On Sunday afternoon, April 21, I watched the Chicago Bulls mop up the meaningless season finale against the Washington Bullets, collecting their 72nd victory in the process. No team in the National Basketball Association had won as many as 70 games before — thus suggesting to many that the 1996 Bulls are the greatest professional basketball team of all time. I think that is nonsense.

What credentials does a political columnist have in making such an evaluation? Only those that come from watching pro basketball for more than 50 years and suffering as a Bullets season-ticket holder for two decades (which has proved an exercise in character-building for the past 10 years).