Scottie Pippen, the Chicago Bulls legend, has always carried a cool, composed demeanor, even when speaking on generational rivalries and era comparisons in the NBA. This time, he focused on Stephen Curry.
In a recent interview with Marca, Pippen discussed his time with the Bulls and was asked to compare their legendary 72-10 season in 1996 to the Warriors’ 73-9 campaign in 2016.
Reflecting on the two teams that set the record for the best seasons in NBA history, Pippen suggested that Curry might not have been as successful in the 1990s.
“It depends on the rules. If you play by today’s rules, it’s one thing. But with the rules of the ’90s, Curry would not be the same. If we played in his era, it would be like playing in freedom: nobody grabs you, nobody stops you. I don’t know who would win,” Pippen said.
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors.
“We weren’t made to shoot 25-50 three-pointers a game. They would probably win in that sense, because they have two of the best shooters, like Steph and Klay. But we played physical, we defended hard. We made teams score only 75-80 points. Today, that is almost impossible.”
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Pippen also claimed that players like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic might not have thrived in his era. While he acknowledged Curry’s shooting brilliance in the modern game, he believes the defensive rules of the ’90s would have made it far tougher to develop that confidence.
He didn’t suggest that Curry wouldn’t be excellent, but noted it would have been much harder for him to score from anywhere on the floor. Curry, a career 42.3% shooter from three-point range, has led the NBA in three-pointers made in eight of his 16 seasons. Still, it would be fascinating to see today’s stars compete against those from previous generations.
