15-year NBA veteran Shaun Livingston was a member of the Golden State Warriors ' championship teams in 2015, 2017, and 2018. The 6-foot-7 guard was one of the Dubs' top reserves during those runs.
The 2017-18 Dubs were particularly dominant because that team was bolstered by Kevin Durant. That squad is often used in hypothetical matchups of the best teams ever.
Particularly, it's been frequently matched up against Michael Jordan 's 90's Bulls , and during his appearance on The Knuckleheads podcast, Livingston was asked who he thought would win between the two teams.
"How could you really compare eras?" Livingston replied with a question. "I'm a Bulls fan, I grew up. It's hard for me to ever put anybody over the Bulls. I'ma just keep it a buck. For real, I'ma keep it a buck. It's Mike over everything."
The pride of Peoria
Livingston was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois. He starred for Richwoods High School before leading Peoria Central High School to back-to-back Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004. Given all that, it's no surprise that the 2004 Illinois Mr. Basketball picked his childhood idol MJ and the Bulls in this matchup. But he also talked about how loaded his Warriors team was with KD.
"But our team, I will say this from a depth standpoint and the amount of star power we had on our team, especially throughout the course of the game nowadays with the way the three is being shot, and you got three gunslingers out there," added Shaun. "I'm talking about real snipers that you're not leaving. The amount of star power, obviously Mike the biggest star, his will to win but you can't compare eras."
With Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin, the 2016-17 and 2017-18 Warriors led the NBA in points scored and field goal percentage. The trio combined to hit a total of 709 three-pointers during their first season together and 614 the following campaign. With that kind of firepower, they could certainly have given the Bulls a run for their money.
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Ron Harper says he could've guarded either of the three gunslingers
In 2017, former Bulls starting point guard Ron Harper was asked about the hypothetical matchup and he told Sportsnet that he could guard any of Steph, Klay, or KD . He even boasted that he, MJ, and Pip were three interchangeable defenders who could've guarded the Dubs' triple threat.
"I would guard anybody. From Steph to Klay, to Kevin," Harper told Sportsnet. "On our Chicago Bulls team our three guys — M.J., Scottie and me — we were interchangeable. We aren't going to give you the same look. We all could play defense. Now, who are they going to guard? Who is Steph Curry going to guard?"
Harper, however, admitted that it would be a competitive matchup because the game has evolved with the three-point shot. However, with the Warriors boasting three elite three-ball bombers, including the greatest shooter of all time, the possibility that any one of them could get hot—like Steph did in Paris—and potentially take down the Bulls is a scenario that will intrigue fans for years to come.
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