godfather
Hall-of-Famer
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2008
- Messages
- 38,849
- Reaction score
- 34,468
- Points
- 148
I just don't agree. They added 2 more teams right before the '96 season, which helped water down the league even further after adding 4 other teams to start the decade.
I get that, I just don't think it was as watered down as you think. A little more? Sure, but the top heavy teams were just flat out better than in '92. I think '92 was just a weak year all around.
It allowed the top teams to dominate more than ever, which is why you see the Magic, Sonic, Spurs, and Jazz with big win totals in '96. The '92 team still had to play against the Ewing/Riley Knicks, and the best Wilkins Cavs team just to get through the East.
They had better players on the better teams. The Magic beat the Bulls the previous year. This is when Shaq was at his more athletic peak, and just a man-child.
That team was no joke. They were the Shaq-Kobe, before the Shaq-Kobe, just with Penny Hardaway. Okay, not that prolific. But Penny Hardaway was a rising superstar. Shaq was already dominating the game.
And the Bulls swept them that year. There was no one in the '92 season as good as that Magic team. And I don't think the '92 team would have dismantled them like that either. They would have beaten them, but not swept them IMO.
That's how good that '96 team was. That Magic team was good enough to win it all. They just ran into a historic Bulls team with Michael Jordan.
I think the '92 team would have had improved ratings across the board if they played against the same competition as the '96 team. Obviously, both were great teams, but I'd give the edge to '92 because that's when Jordan was at his peak.
I don't disagree with this at all. Michael was at his peak then, and was overall just better.
Plus, I think Horace Grant and BJ Armstrong are very underrated as complementary pieces.
BJ is one of my favorite players. They were both very good players. Offensively they were better than Harper and Rodman. Defensively, no....
Don't underestimate Kerr on those teams. The guy was an automatically three point specialist that was very dangerous playing off Jordan Pippen.
Both teams are great, I agree. I don't think the two different eras are that lopsided though.
I think the top heavy teams were much superior to the '92 season. The bottom teams were a little worse in '96, but not dramatically worse.