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Epoch1
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Bulls teams played great team basketball.
Yes they did!
And to think all they had for a big man was Bill Cartwright... but great role players are as important as the stars. Bulls proved that.
Bulls teams played great team basketball.
You're kind of proving my point. The NBA changed the rules to make it easier on MJ... and in turn hand-cuffed team defense.
Lebron is just one of those guys that benefited from those rules changes. Change them back and Lebron wouldn't be half the player MJ was even before those rules changes.
MJ didn't need the changes... it was the NBA that wanted to free him so he could put on an ever better show. Without them LBJ would be pretty average.
Right, so why was it that he ruined basketball? For a second there I didn't realize we were just trolling BronBron fans again. (Flagrant foul rule was implemented during The Bulls FIRST championship season. Weird timing to say the least.)
Because... and this is just my opinion... because he helped usher in the sort of rules changes that ruined team basketball and put the NBA's focus on protecting superstars and ruining the team aspect of basketball. To be fair, maybe it should be stated that, while it was Stern and the NBA that changed the game to fit his style of play, MJ was the catalyst for those changes.
IMO, it was the end of basketball as I knew it.
All ok....yeah, sure, whatever.
I dunno, all he did was play ball bro.
It might still be alive... but it's on life-support.
In 1986 Jordan scored 63 point in a superhuman effort that many called the greatest NBA game ever played. His TEAM still lost. Bird described MJ's play as "God disguised as Michael Jordan"
"He was hitting outside shots, driving to the hole. We had about everyone on the team guarding him," recalled Bird, now the Pacers president. "He obviously was in a zone. He kept them in the game with big basket after big basket. We couldn't stop him. We tried to shade him to help, everything. You were talking about a different type of talent."
He scored 49 points in the game before that one... his TEAM still lost. MJ learned from that series. He realized that he needed a TEAM to win.
The Bulls got him the help he needed, After that, he made history.
It's a shame that James could never figure that out.
Did you ever hear of the "crab-dribble" before James mentioned it? James has no idea what a charge is. He lives in a world that no other player could dream of.
An all time defensive player that averages about 1 foul a game? Come on... in what dimension does that happen?
He's like a bull in a china shop that never gets billed for the destruction he wreaks upon other players.
He get more help from the refs than any player I've ever watched. And I've been watching since the 1950's
James actually figured that out before Jordan did. That is why he left Cleveland. Say what you will about the Heat playing iso ball, but LeBron uses his teammates better than Jordan ever did.
Did you ever hear of the "crab-dribble" before James mentioned it? James has no idea what a charge is. He lives in a world that no other player could dream of.
An all time defensive player that averages about 1 foul a game? Come on... in what dimension does that happen?
He's like a bull in a china shop that never gets billed for the destruction he wreaks upon other players.
He get more help from the refs than any player I've ever watched. And I've been watching since the 1950's
It is an interesting argument that has its merits.
If we back away from the immediate Knee Jerk reaction defending Jordan as the greatest player who ever played and is immune to criticism......
You could argue that Jordan was the catylyst and original seed of the PLAYER league instead of TEAM league.
Promoting superstars had been around before MJ, but Michael Jordan was the individual who took it to super prominence and the de facto method of business ever since.
Some of the mess we have now in free agency can trace its lineage back to the SUPERSTAR > TEAM concept that Jordan certainly helped bring.
But, we cannot really blame Jordan.
He was just the right guy in the right place at the right time.
Every other player in history probably would have done the same thing if they had his talent and the opportunity coming together.
James had team that had the best record in the NBA. Come the playoffs he resorted to the only style he knows and tried to do it all himself. When they lost he threw them under the bus.
He quit on them against the Celtics and then bolted to join a team that was signed under dubious circumstances. He can't take any credit for that. It was Riley's doing.
Now he thinks he's going home to bring them a title? Call me when it happens.
And that is the last comment I'll have about James. He shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as MJ.
It is an interesting argument that has its merits.
If we back away from the immediate Knee Jerk reaction defending Jordan as the greatest player who ever played and is immune to criticism......
You could argue that Jordan was the catylyst and original seed of the PLAYER league instead of TEAM league.
Promoting superstars had been around before MJ, but Michael Jordan was the individual who took it to super prominence and the de facto method of business ever since.
Some of the mess we have now in free agency can trace its lineage back to the SUPERSTAR > TEAM concept that Jordan certainly helped bring.
But, we cannot really blame Jordan.
He was just the right guy in the right place at the right time.
Every other player in history probably would have done the same thing if they had his talent and the opportunity coming together.
Very well said! I never meant to suggest that Jordan needed the changes. He was probably the best individual as far as physical talent the league has ever seen.
I came across this article today and it asked a question that I have been debating since the 1990's.
The writer says what I've been saying ever since the NBA started promoting ISO ball and highlighting players rather then teams.
The win by the Spurs this year brought appreciation for TEAM basketball back... if only for this year. The Spurs proved that a great TEAM will always beat a great player.
Anyone want to chime in?
James actually figured that out before Jordan did. That is why he left Cleveland. Say what you will about the Heat playing iso ball, but LeBron uses his teammates better than Jordan ever did.