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And let's forget that in the three years prior to Jordan's retirement (the Rockets' two rings) that Houston went 5-1 against Chicago.

It seems like this comes up over and over again, but the Rockets matched up well with Chicago. Chicago had ZERO answers for The Dream. Jordan is the best player of all time, but the Rockets at least had defensive stoppers to make Jordan work for it.

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This. I always tell people this when they pull out this tired old argument. Rockets were a matchup problem for the Bulls. No answer for Olajuwon and Vernon Maxwell was very good at slowing down Jordan. If the Rockets had faced the Bulls instead of the Knicks in '94, I think they would've finished them off quicker than the 7 games it took to beat NY.

Meh. Knicks went 3-1 against the Bulls in the regular season in 93, then won games 1 and 2 before Jordan pulled off 4 straight to beat them in the playoffs.

I'm sure you can find many, many other instances of teams that dominate in the regular season and then lost in the post season.

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Jordan only won the 2nd 3peet because the Rockets traded away their shooters fit Barkley. Rockets would have at least 3peeted if they didn't.

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Houston was swept by the Sonics the year before they traded for Barkley, so how could they have won 3 straight if it weren't for the Barkley trade.

I'm a Rockets fan, but what you said makes no sense .

[This message has been edited by Steve Billings (edited 2/18/2013 11:36a).]

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If the Rockets had faced the Bulls instead of the Knicks in '94, I think they would've finished them off quicker than the 7 games it took to beat NY.

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Yeah, a Jordan-less Bulls team. What's your point?

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Can e also objectively talk about how the off season would have been different in terms of where players sign and who plays with Chicago or who leaves (grant) in the two off seasons that Jordan was gone?

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I agree with this, but this works both ways (as I wrote above).

The Bulls might have won #4 and #5, but it is also possible that Pippen & Grant get weary of Jordan, and go elsewhere, and the team doesn't win any more. Pippen wanted to be the star, but when he stepped out from Jordan's shadow, he realized how hot the spotlight was and the incredible pressure. Because of Jordan's break, Pippen was more than happy to welcome him back. Also, that doesn't take into account the incredible # of games those guys were playing, and the possibility of injuries that they were fortunate to avoid those other playoff runs.

The closest comparison I've made is the Shaq/Kobe Lakers. They won 3 together, and should have won 4, but didn't. Had they traded Shaq before that run for 4 started, people would probably be talking that if they stayed together, they probably would have won 8.

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Great post. People underestimate the physical and mental toll that all of those extra games take on players. While guys like Jordan and Kobe have an insatiable desire to win, most guys are more than happy to rest on their laurels after one, much less three, straight titles.

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Yeah, a Jordan-less Bulls team. What's your point?

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Speaking in hypotheticals here... we are assuming Jordan was still there and never played baseball. I assumed people would understand what I was saying, but I guess it needs to be spelled out for some.

[This message has been edited by george07 (edited 2/18/2013 2:57p).]

MJ re-joined the Bulls with a month remaining in the '94-'95 regular season when he realized he wasn't going anywhere in baseball.

No telling what he would have done had he been with the team a full year.

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And to make this post somewhat Aggie related, former A&M QB Jeff Granger (Memphis Chicks) once struck out Jordan (Birmingham Barons) in a SA game.

[This message has been edited by BizAg83 (edited 2/18/2013 7:04p).]

Interesting to hear Jordan's interview with Ahmad Rashad. He was really burnt out after that first three peat and dealing with his father's murder. Jordan feels like they would've won 4th title in '99 if they didn't break up the team.

I don't think the Bulls win 8 in a row if Jordan doesn't retire. Jordan was an incredibly competitive and demanding personality which would have worn the team and himself down. He and the team simply would not have been able to keep the championship edge. The 2nd 3-peat was a completely different team (other than Pippen) than the 1st 3-peat. The 2-year break allowed the bulls to re-tool the roster with new guys who were "fresh" mentally from not having previously played with Jordan. The break also allowed Jordan to re-charge his batteries (mentally and physically)and re-capture his love for the game.

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Jordan feels like they would've won 4th title in '99 if they didn't break up the team.

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Disrespectful to the Spurs.