His Airness Michael Jordan

[kanto-terrorist]

i dont deny there are many great players like bill russel, wilt chamberlain, oscar robertson, kareem abdul-jabbar, dr j, larry bird, magic johnson, isaiah thomas to name a few. that'w why the league recognized them as members of the 50 greatest players of all time.

 

but amongst all of them, there has to be the greatest. the no. 1. if you would rank the 50 players, who would be your no. 1. i'd take jordan as the no.1,  bill russell as no. 2, magic johnson no. 3, larry bird no. 4 and the rest of them.

 

i looked beyond stats and numbers.  i looked at the players on how they played the game in their best situations and most importantly in their worst situations. i put more emphasis in the playoffs and finals rather than regular season.

 

here are some of the noteworthy performances by jordan. some the dates may not be accurate as these are from memory and not from nba.com or other websites. however the situations are pretty accurate. i would not mind somebody correcting me.

 

1.  jordan as a sophomore in unc made the winning shot in the corner to win an ncaa title.

 

2.  in his sophomore year in the nba, jordan was sidelined by injury for almost half of the regular season. some was writing him off and many doubted his comeback.  somehow, the bulls managed to get into the playoffs but faced the mighty boston celtics led by larry bird. game 2 at the boston garden. against a very hostile crowd, jordan showcased his individual basketball and athletic abilities. he scored almost at will. driving to the hoop passing 3 defenders hanging in the air before making his shot.  boston tried different defense strategies but to no avail. jordan cooly sank two free throws that sent the game into overtime.  at the end of the game, jordan made 63 points. larry bird said "that was god, disguised as michael jordan." as expected, the celtics being a better team that time swept the bulls in their series.

 

3.  no particular game but in the years leading to their championship years, the bulls had to get past the bad boys of detroit.  for at least two years, jordan had to endure the physical beating he got from the bad boyos of detroit.  half the time he drove to the basket, he ended up on the floor.  but his competetive spirit and his basketball and leadership skills overcame the physically tough plays of the bad boys.  in a given season, jordan had to face the pistons 6 times in the regular season and minimum of 4 games in playoffs.

 

4.  '91 finals against magic and the lakers. the bulls were highly favored to win their first title.  in game 1 at the bulls home court, magic as usual, led the lakers and made the assist to sam perkins that hit the final shot at the corner that won the lakers the game.  a lot of people, doubted jordan's ability to play in the finals. game 2, sometime in the game, jordan drove to the hoop, took off and was planning to dunk the ball. while in the air, he decided to just do a finger roll.  the shot was so beautiful that it inspired the whole team and the crowd.  that changed the tempo of the game and put the momentum on the side of the bulls.  jordan led the bulls to win the next four games thus winning his first nba title.

 

5.  '93 finals against the suns. after losing game 3 in a triple overtime in chicago. jordan took command of the game.  he made that running jumper that won them the game and gave the bulls a commanding 3-1 lead against the suns.  the bulls, led by jordan, went on and won their 3rd title.

 

6.  after coming from more than 1 and half years of retirement, jordan helped the bulls to reach the eastern conference finals.  however, he made a crucial error that lost them the series to orlando magic.  in the next season, jordan led the bulls to an nba best 72-10 record.

 

7.  game 5 '97 finals. the best performance of an athlete i've seen so far.  this to me is the defining moment for jordan as an athlete.  before the game, series is tied 2-2. game 5 is in delta center which has proven to be the noisiest crowd. suffering from stomach flu, throughout the game, jordan looked weak and dehyrdated.  he had to literally be carried by his teammates during timeouts.  against all physicall odds, jordan did his thing, led his team, and made the crucial 3 pt shot that won them the game. i've never seen such pure desire and determination to do what it takes to win.  as a result of winning this game, the bulls went up 3-2 and put the series back to chicago for game 6.  in the last time out of game 6, jordan said to kerr that the jazz will be after him and told kerr to be ready to take the shot.  in the ensuing play, the jazz really went to jordan.  jordan passed the ball to kerr and kerr made the winning shot of the game and of the series giving the bulls their 5th title.

 

8.  '98 finals.  game 6 in delta center, jordan made that jumper on top of the key to win the game and the series giving the bulls and him their 6th title.

 

jordan during his prime has proven to be unstoppable especially in post season. i'm not sure what the numbers are but i'm sure his stats in the playoffs and finals are better compared to regular season.  this shows you his ability to step up the level of his game when its time to win. his leadership skills were most evident during his last 3 years with the bulls.  he showed he can control the antics of dennis rodman who at that time was the most hated player by the coaches and managers.  he did not allow rodman's ridiculously childish antics affect how the team played.

 

i'm sure there will be somebody who will break jordan's stats.  but until i see a player that shows more heart and more competetive spirit against all odds, i'd still put jordan as the greatest.

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this is the reason i always look for every tidyaxx's post, mapa political thread man o sports, punong puno ng substance, galing.. :thumbsupsmiley: thanx brod...

 

yeah, and that's what u call the drama, not just plain basketball showtime. he plays the game like its a scripted movie na sya ang bida. That's what people really drools to watch; that courageous games despite all the odds. although for me, the greatest basketball game that shows grit and supreme determination is the one shown by the New York Knicks of 1999, ung 8th seeded playoff team na puro injury pero himalang nakapasok pa sa finals, at bawat panalo nila punong puno ng drama.

[bret_hart]

the best there ever will be..

[TidusJanus]

Mike is great, but the greatest of all time, no way Wilt Chamberlain holds more records than Mike.

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hahahaha...records back there weren't as hard to make as today. Wilt played in the 60's where there were no players who stood taller than him. Bill Russell was the only one who could contain him and he's at 6'9". Wilt's 7'0"....Unfair? Yes. Dominated? Yes,coz no one could play D against him.

 

How bout MJ? MJ played in the late 80's to the 90's (i won't include Wizards era..haha).

Jordan's 6'6". Not as tall as Wilt and took more shots from the perimeter rather than just scoop it in the hoop. Tougher?YEs! Tighter defense?YES! YES! YES!

 

 

Need I say more? geez...not to take away anything from Wilt but IMO, if you put him in today's era, he wouldn't even be able to score 40. YES,not even 40!

[Guest airmax]

this is the reason i always look for every tidyaxx's post, mapa political thread man o sports, punong puno ng substance, galing.. :thumbsupsmiley: thanx brod...

 

yeah, and that's what u call the drama, not just plain basketball showtime.  he plays the game like its a scripted movie na sya ang bida.  That's what people really drools to watch; that courageous games despite all the odds.  although for me, the greatest basketball game that shows grit and supreme determination is the one shown by the New York Knicks of 1999, ung 8th seeded playoff team na puro injury pero himalang nakapasok pa sa finals, at bawat panalo nila punong puno ng drama.

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the 99 nicks has heart. kahit maliit ang starting line up nila at nawala pa si ewing they gave their best. i rooted for this team way back then. Go NY Go.

[tidyaxx]

this is the reason i always look for every tidyaxx's post, mapa political thread man o sports, punong puno ng substance, galing.. :thumbsupsmiley: thanx brod...

 

yeah, and that's what u call the drama, not just plain basketball showtime.  he plays the game like its a scripted movie na sya ang bida.  That's what people really drools to watch; that courageous games despite all the odds.  although for me, the greatest basketball game that shows grit and supreme determination is the one shown by the New York Knicks of 1999, ung 8th seeded playoff team na puro injury pero himalang nakapasok pa sa finals, at bawat panalo nila punong puno ng drama.

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thanks for the compliment bro.

 

yes, that knicks team really showed heart.

[revo20012000]

MJ made the NBA a global brand just like what he did with Nike :cool:

[luol_deng]

the best there ever will be..

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amen to that!

 

am i the only one who doesnt post anything about Jordan?

 

In short...

 

G.O.A.T

 

i'll let you guys talk about the "man"

 

:thumbsupsmiley:

[bret_hart]

Mike is great, but the greatest of all time, no way Wilt Chamberlain holds more records than Mike.

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greatness is not about records, greatness is shown on what you have contributed to the game and to your team. it can be shown on how you played the game, how you encouraged your teammates and your opponents to play at the same level you were playing at which Mike obviously has done. night in and night out his teammates played their hearts out because they could see mike giving out his best out there. as far as their opponents go, Mike is so good that he brings out the best of his opponents coz lets face to beat a good player you have to be better than him.

 

and lets face it, The Stilt was able to set thoese records coz there was simply no player that can guard him at that time. only Bill Russel can match up against him. while Mike has all these great defenders at the time he was playing. you've got Dennis Johnson, Micheal Cooper, the entire Detroit team but still he still managed to be a very good player and win championships at the same time.

 

so, if you wanna see what greatness is all about..

 

just watch HIS AIRNESS strut his stuff!

[big-poppa-pimp]

is there anybody greater than michael jordan????NONE !!!!

[edc]

while Mike has all these great defenders at the time he was playing. you've got Dennis Johnson, Micheal Cooper, the entire Detroit team but still he still managed to be a very good player and win championships at the same time.

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Ang alam ko nagchampion si jordan 91 na. 84 dumating si jordan. those 7 years hindi yan nagchampion.

 

Mga gurang na yang mga player na sinabi mo nung nagchampion si jordan. Ang alam ko mga inupakan ni jordan sila john starks, bryon russell, craig ehlo, charlie ward.........etc.

 

nung panahon na nagchampion si jordan mga latak ang bumabantay sa kanya. eh sa 80s pano sya magchachampion eh grabe physical game nun.

[revi]

Ang alam ko nagchampion si jordan 91 na. 84 dumating si jordan. those 7 years hindi yan nagchampion.

 

Mga gurang na yang mga player na sinabi mo nung nagchampion si jordan. Ang alam ko mga inupakan ni jordan sila john starks, bryon russell, craig ehlo, charlie ward.........etc.

 

nung panahon na nagchampion si jordan mga latak ang bumabantay sa kanya. eh sa 80s pano sya magchachampion eh grabe physical game nun.

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ayayay!! heto na naman tayo sa mga "latak" na mga komento ni edc.. to newbies in this thread and in the nba thread: backread a little bit sa nba thread at sa thread na ito.. anjajan mga arguments.. kakasawa ng sumagot..

[moneyball]

MJ is definitely the best player to have ever played the game of basketball. Why? Notice the very physical defense back in the '80s and early '90s. Back then, Kurt Rambis' vicious clothesline on Kevin McHale (you guys remember that?) was just a foul. These days, any player who does the same thing will get an automatic flagrant foul, because today's game is designed for flashy offense (and TV ratings). Gone are the handchecks, bodychecks, swinging elbows and tooth extractions that defined basketball's golden age.

My point is, any player who survives a beating day in and day out and still manages to score 30-plus points while putting the hurt on the opposing team on a pretty consistent basis is an extremely good player. Only Michael Jordan did that, I believe.

Oh, MJ's an off-guard. I seriously doubt that Wilt could do what MJ did if he was just 6'6".

[edc]

ayayay!! heto na naman tayo sa mga "latak" na mga komento ni edc.. to newbies in this thread and in the nba thread: backread a little bit sa nba thread at sa thread na ito.. anjajan mga arguments.. kakasawa ng sumagot.. 

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kung defender tingin mo kay craig ehlo, bryon russell, charlie ward, john starks....etc nung PANAHON na nagchampion si jordan eh ewan ko na.

 

isipin mo na lng bkit nung 80s hind sya nagchampion. inantay na tumanda sila bird, magic, isiah? 7years yun ha.

 

sabihin mo and nyo kung SINO ba defender nung panahon na nagchampion si jordan?

 

pero wag ka magalala mahilig ako sa nike. pero hindi dun sa player

[edc]

MJ is definitely the best player to have ever played the game of basketball. Why? Notice the very physical defense back in the '80s and early '90s. Back then, Kurt Rambis' vicious clothesline on Kevin McHale (you guys remember that?) was just a foul. These days, any player who does the same thing will get an automatic flagrant foul, because today's game is designed for flashy offense (and TV ratings). Gone are the handchecks, bodychecks, swinging elbows and tooth extractions that defined basketball's golden age.

My point is, any player who survives a beating day in and day out and still manages to score 30-plus points while putting the hurt on the opposing team on a pretty consistent basis is an extremely good player. Only Michael Jordan did that, I believe.

Oh, MJ's an off-guard. I seriously doubt that Wilt could do what MJ did if he was just 6'6".

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baliktad. si mchale ang tumira kay kurt rambis.

 

kung mas maliit si wilt bk mas mataas sya tumalon at mas mabilis sya tumakbo. so hindi pde gawin example pag lumiit si wilt.

 

kung tumangkad naman si jordan mas baba talon nya at mas babagal sya tumakbo.

 

hindi ito playstation na kahit 7-1 or 6-6 na pde imodify.

[saupaulo]

MJ made the NBA a global brand just like what he did with Nike :cool:

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