NBA / May 20, 2009 / 12:00 pm

NBA Fantasy Finals: 1998 Bulls vs. 2007 Spurs

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Mike & Scottie

Mike & Scottie

Yesterday we posted our first NBA Fantasy Finals matchup, pitting the ’95 Magic (Shaq and Penny) against the ’08 Lakers (Kobe and Kobe).

In case you missed it the first time, this has nothing to do with the stat-driven “fantasy basketball” you play online. We’re taking NBA Finals teams throughout history and pitting them against each other to see what you think would happen. Assume both lineups are healthy, and the older team gets homecourt. Today it’s MJ vs. TD …

1998 CHICAGO BULLS (62-20)
G – Ron Harper (9.3 ppg)
G – Michael Jordan (28.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
F – Scottie Pippen (19.1 ppg, 5.8 apg)
F – Dennis Rodman (4.7 ppg, 15 rpg)
C – Luc Longley (11.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
Bench – Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr, Jason Caffey, Scott Burrell, Randy Brown
Coach – Phil Jackson

2007 SAN ANTONIO SPURS (58-24)
G – Tony Parker (18.6 ppg, 5.5 apg)
G – Manu Ginobili (16.5 ppg)
F – Bruce Bowen (6.2 ppg)
F – Tim Duncan (20 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.4 bpg)
C – Fabricio Oberto (4.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
Bench – Robert Horry, Michael Finley, Brent Barry, Franciso Elson, Jacque Vaughn
Coach – Gregg Popovich

Who would win a best-of-seven series?

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  • Fresh

    Bulls of course win the serie in 5 – 6 games…

    The Spurs are lil’ bit similar as ’98 Jazz’s team…
    Malone at his prime was much better than Duncan in ’07, he was the ’98 NBA MVP…

  • Ian

    huck
    i looked up the mailmans numbers vs rodman in the finals 25 10 and 3 shooting over 50% so rodman did exactly what the rest of the league did vs the mailman. no way he stops td.

    shawn kemp went for 23 and 10 after avg 19 in the regular season shooting 55%.

    when rodman was in detroit i think (someone correct me) he guarded kersey and he avged 20 ppg in the finals. again more than his regular season avg.

    tell me again how rodman is stopping a player better than all of those i mentioned? i dont need to post how well he did vs boston back when he was in detroit?

  • http://www.saltytexan.com rangerjohn

    ian where are you looking these numbers up at?
    austin, IMO teh 99 team would have beaten all but maybe the 96 bulls due to teh simple fact that the 99 spurs where the best defensive team ever. looking at their numbers, they held teams to 40% average, and 84 ppg. out of 17 playoff games, only 2 games did the opp score more then 90 pts, and only one game did they break 100. they held shaq and kobe to 89 pts, they only lost 2 games and held all teams in the playoffs to a combined average of 81 ppg. NASTY defense wins titles. they also had an ave 8 pt margin.

  • AZ

    tell US how spurs are winning against the bulls? Pretty much unanimous the bulls win in 5 or 6 games, cuz jordan don’t play game 7..

  • Ian

    basket ball reference ranger

  • Fresh

    I always wondering what could happen in the ’99 nba season & playoff…
    If the final was Bulls vs Spurs, since i’m young i’m asking about this series that never happen…
    I would love to see it…!!

  • QQ

    Bulls.

    Come on now, all the teams the Bulls faced in the Finals are much tougher (or as tough) as the 07 Spurs, and you know how all those Finals went down.

    Yes, SA has Duncan, but Chi-town has Jordan. We all know who’s better.

    To cats saying ‘its the best sg vs the best pf’, yeah, you that’s probably true, but the difference in talent level between these two is TOO great. Duncan is great, great, great but Jordan is 10x greater than that.

  • Marvin

    I think if you really want to compare the best teams. What about the two best teams of this century, the 67′ 76ers (68-13) and 96′ Bulls (72-10).

    Look that 67′ sixers team had that powerful frontcourt in Chamberlain (rebounds and assists leader that year crazy), Jackson and Walker (they were basically the orig big 3 before the 80′s celtics big 3) a go to scorer in Hal Greer and a HOFer OFF THE BENCH in Billy “The Kangaroo Kid” Cunningham they go 6 deep in double fig scorers and they can play any kind of game pace.

    While the 96′ Bulls team had MJ (G.O.A.T.), Pip (the best second best player) and Rodman (should be HOFer by the way if not for the craziness), a scorer off the bench in Kukoc and a host of other role players in Longley, Harper, Kerr etc.

    This is the dream match up I would pay everything to watch.

  • heartbreaker85

    depends on the RULES.

    if we’re playing 90s style ball, 07 spurs would get their asses-whooped. that team doesnt have an enforcer to speak of.

    if we’re playing with the present rules (soft, no hand checking), it would still be the bulls because MJ would average 50 free throws a night easily.

    mj on tp
    pip on manu
    ron on bowen
    rodman on duncan
    kukoc/longley on oberto

  • Ian

    qq sorry i respect your opinion on the bulls winning of course this is a what if game it doesnt really matter but you are off on something. jordan is ten times better than duncan??? really how??? arent both of them top ten players? yup. i know both td and jordan have good teams but can someone have a more stacked team than jordan?? best second best player best rebounder best three point shooter best sixth man best coach. dude when he left the bulls got to the second round game 7 and won 50 plus games can you say the same happens with the spurs if duncan leaves?? doesnt that mean duncan has a heavier load to carry? how many players have won rings being the best player on the team with diff teammates?? i can only think of One and its not jordan. about that oh jordan wouldnt let the team lose its sounding like the kobe thing because i dont remember jordan winning all the seasons he played.

    yes jordan is the best sg and arguably the best ever im not bashing him im just sayin that if you think that the gap is that big you are wrong.

    you guys talk like pippen and jordan can shut down parker and manu do you remember the sg talent level in the 90s??? not even half as good as today MAYBE they have a harder time guarding todays players who knows.

  • http://nbaroundtable.wordpress.com/ Dave

    I think that Spurs team of 2007 was the weakest of the four Spurs title winning sides … and it’s compounded again by having the worst matchups with the Bulls out of the Spurs title sides.

    I think Chicago win this series in 5. No answer for MJ, they can defend Duncan well enough to make other guys beat them, and Pippen can stop Parker (especially if it’s pre-rule changes).

  • biggeddy

    How about the 1996 bulls (72 wins) vs the 2001 Lakers (15-1 in playoffs)??? That match up needs to be looked at… I got the Lakers… Kobe would lose the battle with MJ, but it would be close. Fox could D up Pippen, Fish v. Harper is a wash. Horry would force Rodman to guard him in the perimeter and Shaq would dominate Longley. Lakers baby!

  • QQ

    @ Ian:

    Good points, buddy.

    Here’s my take:

    Jordan has every intangible that the game requires written down. Mental toughness, poise and confidence, clutch, the fear he strikes at his defender, etc. Yeah, TD also has those, but Jordan MASTERED all of those to the point that it became an art.

    And about the argument that MJ has the best rebounder, best right hand man, etc… I think that those guys reached that level because they were playing with MJ. As cliche as it sounds, great players elevated their teammates, and the greatest of all time sure did the BEST job ever when it comes to elevating his peers.

    Don’t you think? Because I think TD did the same job with Parker and Manu. I just think that Jordan did it MUCH, MUCH better.

  • doc

    This was the worst of Mike chip teams but its still Mike.Bulls in 7.

  • Ian

    Qq
    Rodman was the best rebounder before he came to chicago and pip we cant judge since his prime was but i do understand what you mean about elevating the teammates games. Its like you said they both did the samething with their teams i just dont think jordan is that much better since they both are top ten players even if jordan ranks higher.

    Remember i agree on everything you said and i chose the spurs because thats my team ( weakest of the four that won the 03 team was the best) the only thing was the gap u mentioned between jordan and td.

  • http://mikkelthegreat.carbonmade.com AmazingDesign

    I say the bulls will take this one, the bulls had a tougher road to win the title in 1998 than the spurs in 2007. Bulls had to face the jayson williams/van horn nets in the first round (sweep), then play a good charlotte (hornets) team “won in 5″, then play a tough experience indiana pacers with reggie, mark jackson, smits, davis brothers and co (won in 7).. in the finals play rematch of 1997 finals utah jazz with stockton and malone (won in 6)

    the spurs had a easier road to their championship in 2007. Played young ball hogging denver (AI and Melo, who else was going to get the ball)then play the suns (steve nash robert horry incident) play the young non experience jazz and in the finals played one man lebron cavs to win the title.

  • hucklebuck

    Ian,
    I’ll give u that on the numbers bout Rodman vs Kemp and Malone, but I will say this-I would take Karl Malone over Duncan anyday. not by a longshot, but just barely. regardless of the championships won, Karl Malone was arguable the greatest power forward ever in the game, and is 2nd on the all-time scoring list.

    in regards to this article, Rodman vs Duncan is only one matchup. I’ll still take Bulls in 5.

  • Ian

    huck
    I didnt post the numbers to change your opinion just to say that rodman didnt stop the elite fowards. Malone over duncan personally i think malone is 4 th best but uf u pick him one nothing wrong with that.

  • ariesprincess

    Michael Jordan lose in the finals…I think NOT! Bulls is 6.

  • MSG1

    What the fuck is everyone talking about, the ’98 bulls would swwep or win it in five the spurs wouldn’t even beat the utah jazz. MJ and SCOTTIE are unstoppable and the spurs only have TD fuck Tony Parker and MANU would be fucking scared of MJ and DENNIS RODMAN would fuck up everyone in the paint area

  • delfra

    i will say the bulls in 6, while this probally was the weakest of CHICAGO’S 6 championship teams, too much hunger, passion and still too much M.J.

  • vinny del negro

    Scottie Pippen is a nightmare matchup for TP. Bulls in 6.

  • osmosis11

    spurs in 6,
    The bulls were not that great in 98, they barely beat the pacers in 98. They won by 5 pts in game 7. And the 2007 spurs were way better than those pacers teams.
    Jordan was still great and will get his, but pippen was on the decline in 98.
    Duncan would dominate rodman just as much as jordan would have dominated bowen, the spurs just had a deeper team, and the bulls had nobody to match up with tony parker.

  • nilo

    The Dobermans would dominate this Series all day every day.
    Bowen has nothing on Pippen
    TP and Manu have nothing on Jordan.

    Don’t forget you have Kukoc coming off the bench…yikes

    Bulls in 5

  • http://www.geocities.com/dagomardeg Dagomar

    This Bulls team was very clearly on the decline. Jordan was still the best player in the league but he was scoring on smarts and fadeaway jumpers more than anything (though he was still an artist in the post). Pip was on the decline. Still, that team was not going to lose – 98 was indeed their last stand, and everybody knew it. The ’07 Spurs were great but not even the best of the Spurs championship teams. I say the Bulls win in 6 because, while Bowen is a great defender, he can’t guard Jordan. Now if I take the best of those Bulls teams against the best of those Spurs teams, I say the Bulls win in 4. The NBA is watered down now, sadly.

  • djKianoosh

    2005 Spurs would win. I like that Spurs championship team the best of their recent run, but while I really like the Spurs, I think those Bulls teams with MJ were really well balanced defensively.

    Tony Parker would be a big mismatch, and so would TD, but I can’t see a Jordan team losing. I’d like to say Spurs win, but “how can you guard the unstoppably unstoppable!?!” LOL

  • S-SiN

    MJ all the way. any Bulls title team sticks any other champ, so shut the fuck up with that spurs bullshit. oh, better yet, get a loan and buy a drink.

  • q

    Who’s Tony Parker when Bulls succesfully dealed with 97 and 98′ Stockton? He was much better than TP.

  • hooper5013

    MAn Mike is unfuckwitable. Stop putting him against anyone they can’t beat him, like homey above me said he mastered the intangibles on top of having an insane skill set, period! JORDAN is far and away the best player the world has seen. When Lebron learns how to score from somewhere besides the top of the key, and when he defends on the ball like mike, and when he averages damn near two blocks a game holler at me. And don’t get me started on Pip, kid WAS LOCK down on defense. Son dominated games by making opposing PG’s pick up there dribble and make it hell for them to penetrate lower than the 3 point line. Dennis GAVE everyone hell drawing charges and creating turnovers, he wasn’t necessarily shut down. But he reaked havoc, he made it hard for the opposing teams 4 to score. Then U got Ron Harper who was a damn good defender himself following the rules made by Mike and Scottie, and then Luke Longley did exactly what he needed to do, grad a couple boards and hit mid range jumpers. Job done…GREAT TEAM….SPURS don’t stand a chance

  • S-SiN

    and kukoc hit his damn trees in the finals as far as i remember. or should i check with detlef on that one?

  • S-SiN

    @78
    97-98 Stockton was nice, not as sick as 96 Glove tho.. Stockton played for 19 insanely consistent seasons, but u’d have to believe his prime hit around 92-94

  • S-SiN

    Spurs wouldn’t come out if they heard about Mike’s flu-like symptoms and fever! NO TEAM STICKS THE BULLS. FORGET IT.

  • http://yahoo delfra

    while i do think that OSMOSIS does raise some points about the ’98 BULLS vs. the “07 SPURS, which is while i said before the BULLs in like 6. the SPURS have been a freat team in the 90′s and they get tey’re props from me. i also have to agree with DAGOMAR on this point, if you put the best of the BULLS teams (96,91,97) againt the best of the SPURS teams (03,05,07) not even close, CHICAGO would annihilate SAN ANTONIO. probally the better question would be if the bulls owner had kept the BULLS togeher for one more year in ’99. that team against the spurs, could you imagine. a well rested MJ,PIP,WORM,TK,HARP,etc…. having to play only 50 regular season games. lets just say the SPURS would probally have one less championship.

  • God

    Wow, you kids are dumb. You talk about how it was rougher when MJ was playing, BUT it was also easier to score one on one since there was that pesky illegil defense rule stopping lots of zone and traps, one thing the Spurs are known for(getting the ball out of the best players hand).
    And I like how you blow Bruce Bowen off as if he’s a huge step down from some of the premier defensive stoppers in Jordans “time”. He’s not. Its also nice to hear how Rodman automatically cancels out the great Tim Duncan, nice biased opinions everyone!

  • Adam

    I think the Spurs would take it in 6 or 7. Why? Defense…. In response to all the Jordan lovers who say “No one can stop him” Wrong! The Spurs did stop him in 92 when David Robinson was really the only defense they had… Don’t believe me??? See for yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDndDpnR9kI The 07 Spurs would have shut down the Bulls… Maybe not Jordan but the rest of the team… Yes. Especially if we played with the rules of Jordan time…. Bruce Bowen would have been all over that!!!!

  • Dave

    Old, but here are my thoughts.

    I agree that if we are picking elite Spurs teams of the past decade you have to go with either the 03 or 05 team. 99 was a destructive force HOWEVER with a backcourt of Avery Johnson and Jaren Jackson have had a chance in hell against MJ and Pippen as opposed to Tony Parker and Manu (MUCH MUCH better matchup).

    The 03 Spurs would be the overall best because although Manu and Tony werent quite the players the were in 05, Robinson even in his last year was better than any center we’ve had since. I give the 03 team the nod.

    Chicago’s weakness was the frontcourt minus Rodman, who was still solid in 98, but not AS solid as years previous, so an 03 Duncan and Robinson would have a field day around the rim, not to mention Tony Parker would not be guarded by anyone relevant unless Pippen decided to try it, leaving a slightly slower Jordan to try and guard a herky-jerky rim attacking Manu.

    While obviously nobody is going to stop Jordan, he was primarily a jumpshooter in 98, having lost much of his legs like any player an Bowen being an elite defender(whoever said starks and anderson were in his league are completely out of their mind. Starks was solid but Short and in the 90′s hand checking was prevelant, not today)

    The Spurs would obviously have a hard time with the triangle and IMO Pippen would have greatest advantage on a solid defender (Manu) but not a great one.

    I give the Spurs the nod because an 03 Duncan was impossible to stop even with rodman plus Robinson over any center the Bulls have ever had. Jordan and Pip are legends of a different kind, but they have never faced a frontcourt like this.

    Spurs in 7.

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