The Miami Heat's case against the 1990s Chicago Bulls

A perfect record in the NBA Finals suggests the Chicago Bulls from the 1990s are the greatest team in league history.

Winning six titles during the decade is often the deciding factor in Michael Jordan being considered the best player of all-time. Still, there have been plenty recent challengers to the distinction of the most dominant team. SI.com's Michael Shapiro compiled a list of teams with the best chance of knocking off the `95-96 Bulls, who finished 72-10 and defeated the Seattle Super Sonics for the championship.

The 2012-13 Miami Heat were included among the contenders and here's how Shapiro felt they would fare against the Bulls:

"This is probably the first 2000s team with a legitimate chance against Jordan and the Bulls, and such a matchup would make for a thrilling comparison," Shapiro wrote. "Both teams are led by elite wings, and neither team has a notable true center. Even Chris Bosh has a worthy opponent given Tony Kukoc’s rise in the final years of the 1990s. If we’re looking to settle the GOAT conversation once and for all, placing the 2012-13 Heat against the 1997-98 Bulls is probably our best bet.

LeBron James was arguably at the peak of his powers in 2012-13, shooting a blistering 60.2% on two-pointers while canning 40.6% of threes. And while this year doesn’t feature the best version of Wade, he still averaged nearly 20 points per game in the Finals."

While the Heat were top heavy, a depleted bench was ultimately their downfall. It nearly cost them against the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 and ended their attempt at a three-peat the following year.

ESPN's "The Last Dance" documentary on the 1990s Chicago Bulls broke audience records for a documentary premiere last night, averaging 6.1 million viewers over the first two episodes. https://t.co/zLwQZ2xAxg
— Axios (@axios) April 20, 2020

"You can count on Miami’s dynamic duo to deliver, though its lack of depth may prove to be the death knell against Chicago. Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem were at the end of their runs as rotation players in 2013-14," Shapiro wrote. "There’s a bit too much reliance on Norris Cole for my liking. This isn’t to say Chicago’s rotation was stacked in 1997-98, though its top seven players were as sturdy as any unit in NBA history. A team needs to be deep and versatile to take down Jordan’s Bulls. Miami falls just short in our potential matchup."

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