NBA legends love to debate how players from different eras would match up, and Scottie Pippen just threw some serious shade at Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry. In a recent interview, Pippen claimed that Curry “wouldn’t be the same” if he played during the more physical basketball era of the 1990s.

Pippen’s critique centers on how dramatically basketball rules and style have changed. “If you play by today’s rules, it would be one thing. But with the rules of the '90s, Curry wouldn’t be the same,” he argued. The basketball legend suggests that the current NBA’s emphasis on shooting and finesse would not have survived the rough-and-tumble defensive strategies of his era.

The context of this debate stems from comparing two legendary teams: Pippen’s 1995-96 Chicago Bulls and the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors. Interestingly, those Warriors actually broke the Bulls’ record for best regular-season performance, going 73-9 compared to the Bulls’ 72-10.

Pippen highlighted key differences between the eras, noting “We weren’t built to shoot 25-50 3-pointers per game. We played physical. We defended hard. We made teams score only 75-80 points”. This statement underscores the fundamental shift in basketball strategy over the past few decades.

Statistically, the numbers tell an interesting story. In the 2016-17 season, Curry averaged 25.3 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.5 rebounds across 79 games. By comparison, Michael Jordan in the 1995-96 season averaged 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 82 games.

While Pippen acknowledges the Warriors’ incredible shooting capabilities with players like Curry and Klay Thompson, he still maintains that his Bulls team was the greatest “on paper”. The ultimate debate remains unresolved: who would truly win in a hypothetical matchup between these two legendary squads?

One thing is certain - basketball fans will continue to passionately discuss and dissect these cross-era comparisons for years to come.