Here’s the main problem with this analysis: the Bulls defensive statistics aren’t applicable to todays game, because they weren’t built to face a team that optimized to take advantage of the three point line. The Bulls defense was created for their era, but they were totally unprepared to defend the warriors at the three point line. The Bulls, Lakers and Celtics all are playing the same game, checkers, but the warriors are playing chess. There is a statisitcal advantage to both exploiting the 3 point line on offense, and shutting it down on defense. The warriors are built to do both, the Bulls were built to do neither. It’s not personal, it’s NOT saying that Michael’s somehow is not the GOAT, or that the Bulls were somehow not dominant or not as good as they were. But, it’s foolish not to recognize the numbers, and the irrelvance of the Bulls defensive stats. It’s like comparing two great baseball teams, but only one gets to use right handed relivers against lefty batters and vice versa. You can’t overcome the statistical advantage when two teams are close. Without that advantage, the warriors don’t win anything. Because they exploit the advantage given by the threee point shot better than anybody else, they win 67 last year and 73 this year. The warriors have the top two three point shooters of all time on the same team, and often have 5 guys who can credibly shoot amnd make open 3s. You can’t use the Bulls defensive statistics and overlay them on the warriors offense, because if those Bulls played today, they wouldn’t even be one of the top 5 defensive teams against the Warriors, as they have the wrong personnel for this type of game. Nobody can make a credible argument the Bulls or anybody else can outshoot the warriors from 3. No team can stop the warriors from doing what they want to do, pass the ball until the defense breaks, and end up with an open 3 or a dunk. If you can’t outscore them, and can’t stop them from shooting 3s, they are dictating the terms of the game and win. The bulls can go inside all day, keep making 12 footers, but then they keep trading 2 for 3 and get blown out. As long as you don’t make the obvious mistake of thinking the Bulls defense would somehow be just as effective against the Warriors, it’s actually not that hard to see why Warriors are statistically better, but people get emotional and ‘fanatical’ and don’t want to admit the truth. That’s fine, but don’t run data comparisons and somehow ignore this statistical reality. If you adjust for this, the conversation is over before it bengins. If it wasn’t for this advantage, we wouldn’t even be talking about the Warriors as the GTOAT. Because it clearly exists, we should stop talking about the Bulls as the GTOAT, at least from a statisitcal perpesctive.