“Klay Thompson Is Not Guarding MJ”: Michael Jordan’s ’96 Bulls Get Tracy McGrady’s Vote of Confidence Over the ’17 Warriors

The on-court brilliance of the 2017 Golden State Warriors team brought forth comparisons with several iconic rosters. One such conversation circled its matchup with the legendary 1995-96 Chicago Bulls team led by Michael Jordan. Amidst the varied opinions of NBA enthusiasts on the matter, Tracy McGrady recently joined the conversation and voted in favor of the Bulls.

In his latest Instagram post, the 44-year-old candidly provided his reasons for giving the Bulls roster his vote of confidence. Amid the ‘We are done with the 90s’ trend on NBA Twitter, T-Mac wrote in the caption, “Both incredible teams but we are not done with the 90s!”. He elaborated on his viewpoint highlighting player-to-player matchups while portraying how an NBA Finals series between the two teams might have looked like.

“I’m going with the Bulls. Out of respect for that Golden State team, I’ll give them six games…Who is guarding Jordan? Klay Thompson is not guarding MJ. Steph [Curry] is not guarding MJ. I like Scottie [Pippen] to at least make a tough night every night for KD [Kevin Durant]. I like for MJ to make it tough for Steph and Klay. Bulls in six,” McGrady declared.

 

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Despite the seeming bias in the statement, the words carried a certain volume because the Bulls had an established hegemony back then. They bulldozed through the Eastern Conference in the playoffs, losing only a single game in the process. The NBA Finals were no exception as the Chicago-based franchise retained the championship with a 4-2 series victory.

Similarly, the 2017 Warriors posed a significant threat as well. They led the Western Conference with a 67-15 run before winning the Conference Finals with a 12-0 campaign. The Finals series also turned into a dictatorial display as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 to regain their status as Champions.

It’s certainly difficult to pick between the two teams, the only differentiating factor remaining the man-to-man matchups like T-Mac discussed. However, the outcome still depends on what era the two teams will be playing in. In any case, the Warriors shouldn’t be dismissed so easily with their elite shooting firepower and swift ball movement.

Stephen Curry refused to back down against the Bulls

Stephen Curry went in the opposite direction of McGrady when asked the same question. During his appearance on GQ Sports in January 2022, the Splash Brother quite unsurprisingly backed his franchise to defeat the 1996 Bulls. Upon answering a fan query on a similar note, he stated, “Absolutely. Obviously, we will never know but you put us on paper with them, I like our chances.”

This showcased the competitive edge of the talismanic figure for the Dubs. Despite T-Mac’s concerns over the Warriors’ defense, the hype around that particular series might bring out an unknown self of Curry and Klay Thompson. Hence, the hypothetical scenarios around on-court matchups continue to excite NBA fans.