How many championships do the Bulls win if MJ doesn’t retire in 93? Small error: Jordan averaged 26.9 points in the 95 regular season, although the text says 26.1. My bad.

imagine averaging 31, 7 and 6 and being called "rusty"

We’ll never know, but coming from a rockets fan, I’m glad he didn’t play...........

I doubt he’d win 8 straight, mostly because of mental fatigue is inevitable. Still, the fact he won 3 straight rings, retired, played a different sport, came back, and won 3 straight rings again (FMVP in all of them) and dipped out is the most impressive thing I’ve seen in sports

You know, just the fact that it's even possible that Hakeem could've beat the Jordan Bulls in the finals with no other all-stars just speaks to Hakeem's greatness

I would have LOVED to have seen a Bulls vs Rockets Finals match up with a non retired MJ. All we can do is speculate, but it would have been one hell of a series. :-)

I wouldn't bet against MJ. A healthy and motivated MJ is tough to beat. Motivation wouldn't be a problem... When MJ trotted on the court, he was all business. This coming from a Larry Bird fan.

Big Jordan fan here. He's the GOAT to me, hands down. With that said, I don't think they would've won 8 straight for a few different reasons: 1) It would've been hard to keep most of the core together for that long due to free agency. Some of the better role players would've likely been offered star money from other teams. 2) The roster for the 2nd 3 peat may not have formed like we know it did if Jordan had never retired. They were building that team around Pippen at the time, so it's reasonable to think that some of them(hard to say who for sure) wouldn't have come to the Bulls if Jordan had never retired. 3) If any team from the Western Conference had a chance to beat Jordan's Bulls, it was Olajuwan and the Houston Rockets. He would've had his way on both ends and would've made it extremely difficult for the Bulls to win. Plus he had good outside shooting to support his down low dominance. I give it a 50/50 chance that the Bulls would've beat Houston in '94, and maybe 30/70 in '95 after Houston acquired Clyde Drexler.

Ron Harper was another key piece to the second three peat team, especially on defense. Harper, Jordan, and Pippen have to be the best group of perimeter defenders ever assembled. Harper usually guarded the point position and defended well against Payton and Stockton. Toni Kukuc coming in with the scoring punch off the bench was another key piece.

OMG! MJ was playing baseball for a season and half, when returned, still rusty, he averaged like Miami Heat's Lebron!!! There's no question he could have won 8.

Horace Grant is so underrated. Amazing player. Barkley also said that Grant was better than Rodman because of his versatility and reliability. Rodman was a better defender and rebounder though. Either way both Grant and Rodman are great.

Jordan initially retired in 1993 due to the trauma of his father's MURDER and played baseball to HONOR him. He only returned in the late portion of 1994-95 season after finally getting over it. If not for his father's murder, there a good chance Jordan could've led Chicago to 8 straight NBA finals and rings. James Jordan's killer (ironically a Jordan fan) deserves blame for ruining such a possibility.

God I would LOVED to have seen that Bulls/Rockets Finals

I recently found your channel and I quite like it. I especially love that you don't peddle the bullshit a lot of NBA fans and 'analysts' do.

The fact people think he could do it is just a testament to his greatness.

An important factor not brought up is the statistics of Bulls vs Rockets games from '90-'91 to '92-' 93 seasons. Rockets won 5 ot of 6 games during that period. Rockets were the worst match-up for Bulls back in those days, so it would be really tough for them to win finals in 94 and 95 against Hoiston.

I agree 100% with this, and also there’s an interview of Michael Jordan where he says that at the championship in 93 he didn’t felt the same hunger to go once again to fight for the top, he felt like people already expected them to win so it wasn’t fun or challenging anymore, but when he came back from retirement all that hunger and passion for winning were back, so I guess if Jordan doesn’t retire maybe he and the bulls would have lost their motivation to win

Jordan loved motivating himself with perceived slights, Barkley and Malone winning MVP, for example. He would have loved to play in the finals against the guy that was drafted #1 while he went #3.

I think one of the reasons MJ retired, along with everything else, was championship fatigue. Stepping away for a bit helped him regain his motivation, which led to the 2nd 3-peat.

it's a shame Jordan retired early twice and then came back too late with the Wizards. he probably could have played from '84 to '00 or '01 at a sustained high level and competed for a few more championships before retiring. he's still the GOAT either way by a large margin but would have been nice to see those potential matchups in the finals with Hakeem or maybe vs the Lakers with Shaq & Kobe.

That shows how amazing jordan was he beat a prime penny and shaq with a sweep, i hate how shannon sharp like to paint the narrative that jordan folded in that series he was still rusty and still averaged 30

A short season in 99 would have gave there fresh legs a 9th in a row.

Nah Steve Kerr himself said that they would’ve burned out and lost the motivation, Jordan’s retirement was a blessing in disguise and key for such an accomplishment

The mistake most people when speaking against Jordan is that they use conclusions mainly based on regular logic, normal reasoning and common sense, but what you all forget is Jordan couldn't really be limited by those measures, he was something that was never seen before and never seen since, you cant conclude or judge Jordan on any normal parameters or anything that makes normal sense, Michael Jordan was not normal...

Possibly ten straight if they didn’t decide to rebuild in 1998.

No, he needed that break. He was beyond exhausted and even after the break, the same fatigue was setting in for the second three peat. He said he wanted to try for a fourth in the documentary though, and I believe him that the challenge of going for 4 would have fueled them through another successful season. But I do think he needed that break in 93.

In ‘98, the Bulls came dangerously close to losing to the Pacers. If Jordan never retired, he was already mentally fatigued and felt unmotivated, but after making the Finals and even winning the championship for just five or six years, fatigue would have certainly caught up and they would likely fall to the Pacers, Knicks, Heat, or Jazz if they even make it that far.

Fatigue is the biggest factor to me. No way are they realistically going that strong for 8 straight final appearances until June, then immediately becoming ready for games again in October. Not only would they have to be focused and determined to play Basketball consistently year round during the break, but they’d have to sub in recovery time over training time just to stand a chance. Maybe they could not play as many games in the main season, especially in the start of the season, but that would still affect their overall legacies given regular season play. Only a star studded squad, who had focus only on BB, and who had around 25-30 player in totality who could legitimately play if required, could even attempt to do something like that.

The meticulousness with which u do your analysis is serious. You’re truly gifted Arnett

Great points with Horace vs Dennis. But let's not forget the impact of Ron Harper filling the guard position!!

It really depends on how they filled out the roster for years 4-8. Also, for how many years after the first 3 was Grant any good? They wouldn’t have got Rodman. Maybe they win 4 or 5 in a row.

I think jordan said in an interview "we are lucky this monster doesnt come out of the west"reffering to olajuwon after getting beaten by the rovkets...

Those are all great points. The only thing is that I believe that even with Grant, considering that all they gave up was Will Perdue, they make that trade for Rodman. Listed at 6'10" and with his length, I could see Horace sliding over to the center position even with the bigger players. I actually think that would've made them more dangerous and stifling as a defense. With a starting 5 of C Grant, PF Rodman, SF Pippen, SG Jordan and PG Harper, they could smother everyone and not having defensive liabilities in the front court along with a proven 15+ ppg scorer in Grant they would've easily taken it up to 8

I think if Jordan had come back for the full year rather than with 17 games left in the season, it could have been 7 total.

Rockets vs Bulls would of been crazy in 94 and 95. Hakeem is a top 5 player in my opinion. Good chance it’s spilt due to fatigue. Bulls had the best team but idk how they’d match up after 4 or 5 straight titles.

They could have gone to 10 straight Finals. 90 through 99. I think they would have gone 8-2 maybe 9-1 in the Finals had MJ not retired, the Scottie Pippen Migraine game, and Jerry Krause decided to bring the whole team back for the 1999 season.

Olajuwon is the only player I’ve seen make MJ consistently change his inside shots on a regular basis. I think the 94 series would’ve been one of the greatest ever. However Olajuwon was the greatest center to play post 1980 and he the was the Franchise Houston Rockets, they were NOTHING without him. The 94 Bulls went far without MJ and to say the Rockets would’ve won FOR SURE is bullshit. I really wish Jordan didn’t have a gambling addiction and we might’ve seen this series.

Bulls got to game 7 of 94 semifinals with no Jordan. I think they would've beat Pacers in conference finals and Rockets in the finals. Now 95 would've been a little more tough but I think with Jordan playing all year they would of beat Orlando in conference finals and Houston in the finals. To answer question i say yes.

another factor is that 2 more full NBA seasons with deep playoff runs would have had an impact on Jodan's body/health/conditioning. We say MJ running on fumes dueingg the 97 and 98 finals, he was still obviously great but his efficiency had diminished severely.

I like the rodman argument. Many basketball fans said bulls made a super team when they signed rodman as to counter KD, lebron made/joined super team. When bulls signed rodman it was a huge gamble. No one know what they gonna get from him because he was so unpredictable , old, passed his prime and some say he would ruin the harmony of the organisation. But Phil managed that and resurrected rodman turned him as 1 of the reasons bulls won the second 3peat.

Umm no. Just no. You're acting as if they won 5 straight and then Horace fell off that they couldn't replace Horace with the rest of the pieces they had? I love Dennis, but if you don't think they couldn't replace him and still beat Seattle and Utah assuming they beat Houston twice I think you're really reaching.

Bulls vs Rockets greatest NBA Finals that never happened.

Jonny Arnett: Your You Tube posts are a bazillion times better than what is on FOX Sports 1 and ESPN. Keep up the good work!

That would be a dream campaign. I feel like if his father lived healthy to this year and beyond, the only problem is Jordan’s teammates. I don’t think Jordan would become soft and complacent, but it’s hard to keep hungry without moving players around

You nailed it with your last point. To three-peat twice was amazing enough. The energy and good fortune to win 8 straight is hard to comprehend in the modern day. Houston was an uphill match up for the Bulls during that time. If anyone could do it, it'd be Mike. That said, I've always leaned "65-35" they would not have won 8 straight.

What are u talking about?..The rockets couldn't even get past the Sonics 96 the jazz 97 n 98...Bulls dont need anyone else but the GOAT n hus sidekick.

It's amazing to me that no one takes into account the emotional and physical toll winning eight championships in the modern era of the NBA would take on a team. People say no doubt, don't bet against Jordan. But you're not taking into account mounting stress, freak injuries, bad bounces of the ball, and opponents getting tired of always losing. You can't just look at things on paper. That's extremely naive and short-sighted. They would not have won eight in a row. Ridiculous.

What made Mike truly hungry to win that second three peat was getting blown out by the Magic....and Horace didn't leave because Mike retired. He left because he wasn't happy there. They didn't renew his contract and he hated Mike BECAUSE of how hard Mike would ride his teammates. That trouble had been brewing way before Jordan had retired. And don't forget Mike saw Horace as the main "rat" behind "The Jordan Rules" book. Horace was there for the '94 playoff loss. Whether Mike had retired or not, Horace was leaving. The Bulls declined to re-sign him, you forget that.

I think this is a fantastic take. My reasoning is a bit different but I share similar view. 1. As much as the Bulls were strong I think Scottie needed that 1 season on his own. To sort of answer the question to himself of how good he actually was. I think with Jordan still playing, Scottie eventually asks to be traded to get his big money. History has shown no matter how in synch guys maybe, if you have two superstars in their prime, 1 eventually feels undervalued and wants out. 2. Jordans toughest finals was against the Sonics. They absolutely beat the crap out of him physically. But mind you this is after time off, a full season and him having been in his best shape in years motivated by loss to Orlando. What's my point? My point is father time is father time. Even if for arguement sake they win both series against Houston, I don't think they beat Seattle if he had played two previous years. Think about it. Jordan didn't believe in load management. So that's 164 regular season games. A minimum of 193 games if you sweep every team in post season BOTH years. Given that highly unlikely case, you are talking an additional 200 plus games before you even play 82 in THAT season plus 10 more games before even getting to Seattle. Thats ALOT of wear and tear. I just think given all that im not saying Bulls weren't good enough but its additional wear and tear that has to be acknowledged. Mind you lets say Jordan is Jordan of old and even sharper. Thats failing to take into account the OTHER guys might be burned out. This to me is an even greater factor than number 1. 3. I feel at some point, a team would have made a trade to try and be on par with Bulls. Again try lol. The fact he was gone for two years had teams saying well we're good enough as is but he is the reason we lost. Now that hes gone our same group can do it. Ala Knicks, Pacers not making any moves and Knicks were sort of right as they made finals. When a guy kicks your ass 6 straight years you have to say we need to do something. Jordan lulled you into basically saying eh hes Jordan so we're not winning anyway. I think 5 straight or 6 was possible but i think at some point, he needed that rest. I also think team itself needed that loss aganist NY to remind them its not a mandate you win the title. It made them find their fire again.

What made Mike different was his mentality.. He would've found ways to win

I believe 10 straight. I just don't see anyone stopping Mike in the 90's. His drive is something not seen ever before.

The fact that even Air Jordan could not have won 8-straight is a testament to Bill Russell's greatness

That little Horace Grant - Dennis Rodman nugget is a real chicken bone when it comes to swallowing the bulls winning 8 straight. Helluva point for any such debate...

Jordan left 2 rings on the table, one when he retired to play baseball and another one when he retired after 1998

Unless someone incredible comes around. MJ will forever be the goat

a video on Wilt Chamberlain's game change after a major injury in late 69. he was on a roll in the fist 9 games, then got injured.

It's great to see Hakeem getting more love. That man was a beast. People talk about Shaq well Hakeem cooked that man 5:34 Making him look stupid

One of my favorite youtubers ever.

if Jordan never retired, Horace would of never left Bulls. Horace left because he was Phil Jacksons whipping boy since Phil knew all the Bulls stood up for Horace whenever Phil singled him out and thst built team solidarity (Zen master). Jordan stood up for Horace every time and with Jordan retiring, Horace felt he lost his main supporter. now with Horace secured at power forward, Bulls would still get Rodman. nobody wanted Rodman at the time, nobody. but Rodman for Perdue is still a steal and Spurs were the ones to approach Bills for that deal since they were desperate to get rid of Rodman before he destroyed chemistry on the team and they didnt want trade Rodman within thier conference . Krause would see it as a bargain because Rodman would bring toughness Bulls lacked when they failed to draft Muresan in 2nd round. Krause thought Geirghe would be available then and he wasnt. Rodman would initially start season coming off the bench but eventually earn the starting spot come playoff time. this makes the Bulls bench of Horace/Rodman, Kukoc, Kerr, Wennington, Beuchler, Brown...etc a powerhouse. Kukoc, Rodman, and Grant alone would be starters on other teams. three starters coming off bench expertly handled by a Hall of Fame coach and a superstar who refused to lose at all costs *Bulls win 8 straight, possibly 10*

Scotty pippen nearly lead the bulls to the finals by himself in '94. That team was pretty good without Jordan.. with him, most certainly four in a row.

Hey my favorite nba youtuber (honestly tho) very underrated

Didn't see the clip, don't need to. Just came straight to the comments to give the obvious answer. Yes, without a doubt. He and the bulls were at their prime when he retired. Nuff said.

I’ve always believed that he wouldn’t win 8 because he said himself that he needed to leave the NBA at the end of 93. “I was at the top for so long, I forgot the steps it took for me to get there.” (MJ) However if he didn’t retire at the end of 98 and went one more year with the same coach and team, they would have won in 99. So in my opinion they would have won 7 titles all up.

I can't stress this enough, the Rockets picked Hakeem over Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft, but NO ONE criticizes the Rockets for that pick.

That would have been a good one between the bulls and rocket I think the 95 rockets would have gave the bulls a problem

Great analysis. I've always thought about that Grant-Rodman tradeoff.

I'm a big MJ stan but no way! 8 straight is insane. He needed those two years off to rest. Also, the Bulls have a winning record against every team except for one. Can you guess which one? The Houston Rockets. Granted, I think he would've won 4 straight, lose, and win 3 more but not 8 straight lol...

Awesome take well done sir.. You are now 1 of my favorite you tubers...no biasness with you. Keep 🆙 the good work

There is a simple reason why jordan and the bulls would have never won 8 straight title Hakeem was too much even for the bulls

1:25 also the 1947-1949 Minneapolis lakers

The Bulls would've won 10 straight if MJ did not retire the first and the 2nd time. MJ is all you need to win because of the terror he brings to his opponents.

Bulls vs rockets was a very good matchup back then & it could go either ways. But I think the bulls could have won 1 or 2 more if the team was still intact after the 2nd three-peat but we all know what happened. 🙂

I think that the Bulls would've lost to the 94-95 Rockets because of The Dream and The Glide

Thanks for the great video. I've been waiting for years for someone to do this. MJ & his Bulls were on a tear and I'm totally not sure about 8, but I'm thinking a solid 5 maybe 6. The times & #s don't lie. The 90s were all about the Bulls.

Nice analysis, but I have a major objection: that Horace Grant would have surely stayed had Jordan not retired. If we were to judge by Sam Smith's very insightful book "Jordan Rules", it is more likely that Grant would have left the Bulls regardless of Jordan (or even because of for that matter). In that case I see the Rockets as the favorites at least for the 1995 title. Generally I am against taking anything away from the Rockets' success during those two seasons by saying that they wouldn't have won had Jordan not retired. They were a fantastic team and they won.

Was a diehard Knick’s fan from 1984 to 2012… Michael Jordan is the greatest player to ever live. If he did not play baseball he would’ve beat the Houston Rockets in 94 and 95. Jordan is the GOAT 🐐

Yup, Sure would have won 8. But, Vegas wouldn’t like that.

I think psychologically they may have indeed been burnt out. With MJ in those years though it's always a strong possibility

I really can’t see that happening The bulls weakest Position on that team was definitely the center position and MJ would have definitely met him at least once plus He’s explained how mentally exhausted he was during that final run and it took everything he had left After a 2 year break to physically and mentally recharge I think the timing was just perfect For those 6 rings and left at the perfect time

most NBA greats like Kobe don't die so young a video of the all-time afterlife roster would be cool being a large portion of the all-time greats are still alive being the game isn't that old compared to other major sports in America

As great as mj was, there's no way he takes both of the years he wasn't in the finals. The rockets were too good. He might take one of those years, but a lot of people forget that Olajuwon was playing outside of this galaxy those two years. Vernon Maxwell was also an absolute beast defender that would've beaten mj up all series long. The bulls didn't have a big guy that could've kept up with Hakeem. He dominated the 3 next best big men in the game those years. I will say this, MJ is the absolute best player of all time, head and shoulders above everyone else... But Hakeem was every bit on his level those two championship years. He MIGHT take one of those years, but no way he takes both.

Just want preface this and say I am a huge jordan fan! Huge! I was 13 when he won his first chip and watched pretty much every Bulls game even when he took that baseball hiatus. And I have never thought they would have won 8 straight I feel that overall they may have still won six after winning 4 in a row they would have lost somewhere along that time frame but that loss would reignite the fire and they would win another two not sure back to back but I just think 6 in 8 years seems about right.

Jordan was lethal. If you haven't learned, you just don't bet against MJ. The Bulls would have won 8. The Rockets were a great team and Olajuwon is one of my favorite big men of all time. But man, this is MJ. There's no way he was losing in the Finals. The Horace Grant vs. Rodman thing is dumb. They would have won 8 with either of them. Houston's backcourt was very overmatched. And once again, nobody is talking about the Bulls defense. As a team, you are talking about one of the best defenses that ever played. It's so easy to look at stats and numbers. Houston wasn't going to play against baseball Jordan. They would have been playing 3-peat Jordan after never having left. Bulls in 6.

Remember guys. MJ is a winner he'll do whatever it takes. Let's say Houston beats Chicago in 94 would it happen again in 95 against the Bulls?

Even Jordan said he felt rusty, even tho statistically, he was amazing.

See, I think he would’ve beat the Rockets in 1994, but in 1995 with the Rockets trading for Clyde Drexler the bulls wouldn’t have won. Without Rodman on the team, they couldn’t guard the paint. Plus Jordan would have to go against star Clyde Drexler. With two dominant scoring players with different skills, the bulls would come close, but wouldn’t win.

Ultimately it really doesn't matter, like you said 2 3-peats in the same decade = GOAT!

Tough one to call. Mike and Hakeem would be unstoppable. Pippen will be the X-factor for the bulls. Hakeem didn’t have an all-star on his team so someone else would have to step up. Bulls edge rockets. Just a better overall team. This would be too much for Hakeem to handle without another star.

This is probably the first video that I actually disagree with you, you have to remember who Michael Jordan is/was, if Jordan has any kind of significant help then he's winning championships period, yes he had a decline when he came back which is naturally expected from not being in the nba for a while, and yes his latter years with the bulls he had slightly lower averages than the first 3 championship years, but this is Michael Jordan, if he's in the NBA with help then he's winning championships. Remember this is also the 40 year old who was arguably the best player in the league even at his old age, and he clearly didnt come back to the NBA to the wizards for the purpose of being the best like before, he came back simply for the love of the game. Michael Jordan the greatest player of all time (who some NBA players actually thought he was Jesus because of everything phenomenal that he was) would have won 8 straight championships had he never retired (also meaning had he never lost his father, his best friend)...

Scenario 3: Jordan would win 6 to 7 because of The Dream and almost no one can stop him. The Rodman trade can still possibly go through. The Sonics can beat MJ in 96. Hakeem can win in either 94 or 95 but that is only a possibility but I would say that Hakeem would win in 95 because he had Clyde Drexler.

I still think Jordan wins 8 straight, because we heard a lot of these same, "he can't do X" or "the run is over" or some kind of narrative about how they were "definitely" going to lose because of [insert a convincing argument about how much all the major deciding factors favor their opponents] again and again and again *while* he was playing, and he somehow *did* do it *every* time! Perhaps the best example of this was in those '97-'98 finals, where they were *on the road* against a Jazz team who *barely* lost to them the year prior (i.e., 3 of the four games the Bulls won in those '96-'97 Finals against the Jazz were decided by 4 points or less and basically came down to the final possession - including two games decided by 2), had their *entire* team back, were performing *even better* the following '97-'98 season, who beat the *both times* (they met twice, the Jazz won *twice)* during the regular season, had the better record compared to the Bulls *and* home court advantage in the finals, and had just *swept* the Western Conference Finals while the Bulls had had a *grueling* 7-game series against the Pacers that came down to the wire (i.e., "the Bulls are gonna be far too fatigued to win"), all while injuries (which had been a major factor all season for the Bulls - especially to Pippen) were becoming a factor again (likely in part due to the fatigue), with Pippen in particular suffering the worst of the injuries during those finals! And when the Jazz won Game 1 in OT, many people said "this series is over. The Bulls badly needed to steal that Game 1 to have any chance. That OT game took too much out of the already way too fatigued Bulls, and this team is never going to be able to win 4 of the next six with all the hurdles in their way." And simply put, the Bulls won 4 of the next 5, and pulled off some absolute shocks in between - including that 96-54 drubbing in Game 3, and in Game 6, with MJ (alongside a version of Pippen who was basically a shell of himself all game) scoring *45* of the team's *87* points (i.e., Jordan scored more points than the entire rest of his team *combined)* and played nearly every minute of the game despite being believed to "have no gas in the tank left" after such a long season where he played so many minutes and carried so much of the load! Like, these arguments about how he never would've been able to beat the Rockets, or that fatigue would be a factor, all sound like *those* claims we heard all over again. Not to mention similar and "even more convincing" arguments we constantly heard about how the Bulls and MJ could "never" win at a certain time or in a certain way due to circumstance X or Y. Before Jordan won his first championship, it was "common knowledge" that the Bulls stood no chance of winning a championship as long as Michael Jordan was leading the league in scoring because *no one* had done that decades and absolutely *no* non-center had *ever* done that - yet, Jordan did it in '90-'91 (and then did it five more times)! Before his second championship, it was said the Bulls couldn't beat the Blazers (who had a better record than the Bulls the year before and would've had home court over the Bulls in '90-'91 had the Lakers not "upset" them that prior year in the Western Conference Finals) because the Blazers had a better supporting cast and that Drexler had a major advantage over Jordan in that he was far better at shooting the three - and yet, the Bulls won that series pretty handily *and* Jordan famously hit *six* threes in the first half *alone* in Game 1 (the famous "shrug" game)! Before his third, it was said the Bulls would be too tired after winning two straight and couldn't possibly three-peat (because that had not been done in decades), and the "proof" was that the Suns finished the season with the better record - and people said that MJ having to play the finals on the road for the first time ever would be his downfall. And then the Bulls won *all 3* road games they played in that series (they were 3-0 on the road, and 1-2 at home! So odd)! After he returned from baseball and got defeated by the Magic in '94-'95, people said MJ and the Bulls were now "past their prime" and "their window had closed" and now the *far younger* Magic team (who was the best team in the East the year before and hosted the finals and now also had Horace Grant who was a key piece in every Bulls championship up until that point) was gonna run away from the aging Bulls in the following years (and Penny Hardaway's shoe outselling MJ's was used as "proof" that MJ was "done" and the league had moved on from him)! The Bulls instead won *72* games the following year (12 more than the Magic, who won 60 games that year, *improving* their record from the season before) and *swept* the Magic in the Conference Finals! Oh, and in those '96 finals, the narrative after Game 5 (when Gary "the Glove" Payton was finally picked by George Karl starting in Game 4 to shadow Jordan from start to finish of the game, leading to two consecutive *double-digit* Sonics victories) was that the Sonics had finally "cracked the code" of "stop MJ, the team loses," and that they would ride that strategy to an unprecedented comeback and finals upset (in part because the Sonics beat the Bulls during the regular season as well using that strategy, *and* they had only lost by 4 *in Chicago* in Game 2 *before* using that strategy, i.e., "now the Bulls are too outmatched. A supporting cast of Future Hall of Famer Shawn Kemp, sharpshooting Hersey Hawkins, former Jordan teammate at UNC Sam Perkins, and German phenom Detlef Schrempf were too good for the Bulls supporting cast to overcome if "the Glove" continued to shut down MJ) - and yet the Bulls won Game 6 by double-digits! And in '96-'97, almost *immediately* in Game 5 against the Jazz (the flu game) when the Jazz took a 16-point lead and Jordan was clearly affected by his condition, it was at least *speculated* by the commentators that that game was *already* lost (i.e., no way Jordan can lead a 16-point comeback in such a hostile environment in such an impossible physical condition, and only had 8 points midway through the second quarter). Jordan *immediately* scored 4 points on the next two possessions (both forced turnovers on the Jazz), and went on to score 38 and lead them to that Game 5 victory (but people are gonna say he'd be "too fatigued" to win four straight?)! And oh, just a reminder that Jordan (in only his *second* season, in which his fellow starters were Orlando Woodridge, Dave Cozine, Charles Oakley, and Kyle Macy) is the guy who scored 63 points *by himself* and *on the road* against the '85-'86 Boston Celtics and took them to 3 OTs (and actually missed a potential game-winner earlier) and averaged 55 points/game against them in that *entire* series! Like, we heard it again and again and again and again and again that the Bulls couldn't possibly do something because "it had never been done before," or that the team and MJ had "finally" been figured out, that another team "finally" was better than them at something, or that the team was "finally" too fatigued to win, and yet, somehow, *the opposite* kept happening! Sorry, but I have a hard time believing that any amount of fatigue - even after 7 straight championships - would make him more fatigued than that flu game (in which Jordan himself claims he was barely conscious and was close to blacking out when he hit that late three to give the Bulls the lead for good)! I have a hard time believing any amount of "lack of help" from teammates would be harder to overcome than what he overcame in that Game 6 against the Jazz in '98 (i.e., outscored his own entire rest of his team by himself despite running on fumes)! And Hakeem's championship Rockets' teams were fantastic, but they *weren't* as dominant or stacked as that '85-'86 Celtics juggernaut that Jordan and the Bulls *probably* beat by a relatively solid margin if Jordan has Horace Grant, Pippen, and BJ Armstrong (let alone Kukoc, who was also on the Bulls those seasons Hakeem and the Rockets won) next to him instead of Woodridge, Cozine, and Macy! Simply put, no scenario people are describing that the Bulls would have to overcome is "so unprecedented" that the Bulls and MJ did not overcome something similar (if not *far* more difficult and/or unprecedented) *many* times during Jordan's career! Sorry, but I have zero doubt MJ wins 8-straight if he doesn't retire!

I honestly think it may have been perfect timing. But it's hard to bet against Michael Jordan led teams when they were winning. The NY Knicks took a 2 - 0 lead against the Bulls in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals before the Bulls turned that series completely around. It's hard to determine how well the Bulls would stack up against an Hakeem Olajuwon led 1994 Houston Rockets team. Patrick Ewing consistently gave the Bulls all they could handle. Hakeem was a whole step above Ewing. And that defines a lot since Ewing was a first ballot Hall of Famer. And the Jazz pushed the Bulls pretty good during the 1998 Finals. 1994 would be a mystery if the Bulls and Rockets played. I do honestly believe that the Bulls would find a way to beat the 1999 San Antonio Spurs with that series going a full 7 games if the Bulls weren't broken up. I don't think the Bulls even with a healthy Scottie and MJ would beat the 2000 Los Angeles Lakers.

Yes without a doubt because in 93 Houston wasn't even a thought. To many bug body's to through at Hakeem

Meanwhile LeBron is praying he can get at least 1 3peat before his career is over lol (Jordan and Kobe both had 3peats)

8th in the row would be difficult even to the GOAT Michael Jordan and even more importantly Bulls organization. But, it would have been fantastic finals against Rockets and Hakeem Olajuwon, who is my favourite player of the 1990s. Great video. Looking forward to next.

No. He might have won in ‘94, if he was lucky. But not in ‘95. There’s a good chance the Bulls lose both years. And I say that for one reason: Hakeem Olajuwon. At that time, which was probably the greatest period of Big Men in NBA history: You had Ewing, Robinson, Young Shaq, Rik Smits. Then the great PFs with Barkley, Malone, Shawn Kemp, and even Horace Grant and Otis Thorpe. So many great Big Men at the time: Hakeem was the greatest of them all. He was head and shoulders above the rest. The way he decimated and humiliated Ewing, Robinson, and Shaq in ‘94 and ‘95 while also beating Barkley’s Suns and Malone’s Jazz was just unbelievable. And this was against the other best big men in the game at the time. What do you think he would have done poor Bill Cartwright and Will Purdue? He would have chewed them up and spit them out. The Bulls would have had absolutely NO answers for Olajuwon. Jordan would have had his hands full with Vernon Maxwell and Clyde Drexler. Drexler speaks for himself. As for Vernon Maxwell, there’s a reason he was called “Mad Max.” He did not back down from ANYONE. MJ would have still gotten his 30, but Max would have made him EARN it. Hakeem would have shown up and shown out in both those years and the Rockets would have won at least one, if not both.

THEY CANT WIN UNTIL WE QUIT 💍💍💍MJ🐐23💍💍💍

Yes, he would have. I watched all the finals back then and there was just nothing like his mental strength and pure will to win, he was just there for every microsecond of the games, that was very intimidating, you could see the pants full of the opponents through the 240 px resolution of the TV back then.

Would have won eight straight definitely the goat wasn't going to be denied Jordan Would Have Made It 8 4/8 and 8 final MVPs

Here's what I think: The first repeat occurred. Jordan retires for a year and a half. Returns but loses in the 95 season. Comes back with a modified roster, wins another three. Bulls lose in the 99 season. Maybe in the 2000 season also. A new squad is assembled, and the Bulls win another three. That's the scenario I'm sticking with.