Said Pippen, who played under Jackson when he was with the Chicago Bulls along with Michael Jordan, "He's [Spoelstra] been very successful. He's a young coach and [is] a lot like Phil [Jackson], who had the best talent in the game."
"If he can keep the Big Three, he has the foundations of a dynasty there," he added, but cautioned that there are no title guarantees.
"Other teams in the league become better too, so it's not just about the players you keep. But if this nucleus stays the same, they have a great chance of winning a string of championships."
The NBA legends also weighed in on the current state of the league, especially with regards to the hot topic of veteran players “chasing rings” by taking less money to sign with franchises with more established talent.
Recently, long-time Phoenix Sun Steve Nash signed with the Suns' division rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Boston Celtics' Ray Allen and the New Orleans Hornets' Rashard Lewis have also both signed with the defending champions in Miami, Florida.
"Moving [teams] isn't new," said Pippen. "That's always been the makeup of the NBA, it was just more obvious with Miami. If you look at championship teams, you usually have three or more all stars. If you gotta win, you gotta go with the winners."
Discussing the "Dream Team"
Much has also been made of Kobe Bryant's claim that the current USA national basketball team could take on the original Dream Team that won the Olympic gold medal at Barcelona in 1992.
"That's Kobe's opinion, that's his right to do so to motivate his team," said Scottie Pippen, who was on the 1992 roster. "But we're never going to know, and that's the beauty of it. If they win, maybe we can start talking."
"They haven't won a game yet," added Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, commenting that the rules and referees in today's game have departed from decades past.
Robertson also said that the game has also grown internationally. "In the last Olympics, even if the USA won, sure," he said, "but it wasn't a stroll in the park."
Speaking of the game's evolution, Robertson, the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double in a single season, thinks records will change as well. "Sure, anyone can break [records]," he said. "That's what records are for. Although we didn't track those stats back then, and I just thought I was playing the same way as everyone else."
Robertson, who captained the United States' 1960 basketball team that won the Olympic tournament, reflected on his own experience.
"We were amateurs," he said, explaining that in his time, the team was made of college players. "It's a totally different world now. The program's grown, it's a big thing and nobody wants to lose. Everyone loves the flag and all, but nothing compares to being selected fresh out of school to represent your country."
Right now, however, for this team, those are closed chapters in their lives.
"We don't compare ourselves to any players, we've moved past that now," said Pippen.
"What we're focusing on is playing these game for our fans and spreading the wealth we've learned from the game."
