The 1990s Chicago Bulls are arguably the greatest team in NBA history. However, people feel the 2010s Golden State Warriors could compete against them. Former Bulls player Ron Harper disagrees with that sentiment.
The NBA has a long history of dynasties throughout every decade. In the 1960s, the Boston Celtics were the runaway favorites almost every season. The 1980s had the Los Angeles Lakers and Celtics trading spots.
The 1990s were the Chicago Bulls‘ decade, spearheaded by Michael Jordan. In the 2010s, the Golden State Warriors secured their status as a dynasty. This has led people to pit the Bulls and the Warriors against each other in the discourse.
Ron Harper, an NBA veteran and three-time champion with Chicago, weighed in with his opinion. He was part of the second three-peat, and it is safe to say that he disagrees with people who say the Warriors could beat that Bulls team.
Photo by Antonio Dickey/Getty ImagesHarper feels the Bulls have an advantage over the Warriors
On X, there was a discussion regarding a hypothetical matchup between the late-1990s Bulls and the late 2010s Warriors. It is a good debate to have, considering both teams were fantastic.
The Bulls had a strong group of players led by Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. Harper was there as one of the best role players in the league, serving as their point guard.
On the other side, the Warriors had multiple All-Star-level players. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are the headliners, but they had a stellar supporting cast. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were perennial All-Stars. They even had Andre Iguodala to serve as their hard-working wing.
It would have been a fun matchup, but Harper made sure to put the debate to bed with his response. He pointed out that the Bulls never needed a Game 7 in the Finals to dispute the hypothetical.
Harper wrote: “We never played a game 7 in the finals…”
The Warriors played a Game 7 in 2016 and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
We never played a game 7 in the finals….
— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) August 16, 2025
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Both teams could beat the other in a series
A matchup between the 1990s Bulls and the 2010s Warriors would have been exciting. It is a game possible only on NBA 2K, but it is interesting to discuss.
Modern convention would say that the Warriors would have won, especially with a record-setting superstar. Curry would have had a field day running through screens, but the Bulls always found a way. Players like Harper and Jordan would have done their best to defend him.
Some favor the Bulls because they had the x-factors. A player like Jordan was the Bulls’ first superstar, and he never looked back. He was the best player in the league for a long time, and he cemented that with six titles.
Pippen and Rodman would have also played well on defense against players like Durant and Thompson. Durant could have had a fun time against the legends he criticized. This is a fair conversation, but there won’t be a resolution. It is purely hypothetical, and it’s fun to see players weighing in.