Now that we’re on the back end of “The Last Dance” and it’s 10 episodes have been shown and digested. The Jordanaires are running through America like the zombies in Michael Jackson’s thriller video and ESPN is the Pied Piper of all of his foolishness.
First of all, let me say that Jordan is the GOAT because of his global influence on the game of basketball and the Jordan Brand AND because ESPN helps to perpetuate the rest of this foolishness by only telling folks that Mike played 6 seasons in the NBA when he actually played 15.
Ninety percent of reality is perception. So if the biggest sports network in the world and everybody on it tells you that Mike only played 6 seasons in the NBA and that he was 6-0 in those 6 seasons winning the championship then it’s the gospel right? Nobody wants to discuss his inability to win before 1991.
Mike was one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen play the game of basketball but what really tells me how great a player was is what he was able to do when he had no help.
I was a junior in high school in Gary, Indiana when Mike got drafted by the Bulls in 1984. I was 10 minutes from the south side of Chicago and watched him on local television. I saw the dun play on terrible teams EVERY night and he couldn’t get out of the first round. I saw with my own eyes Jordan go 1-9 in the playoffs getting swept twice in the first round when he was on bad teams. If he was so great why was his teams only winning 38 games and becoming an 8th seed in the playoffs? In 1985-86 they won 31 games. Of course that was the year Mike broke his foot and he scored 63 in the Garden but loss. He was a helluva scorer though.
It wasn’t until Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant were drafted in the 1987 in the first round that the Bulls were able to advance to the second round of the playoffs. It wasn’t until Phil Jackson took over (1989) and instituted the Triangle Offense that they got to the Finals in 1991.
My point is this, stop telling me that he’s the greatest all-around player of all-time when he couldn’t win by himself. We’ve seen players drag teams to the Finals by themselves leading both teams in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals with no help. That’s far more impressive than a guy only getting to the title game with a loaded team and only playing one position and only leading the team in one category (scoring).
The Bulls were the best team in the league those 6 seasons and were favored in EVERY one of those Finals. By the time Mike started winning and dominating the league Magic was retired and when he beat him in 1991 two weeks later Magic was diagnosed with HIV. So therefore, he wasn’t at full strength. Nobody ever talks about that.
Bird’s back was shot and he retired in ’93. Jordan never beat Bird, Parrish and McHale together. Stop telling the lie that he did because he didn’t. I saw it with my own eyes.
When the Bulls started winning they had the best 3-point shooters in the NBA in Craig Hodges, BJ Armstrong, John Paxson and Steve Kerr.They had the best two-way player in the league in Scottie. As a matter of fact, Scottie was known as the second best player in the league at the time. They had the best coach in the league along with the best player on the freakin’ planet. Did I forget to mention that they went out and got the best rebounder in the league, the best international player in the world in Tony Kukoc’ and they talked Ron Harper, one of the best defenders in the league, into joining the team too?
So they were by FAR the best team in the NBA for those six seasons. If you know anything about the NBA and it’s playoffs. The BEST TEAM always advances and wins the title because you have to play a best of 7 series. The best TEAM always wins.
When Mike retired after the 1993 season the Bulls didn’t just fall apart. The following season they won 2-less games than they did when they had him the year before and made it to the Eastern Conference semi-finals. I’ve seen a dun leave teams that he took to the finals and the following season they become the worst team in the league. That’s called massive impact.
When Mike wasn’t on the best team he wasn’t getting out of the first round. So stop lying to folks about how he made other players great. He didn’t make Dave Corzine, Quinton Dailey and Orlando Woolridge great. He didn’t make Sydney Green, Kyle Macy, Jawann Oldham and Earl Cureton great. Stop with this foolishness.
AND WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHY THE BEST PLAYER ON THE PLANET WAS BULLYING THE WORSE PLAYER ON HIS TEAM? SCOTT BURRELL WAS NEVER GOING TO PLAY MEANINGFUL MINUTES IN A GAME. SO WHY WAS JORDAN BOTHERING HIM? I’M JUST ASKING?
Don’t tell me about what he did when he was on the best team in the league. He was supposed to win at that point. The dun played for 15 years. Talk to me about who he drug to the Finals and beat when it was on him to get it done. I’ve seen another cat do that. I’ve never seen Jordan do that. I’ve seen another cat take bums to the Finals. I’ve never seen Jordan do that. I’ve seen another cat play every position on the floor darn near every night for 17 seasons. I’ve never seen Jordan do that.
I’ve seen a dun rank 3rd all-time in scoring, 8th all-time in assists and 13th in steals. That’s three categories in the Top 20 all-time. There isn’t another player in the history of the game that’s done that. I’m just saying. Winning titles is a TEAM award not an indicator of who the best player is. That’s stupid to even suggest.
There are plenty of guys with 6 or more titles and they aren’t nowhere near being the greatest players of all-time. So why is it that Mike’s 6 titles mean more than Tom “Satch” Sanders 8 titles? I’m listenin’? Why does Mike’s 6 titles mean more than Scottie’s 6 titles and he’s got the SAME 6 Mike won? Why does Mike’s 6 titles mean more than Kareem’s 6 or Bob Cousey’s 6. Why does Mike’s 6 mean more than Bill Russell’s 11, Sam Jones’ 10, John Havlicek’s 8, Robert Horry’s 7, James Loscutoff’s 7 and Frank Ramsey’s 7. They all were apart of a team that won a title.
So why is it that when Mike is apart of a team that wins a title. He’s really out there running the 100 meters winning it all by himself. It doesn’t make any sense does it? Well…only to the Jordanaires because Mike was the only reason the Bulls won those titles but that logic doesn’t count prior to 1991.
Jordanaires are like Trump supporters. They can’t see the truth for the foolishness. They’re so blinded in love with him that he could bully the worse player on the team and tell the flight attendant not to feed another starter and be cool with it. Mike could get on national television and snitch on the 1984-85 Bulls team for doing drugs, having women in the hotel room and everybody be cool with it. Classic.
If Mike had never played with Scottie or been blessed to be coached by Phil Jackson running the Triangle offense. We’d be talking about a guy that led the league in scoring darn near every year and couldn’t get out of the second round of the playoffs. He’d be James Harden. Stop with this foolishness.
The old timers would always say that the television wasn’t nothing but a big ole lie. ESPN is selling you this foolishness and you’re eating it to the point of nausea. Stop telling me about how great Mike was on great teams. Tell me what he accomplished when he was on bad teams? That’s the litmus test. Stop me when I start lyin’!
