Revisiting Jordan's worst Finals (96')

[3ball]

.
Timeline:

Games 1-3: Jordan gets the Bulls a 3-0 lead by averaging 31 ppg on 46%.

Game 4: In the locker room before the game, Jordan tells a reporter that the 3-0 blowout lead has made him "more relaxed than he's ever been".. Not surprisingly, the vacation-planning Jordan gets held down by an adrenalized, pressure-free Payton who is trying to save some face.. But no one feels sorry for the 72-win Bulls and their 3-0 lead including the refs, who allow Payton to get away with everything.

Game 5: Jordan is 9-18 for 26 points, while his teammates are AIDS, namely Pippen, who musters 14 points on 5-20 (15 ppg on 34% for the entire series).

Game 6: Jordan's 22/9/7 leads the team, while holding Hawkins to 4 points, or 12 points below his average - this is significant, since the Bulls WON by 12, and everyone else let their man go off: Pippen let Schrempf get 23 points on 59%, Harper let Payton get 21 points on 70%, and Rodman let Kemp get 18/10 on 47%.. So Jordan's team-leading scoring, assists and defense was the hero of the game.

[COLOR="Red"]Overall averages[/COLOR]: 27 ppg on 42%... This is far better than Lebron's worst Finals of 17 ppg in 2011, or 22 ppg on 36% in 2007... and also better than Kobe's 15 ppg on 35% in 2000, or his 2004.

[Smoke117]

1-9

[Milbuck]

Lebron leaves Cavs - 61 wins to 19 wins, 1st seed to dead last

Jordan retires - 2 win dropoff, champions to within 1 game of the conference finals

[3ball]

Lebron leaves Cavs - 61 wins to 19 wins, 1st seed to dead last

Jordan retires - 2 win dropoff, champions to within 1 game of the conference finals

Hmmm... So you've taken to trolling all of my threads and posts..

Rent free..

[Dray n Klay]

1-9


55 wins without Jordan (1994)



Gambling debts









Take your pick 3ball...

[LostCause]

Lebron leaves Cavs - 61 wins to 19 wins, 1st seed to dead last

Jordan retires - 2 win dropoff, champions to within 1 game of the conference finals

Jordan returns

72-10
69-13
62-20

Three rings in a row

Season he returned while rusty?

Bulls 34-31 (.523) w/o Jordan. That's on pace for a 43-win season
Bulls 13-4 (.765) w/Rusty Jordan. That's on pace for a 63-win season

Interesting thing is Jordan literally joined this team during the season. So the only real addition was himself. Bron left Cleveland along with many other big contributors as well as having a coaching change

You'd have to do a ton of mental gymnastics in Brons case, ignoring context altogether, to measure his sole impact on the teams record without him. Jordans impact on the 95 Bulls while rusty doesn't require nearly as much

[CuhGetsBucks]

Yall ever talk about what's going on in the NBA now or...?

[SouBeachTalents]

Rodman was the Bulls best player in Game 6

[HenryGarfunkle]

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In the locker room before the game, Jordan tells a reporter that the 3-0 blowout lead has made him "more relaxed than he's ever been".. Not surprisingly, the vacation-planning Jordan got his father killed over gambling debts - because he lacked the ability to stay disciplined enough not to gamble and get himself into ugly situations in the first place. Jordan was a degenerate loser who happened to play for the most consistently good core of players and the best coach in basketball for the majority of the 90's (a watered down era to begin with) - and thus was apart of many championship teams. But we see Jordan's lack of discipline and personal respect cost him losses on and off the court.

1-9 without Pippen shows Jordan couldn't win without the absolute best supporting cast and best coach. Not to mention they miraculously stayed mostly healthy. Jordan was the luckiest player in history.

[3ball]

Jordan was the [COLOR="Red"]luckiest[/COLOR] player in history.

No all-time great led their team in scoring for every playoff series of their career, EXCEPT the luckiest player in history, who did so by an average margin of 15.4 ppg, while also leading his team in assists most seasons and being the best defender ever at his position.

Wow, some "luck"

[Round Mound]

Jordan had SCOTTIE PIPPEN a Better 2nd Option Than Any Other Superstar of His Era.

[CuhGetsBucks]

Yall ever talk about what's going on in the NBA now or...?

I guess not damn yall some fanboy faggggots

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

I always wondered how that series would've played out had George Karl decided to put GP on MJ earlier. Probably the same result, Chicago in 6 or 7, but Jordan's series would've been THAT much worse.

Without doubt some of the best, individual on-ball defense you'll ever see. At least in a finals.

[3ball]

Jordan had SCOTTIE PIPPEN a Better 2nd Option Than Any Other Superstar of His Era.

Jordan 3-peated despite Pippen averaging 17 ppg on 40.8% in 1996-1998 playoffs... Obviously, there were MANY second options better than that.

Pippen's sub-par play included 15 ppg on 34% in 1996 Finals (worst of all time for a 2nd option), and 15 ppg on 41% in 1998 Finals...

Otoh, during the first 3-peat, Pippen WAS one of the best 2nd options in the league.. But after Pippen, the Bulls were all role players - Jordan didn't enjoy multiple superstar teammates like Lebron always has, which is why his first 3 rings required 25% more scoring in the playoffs with equal assists to Lebron's 3 rings.

[SamuraiSWISH]

His game 3 performance on the road all but sealed it ... and then everyone got complacent. The rest of the team shot just as poorly. Jordan in particular just had a horrid shooting series. Looks he normally converted. Either way, MJ's worst Finals

'96 MJ

'08 Kobe
'07 LeBron
'11 LeBron
'04 Kobe
'00 Kobe

Is better than all the putrid ones from everyone else on this list, and he actually won. Even in his worst performance and it wasn't like someone on his team played better or carried him.