Michael Jordan -- in his own words

[Samurai Swoosh]

Whoa, never heard MJ say this. Good stuff.

I have preached that for awhile now ... but only kiddies like 97bulls and people who just started watching ball in the late 90s would assume the late 90s Bulls were the best because of their records. In what really by that point was a more watered down league, talent wise.

[necya]

I have preached that for awhile now ... but only kiddies like 97bulls and people who just started watching ball in the late 90s would assume the late 90s Bulls were the best because of their records. In what really by that point was a more watered down league, talent wise.

yep ! bulls 90-92 were my favorite version
the generation of superstars was getting old + the poor draft after 92 killed the league.

but with mucho dinero you can bring back old games

[Jasper]

all the read from OP is stuff I've read many times ...
But it's always nice to reread it...
ISh posters really don't understand his robin (Pippen was only 2nd to Bird)

But this always shows real cred :
SLAM: What was it like, finally playing with them in the Olympics?

MJ: A lot of fun. I wanted to do that, because I wanted to see the work ethics of all the athletes that were on the highest level of stardom. Some people lived up to it, and some people didn

[Da_Realist]

MJ reflects on his 1st 3 championships

MJ reflects on his 4th and 5th championships

Taken from an interview with Ahmad Rashad in 1998

[Pointguard]

Great Stuff Da Realist, Great thread, Man.

[PowerGlove]

MJ reflects on his 1st 3 championships

MJ reflects on his 4th and 5th championships

Taken from an interview with Ahmad Rashad in 1998

Where is the thread with all of jordan's funny quotes?

[97 bulls]

I have preached that for awhile now ... but only kiddies like 97bulls and people who just started watching ball in the late 90s would assume the late 90s Bulls were the best because of their records. In what really by that point was a more watered down league, talent wise.

What are you talkin about? I think the 97 bulls 69 and 13 were the best team. Not 96. But they were all basically the same team. And I feel jordan thinks the 1st 3pt was better due to the fact that him and pippen carried that team. I honestly think he was outdone by the fact that the when he left in 94, the bulls were still succesfull. The 96-98 bulls didn't lean so much on jordan as they did during the first 3pt. And like he said, they were a bunch of individuals that came together and filled a role. But he failed to add that alot of the bulls had accomplished things outside of the safety net of jordan. Rodman, harper, kukoc specifically were successful in other places and pippen blazed his own trail. The 94-98 bulls are the only team that we know for a fact could loose any of those guys and still be competitive even jordan. I mean just think about it.

In 94 they lost jordan and still won 55 games
in 95 all they had was pippen and they were on pace to go 43-39 before jordan even jordan even came back
in 96 they get rodman and set the record with 72 wins
in 97 they lost kukoc 25, rodman 27, longley 23 games and didn't have brian williams for all but 9 games and the won 69 games
in 98 they lost pippen for 38 games and still won 62 games. That's proof that they were a real team that could be succesful without any of their stars.

[Micku]

I'd like to join in with another Jordan story:

As he watched from managing owner Abe Pollin's box, the Wizards lost spectacularly to the Los Angeles Clippers, against whom they had a 19 point lead in the fourth quarter before blowing up like the Hindenburg-slowly enough that you could see the immolation happening, but just fast enough that no one could stop it. In the final minutes, powerless and embarrassed, Jordan felt himself going silently berserk. Heads wheeled from lower seats to look up at him, stares that he read as demanding that he get on the court and fix this. Some people screamed at him to put on a uniform and come back. He started through them, at which point he noticed TV cameras pointed his way. "I thought, any second I'm gonna start cursing and all those cameras are gonna show it to everybody," he said.

(my favorite part below)

He stayed composed, but just barely long enough. Out of the cameras' sights once the game ended, he stormed into the Wizards Locker room and exploded, telling the players they had become a "disgrace to the fans"; that they were afflicted by a "losers' mentality"; that he wouldn't hesitate dealing away any of them except that no one in the room had any trade value.


-When Nothing Else Matters: Michael Jordan's Last Comeback
By Michael Leahy

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZU7...0value&f=false

[crisoner]

Daps to the OP enjoyed the read. Love how he was giving it up to Pippen.

[Kellogs4toniee]

Calling Jordan "god" was a total psyche job on Bird's part. He got Jordan believing that he could beat the Celtics by himself. The result was a 3 game sweep for the Celtics in '86 (even with Jordan's 63 point 2OT game), and a 3 game sweep for the Celtics in '87. Bird simply goaded Jordan into trying to win the series by himself, and that played right into Boston's hands.

When Jordan scored 63 points he was asked by a sportswriter to comment on Jordan's performance and he said ' that was God disguised as Michael Jordan"


And lets put this into context Jordan Jockers - Jordan had just dropped 49 points on the Celtics a couple days earlier and the Bulls got crushed. The Celtics attitude was that one player was not going to beat this team, especially at home, where they had only lost one time all year.

So they LET Jordan have his points that game and it almost cost them dearly. Jordan missed a wide open 15 footer with 3 seconds in the first overtime, that most likely would have won the game.

After that close call, Boston put the clamps down on Jordan in game 3, holding him to 19 points (only 5 in the final 3 quarters) before he fouled out.

So yes, Bird jokingly referred to him as God in reference to one game. Like I said, he may have been buttering him up before sending him home on an early vacation.

This is some of the biggest fan-crazed BS i have ever heard.

[Jasper]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Imus
Calling Jordan "god" was a total psyche job on Bird's part. He got Jordan believing that he could beat the Celtics by himself. The result was a 3 game sweep for the Celtics in '86 (even with Jordan's 63 point 2OT game), and a 3 game sweep for the Celtics in '87. Bird simply goaded Jordan into trying to win the series by himself, and that played right into Boston's hands.

When Jordan scored 63 points he was asked by a sportswriter to comment on Jordan's performance and he said ' that was God disguised as Michael Jordan"


And lets put this into context Jordan Jockers - Jordan had just dropped 49 points on the Celtics a couple days earlier and the Bulls got crushed. The Celtics attitude was that one player was not going to beat this team, especially at home, where they had only lost one time all year.

So they LET Jordan have his points that game and it almost cost them dearly. Jordan missed a wide open 15 footer with 3 seconds in the first overtime, that most likely would have won the game.

After that close call, Boston put the clamps down on Jordan in game 3, holding him to 19 points (only 5 in the final 3 quarters) before he fouled out.

So yes, Bird jokingly referred to him as God in reference to one game. Like I said, he may have been buttering him up before sending him home on an early vacation.

This is some of the biggest fan-crazed BS i have ever heard.

You my friend are to young to know history - Don Imus quote was exactly how the Celtic's played it out .

[Da_Realist]

Danny Ainge explains why MJ is the best

[madmax11]

i just find it interesting how mj's 'words' about hakeem and the rockets are ignored because he was simply a gracious competitor but everything else is taken seriously...interesting how that works

[Roundball_Rock]

i just find it interesting how mj's 'words' about hakeem and the rockets are ignored because he was simply a gracious competitor but everything else is taken seriously...interesting how that works

What I have always found amusing regarding the 90's Bulls vs. the 90's Rockets hypotheticals is they conveniently--to prop up Houston--conflate the 1994 and 1995 Rockets with the Rocket's records against the Bulls overall. Overall Houston did well against Chicago but what the "Rockets would give Chicago a run/beat them" crowd conveniently ignores is the 1994 and 1995 Bulls--the weakest versions of the 1990-1998 Bulls teams--did very well against the 94' and 95' Rockets--the strongest versions of the 90's Rockets. The 1994 and 1995 Bulls went 2-1 against the Rockets when Pippen played. They came within a hair (one phantom foul) of defeating the Knicks without HCA, who in turn came within one three pointer of besting the 94' Rockets. This was without MJ. Add MJ, the GOAT perimeter player, to the 94' team in place of a D-League SG and the Bulls easily beat the Rockets. The argument that Hakeem would dominate is specious; he dominated against the Knicks and nearly lost to them. Who was going to stop Jordan and peak Pippen, who received the most MVP votes of any Eastern conference player in 1994, on the Rockets?

As far as hypothetical match ups between the Bulls and Rockets in 1993 or 1997 or a random season like 1991 go it is academic because Houston could not get out the West. Match ups are crucial in basketball so one cannot definitively conclude that because a team lost in the 2nd round that they could not defeat the champion but the same game could be played in many scenarios, some of them absurd, such as the curious case of the Charlotte Bobcats. What if the Bobcats magically came out the East to face the Lakers in the finals over the past 3 seasons? The Bobcats went 4-2 versus the Lakers during that period, given some legitimacy to the notion that they could defeat LA in a series. Still, who cares? There is a reason the Bobcats did not reach the finals just as there is for Houston. Only once (97') during the Bulls title years was Houston a legitimate championship contender.

The 90's Rockets advanced to the WCF "only" thrice (CHI made the conference finals 7 times, Utah 5). They were hardly the juggernaut that nostalgia paints them as. Even their two championship seasons were marked by numerous close series. To put it simply, the 90's Rockets, while worthy 2-time champions, simply were not in the same league as the 90's Bulls.

[madmax11]

What I have always found amusing regarding the 90's Bulls vs. the 90's Rockets hypotheticals is they conveniently--to prop up Houston--conflate the 1994 and 1995 Rockets with the Rocket's records against the Bulls overall. Overall Houston did well against Chicago but what the "Rockets would give Chicago a run/beat them" crowd conveniently ignores is the 1994 and 1995 Bulls--the weakest versions of the 1990-1998 Bulls teams--did very well against the 94' and 95' Rockets--the strongest versions of the 90's Rockets.

thats irrelevant since jordan wasnt playing. the bulls werent good enough to make the finals without mj so include him when youre looking at head-to-head records.

They came within a hair (one phantom foul) of defeating the Knicks without HCA, who in turn came within one three pointer of besting the 94' Rockets.

this x and y bullshit doesnt work. you should be smart enough to know that.

This was without MJ. Add MJ, the GOAT perimeter player, to the 94' team in place of a D-League SG and the Bulls easily beat the Rockets.

this is some pathetic logic. basketball is a game of match ups. the 94 bulls werent as good as the first 3-peat bulls who the rockets went 5-1 against. the spurs, with another dominant big, robinson went 6-2 against the bulls from 90-93 which is a hell of a lot bigger and impressive sample than the one in 94. plus, youre ignoring what the bulls management and the GOAT himself said about the rockets.

The argument that Hakeem would dominate is specious; he dominated against the Knicks and nearly lost to them. Who was going to stop Jordan and peak Pippen, who received the most MVP votes of any Eastern conference player in 1994, on the Rockets?

the rockets had mad max who could force mj into bad shooting nights. look up the game logs for evidence. he would play tough and tenacious d on jordan and if mj blew by him, he had hakeem waiting at the rim. we had a similar player as pippen not as good obviously in robert horry. if you were watching ball back then he'd get a lot of pippen comparisons for his versatiltiy and defensive ability. he'd guard pippen quite well and similarly hakeem would be at the rim

Only once (97') during the Bulls title years was Houston a legitimate championship contender.

we were a contender in 93 where we were blatantly robbed of home court against seattle. even then, we couldve won if it wasnt for these 3 terrible calls at the seattle colliseum in game 7.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax9n6JJgq-E

Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Date: MON 04/26/1993
Section: Sports
Page: 1
Edition: 2 STAR

Drama, trauma as Rockets fall/Spurs eke out 119-117 win

By EDDIE SEFKO
Staff

SAN ANTONIO -- In a game that refused to die against a team that had more lives than any cat, the Rockets were dealt a disheartening and controversial 119-117 overtime setback by the San Antonio Spurs in the regular-season finale Sunday night.

The Rockets, who lost a chance to win the home-court advantage in the second round against Seattle because of the loss, fell behind 113-109 when David Robinson scored the first two baskets of overtime. They never fully recovered.

The Rockets had a final chance to tie when, down 117-115, Scott Brooks missed an off-balance jumper from the corner with 10 seconds to go in OT. Avery Johnson hit two free throws for the Spurs with 2.5 seconds to go to clinch the win.

The Rockets finished the season with a two-game losing streak, but how they lost Sunday's thriller will be discussed for days.

Robinson tipped in a shot at the end of regulation to force overtime. The missed shot came from Dale Ellis and television replays showed Robinson's tip appeared to come after the buzzer.

Rudy Tomjanovich was almost off the court running to the locker room. San Antonio coach John Lucas was pumping his arms and dancing. Matt Bullard, who had hit the 3-point shot that put the Rockets up 109-017 with 5.9 seconds to go, was kicking the scorer's table.

you also forgot the karl malone illegal screen which led to the stockton 3. funny comming from a bulls fan propping up the hue hollins no call.

The 90's Rockets advanced to the WCF "only" thrice (CHI made the conference finals 7 times, Utah 5). They were hardly the juggernaut that nostalgia paints them as. Even their two championship seasons were marked by numerous close series. To put it simply, the 90's Rockets, while worthy 2-time champions, simply were not in the same league as the 90's Bulls.

nobody is painting them as a juggernaut. you seem to ignore they matched up really well against your bulls. the rockets didnt match up well with seattle either though they shouldve clearly beat them in 93. not hard to admit