First Bulls Champs vs. Last Bulls Champs: A Simulation by Chicago Sports Stuff & Strat-O-Matic
Jordan / Pippen / Grant stare down Jordan / Pippen / Rodman in time-travel best-of-seven that's weird enough to merit its own episode of "Black Mirror."
THE PHRASE, “I remember where I was when…” is generally followed by some iteration of, “…President Kennedy was assassinated.”
But that’s generally.
For people like me — people who watch way too many sporting events on television and/or take the time and energy to crank out a sports-centric, Chicago-centric Substack each and every weekday — it’s more along the lines of, “I remember where I was when the Chicago Bears won the 1985 Super Bowl.”
Or, “I remember where I was when the Chicago Cubs clinched the World Series in 2016.”
Or, most germane to this article, “I remember where I was when the Chicago Bulls won each of their championships.”
And I do…
Championship #1 (1990-1991): My garbage apartment in Hoboken, NJ.
Championship #2 (1991-1992): My garbage apartment in Hoboken, NJ.
Championship #3 (1992-1993): Another garbage apartment in Hoboken, NJ.
Championship #4 (1995-1996): My cute two-family apartment in Philadelphia, PA.
Championship #5 (1996-1997): My mediocre apartment in Brooklyn, NY.
Championship #6 (1997-1998): A not-so-bad apartment in Brooklyn, NY.
I’ll spare you the specifics of what each of my East Coast apartments looked, smelled, and tasted like. Suffice it to say that I was surviving in the New York metropolitan area on an entry level salary supplemented by the periodic $75 jazz gig.
But when the Bulls were racking up the hardware, it didn’t matter where I was watching.
I THINK BULLS FANS will agree with me in that the team’s first and the last rings were the dopest.
The maiden voyage was special, because — aside from the fact that it was the first ‘chip in franchise history — we were privy to a bunch of twitchy young pups ending the reigns of the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers.
This isn’t to diminish the awesomeness of number six, which will always be remembered for The Pose.
But which of the two rosters was the more impressive? I know, it’s a Sophie’s Choice, kind of like deciding between strawberry shortcake and brownie a la mode, both of which are delicious in their own special way.
In 1991, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were bolstered by Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, and John Paxson. They were a disciplined unit that dominated on both ends of the floor, a sheer joy to watch.
In 1998, Jordan and Pippen were bolstered by Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, and B.J. Armstrong. They were a disciplined unit that dominated on both ends of the floor, a sheer joy to watch.
So which Bulls champs made for the better dessert?
To answer that question, we again turned to our friends at Strat-O-Matic, who concocted another one of their magical space-time-continuum-busting simulations, pitting the first Bulls champs against the last Bulls champs in a four-out-of-seven throw-down that answered the question, What gets you rings, athleticism or experience?
(All game recaps courtesy of Strat-O-Matic.)
GAME ONE
A monster 40-point third quarter put the game out of reach, with the 1997-98 squad leading by as many as 29 in a wire-to-wire win.
1997-98 Michael Jordan scored a game-high 36, while Toni Kukoc added 18 points and nine assists, Scottie Pippen notched a bonkers 15/21 double-double, and Dennis Rodman pulled down a dozen boards of his own.
1991-92 Jordan had 36 points, with Pippen putting up 26 and Grant grabbing 12 rebounds.
1997-98 Bulls: 120
1990-91 Bulls: 102
(1997-98 Bulls lead series 1-0)
GAME TWO
This one went down to the final minutes, with the 1990-91 Bulls leading 106-105 with 2:49 to play. But 12 straight points over the final two minutes — four each by Pippen, Jordan and Ron Harper — sealed the win.
1997-98 Jordan finished with 35 points, while his past self had 34. Rodman, who played 47 of 48 minutes, yanked down a career playoff high 26 boards.
1997-98 Bulls: 119
1990-91 Bulls: 108
(1997-98 Bulls lead series 2-0)
GAME THREE
The 1997-98 squad took a second quarter lead, which they held until the final buzzer in a surprising blowout. Jordan (38 points, nine rebounds) and Pippen (27 points) led the way for the Elders, with Luc Longley contributing a 10/12 double-double.
Young Jordan’s 40-burger led all scorers.
1997-98 Bulls: 111
1990-91 Bulls: 89
(1997-98 Bulls lead series 3-0)
GAME FOUR
Baby Air avoided the sweep at the hands of the Old Jumpman thanks to a decisive 18-8 run early in the fourth, giving the 1990-91-ers a 14-point lead they’d hold until the clock hit triple-zero.
Young Jordan and Pippen each posted 34, while Horace Grant notched a 10/15 double-double. The creakier Jordan managed 43 in a losing cause.
1990-91 Bulls: 122
1997-98 Bulls: 113
(1997-98 Bulls lead series 3-1)
GAME FIVE
When the 1997-98 squad built a 38-19 lead early in the second quarter, it looked like we’d be seeing some brooms on the United Center floor. But 1990-91 went on a tear, taking a 55-52 halftime lead.
Things went next-level in the third and fourth quarters, when the young’uns built a double-digit lead and cruised to a must-have W.
Baby Jordan’s 31 led all scorers, while Craig Hodges poured in 19 off the bench — hitting 5-of-5 from behind the arc — for the 1990-91 unit.
1990-91 Bulls: 117
1997-98 Bulls: 99
(1997-98 Bulls lead series 3-2)
GAME SIX
1991-92 took a 48-28 lead early in the second — their largest of the series — in a series-evening, wire-to-wire dub. Pippen’s 26 and Jordan’s 21 led the way for the kids, while Bill Cartwright pitched in with an 11/11 double-double and three blocks, and Grant hit a surprising three bombs from beyond the stripe.
In a nifty time-bending happenstance, Pippen led both teams in scoring; young Pip poured in 23, while the aging wonder hit for 26, all of which led to the inevitable Game Seven.
1990-91 Bulls: 105
1997-98 Bulls: 91
(Series tied 3-3)
GAME SEVEN
The rubber match was a tight affair until the beginning of the fourth quarter, when 1997-98 M.J. led a 15-4 run gave the old dudes a 15-point lead, which they never relinquished. And M.J. didn’t even need to pose.
1997-98 Jordan led both teams with 27, with Pippen (16), Kukoc (14), Steve Kerr (14) and Longley (13) also hitting double figures. John Paxson had his best game of the series, putting up 14 points and dishing out eight dimes in a losing cause.
1997-98 Bulls: 111
1990-91 Bulls: 96
(1997-98 Bulls win series 4-3)
STATISTICAL LEADERS
1997-98 BULLS
Jordan 32.7 ppg
Pippen 19.7 ppg
Kukoc 10.1 ppg
Rodman 10.6 rpg
1990-91 CHICAGO BULLS
Jordan 30.6 ppg
Pippen 23.9 ppg
Paxson 11.7 ppg
MVP: 1997-98
