PHOENIX - One of the biggest surprises of the 1993 NBA season came from the MVP voting. In a moderate upset, Charles Barkley was named the MVP. Looking at his numbers, and at how well Phoenix played that year, it's not completely surprising that he was picked. Not surprising, that is, until you remember that Michael Jordan was still in the league and was at the absolute peak of his abilities in 1993. Since the Bulls were still dominant, it would have seemed logical to give Jordan another MVP award. The consensus seemed to be that while Barkley was a deserving candidate, he only really won because voters were tired of voting for Jordan.
No matter. They were the two best players in the league that year, and they played on the two best teams. That can't be argued. So it wasn't a surprise when the Bulls and the Suns met in the NBA finals that June. The series was, deservedly, hyped as a battle between MVPs, Barkley vs. Jordan.
As newly minted MVP, Barkley played very well in his first Finals. He averaged 27 points and 13 rebounds a game, peaking with 42 points in Game 2 and a triple-double in Game 4. That series was the pinnacle of what was the best season of Barkley's career, and he showed he was deserving of MVP consideration.
But there was a problem. See, Jordan was as hyper-competitive as it got, and he didn't take too kindly to losing out on the MVP trophy. In Game 1, he scored 31 points with 7 rebounds ... and that was his worst game of the series. He annihilated the Suns in games 2-5, scoring 42, 44, 55, and 41 points, in addition to playing very good defense on the Suns' second-leading scorer, Dan Majerle.
Heading into Game 6 on June 20, the Bulls were up 3 games to 2. Playing at home, Barkley put in another great performance, with 21 points and 17 rebounds, keeping the Suns close. Jordan backed off a bit on his scoring, getting 33 points. In the fourth, with the Bulls offense bogging down, Jordan scored 9 points - the only ones Chicago got until the closing seconds. But it was those closing seconds that surprised everybody. With his team trailing 98-96 with 14 seconds left, Jordan took the inbounds pass in the backcourt, dribbled beyond the half-court stripe, and ... passed. The ball swung around to the Bulls' three-point specialist, John Paxson, and he did exactly what he was supposed to do: he drained the championship-clinching three.
If Jordan's decision to pass was surprising, so was what happened next. In the offseason, Jordan announced his retirement from basketball. Of course, he'd come back two years later, but for a while, it seemed as though his lasting legacy would be the 1993 Finals. And what a legacy it would have been.
(The final play begins at 1:15 of this clip)
Showing posts with label Chicago Bulls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago Bulls. Show all posts
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
June 14, 1998: The Last Shot
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - It was the perfect final sequence, the perfect way to end the career of the most extraordinary basektball player of all time. If you break down Michael Jordan's final two possessions as an NBA player, you can see a little bit of everything that made him a brilliant player for 14 seasons. It starts with the Bulls down 3, 86-83, in the closing seconds of Game 6 of the finals.
Ability to get to the rim
When Jordan got the ball at the top of the key, he easily could have hoisted up an attempt at a game-tying 3-pointer. Instead, he drove, getting around Bryon Russell, avoiding John Stockton, and shooting over Antoine Carr. Nobody was stopping him from getting that layup.
Basketball IQ
Jordan showed his basketball smarts on that offensive possession, knowing it would be easier to get a 2 and a stop than it would be to get a 3. On the next defensive possession, he showed it again. As Karl Malone set up on the low block, Jeff Hornacek cleared the area. Jordan, guarding Hornacek, started to follow him, but stopped, knowing Hornacek would never get the ball and catching the Jazz off-guard.
Defensive ability
There's a reason Jordan made the All-Defensive team 9 times. Stockton had to have thrown 100,000 passes to Malone over the course of their hall-of-fame careers. He knew how to feed the post, and Malone knew how to get a pass. Jordan swept in and almost effortlessly took the ball away from Malone, getting the one defensive stop the Bulls needed right when they needed it.
Bending the rules
All great athletes know how to get around the rules, or how to flat-out break them without being caught. When Jordan pushed off Russell on his final possession, at first nobody noticed. Later, after replays made it obvious, nobody cared.
Sense of the moment
One final jump shot to clinch a championship - really, did anybody expect Jordan to miss? Even the most passionate of Utah fans had to know that shot was going in. Add to that the rumors that Jordan would retire after the season and yah - it was going in. No questions asked. And then the pose, holding his follow-through for a second or so longer than necessary. Jordan knew that was his last shot. He knew how big the moment was. So he milked it for a little while longer.
All in all, it was the perfect end to a storybook career, one that ... wait. What? You say he came back to play for the Wizards? Are you sure? Hmmm. Well, can we just pretend that never happened? It makes it much easier that way. Thanks.
HONORABLE MENTION
June 14, 1994: NEW YORK - Rangers fans had been waiting for 54 years. What was another 2 seconds? As the puck was cleared down to the other end, signalling the end of Vancouver's final scoring opportunity in Game 7, the fans in Madison Square Garden erupted, thinking the Rangers had just won the Stanley Cup they so desperately craved. But what's this? A whistle? Icing!? How could the ref call icing at a time like this? No matter. A faceoff win, a final buzzer, no officials getting in the way this time. The Rangers had their 3-2 victory and their Stanley Cup, and the celebration lasted into the night.
Ability to get to the rim
When Jordan got the ball at the top of the key, he easily could have hoisted up an attempt at a game-tying 3-pointer. Instead, he drove, getting around Bryon Russell, avoiding John Stockton, and shooting over Antoine Carr. Nobody was stopping him from getting that layup.
Basketball IQ
Jordan showed his basketball smarts on that offensive possession, knowing it would be easier to get a 2 and a stop than it would be to get a 3. On the next defensive possession, he showed it again. As Karl Malone set up on the low block, Jeff Hornacek cleared the area. Jordan, guarding Hornacek, started to follow him, but stopped, knowing Hornacek would never get the ball and catching the Jazz off-guard.
Defensive ability
There's a reason Jordan made the All-Defensive team 9 times. Stockton had to have thrown 100,000 passes to Malone over the course of their hall-of-fame careers. He knew how to feed the post, and Malone knew how to get a pass. Jordan swept in and almost effortlessly took the ball away from Malone, getting the one defensive stop the Bulls needed right when they needed it.
Bending the rules
All great athletes know how to get around the rules, or how to flat-out break them without being caught. When Jordan pushed off Russell on his final possession, at first nobody noticed. Later, after replays made it obvious, nobody cared.
Sense of the moment
One final jump shot to clinch a championship - really, did anybody expect Jordan to miss? Even the most passionate of Utah fans had to know that shot was going in. Add to that the rumors that Jordan would retire after the season and yah - it was going in. No questions asked. And then the pose, holding his follow-through for a second or so longer than necessary. Jordan knew that was his last shot. He knew how big the moment was. So he milked it for a little while longer.
All in all, it was the perfect end to a storybook career, one that ... wait. What? You say he came back to play for the Wizards? Are you sure? Hmmm. Well, can we just pretend that never happened? It makes it much easier that way. Thanks.
HONORABLE MENTION
June 14, 1994: NEW YORK - Rangers fans had been waiting for 54 years. What was another 2 seconds? As the puck was cleared down to the other end, signalling the end of Vancouver's final scoring opportunity in Game 7, the fans in Madison Square Garden erupted, thinking the Rangers had just won the Stanley Cup they so desperately craved. But what's this? A whistle? Icing!? How could the ref call icing at a time like this? No matter. A faceoff win, a final buzzer, no officials getting in the way this time. The Rangers had their 3-2 victory and their Stanley Cup, and the celebration lasted into the night.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
June 3, 1992: The Shrug
CHICAGO - John Paxson dribbled up the right side of the court, stopped and spun back, then threw a cross-court pass to an inexplicably open Michael Jordan. Jordan went up for the shot. Swish. It was his sixth 3-pointer of the half, giving him a Finals-record 35 first-half points. When the shot went in, Jordan turned toward the broadcast table, where the recently retired Magic Johnson was sitting. Catching Magic's eye, Jordan famously shrugged, as if to say "Even I have no idea what's going on."
I'm not buying it, Michael. You knew exactly what was going on.
See, you were the most vengeful, competitive athlete of your generation, and you were always looking for the next reason to dominate an opponent, the slightest challenge so that you could reassert your supremacy.
With Magic retired and Larry Bird soon to join him, the NBA was looking for a new rivarly to replace the one that had carried the league through the 80s. Portland had Clyde Drexler, a talented player who played the same position as Jordan - he was even the same height and shaved his head the same way. So before the 92 Finals, the Jordan vs. Drexler matchup was played up. Drexler was announced as Jordan's biggest rival, and everybody was comparing the two as if the matchup would be a wash.
As if. Jordan obliterated Drexler in the series, outscoring him in five of the six games, outshooting him 53 percent to 41 percent for the series, and leading the Bulls to a second straight title. Game 1 was the biggest mismatch, as Jordan outscored Drexler 39 to 16 and the Bulls won 122-89.
To add to the misery, the Trail Blazers before the series announced openly to the press that their game plan was to make the Bulls make 3-pointers to beat them, boldly giving away their strategy against the defending champions. So there was a reason Jordan made six 3-pointers when he probably could have just as easily driven to the hoop.
So don't tell me, Michael, that the shrug meant "I don't know what's going on." You knew fully well what that meant. It meant "Well, they're gonna have to come up with something else now." Or it meant "I guess they're not that good, are they?"
After the series was over, Jordan continued his evisceration of Drexler when both joined that summer's Dream Team. In practices leading up to the Olympics, Jordan took special pride in dominating Drexler, then pointing out Drexler's inadequacies for everybody present to hear. It got so bad that Magic pulled Jordan aside and told him to back off, lest Drexler's confidence got completely shot before the Olympics.
So yah. Jordan might have had a rival. But it wasn't Drexler. And the shrug told us that he knew that all along.
I'm not buying it, Michael. You knew exactly what was going on.
See, you were the most vengeful, competitive athlete of your generation, and you were always looking for the next reason to dominate an opponent, the slightest challenge so that you could reassert your supremacy.
With Magic retired and Larry Bird soon to join him, the NBA was looking for a new rivarly to replace the one that had carried the league through the 80s. Portland had Clyde Drexler, a talented player who played the same position as Jordan - he was even the same height and shaved his head the same way. So before the 92 Finals, the Jordan vs. Drexler matchup was played up. Drexler was announced as Jordan's biggest rival, and everybody was comparing the two as if the matchup would be a wash.
As if. Jordan obliterated Drexler in the series, outscoring him in five of the six games, outshooting him 53 percent to 41 percent for the series, and leading the Bulls to a second straight title. Game 1 was the biggest mismatch, as Jordan outscored Drexler 39 to 16 and the Bulls won 122-89.
To add to the misery, the Trail Blazers before the series announced openly to the press that their game plan was to make the Bulls make 3-pointers to beat them, boldly giving away their strategy against the defending champions. So there was a reason Jordan made six 3-pointers when he probably could have just as easily driven to the hoop.
So don't tell me, Michael, that the shrug meant "I don't know what's going on." You knew fully well what that meant. It meant "Well, they're gonna have to come up with something else now." Or it meant "I guess they're not that good, are they?"
After the series was over, Jordan continued his evisceration of Drexler when both joined that summer's Dream Team. In practices leading up to the Olympics, Jordan took special pride in dominating Drexler, then pointing out Drexler's inadequacies for everybody present to hear. It got so bad that Magic pulled Jordan aside and told him to back off, lest Drexler's confidence got completely shot before the Olympics.
So yah. Jordan might have had a rival. But it wasn't Drexler. And the shrug told us that he knew that all along.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
May 18, 1995: Merely mortal
CHICAGO - When Michael Jordan returned to basketball from his baseball-playing sabbatical, there was a little rust in his game. That was to be expected, as he hadn't played basketball for a year and a half. Wearing the number 45 - his previous number 23 had been retired - he had some good games mixed in with some subpar games, as he was clearly trying to get his basketball legs back underneath him.
That all seemed to change in game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Orlando when, in the final seconds of a close game, Orlando's Nick Anderson stripped Jordan from behind, leading to a game-winning basket for the Magic. After the game, in which Jordan had scored a rather pedestrian (for him) 19 points, Anderson said, "That didn't look like the old Michael Jordan."
In most years, that was a mistake. You didn't trash talk Michael Jordan. Ever. So Jordan took Anderson's comments under consideration, changed his number back to 23, and took off, scoring 38 in game 2, 40 in game 3, and 39 in game 5. Despite this, though, the Magic had a 3 games to 2 lead in the series as the teams headed to Game 6 in Chicago.
Orlando was a legitimate force that season. With a young Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway leading the way, they looked like they would be the next NBA dynasty. But Chicago was the old dynasty, and they seemed to be proving their superiority by taking a 102-94 lead with 3:24 left in Game 6. Eight point lead at home, with Jordan and Pippen on their team? They weren't losing that one, right?
Well...
It started with a baby hook from Shaq, a strip on the other end, and a 3-pointer from Anderson. Still, not much to panic about for the Bulls - they still led by 3. But what's this - Pippen missed two near-point blank shots, followed by two Orlando free throws. With 1:01 left came maybe the most shocking sight of all: a Michael Jordan air ball. Anderson made another shot to give Orlando the lead.
OK, then. Still nothing to worry about. Jordan's back, the man with the greatest killer instinct in decades. He'll handle it. Well, the next two times down the floor, he jumped to shoot, saw both Anderson and Shaq get hands in his face, and tried to pass it off. Both possessions resulted in turnovers and Orlando free throws.
Perhaps the most surprising images from this night was the look of shock that came over Jordan over the final minute, like he couldn't believe he was failing. He thought he could come back to the NBA and continue dominating immediately, but Orlando had other thoughts.
By the time Shaq threw down a breakaway dunk to clinch the 108-102 win for Orlando, the wheels had been set in motion. Jordan basically disappeared after the season, spent the entire offseason training like he never had before, and came back the next season in the best shape of his life. The Bulls started the next season 41-3 on their way to a record 72 wins, a season inspired by the previous season's failure where Michael Jordan had, for the first time, seemed merely mortal.
That all seemed to change in game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Orlando when, in the final seconds of a close game, Orlando's Nick Anderson stripped Jordan from behind, leading to a game-winning basket for the Magic. After the game, in which Jordan had scored a rather pedestrian (for him) 19 points, Anderson said, "That didn't look like the old Michael Jordan."
In most years, that was a mistake. You didn't trash talk Michael Jordan. Ever. So Jordan took Anderson's comments under consideration, changed his number back to 23, and took off, scoring 38 in game 2, 40 in game 3, and 39 in game 5. Despite this, though, the Magic had a 3 games to 2 lead in the series as the teams headed to Game 6 in Chicago.
Orlando was a legitimate force that season. With a young Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway leading the way, they looked like they would be the next NBA dynasty. But Chicago was the old dynasty, and they seemed to be proving their superiority by taking a 102-94 lead with 3:24 left in Game 6. Eight point lead at home, with Jordan and Pippen on their team? They weren't losing that one, right?
Well...
It started with a baby hook from Shaq, a strip on the other end, and a 3-pointer from Anderson. Still, not much to panic about for the Bulls - they still led by 3. But what's this - Pippen missed two near-point blank shots, followed by two Orlando free throws. With 1:01 left came maybe the most shocking sight of all: a Michael Jordan air ball. Anderson made another shot to give Orlando the lead.
OK, then. Still nothing to worry about. Jordan's back, the man with the greatest killer instinct in decades. He'll handle it. Well, the next two times down the floor, he jumped to shoot, saw both Anderson and Shaq get hands in his face, and tried to pass it off. Both possessions resulted in turnovers and Orlando free throws.
Perhaps the most surprising images from this night was the look of shock that came over Jordan over the final minute, like he couldn't believe he was failing. He thought he could come back to the NBA and continue dominating immediately, but Orlando had other thoughts.
By the time Shaq threw down a breakaway dunk to clinch the 108-102 win for Orlando, the wheels had been set in motion. Jordan basically disappeared after the season, spent the entire offseason training like he never had before, and came back the next season in the best shape of his life. The Bulls started the next season 41-3 on their way to a record 72 wins, a season inspired by the previous season's failure where Michael Jordan had, for the first time, seemed merely mortal.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
May 13, 1994: Pippen on the bench
CHICAGO - At first glance it seems to be a perfect vision of the jubilation that comes with a last-second victory. There was a near-impossible pass toward the free-throw line, followed by a great catch by a rookie forward, who spun and jumped in the same motion, making a fallaway jumper from the top of the key to win it. It doesn't get much more dramatic - or difficult - than that. There's no surprise the Bulls were ecstatic following Toni Kukoc's dramatic shot.
But something seemed wrong - why did Bulls coach Phil Jackson actually look upset, almost angry, as he walked off the court? And come to think of it, why wasn't Scottie Pippen, the Bulls' undisputed best player, not on the court for that final shot? Seems weird that the game was trusted to Kukoc, a rookie who had scored all of 6 points before that shot, while Pippen had scored 25. What was going on there?
Then the story came out - Jackson had drawn up the final play for Kukoc to take the shot, with Pippen inbounding. Pippen didn't like that, thinking he should be the one shooting, so he refused to leave the bench for the final shot.
If you look at it from Pippen's point of view, it makes sense. After years of playing second banana to Michael Jordan, the Bulls were finally Pippen's team, and he took advantage, leading the team both on the court and in the locker room all season long. He took his leadership role seriously. So when Jackson told him that the Bulls' biggest shot of the season to that point - the shot that would prevent them from going down 3-0 in the series - was going to somebody else, Pippen got upset. He wanted that shot.
Where Pippen got in trouble was when he refused to enter the game. If he wanted the ball, he could have spoken up, even not letting Jackson continue until he got his way. Or, failing all that, he could have run the play as designed, then taken his issues up with Jackson after the game. But instead he sulked, and he sat on the bench while a rookie took the biggest shot of his life, and he was forever branded as a guy who quit and who couldn't be a team leader.
It's unfair to remember Pippen for this play. He was a truly great player his entire career, and while he was often overshadowed by Michael Jordan, nobody ignored Pippen's all-around brilliance. In fact, many people put Pippen among the top 5 defensive players of all time. And Jordan would never have won six titles without Pippen.
But unfortunately, people remember the time Pippen wouldn't enter a game because the play wasn't called for him. Then they see that the Bulls lost that series and draw the conclusion that Pippen couldn't lead a team by himself. Fair or unfair, that's the perception.
Pippen, and all the Bulls, should have been able to enjoy this shot by Kukoc. Instead, they had fences to mend and alpha-dog issues to deal with. They could have won a title even without Jordan that year, but after this moment, that dream seemed impossible.
But something seemed wrong - why did Bulls coach Phil Jackson actually look upset, almost angry, as he walked off the court? And come to think of it, why wasn't Scottie Pippen, the Bulls' undisputed best player, not on the court for that final shot? Seems weird that the game was trusted to Kukoc, a rookie who had scored all of 6 points before that shot, while Pippen had scored 25. What was going on there?
Then the story came out - Jackson had drawn up the final play for Kukoc to take the shot, with Pippen inbounding. Pippen didn't like that, thinking he should be the one shooting, so he refused to leave the bench for the final shot.
If you look at it from Pippen's point of view, it makes sense. After years of playing second banana to Michael Jordan, the Bulls were finally Pippen's team, and he took advantage, leading the team both on the court and in the locker room all season long. He took his leadership role seriously. So when Jackson told him that the Bulls' biggest shot of the season to that point - the shot that would prevent them from going down 3-0 in the series - was going to somebody else, Pippen got upset. He wanted that shot.
Where Pippen got in trouble was when he refused to enter the game. If he wanted the ball, he could have spoken up, even not letting Jackson continue until he got his way. Or, failing all that, he could have run the play as designed, then taken his issues up with Jackson after the game. But instead he sulked, and he sat on the bench while a rookie took the biggest shot of his life, and he was forever branded as a guy who quit and who couldn't be a team leader.
It's unfair to remember Pippen for this play. He was a truly great player his entire career, and while he was often overshadowed by Michael Jordan, nobody ignored Pippen's all-around brilliance. In fact, many people put Pippen among the top 5 defensive players of all time. And Jordan would never have won six titles without Pippen.
But unfortunately, people remember the time Pippen wouldn't enter a game because the play wasn't called for him. Then they see that the Bulls lost that series and draw the conclusion that Pippen couldn't lead a team by himself. Fair or unfair, that's the perception.
Pippen, and all the Bulls, should have been able to enjoy this shot by Kukoc. Instead, they had fences to mend and alpha-dog issues to deal with. They could have won a title even without Jordan that year, but after this moment, that dream seemed impossible.
Friday, May 7, 2010
May 7, 1989: The Shot
RICHFIELD, Ohio - The moment is so iconic, so instantly memorable, that it seems as though it was preordained. The pass, the shot, the celebration, the agony - the whole things seemed so natural that you might think it was part of some master plan.
The Cleveland Cavaliers did everything they could to stop it from happening. Leading 100-99, two seconds left in the first-round series, they only had to stop the Bulls from scoring one basket. Of course, the Bulls had Michael Jordan, who had already scored 42 points, including a basket with 6 seconds left to give the Bulls a short-lived lead. Cleveland was determined not to let that happen again, double-teaming Jordan with their two best defenders on the inbounds pass. They were going to make sure anybody but Jordan beat them.
Like that was going to happen.
Jordan shook free of first Craig Ehlo, then Larry Nance to catch the inbounds pass above the free-throw line. He took two dribbles, then pulled up at the free throw line and jumped to shoot.
Freeze it here, and it looks like there's no chance of the shot going in. You can see Jordan floating slightly to the left, a less-than-ideal form for shooting a jump shot. You can see Ehlo coming across, arm in the air, recovering enough to be in perfect position to block the shot. It looks hopeless. Then you unfreeze it, let the action continue, only it doesn't look like Jordan moved. Ehlo goes flying right by, another second ticks off the clock, but Jordan is still hanging in mid-air, waiting to shoot.
Did it go in? Of course it went in. It's Michael Jordan. And it's Cleveland, a city that is cursed with singularly bad luck with its pro sports teams.
The celebration is part of the legend. Jordan at the opposite sideline, where his momentum left him after the shot, giving several fist pumps, getting mobbed by his teammates. That's what everybody remembers. But look behind him. There's Ehlo, throwing his hands in the air, collapsing on the sidelines in shock. He had to be thinking, "What more could I do?" Look behind him. There's the Cleveland fans, frozen where they stand, too shocked to speak or move.
Was it preordained? Who knows. Cleveland had the better team in that series, and they had four of the top five players. But they didn't have the best player. Maybe they weren't meant to.
The Cleveland Cavaliers did everything they could to stop it from happening. Leading 100-99, two seconds left in the first-round series, they only had to stop the Bulls from scoring one basket. Of course, the Bulls had Michael Jordan, who had already scored 42 points, including a basket with 6 seconds left to give the Bulls a short-lived lead. Cleveland was determined not to let that happen again, double-teaming Jordan with their two best defenders on the inbounds pass. They were going to make sure anybody but Jordan beat them.
Like that was going to happen.
Jordan shook free of first Craig Ehlo, then Larry Nance to catch the inbounds pass above the free-throw line. He took two dribbles, then pulled up at the free throw line and jumped to shoot.
Freeze it here, and it looks like there's no chance of the shot going in. You can see Jordan floating slightly to the left, a less-than-ideal form for shooting a jump shot. You can see Ehlo coming across, arm in the air, recovering enough to be in perfect position to block the shot. It looks hopeless. Then you unfreeze it, let the action continue, only it doesn't look like Jordan moved. Ehlo goes flying right by, another second ticks off the clock, but Jordan is still hanging in mid-air, waiting to shoot.
Did it go in? Of course it went in. It's Michael Jordan. And it's Cleveland, a city that is cursed with singularly bad luck with its pro sports teams.
The celebration is part of the legend. Jordan at the opposite sideline, where his momentum left him after the shot, giving several fist pumps, getting mobbed by his teammates. That's what everybody remembers. But look behind him. There's Ehlo, throwing his hands in the air, collapsing on the sidelines in shock. He had to be thinking, "What more could I do?" Look behind him. There's the Cleveland fans, frozen where they stand, too shocked to speak or move.
Was it preordained? Who knows. Cleveland had the better team in that series, and they had four of the top five players. But they didn't have the best player. Maybe they weren't meant to.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
April 21, 1996: 72
LANDOVER, Md. - There was no reason for the Bulls to give their best effort in this game. They had already set the NBA single-season win record and had reached the milestone 70-win mark. They were playing on the road, so they didn't have a home crowd to fire them up. The playoffs were starting in a few days, and that's when the games really started to matter.
Perhaps its a microcosm of their remarkable season that Chicago sent four of its five starters out at the start of the regular-season finale against Washington. Led by their hyper-competetive leader Michael Jordan, the Bulls never let off the throttle, never took any opponent lightly, never took a day off.
The Bulls' 103-93 victory was not very remarkable in itself, just one of 72 they had that season. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Toni Kukoc all started, but nobody played more than 30 minutes. But even in limited playing time, their dominance showed. Jordan scored 26 points in 24 minutes, Pippen scored 20 in 30 minutes, and Rodman grabbed 11 rebounds in 24 minutes. But the Bulls showed how dominant they could be, easily beating the Bullets even though their stars played barely half the game.
In retrospect, it's easy to see the formula the Bulls' roster used to make a record-breaking season. Offensively, few in the game have ever been as dynamic as Jordan, and Pippen was a legitimate star who fit perfectly as a second banana. Kukoc, Steve Kerr, and Ron Harper provided just enough outside scoring to keep teams honest with Jordan and Pippen. Defensively, though, is where they excelled. Jordan deservedly made nine all-defensive teams, but Pippen might have been the best defender in the league that year. The addition of Rodman gave them outstanding low-post defense and a historically efficient rebounder.
Add it all up, and you had a team that went 72-10, an .878 winning percentage. They won at almost the same clip in the playoffs, going 15-3 to cruise to their first of three straight titles.
HONORABLE MENTION
April 21, 1951: TORONTO - Bill Barilko of the Maple Leafs scored at 2:53 of overtime in game 5 to give the Leafs their fourth Stanley Cup in five years. Every game of the final series against the Canadiens went to overtime. The goal was Barilko's last in the NHL, as he disappeared during a fishing trip that summer, with the wreckage from the plane being discovered 11 years later.
Perhaps its a microcosm of their remarkable season that Chicago sent four of its five starters out at the start of the regular-season finale against Washington. Led by their hyper-competetive leader Michael Jordan, the Bulls never let off the throttle, never took any opponent lightly, never took a day off.
The Bulls' 103-93 victory was not very remarkable in itself, just one of 72 they had that season. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Toni Kukoc all started, but nobody played more than 30 minutes. But even in limited playing time, their dominance showed. Jordan scored 26 points in 24 minutes, Pippen scored 20 in 30 minutes, and Rodman grabbed 11 rebounds in 24 minutes. But the Bulls showed how dominant they could be, easily beating the Bullets even though their stars played barely half the game.
In retrospect, it's easy to see the formula the Bulls' roster used to make a record-breaking season. Offensively, few in the game have ever been as dynamic as Jordan, and Pippen was a legitimate star who fit perfectly as a second banana. Kukoc, Steve Kerr, and Ron Harper provided just enough outside scoring to keep teams honest with Jordan and Pippen. Defensively, though, is where they excelled. Jordan deservedly made nine all-defensive teams, but Pippen might have been the best defender in the league that year. The addition of Rodman gave them outstanding low-post defense and a historically efficient rebounder.
Add it all up, and you had a team that went 72-10, an .878 winning percentage. They won at almost the same clip in the playoffs, going 15-3 to cruise to their first of three straight titles.
HONORABLE MENTION
April 21, 1951: TORONTO - Bill Barilko of the Maple Leafs scored at 2:53 of overtime in game 5 to give the Leafs their fourth Stanley Cup in five years. Every game of the final series against the Canadiens went to overtime. The goal was Barilko's last in the NHL, as he disappeared during a fishing trip that summer, with the wreckage from the plane being discovered 11 years later.
Monday, April 19, 2010
April 20, 1986: "God disguised as Michael Jordan"
BOSTON - It started innocently enough, with his first points coming after a goaltending call. Every possession, it seemed, the Celtics had somebody different guarding him, but it didn't matter. He'd make triple-pump layups. He'd fake one way, spin another, fade away and drain a jumper. He'd steal a rebound from three taller players for a put-back. He'd make layups over four players.
The 1985-86 Boston Celtics are included on every short list of the greatest teams of all time. They had six hall-of-famers in their regular rotation and went 40-1 at home that year. And despite all their greatness, they had absolutely no prayer of stopping Michael Jordan in game 2 of their first round playoff series.
After missing most of the regular season with a broken foot, Jordan hadn't been expected to play at all in the playoffs for the Bulls, but, fully healed, he went out against the Celtics in round 1. Popular opinion didn't give the 30-52 Bulls a chance against Boston that year, but Jordan played anyway.
In game 1, he scorched the Celtics for 49 points, but Boston won by 19. In game 2, Jordan was even better. It became obvious early on that no matter who the Celtics threw at Jordan - or how many players at once - nothing was going to stop him from scoring. He would drive around hall-of-fame perimeter defenders, shoot jumpers over hall-of-fame centers, and score every which way imaginable.
Despite his best efforts, the Bulls were still down three when Jordan tried a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. It missed, but he was fouled, and he sank all three free-throws with no time on the clock to send the game into overtime. The two teams played a second overtime as well, and Jordan ended up with 63 points, still an NBA playoff record.
His final line looks like a misprint: 22-41 field goals, 19-21 free throws, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks. He had scored 63 points against the best team of the 80s without making a three-pointer. But despite all that, the Bulls still lost, 135-131, and Boston eventually swept the series on their way to the championship.
In the aftermath of the game, when everybody was trying to put what just happened into perspective, Boston legend Larry Bird said it best: "I didn't think anyone was capable of doing what Michael has done to us. He is the most exciting, awesome player in the game today. I think it's just God disguised as Michael Jordan."
The 1985-86 Boston Celtics are included on every short list of the greatest teams of all time. They had six hall-of-famers in their regular rotation and went 40-1 at home that year. And despite all their greatness, they had absolutely no prayer of stopping Michael Jordan in game 2 of their first round playoff series.
After missing most of the regular season with a broken foot, Jordan hadn't been expected to play at all in the playoffs for the Bulls, but, fully healed, he went out against the Celtics in round 1. Popular opinion didn't give the 30-52 Bulls a chance against Boston that year, but Jordan played anyway.
In game 1, he scorched the Celtics for 49 points, but Boston won by 19. In game 2, Jordan was even better. It became obvious early on that no matter who the Celtics threw at Jordan - or how many players at once - nothing was going to stop him from scoring. He would drive around hall-of-fame perimeter defenders, shoot jumpers over hall-of-fame centers, and score every which way imaginable.
Despite his best efforts, the Bulls were still down three when Jordan tried a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. It missed, but he was fouled, and he sank all three free-throws with no time on the clock to send the game into overtime. The two teams played a second overtime as well, and Jordan ended up with 63 points, still an NBA playoff record.
His final line looks like a misprint: 22-41 field goals, 19-21 free throws, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks. He had scored 63 points against the best team of the 80s without making a three-pointer. But despite all that, the Bulls still lost, 135-131, and Boston eventually swept the series on their way to the championship.
In the aftermath of the game, when everybody was trying to put what just happened into perspective, Boston legend Larry Bird said it best: "I didn't think anyone was capable of doing what Michael has done to us. He is the most exciting, awesome player in the game today. I think it's just God disguised as Michael Jordan."
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