You've seen this clip a million times: Nick Anderson stole the ball from a rusty Michael Jordan wearing #45. Nick Anderson told reporters after the game: "No. 45 doesn't explode like No. 23 used to. No. 45 is not No. 23. I couldn't have done that to No. 23." The very next game, Michael Jordan returned to his old number 23, but simply throwing on what seemed like a retro jersey wouldn't be enough for the Bulls. The Magic defeated them 4-2 and sent the Bulls into an offseason full of doubt. There was plenty of reason for doubt. In the 17 games he played in the 1994-1995 season, Jordan only averaged 26.9 points per game, 6.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting a career worst 41.1% from the field. Yes, those numbers on the surface are fine for any other player, but this was Michael Jordan! The greatest player of all-time, the man who seemed unstoppable just a season and a half prior, but now he seemed human. Sure, we saw flashes of his brilliance: The Double Nickel at Madison Square Garden, rattling off 32 points at the Omni against Atlanta (18 in the 3rd quarter) and a buzzer beater. But we didn't see it consistently. He did pick it up in the Playoffs, averaging 31.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.3 steals, 1.4 blocks, and shot 48.4% from the field, but he also averaged a career worst 4.1 turnovers per game in the postseason and his Playoff PER is the second lowest of his career other than his rookie season (24.8). Also, the Bulls lost for the first time in their dynasty. Were they too old? Could Jordan ever regain his magic? Local media was asking the same questions: "That is the challenge," he [Jordan] says. "It's a whole new beginning." I am afraid it is not. I am afraid that it is a story as old as time. Here is the truth. Jordan's hour has passed, as did Wilt's and Oscar's and Dr. J's, as did Bird's and Magic's. This is just the way it is. What was obvious between the Bulls and Orlando, between the Bulls and Charlotte for that matter, is the hunger and the wonder." "Oh, Jordan's skills are still considerable and he can have moments of rare spectacle, but not 82 games, not 164 games, not however many games Jordan has left as a Bull are enough to redo what was." "Pippen and Jordan are enough if they were only 25 again. But they are not. And there is not enough time and maybe neither enough commitment nor front office genius to figure this out before Jordan is gone again. This is what awaits him. Jordan is going to be the marquee attraction he always was. The United Center will fill and the Bulls will trot Jordan in and out of arenas around the league to be admired and to be remembered, kind of a living museum piece. But the league will belong to another generation, for worse or better. The next couple of years will be the farewell tour Jordan never had. Whether he will settle for that, only he knows. This was worth doing, this comeback of his, for now we know and so he does he what a brave thing it truly was. "Maybe expectations were too high," Jordan says. Impossible." - Bernie Lincicome. Chicago Tribune. May 21, 1995 Here's another Chicago Tribune article from Melissa Isaacson that mentions the possibility of trades and rebuilding. There was doubt that the Bulls could ever be those Bulls again, that Jordan's time had passed, and the new generation was about to assert its place in NBA lore. However, Michael Jordan wasn't ready to relinquish his throne just yet. The 1995-1996 season began with a bang from MJ. The Bulls started 5-0 and Jordan was reflective of his usual self averaging 32 points per game, 3.6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.6 turnovers, and shooting a fiery 53.3% from the field, 45.5 from 3pt, and 85.7% from the free-throw line. No longer was Jordan's athletic ability his greatest weapon. Instead, his mind was and the results were evident: He picked spots more often of when and where he would attack the rim, he utilized his jumper more often, he was posting up more frequently and had become a master at it. He was mentally picking guys apart and destroying them on the court. Watch the video below and notice how much different this Michael Jordan looked than the one we are accustomed to before the 1995-1996 season: As Michael Jordan had done many times before, he had silenced his critics, he erased doubts of his and the Bulls demise, and began his path towards one of the most magnificent seasons in NBA history.
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The above image is an iconic one in NBA history: Michael Jordan shoving Bryon Russell into obscurity and draining the game-winning shot for ring number six. How many times have you seen this picture? How many times have you watched the shot? How many times did you practice this exact shot outside your house or on the playground as a kid? For me, it was millions of times. This shot was the storybook ending to Michael Jordan's illustrious career regardless of what he did in Washington. It's one of the greatest shots, if not the greatest shot, in NBA history. What makes this shot even more incredible to me is the story behind the game. If you've never watched Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, it's available on YouTube here.It isn't one of Michael's finest statistical games - he only recorded 1 rebound, 1 assist, and only shot nearly 43% from the field - but to me, it's one of the defining games of his career. The game starts off well with Pippen recording a dunk, but unfortunately, he injured his back and wasn't the same the rest of the game. He played only 26 minutes that night and recorded 8 points. In fact, the Bulls only had two players in double figures that game: Jordan and Toni Kukoc, whom recorded 15 points. The reliable Steve Kerr never even took a shot in 24 minutes of action. The Bulls had all of 11 bench points that game. The balanced Utah Jazz were playing in their deafening arena and this series looked like a lock to go to Game 7. But the greatest player of all-time intervened. This seems like a good time to point out a few things: 1) Michael Jordan was 35 years old at this time and the 2nd three-peat Bulls were running on fumes. 2) Michael Jordan had played most of the season with a torn ligament in his right index finger 3) Again, Scottie Pippen hurt himself the very first play of the game and actually only played 44 games that year due to injuries and anger towards Jerry Krause. How could this Bulls team overcome these odds and win this game, much less this series, without Scottie Pippen? It had to be impossible right? Somebody forgot to tell Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan finished with 45 points that night - 23 in the first half, 22 in the second half. Watch the final 3 minutes of the game. Jordan just simply decided to leave it all on the court. He misses a three, produces an incredible steal, and then tries to create something before Rodman gets called for an offensive foul. You'll see that as a recurring theme throughout the end of this game: Jordan, who had 16 points in the fourth quarter, keeps trying to create something, but it just seems like the tank is empty. To make things worse, he bangs his knee on John Stockton, who tried to draw a charge, and limped out of the timeout. The Bulls dynasty looked over. Then he steps up and drains both free-throws. The final 59.2 seconds are a thing of beauty. Stockton nails a three to put the Jazz up 86-83 and it looks like Game 7 is merely a formality. 41.9 seconds left and Jordan takes the inbounds pass, drives past Bryon Russell and hits a difficult layup in the paint. The Bulls are down only 1 with 34 seconds remaining. And here comes a familiar sequence. One in which Phil Jackson told Michael Jordan simply, "Beautiful." It's one of the finest sequences in basketball history and if you could put Michael Jordan's career into one sequence, this is it: Defensive excellence, offensive brilliance, and pure will. Watch as Malone posts up, Jordan cheats off, and then punches the ball right out of his hands and just takes the ball as Karl Malone crumbles to the ground. 19 seconds left and Jordan drives up the court and everyone in the arena knew what was coming. Everyone was standing. Jordan drives, gives Russell a gentle shove that you could see on the subsequent replays, but would be difficult to see from Dick Bavetta's point of view, and hits the wide open shot holding his form in the iconic photo shown above. Ultimately, it was the game winning shot and sealed championship number six for the Chicago Bulls. Jordan finished with 45 points. The next closest Bull was Kukoc with 15. Pippen and Harper finished with 8 and then Rodman with 7. Jordan literally dragged this aging Chicago Bulls team, a team on fumes, to championship number six. It is one of the finest performances of Michael Jordan's storied career and one that often only gets remembered for the final shot. But the game in it's entirety should be considered iconic. It was the personification of Michael Jordan's legacy: Excellence, a competitiveness that set him apart from any of his peers and still does today, and that left him standing above the competition. The more I watch of Michael Jordan and the more I notice the nuances that made him unique, the more I'm certain we will never see another player like Michael Jordan. He was truly one of a kind. Game 6 of the NBA Finals boxscore Revisiting Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Who's the GOAT?I know, I know. This argument has been beaten to death. I've written about it twice myself: First, back in 2011 after LeBron melted down against the Mavericks, again in 2012 after LeBron won his first championship, again after LeBron said there was a ghost in Chicago he was chasing, and then after the 2016 Finals, in which LeBron's last three games cemented his legacy as at least a top 10 player of all-time. But factors such as LeBron's longevity, a growing generation of basketball fans that never experienced watching Michael Jordan play or never experienced watching him play for the Bulls, the YouTube generation and countless talking heads coronating LeBron James as the king of the NBA all-time makes this argument worth revisiting. First, let's just concede this: LeBron James has been incredible this season. Personally, I think he's the MVP of the league. I know the narrative points towards James Harden, but have you seen the cast of characters LeBron just led to 50 wins? His statistics are fantastic: 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.4 steals, 54% FG shooting, and...this is year 15, which is unheard of. LeBron's season is the highest PER of all-time for players in their 15th season or later and that played at least 300 minutes. It's been unbelievable. Some use this as evidence: Jordan in his 15th season (with the Wizards) was nowhere near this statistical level averaging 20 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and shooting a low-for-him 44% from the field. Four things to remember:
Now, what if you took Jordan and increased his 1997-1998 stats by 9.2%? Here's the comparison:
Also, Jordan never relented on defense. During Jordan's career, he was named All-Defensive team nine times (first team every time) including 1997-1998 and won Defensive Player of the Year in 1987-1988. In comparison, LeBron James has made All-Defensive team six times (five times first team, once on the second team) and hasn't been on there since he played in Miami in 2013-2014. As Jordan declined, he still brought it on defense and this is an area where you can clearly watch LeBron James today and see he's declined on it. For the record, I've always stated that LeBron is not a great on-ball defender (talking heads wanted to compare him to Scottie Pippen, which is an insult. LeBron was never that level), but LeBron was a great off-ball defender and the greatest play of his career, the block on Andre Iguodala, perhaps captures that. Likewise, Jordan's poetic ending before he valiantly returned to boost the country's morale after 9/11 started with a steal on Karl Malone and then a beautiful jumper to seal a final championship. To the point of Jordan never relenting on defense, even as he aged, it should be noted that in 1997-1998, he averaged 38.8 minutes per game and played all 82 games for the 9th time in his career (3,181 minutes that season total). This year, LeBron averaged 36.9 minutes per game (which led the NBA) and played all 82 games for the first time his career (3,026 minutes total for this season). It's just remarkable the level of intensity Michael Jordan could bring on both ends of the floor at age 34 and carrying the burden that he did. None of this is to discredit LeBron James. I'm on record as saying he's the third best player of all-time with a clear path to surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (longevity will ensure it statistically). But Michael Jordan is still the greatest of all-time. He always will be. But the biggest takeaway you should get from this is stop trying to compare LeBron to Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant or anyone else. Enjoy the experience of watching one of the greatest players ever to play the game. There's going to be a generation one day that won't have this experience, just like the generation that never saw Michael Jordan play. Enjoy what LeBron has been able to do and stop forgetting how great Jordan was. |
AuthorBrandon Pence is the founder & author of "The Bulls Charge." Pence has been a Bulls fan since 1993 following the shot by John Paxson, believes Michael Jordan is undeniably the GOAT, and has Derrick Rose as his all-time favorite Bull following Scottie Pippen's weird feud with Michael Jordan. "The Bulls Charge" was established in 2011. Archives
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