Chicago Bulls: 3 teams that could have ruined Scottie Pippen’s prediction

No. 1 The Los Angeles Lakers

Even if the Bulls could have made it past the Pacers and Spurs in 1999, they would have gone up against a Laker team in 2000 that went on to win three straight championships of their own. Granted if the Bulls stayed together, Phil Jackson would not have been coaching those Laker teams but no-one can deny the talent and youth that the aging Chicago Bulls would have been up against.

Kobe Bryant was in his third year and Shaquille O’Neal was in his seventh year. Both players badly wanted to win an NBA title. Kobe’s desire to win is legendary and his intensity is maybe only second to Jordans all time. He even openly admitted that he modeled his game after MJ.

Bryant that year made his first of 18 straight all-star games and was voted to the all-defense first team. O’Neal won the Most Valuable Player award, playing more than 40 minutes a game, and was voted to the all-defense second team.

The Lakers were sixth in scoring and fifth best in opponents points allowed per game. They had won 67 games during the regular season.

Their average age was 29.2 compared to the 1998 Chicago Bulls whose average age was 31.7. By 2000 those Bulls would have been ancient compared to Los Angeles.

This was the next dynasty after the Bulls. Considering the Bulls won their first championship against the Lakers and Magic Johnson, this series would have billed as the passing of the baton back to LA.

They were led by two rising stars and ready to take over the NBA for the forseeable future. The real question Scottie Pippen should answer is “how many championships Shaq and Kobe could have won if their team had not broken up when it did?”

In the mean time, us Bulls fans, will continue to believe in what cannot be disproven.