A big wave of debates has been generated and re-hashed as ESPN’s 10-part documentary ‘The Last Dance’ debuted this week. It’s where fans are presented with a behind-the-scenes look at the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 season, as well as key moments that led to the dynasty’s development. Among the long-running back-and-forth is about the Chicago Bulls’ chances of capturing a fourth-consecutive championship in 1999 (seventh in nine seasons) had they not been prematurely broken up.

For Dennis Rodman, the Bulls’ hustler, enforcer, and number one energy guy, there’s no discussion needed as he firmly believes that they would’ve still steamrolled through the opposition.

Rodman is never short on confidence, and he has actually been saying the same thing for a long time. Here he is on September of 2019 stating that they could’ve gone 50-0 in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 campaign, alongside former Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen:

Could the ’99 Bulls really be that dominant?

Of course, Rodman and Pippen were exaggerating. The best ever start in a season was 24-0 by the Golden State Warriors in 2015, which was already an insane run, and the second-best is 14-0 by the Houston Rockets in 1993. The Bulls’ best opening stretch was in 1996, when they went 12-0, while their longest winning streak was 18. The NBA record for consecutive wins is 33, and it has stood for 48 years, so racking up 50 straight victories is virtually impossible.

But, in terms of completing yet another title defense, it’s hard to disagree. They’d just won three titles with little resistance so you really can’t argue that they wouldn’t have the physical and mental tools to bag another ring for a rare four-peat.

Also, the 1998-99 season was going to be a trying time for the majority of teams. While veteran stars were still on deck and plenty of young talent made fans intrigued, the lockout derailed the playing shape of practically every player. The stress that the players and team executives went through to end the stalemate was also a huge factor.

Here’s a couple of numbers that show how relatively rough the ’99 season was, particularly to a casual viewer: it featured the slowest pace in NBA history, the lowest scoring average since 1952, and the lowest field goal percentage since 1966.

Simply put, the year was bound to be bumpy with or without Michael Jordan and the Bulls’ dynasty, and if they were in the mix, we’d have to assume that they would have had the edge they needed.

Head coach Phil Jackson was still The Zen Master and backed with an efficient system; Jordan was old but still played at a high level, as evident in winning the scoring title in each of the last three seasons; Pippen was still an elite defender and has one or two more years left in his prime; and Rodman’s defensive and rebounding instincts are always there. In 2000, at age 38, he averaged 14.2 rebounds per game despite playing in a raw, lesser-disciplined Dallas Mavericks team.

I get that old players are always bitter and think that the young guns would have no chance against wily veterans, but this is the ‘90s Bulls where talking about. It’s a battle-tested championship squad that’s led by arguably the best player, best rebounder, best defensive wing, and best coach in the history of the game. How are you going to go against that?