MJ, at his age, his bad knees still puts up the points. Last night, 32 points on 12 for 35 shooting, 8 for 10 from the line, 6 boards, 8 assists, 2 steals, and only 1 turnover in a win over Orlando, outscoring TMac who only had 31: M. Jordan G 39 12-25 0-1 8-10 1 6 8 2 0 1 3 32 Can you imagine how many points Jordan would be scoring for Washington if he was in his prime, say 10 years ago? He would be averaging over 40 points a night is my guess. What a shitty league when MJ can still take it to the hoop at his age. The young players should be ashamed of themselves, and if they weren't young multi-millionaires, they just might be. The pride is gone..... Patrick Ewing a champion? Nuff said....
Saw MJ in Phoenix last year. He hit a game-winning turn-around jumper over Shawn Marion (who had his hand in MJ's face) with .3 seconds left and scored altogether in the mid-20s. The place went nuts. The arena cheered louder for Jordan than the home Suns the entire game. I'm saving the ticket stub to show my future kids and grandkids that I saw the greatest ever put on a magnificent performance several years past his prime. Didja catch the Lakers-Rockets? I like Yao, but I REALLY like Francis. That kid has a lot of heart.
Watching Shaqfu get stuffed the first three times he tried to muscle into the hoop was outrageous! Go anyone but the fucking Lakers..... Now, if they can only get Yao on the same steroid...err, same "nutritional" diet that balooned up Shaqroid, he will be "the" man.
I seriously beg to differ. I have had the thrill of being on the court with His Airness. Both in his prime and just last year. As a Chicagoan, I am still sniffing at his departure. We the fans had expected to have him here forever and a day. Our current crop of tragic jesters known as the Bulls just makes me wince. I haven't been to a game for support since Mike's dismissal. He's due in town in a few days and I look forward to his teasing and dinner. It's not about the current youngsters being lousy, that's just how much further above them he is. His work ethic is unmatched anywhere in the league. And he still desires the win. To achieve it, he puts in the time in practice staying at his best. He works just as hard then as he does in the actual game. Yes, the step is a bit slower but the mind is even more cunning. There is nothing to be ashamed of if it IS talent that beats you nightly. The laugh tragedy is when a Karl Malone takes you to task. The prime is definitely gone there. That steak is truly well done!
The statue outside United Center says it all.."Best there ever was, best there ever will be." I feel sorry for people who see Jordan now but didn't see him in his prime. They will never understand.
Hey, I have the ultimate respect for MJ. I also had respect for Dr. J, Zeke, Larry, Havlicek, Moses, Hakeem, Pistol Pete (what an amazing ball player he was) Russell, Walt Frazier----not a Magic fan though. These "professionals" played with pride, and I suspect they played with the same pride in a pickup game. I just don't see that as much these days....A.I. is a proud warrior (although I don't like his "act") Jason Kidd has grown into a watchable player, I still like the "Glove" and see him as a proud warrior, but on the whole the game is mostly unwatchable. The current group of "superstars" is nothing.....and Le Bron knows it is his league to capture. Don't know if Le Bron "D's" up like M.J. (but who did? Kobe, who is an ugly E.T. faced prima donna is compared to M.J., but that is ridiculous---we saw what Kobe could do without Shaq early this year---case closed). The mailman? He needs a new route to "deliver" his mail, some retirment community perhaps. Stockton passes the Metamucil to Malone for some much needed "backdoor" action.
So true. It is so hard to explain it to people. When I think of how great MJ is (as an athlete), I truly get emotional. Watching that type of athletic excellence is a transcendent experience. What made Michael great, is that like Ali, he beat the best of his generation. Ali beat Frazier, Norton, Foreman, and others who were great warriors (I suspect that many of those fighters would rule the heavyweight division these days). Michael beat Magic, Bird, Zeke, Ewing, Malone, Charles and everyone else. Unlike the Lakers, who play in a league of diminished talent, Michael beat some of the very best players of all time. I remember the general comments from Bird when MJ dropped 63 on him and a great Celtics team, and the quote was something like: "I have just seen God on a basketball court, and he is Michael Jordan."
MJ is God... I've never met a player who gave me chills watching a game... And that was the first time watching the NBA... Since that day, I'm a basketball fan... or shall I say MJ fan... Time passes and I become a Lakers Fan... well, I lived LA... Funniest moment in LA history is when they got Rodman to play... Phil Jackson is my Zen Idol too... he he he
I would have LOVED to see the Rockets play MJ and the Bulls in the Finals the two years the Rockets won the titles. Hakeem at the top of his game with an incredible supporting cast v.s. MJ and Co. Too bad we'll never know... As much as I dislike the Lakers, Kobe is scary-good. He's only 24, and his skills are, I hate to admit it, MJ-like. Watching Kobe score 40+ points in a losing cause when the Lakers are Shaq-less bring to mind MJ's similar scoring feats in the years prior to their first championship. If the Lakers make it to the playoffs, and I'm hoping they don't, they have to be considered the favorites no matter what their seed is. They're a different team come playoff time. To me the most amazing statistic in NBA history is Oscar Robertson's AVERAGING a triple-double over the course of an entire season. I don't think that will ever happen again. That is what you call an all-around basketball player.