The greatest team(s) to ever play

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The Steph Curry led Warriors have captivated the NBA this season. Michael Jordan averaged 30.4 points per game in the Bulls 1996 historic season.

Since its founding in 1946, the NBA has always been defined by generational talent that captivated the basketball world in their specific era. The ‘60s featured the likes of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, and the ‘70s were highlighted by the magic of Kareem Abdul Jabbar. The ‘80s changed the way the public saw the NBA, as the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson rivalry captivated the basketball world. Michael Jordan reigned supreme in the ‘90s, and the 2000s belonged to Shaq, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. The modern day NBA now casts Stephen Curry, a shooter like never before, in the lead role. Although the NBA is often defined by its generational superstars, rarely has the NBA been defined by entire teams instead of individuals.

As of March 14, the Golden State Warriors stand at 59-6, which is on pace to break the record for the best regular season record ever. The 1996 Chicago Bulls went 72-10, and that team is considered to be the best team of all time. Although claiming the 2016 Warriors are the best team ever may be premature, these teams are actually quite similar as far as the numbers go. Stephen Curry is currently averaging 30.5 points per game, and in the Bulls’ historic 96 season Michael Jordan averaged 30.4 a game. However, Jordan was 32 years old in 1996 and Curry is only 28 years old this season. The Bulls second leading scorer, Scottie Pippen, averaged 19.1 points a game, while Klay Thompson of the Warriors is scoring 22.0 per contest.    Although their body types are vastly different, both teams feature perennial defensive player of the year candidates in Dennis Rodman and Draymond Green. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr even came off the bench for the Bulls in 1996. With all these similarities, the topic of which team is actually better naturally comes up.

The 1996 Chicago Bulls featured the greatest basketball player of all time, along with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, both superstars in their own right. Phil Jackson, arguably the best coach ever, was on the bench. The Bulls placed first in both offensive and defensive rating, and the team finished with a final record of 72-10, which is still the best record ever. The Bulls posted a defensive rebounding rate of 71.1%, which was eighth best in the league and an offensive rebounding rate of 36.9%, which was good enough for first in the league. The 1996 Bulls led the league in field goals made per game, total points per game and turnover rate. The Bulls also were top five in the league in field goal attempts per game, three point percentage, two point percentage and steals per game.

The 1996 Bulls have been dubbed as the greatest team ever by many, including White Station football coach Roland Williams. When asked who would win in a seven game series between the Bulls and the Warriors, Williams had a simple answer: “The Bulls. No question.”

The 2016 Golden State Warriors have dominated the NBA. The Warriors won their first 24 games to kick off the 2016 campaign, increasing their total win streak to 27 games coming off of last season.

Prior to hiring Steve Kerr as the head coach before the 2014-2015 season, the Warriors had the same roster in place, but former head coach Mark Jackson failed to advance past the second round in the NBA playoffs. The Warriors are fueled by their dynamic stretch forward Draymond Green, who is changing the way NBA basketball is played. While Green is undersized for his position at 6’7, his torturous physicality and stout defensive ability along with his dynamic offensive game make him a matchup nightmare for opponents. Green is causing the NBA to use smaller lineups in order to match up with the Warriors.

The Warriors boast the best offensive rating in the league just like the Bulls did, but the Warriors have the eighth best defensive rating in the league. The Warriors are first in the league in three point makes per game, three point percentage, field goal efficiency, assists and points per game. As the 2016 season begins to wind down, the Warriors are the resounding favorite to repeat as NBA champions.

“The Warriors will win over Toronto in six games,” Harrison Bingham (12) said.

While winning a second consecutive championship seems likely, the Warriors face two tough tests in the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder in their own conference. Despite these two in conference powers, the Warriors look to cruise through the playoffs with the same success they experienced in last year’s postseason and in this year’s regular season.

The night LeBron James became only the second NBA player along with Oscar Robertson to be in the top 25 in scoring and assists in league history, he was asked where he thought he stacked up against Oscar Robertson.

“I think what we get caught up in, in our league too much is trying to compare greats to greats instead of just accepting, and acknowledging and saying, ‘Wow, these are just great players,'” James said. “I think in the NFL when you talk about great quarterbacks, they don’t really compare great quarterbacks…but when it comes to [basketball]we’re so eager to say, ‘Who is better, Oscar or Jordan?’…instead of just accepting greatness.”

There is a case to be made for each of these teams as the best team ever, but LeBron said it best. Instead of comparing two of the best basketball teams to ever play, we should learn to accept and appreciate the greatness in both the 1996 Chicago Bulls and the 2016 Golden State Warriors.