Paul’s take: Bow down to the Bulls of the 90s

The greatest NBA dynasty is the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s, and this ESPN documentary on Michael Jordan’s 1997-98 season shows why.

To paraphrase shoe salesman Spike Lee: It’s gotta be the stories.

Everyone has MJ stories, but few compare to Brendan Malone’s. Brendan is the father of Nuggets coach Michael Malone. He also spent 30 years as an NBA assistant, most notably as the defensive coordinator for the Pistons’ Bad Boys.

How’s that for a job title? Brendan Malone scripted the famous Jordan rules — how to stop the unstoppable. One of his many delicious tales goes like this: it was the 1989 Eastern Conference finals, Bulls-Pistons. They split Games 1 and 2, and Malone went to Pistons coach Chuck Daly with a plan: double-team MJ.

“Chuck was not a big fan of double-teaming,” Malone told me the other day.

Double-teams suggest weakness. They suggest you can’t guard him 1-on-1. They suggest you’re not as good as the other guy.

Nevertheless, in a team meeting prior to Game 3, Pistons leaders Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars had Malone’s back. They sided with the double-team idea, and Daly looked at Malone and said: “This better work, or you’re fired.”

The Pistons double-teamed Jordan, closed out the series in six games and went on to sweep the Lakers in the NBA Finals. And Malone, the brains of the Jordan rules, got to keep his job.

Of course, the Showtime Lakers of the cocaine ’80s had stories, though few have seen the light of day. Same for Bill Russell’s Celtics, though the 1961 NBA, for example, was so lopsided it had only three of eight teams finish above .500.

But the ’90s NBA seduced men and women of a certain age into lifelong fandom, and they were ruled by the greatest dynasty — Jordan’s Bulls.

Matt’s take: Basketball in 80s was even better

The Bulls were transcendent in the 90s, but the greatest NBA Dynasty of all-time? Nah.

We all want to be part of something special, and timing truly is everything. Fans thrive for the label of “the greatest all-time.”

Not seeing the run of the Bulls properly end plays a role in our memories. Spoiler alert: The team was prematurely disbanded by ownership and never lost after reaching the pinnacle of the NBA.

Sorry, I can’t label the Bulls the greatest NBA dynasty because it’s not the best basketball I’ve ever seen played.

As “The Last Dance” continues, pay attention to the final scores. Hand checks, knock downs, grabs, holds and flops ruled the day. The early 90s was a bad era of basketball thanks to the success of the late-80s Pistons. In the 90s, the first team to score 90 points usually won. (Granted, many would take that over today’s lack of defense and flopping, but that’s a topic for another day.)

Who is to say one dynasty is better than another? The Lakers (’50s, ’80s, ’00s), Celtics (’60s, ’80s), Bulls (’90s) Spurs (’00s) and Warriors (’10s) all are great on paper.

Games aren’t played on paper. Ask the 2007 Patriots or the 2019 Warriors.

One other major factor to consider is the way the games are officiated and coached.

The era of basketball with the best teams that could play any style? That was the 80s. Here’s what social media would have looked like then:

“MJ is 0-6 vs. Bird in playoffs. #BirdoverGoat”

“Pistons beat Jordan, Magic and Bird in primes. From 1988-91 Detroit was 12-10 vs. Bulls. #BadBoys”

“Magic would make Bulls disappear in thin Air. 5x NBA champ #Showtime”

Enjoy “The Last Dance”, but if you want to be part of something just as special, be sure to watch “Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies.”