See, I'm one of Nole's bigger fans, but I started this thread. It's about seeing objective slam titles, not performance against rivals.
Firstly, 1996-2000 was 5 years. 2014-2016 was 3.
Secondly, much like Djokovic peaked at around 24-25, Sampras had peaked before then, at around 22.
By 1996, Sampras was 25. By 2014, Djokovic was 27. 1996-2000 was the back end of his career, and 1998 and beyond he was a shell of his former self. Djokovic, however, was hitting another peak in 2015 after his first in 2011.
If we relate, instead, Djokovic's 2011-2014 to Sampras' 1993-1996, then Sampras seems like he's clearly the better player, since he won 2 titles every year except 1996, but Djokovic won 3 titles, then 3 consecutive years of only 1 major.
If we cherry-pick years, either one can seem so much better than the other.