not dominant. I'd rather have it this way.

 

Don't think we would've beaten the bulls in '97. The rockets ball handling in a series with the bulls would've been a nightmare. If the rockets thought the defensive pressure the Sonics applied was tough to deal with in the 90s, the Bulls were even a level higher. The Utah Jazz might've been the best half court basketball team in the history of basketball with regard to their overall precision and execution, and there were times where the Bulls just made them look silly. When those Bulls put the medal to the pedal defensively, it was over...game, set, match.

 

Hakeem wasn't the same player he was in 97.
Hakeem in the 1st championship, teams sent 4 guys at him, and he still scored.

 

What a surprise. The Bulls on top. Who would have guessed that.