MJ 45 pts, 11 assts vs Sixers 1990 ECSF Game 4

[sportjames23]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAOxDN1eT-A

MJ leads the Bulls to a 3-1 lead over Sir Charles' Sixers. Scottie Pippen missed this game due to the death of his father, but Ed Nealy--ED NEALY?!?--stepped up big time.

This was the last year a prime MJ, playing a full season, would not make the NBA Finals.

[ClipperRevival]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAOxDN1eT-A

MJ leads the Bulls to a 3-1 lead over Sir Charles' Sixers. Scottie Pippen missed this game due to the death of his father, but Ed Nealy--ED NEALY?!?--stepped up big time.

This was the last year a prime MJ, playing a full season, would not make the NBA Finals.

One of the GOAT series ever for an individual:

43.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 7.4 APG, 4.0 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 55% FG

And he might've been to his first finals that year had Pippen not had probably the worst choke job ever for a so called "superstar" with his famous 2 point, 1-10 game in game 7 against Detroit.

[Dr Hawk]

And some people say MJ is not the GOAT

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

One of the GOAT series ever for an individual:

43.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 7.4 APG, 4.0 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 55% FG

And he might've been to his first finals that year had Pippen not had probably the worst choke job ever for a so called "superstar" with his famous 2 point, 1-10 game in game 7 against Detroit.

One of my favorite series as well.

Barkley had a hell of a year (arguably his greatest), and Jordan still made him look second-tier.

Those numbers are staggering man

[Nikola_]

i always thought mj grew an inch or two during his career, he looked taller in the 90s

[f0und]

man, the quickness, the fearlessness, the hangtime, the craftiness around the rim, finishing with either hand. dude was a bad mfker. those kinds of attibutes would dominate any era.

[ClipperRevival]

And some people say MJ is not the GOAT

It takes time. Eventually, most fans will come around as the truth sets in.

[ClipperRevival]

One of my favorite series as well.

Barkley had a hell of a year (arguably his greatest), and Jordan still made him look second-tier.

Those numbers are staggering man

Barkley should've won the MVP that year but Magic being so popular barely edged him despite Barkley having the edge in 1st place votes (38 to 27).

As for the numbers, what else can you say? GOAT gonna GOAT. He has quite a few of series like that where his numbers are just jaw dropping.

[StrongLurk]

I think MJ is GOAT, but defenses in the 80's and early 90's are always unimpressive to watch.

I mean MJ takes wide-open 15-18 footers all damn day in all these highlights I watch. Can't imagine how dominant Kobe/Durant/Curry would score on D like that.

Edit:
Also at 1:56 - HOW THE HELL WAS THAT FOUL CALLED ON BARKLEY AND NOT MJ???

Wow seriously like EVERY PLAY there are 2-3 WIDE OPEN players at the three point line and NO ONE is shooting them. Weak era.

[Showtime80']

Strong Lurk give me a break!!!

The Sixers were a middle of the pack defensive team in 1990 and anyway teams preferred to give MJ the jump shot instead of having him drive the lane. Look at how LaMarcus Aldridge is turning into Hakeem Olajuwon against the 4th best team in the NBA!!! Weak era!!!

The 3 point crazy mentality has got people warped! In the 80' and 90's teams rode the HOT HAND! Something lost in today's "nerd stat" driven soft and dumb as a rock NBA.

The Bulls scored 111 points with their best player shooting 52% from the field!!! Why the hell would you want Paxson, Pippen and Hodges bombing away 3 point shots?

If the Spurs would've played more like an 80's team in game 2 the other night instead of letting Mills and Green jack up 4-14 on 3 point shots and given those touches to Aldridge who was absolutely MURDERING the Thunder, he would've probably scored 9 or 10 times and the Spurs would've won by 8 or more!!!

Modern "analytic" soft, fundamentally deficient and DUMB NBA!!!

[Indian guy]

I think MJ is GOAT, but defenses in the 80's and early 90's are always unimpressive to watch.

That's a gross over-generalization. The defense in the posted video looks bad because the 76ers were a bad defensive team. Horrific, actually. Their below-average DRTG from that season actually looks generous if you ever actually watch any games from that series, something I generally go out of my way to not do when re-watching MJ's games on YT. Philadelphia's defense is that bad. I also always find it rather rich of Barkely on TNT to get on a team's case for letting one guy go off, when MJ made a living out of it against his 76ers in the late 80's and early 90's.

Anyway, aesthetically speaking, game 2 is IMO far and away MJ's best game of that series.

[riseagainst]

The GOAT!

[StrongLurk]

That's a gross over-generalization. The defense in the posted video looks bad because the 76ers were a bad defensive team. Horrific, actually. Their below-average DRTG from that season actually looks generous if you ever actually watch any games from that series, something I generally go out of my way to not do when re-watching MJ's games on YT. Philadelphia's defense is that bad. I also always find it rather rich of Barkely on TNT to get on a team's case for letting one guy go off, when MJ made a living out of it against his 76ers in the late 80's and early 90's.

Anyway, aesthetically speaking, game 2 is IMO far and away MJ's best game of that series.

Seriously though I see it in 95 percent of videos from 1980-1992 or 1993.

Guys WIDE OPEN anywhere from 18feet and out. They pack the lane and there are completely open jumpshots all day. I get that it's a different era, but man it's crazy to watch compared to the current era.

[StrongLurk]

Strong Lurk give me a break!!!

The Sixers were a middle of the pack defensive team in 1990 and anyway teams preferred to give MJ the jump shot instead of having him drive the lane. Look at how LaMarcus Aldridge is turning into Hakeem Olajuwon against the 4th best team in the NBA!!! Weak era!!!

The 3 point crazy mentality has got people warped! In the 80' and 90's teams rode the HOT HAND! Something lost in today's "nerd stat" driven soft and dumb as a rock NBA.

The Bulls scored 111 points with their best player shooting 52% from the field!!! Why the hell would you want Paxson, Pippen and Hodges bombing away 3 point shots?

If the Spurs would've played more like an 80's team in game 2 the other night instead of letting Mills and Green jack up 4-14 on 3 point shots and given those touches to Aldridge who was absolutely MURDERING the Thunder, he would've probably scored 9 or 10 times and the Spurs would've won by 8 or more!!!

Modern "analytic" soft, fundamentally deficient and DUMB NBA!!!

Bro why not bomb threes against those defenses? They are taking WIDE OPEN 18ft jumpers all game. Why not take a WIDE OPEN 3 pointer and get 50 percent more points?

Seriously I have watched the 1991 Finals games and I see so many open long twos. One or two players are always wide open! Check out Paxson's game where he didn't miss, it was constant long twos with no D.

[andgar923]

Only idiots will think that the defense played is weak.

Not MJ's fault he's too fast, too smart, too skilled.

He's beating the defense before it doubles him, even if he is doubled he beats it. To top it off he was everywhere defensively himself.

I saw two instances in which he had an open shot, which came after a rotation. In some of the instances he 'created' a good look for himself by moving without the ball and using screens... f*ck him for being skilled I suppose.