The Last Dance: Chicago Bulls would have had advantage in ’99 title run

The Last Dance revealed that MJ thought the Chicago Bulls could have won another title if they had not disbanded after the 1998 season, but could they have?

If there is anything to be learned ESPN’s The Last Dance, it is that Michael Jordan has never shied away from his competitive nature. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships throughout the 1990s, but understandably detailed his dissatisfaction with the thought of never being able to compete for a seventh in the closing moments of Episode 10.

“It’s maddening,” Jordan said. “Because I felt like we could have won seven. I really believe that. We may not have, but ,man, just not to be able to try, that’s something that, you know. I just can’t accept. For whatever reason, I just can’t accept it.”

From Jordan’s point of view, his answer was completely justifiable. The team had just come off of their second 3-peat that decade and showcased that they were still unbeatable. However, the circumstances were far beyond Jordan’s control, as an array of things ultimately prevented the team from giving it one more run at a title.

Whether it was that head coach Phil Jackson was not going to return, Scottie Pippen‘s desire to get that lucrative payday he deserved, or owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s decision to rebuild, this team was not going to get back together.

Jordan himself believed that the team could have brought everyone back on one-year deals to try and pursue another championship, but ultimately, it never happened. However, if the team had listened to Michael’s idea, could they have potentially competed for that seventh title? With Jordan on the team, absolutely.

One of the reasons that the Chicago Bulls ended the Jordan era when they did was because of the team’s growing age. To this day, the Bulls hold the record for the oldest team by average to ever win the NBA Finals in their ’98 win, and the thought of adding one more year onto that did not sit well with many within the organization. However, in terms of what transpired in the 1998-99 season, Chicago would have had a significant advantage.

ESPN’s Mike Wilbon detailed his thoughts on why he believed the Bulls would have won that seventh championship in a piece for The Undefeated.

"“Of course the Bulls could have won a seventh championship in that ensuing 1999 season. The conditions were ideal, relative to the state of the league. Remember, because the players were locked out, the ’99 season didn’t begin until the first week of February. Only 50 games were played in that regular season. After winning in June ’98, Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Jackson would have had seven full months to recharge, the kind of break that very well could have prevented burnout. Krause was worried that too many players on the roster were too old. More than half a year off might have worked wonders for Jordan, Pippen, Ron Harper, Dennis Rodman, Bill Wennington and Steve Kerr.”"

In his take on the situation, Wilbon was spot on as no other team could have benefited more than the aged Chicago Bulls. A well-rested Chicago team that had climbed in age would have been rejuvenated in this shortened season, having been able to save some energy for the postseason.

The eight-seeded New York Knicks represented the Eastern Conference that season, a group that Chicago had grown accustomed to beating over the years, and likely would have defeated once again.

However, the NBA Finals could have been where the Bulls would have faced some problems in the quest for title No. 7 as they would have faced the San Antonio Spurs. Led by 1995 NBA MVP David Robinson and second fiddle Tim Duncan, the Spurs bulldozed through the competition in the Western Conference, having lost one game before the NBA Finals in total.

San Antonio routed New York 4-1 in the Finals to take home the trophy, but could Chicago have given them a harder time? Yes, but that San Antonio team could have given the Bulls significant issues as well.

Robinson and Duncan, deemed the “Twin Towers” because of their incredible size, transformed the Spurs into a relentless team defensively, which could have proved troublesome for Jordan’s Bulls. On the other hand, perhaps San Antonio’s stellar defense would not be able to contain Michael Jordan and that prolific Chicago offense.

While entirely hypothetical, a seven-game series between those two teams would have been fascinating to see with all of the factors played into it. Could Jordan and the Chicago Bulls have prevented the San Antonio Spurs from having won their first NBA title with the shortened season? If The Last Dance has taught the public anything, it is that one should never bet against Michael Jordan, especially a well-rested one.

 If the Chicago Bulls ran it back once more in that ’99 season, it is clear that they would have had a significant advantage in their title run due to the shortened season and plenty of rest. Also, as Jordan said in The Last Dance finale, “they can’t win till we quit.”