All-Time 5-Ring Superteam vs. All-Time 6+ Rings Superteam: Who Would Win A 7-Game Series?

Championships are celebrated by those around the league. Getting one title is something that some of the best players in the NBA never get to enjoy. Winning two or three is even crazier. The greatest players find themselves winning enough rings to fill their entire hands. Others take it a step further and have rings to fill both of their hands. Imagine if you took those players and pinned them against one another.

We have analyzed the all-time four-ring squad and what would be the outcome against a starting all-time five-ring team. We looked at the four-ring squad and produced a hypothetical against a six-ring squad as well. The five-ring squad features Ron Harper, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Dennis Rodman, and Tim Duncan. For this selection, we chose players that have specifically five rings. That means six-time champions Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are excluded because they were six-time champions.

For this team, all players in the lineup won at least six titles, with Bill Russell being the one exception. Russell holds the record with 11 championships and will be paired with his longtime running mate Bob Cousy. Jordan and Pippen joined this team since both players won six titles together with the Bulls. Meanwhile, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won six championships with two teams. He won his first title with the Bucks and then won five titles playing with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Both teams enter the field undefeated, but who would come out victorious in this matchup? Let’s take a look at how the all-time five-ring team would match up against the all-time six-ring or more team.

Ron Harper vs. Bob Cousy

Harper is a 6-foot-6, 215-pounder that could slide with just about everyone. Offensively, Harper could still bring the ball up and wasn’t a bad passer. When Harper played with the Cavaliers and Clippers, he was someone that hung around 5.0 assists per game. With Cousy standing at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, there is a clear size advantage between the two players.

With that said, the chemistry with Russell would be an automatic offense. The two former Celtics teammates won six championships together, which included five straight between 1959 to 1963. Cousy led the league in assists eight consecutive seasons during his heyday. Cousy’s quickness could overcome the 40-pound weight discrepancy between the two players.

Magic Johnson vs. Michael Jordan

For this matchup, we have true data to analyze, given that these two players played in the same era. The two players played each other 13 times in the regular season. Jordan averaged 30.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks. Jordan was 7-6 in those matchups. The two played each other in the 1991 NBA Finals, where the Bulls took the series in five games. Jordan averaged 31.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game.

Johnson was equally efficient against Jordan. In the regular season, Johnson averaged 19.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and shot 52.2% from the field. In the playoffs, Johnson averaged 18.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 12.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. In the end, Jordan has proved that he can beat Johnson on the grandest stage, so this could be a matchup problem.

Kobe Bryant vs. Scottie Pippen

Luckily, we saw these two players battle each other 21 times in the regular season and 17 times during the playoffs. In the regular season, Bryant averaged 23.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks. He went 13-8 against the Pippen teams, which included shooting 45.6% from the field. In the playoffs, Bryant averaged 21.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.6 blocks on his way to a 13-4 playoff record.

Granted, Bryant had Shaquille O’Neal as his partner during that time, but we shouldn’t knock on his performance. The Lakers never played a dynasty Bulls team in the Finals, so with this squad, that narrative might have changed. Defensively, Pippen was also a First-Team All-Defensive caliber player. By the time Bryant was truly contributing, it was near 2000 and past those seasons. With that said, Pippen held his own against Bryant by averaging 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.9 steals in the regular season. The playoffs featured a line of 15.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks.

Dennis Rodman vs. Bill Russell

Here is the story of physicality versus efficiency. If we are talking about the better rebounder, what context are you choosing? His defensive rebounding was elite, but was it elite enough to stop Russell from getting offensive rebounds? Getting offensive rebounds on Rodman just seems nearly impossible in the 80s and 90s. The questions about his scoring are legitimate, though, but it’s not like Russell was the greatest scorer, either. However, we are talking about two players that often led the league in rebounding.

Russell is the second-greatest rebounder in NBA history. It would take a lot for Rodman to keep Russell off of the class, but we could say the same thing when it comes to the inverse. Again, this is a player that averaged 22.5 rebounds for his career. Both are championship-caliber players, but Russell’s rebounding advantage would be tough to stop. Also, the NBA didn’t track blocks when Russell played, so it’s safe to assume that number would have been high. Either way, this would be a matchup to watch, specifically because both players are great defenders.

Tim Duncan vs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

This matchup would be the true definition of one versus the other. Duncan is viewed as one of the best overall defenders ever, while Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time leading scorer. Duncan stood at 6 foot 11 and 250 pounds, while was 7 foot 1 and 225 pounds. On paper, Duncan is an elite rim protector, but would he be able to keep up with the agility that Abdul-Jabbar possessed? Rebounding-wise, Duncan would own the edge, but he would have a tough time slowing Abdul-Jabbar down offensively.

Abdul-Jabbar had his sky hook shot that was almost unstoppable to guard. Even with Duncan having the size, Kareem had the speed. If Abdul-Jabbar could utilize being a playmaker, we are talking about a huge hole he could exploit. Abdul-Jabbar could play a little bit away from the rim and draw Duncan out because of his floater. Abdul-Jabbar averaged 3.6 assists in his career, but we shouldn’t discount his defense either. Abdul-Jabbar once averaged 4.1 blocks per game and owns a career average of 2.0.

All-Time 5-Ring Advantages

As mentioned before, the defensive tandem between Rodman and Duncan is elite. The defensive rebounding is going to be a huge key. While Russell will be a hound to keep off the boards, the rebounding tandem of Rodman and Duncan is better collectively than Russell and Abdul-Jabbar because they have the size advantage. Not to mention, the guards are equally talented rebounders in Harper and Johnson.

The team could switch Bryant to guarding Jordan and Johnson to guarding Pippen. Other than that, the defensive matchups would need to stay the same. The pick-and-roll offense of Johnson and Duncan could be lethal, but the transition offense of Johnson and Bryant is equally exciting. With that said, this team is not going to outscore the other team, and it is going to come down to defense.

All-Time 6+ Ring Advantages

If Abdul-Jabbar can unlock his passing game, this would open up the offense completely. Because Abdul-Jabbar owns his sky hook, it would draw Duncan out from the rim. That would potentially open up some drop-off passes to Russell or Jordan and Pippen cutting on the baseline. Not to mention, the inside-out game of Abdul-Jabbar and Cousy could be pretty lethal.

Defensively, the team has one of the best rebounders to ever play the game in Russell. On the same team, you have the leader in points and the runner-up in rebounds. The stats are heavily favoring this side, and we haven’t even talked about the 30-plus points per game that Jordan can score on Johnson-led Laker teams. Assuming Pippen can lock down Bryant defensively, this game is over.

Who Wins This Matchup In A 7-Game Series?

The first game featured an upset game with the five-ring team jumping out to an early lead. Johnson took control of the offense early and took advantage of the transition game, thanks to the team’s defense. The combination of Rodman and Duncan kept the 6+ ring team off of the boards. That turned into quick transition layups by Johnson and Bryant, while even Harper added 10 points himself. With the 97-89 victory, the five-ring team took the 1-0 lead.

The second game featured a revenge game from Jordan, who supplied 35 points for the offense himself. Jordan was efficient from the floor by shooting 13 of 20 from the field and added nine assists and five steals. Pippen locked down Bryant to a 2-of-13 shooting night. With the outside shooting in check, the team could crowd the middle and limit the offense to take a 100-79 victory.

With the series tied 1-1, the six-ring squad took the 2-1 lead by getting another solid performance from Jordan, who scored 32 points. Cousy added 10 points and 10 assists, where all 10 of his assists went to Russell inside. With 10 points and 25 rebounds, Russell stole the show. The team moved Pippen down to help with the rebounding, so he added 10 rebounds of his own. With Rodman kept off of the boards, the five-ring team was held to one shot in the 98-85 loss.

Needing to make adjustments, the team played Duncan up near the free-throw line. The team ran plenty of give-and-go’s in the half-court but also allowed Duncan to mimic a sky hook of his own. With more movement, it kept Russell and Abdul-Jabbar on their heels. It forced Jordan and Pippen to play more inside, so the team could not get out to the wing when playing on defense and took away their transition game. Instead, Duncan rose to the occasion and finished with a triple-double of 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 blocks while also supplying seven assists in the 100-91 victory.

Needing a breakout game, Bryant used his inner “Mamba” to give the five-ring squad a 3-2 lead. With Pippen holding Bryant to less than 20 points in two of the games, Bryant erupted for 36 points by putting the team on his back. Bryant was 13 of 22 from the field and nailed all of his free throws. That included a fadeaway jumper with 3.2 seconds left in the game to give the team a 96-95 victory. Jordan’s heave at the end of the game sailed right as the five-ring team celebrated, knowing that they needed one more win to seal the series.

Of course, the greatness of some great players needs to be unlocked when their backs are against the wall. Jordan, Russell, and Abdul-Jabbar took care of that in the elimination game. Jordan’s 35 points led all scorers, while Russell and Abdul-Jabbar secured a double-double. Russell doubled the rebounding total of Rodman with 16 boards. Abdul-Jabbar added 20 points and 10 rebounds with five blocks. The greatness was on full display in the 102-89 victory to send this to a seventh game.

In the final game, which player was going to step up? Naturally, Jordan took the challenge by scoring 37 points in the final game on 10 of 20 shooting. He also connected on 17 of 18 free throw attempts as the six-ring team dominated the final game 105-87. Pippen and Jordan switched, and Jordan held Bryant to 12 points while Pippen limited Johnson to 11 points. The inside presence of Rodman and Duncan was held to a combined 20 points. In the end, both teams featured a slew of legendary players, but the 6+ ring team continued their unbeaten streak.

All-NBA 6+ Ring vs. All-NBA 5-Ring 4-3

Finals MVP: Michael Jordan

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