How Good Was Michael Jordan Actually?

Michael Jordan scored 50 points or more in the playoffs eight times more than Kobe KD Lebron and Wilt combined Jordan also had the most 40-point playoff games more than Kareem AI Steph and dwade put together in fact MJ is the only player in NBA history who had more 40o career games than games where he scored less than 20 points Jordan's Godlike Aura brutal trash talk and physical dominance put fear in opponent's hearts and while they had to get a good night's sleep before facing the Bulls Jordan could drink and smoke cigars before the game and

still drop 40 His Airness made it look easy and he proved it when the games were on the line game on the line who would take the last shot me 28 times Jordan scored the game-winning shot including seven gamewinners in the playoffs and MJ wasn't just a scorer he had the most First Team all defense selections ever with nine he's the all-time blocks Leader by a guard and has the most season with over 200 steals with six in 1989 when the Bulls lost their starting point guard coach Doug Collins made Jordan play the point and

he notched 10 triple doubles in 11 games averaging 30 points 11 assists and 9 and 1 half rebounds per game between 1991 and 1996 MJ played 13 consecutive playoff series where he averaged more than 30 points per game retiring with six rings five MVPs and a 60 record in the final but despite his seemingly Invincible Legacy Jordan did have some weaknesses MJ led the NBA in field goal attempts nine times during his 13 years in Chicago and he was a bit of a ball hog especially in his early career Jordan also had some bad playoff

games and he certainly wasn't the most Pleasant teammate so how good was Michael Jordan actually and is he really the goat to answer that we'll start with his genetics and god-given talent Michael Jordan was supposed to be short nobody in his family was taller than 5'9 and as a high school sophomore Michael was famously cut from his varsity basketball team because he was only 5'1 it sounds sad but it's true however the Jordans were blessed with Supreme athleticism just look at Michael's older brother Larry who could dunk at 5'8 so when an unexpected growth spurt

pushed Michael to 6'6 he became Unstoppable by the end of his high school career Jordan was averaging 27 points 12 rebounds and six assists but despite his unreal speed and athleticism young MJ was still an unpolished gem because he really only played two years of high school basketball as a freshman at UNCC MJ averaged a modest 13 points four rebounds and two assists per game he was the third leading scorer on the team behind James Worthy and Sam Perkins and his fundamentals ball handling and confidence weren't yet at a super high level but all that

changed in the 1982 NCAA finals when Michael hit a game-winning shot against Patrick in winning the national championship 18 shot Jordan North Carolina has won the 1982 NCAA Championship Jordan said this was the biggest turning point of his career because after that his confidence was through the roof that turned my name from Mike to Michael Jordan it gave me the confidence that I needed to start to excel at the game of basketball in the next two seasons Jordan continued his basketball education under Dean Smith and became a complete player he avered 20 points per game

was a consensus first team All-American and as a junior in 1984 he was named Collegiate player of the year but based on his college career alone it was hard to predict that Jordan would reach the Pinnacle of the NBA after all many great players who came before Michael had far better college careers including Kareem magic bird Bill Walton Bill Russell Oscar Robertson David Thompson Pete marovich and a few others because of his relatively modest numbers in college and because the 80s were the era of the big men Jordan was selected third in the 1984 NBA

draft behind centers hakee alaguan and Sam Bowie he's only 66 so how much can he really do we wish he were 71 uh but he isn't however it took just two practices for the Bulls coach to call the general manager and say you didn't mess up the draft this time for the first day in practice my mentality was whoever is a team leader on that team I'm going after him and I'm not going to do it with my voice because I had no voice I have to do it with the way that I play When

the season started it took Jordan only three games to score over 30 and nine games to Eclipse 40 by the end of the first month it was obvious that Jordan was supposed to be the first overall pick while elijuan looked like a star Jordan was more like a supernova because there was nobody in the league faster than him it seemed almost unfair how he blew past opponents with just a single step who had no answer for his drives to the basket on top of his speed Jordan was also the most athletic player in the NBA

with an unmatched vertical jump and hang time when he drove to the cup it looked like he was a fighter jet and his quickness served as a runway for his vertical takeoff when MJ raised up for a jump shot it seemed like nobody was ever guarding him because the laws of gravity didn't seem to apply to Michael Defenders could jump at the same time but as they would inevitably fall down Jordan would continue to float in the air and shoot completely unbothered how's the transition been from college to the NBA well I think it's it's

been pretty easy thanks to his highflying Feats and insane dunks Jordan quickly became the most popular player in the NBA so it only made sense that in 1986 he got voted to the All-Star Game despite playing just three games up to that point due to an ankle injury and that same year in the playoffs he set a playoff scoring record with 63 points against Boston but it was an incredible incredible playoff performance I I've never seen it before and I had never seen it after that wasn't Michael Jordan out there it was God disguised as

Michael Jord Jordan as if MJ wasn't doing enough already in 1987 MJ led the NBA in scoring with 37 points per game which was and Remains the fifth best scoring output ever behind only wilt's insane scoring Feats of the early 1960s I just want the franchise and Chicago Bulls to be respected as a team it's very hard for something like that to happen but it's not impossible meanwhile Jordan was miserable despite all the fame and individual accolades he was always losing in his first three seasons MJ only won one playoff game despite being the best

player in the league but after the Bulls GM Jerry Krauss drafted Horus Grant and Scotty Pippen his life would change forever in 1988 MJ averaged 35 points on 54% shooting with six rebounds and six assists winning his first career MVP because he also led the NBA in steals with 3.2 plus 1.6 blocks per game Jordan won the defensive player of the year and he is still one of only five players ever to win Defensive Player of the Year and MVP and after the 1988 dunk contest against Dominique Wilkins which is considered by many to be

the best of all time some people already started calling him the best player they have ever seen that's got to be a 50 but none of that mattered because the most important thing to Jordan was winning and now with pipin and Grant on the team the Bulls had their first 50- win season since 1974 Chicago then finally advanced in the playoffs winning the first round over the Cavaliers with MJ averaging an insane 45 points per game however in the second round a more experienced Pistons team defeated the Bulls pretty easily four games to one it

was proof that individual greatness doesn't translate to playoff wins a lesson Jordan had yet to learn but that didn't make him any less entertaining to watch in the 1989 season Jordan hit his first legendary shot in the NBA simply known as the shot on Elo go the Bulls win win set the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round the Bulls got past the Knicks but they again fell victim to the Pistons who bullied Jordan with their physicality and in 1990 it was more the same MJ led the NBA in scoring and steals he was super efficient

but the team couldn't get over the hump and get past the Detroit Pistons for a third consecutive year in his first six years in the league MJ had won five playoff series and lost six with an overall playoff record of 25 wins and 29 losses so after that third loss to the Pistons the media started doubting Jordan questioning his ability to play team basketball and wondering if he was only concerned about himself and his numbers and in a way they were right in the 80s he was often trying to score out of double or even

triple teams ignoring his wideopen teammates in 1989 he was a capable passer averaging a career-high eight dimes per game but Jordan always looked to to score first and pass second and he wasn't like magic jokic or donic who manipulate defenses with their eyes and fake Defenders into wrong coverages Jordan's passing was more reactive he got rid of the ball only when he saw that somebody was wide open and since Jordan was like a black hole that sucked all the defensive attention when he did opt to pass it was usually for an easy dunk but despite

MJ's ridiculous scoring numbers the Bulls offense was always average during the 80s and they were actually at their best in 1986 when Mike missed 80% of the Season due to an ankle injury it wasn't until 1990 the arrival of Phil Jackson and the emergence of Scotty Pippen that the Bulls offense cracked the top five in the NBA Pippen's passing and pushing the ball in the open court created lots of space for Jordan who could finally trust someone else to make plays for him consistently but Pippen's value was maybe even more pronounced on the defensive end

with an enormous wingspan agility and a motor to cover for multiple players on one possession Scotty was just what Michael was missing Pip's presence allowed Michael to play free safety on defense jump into passing lanes for Steals and he didn't need to waste his energy guarding the best opposing player because Scotty usually did that and after agonizing defeats against the Pistons MJ decided to bulk up which was unprecedented at the time players didn't spend much time in the gym and if you look at all the players in the80s they looked lean but hardly anyone was

super muscular so when MJ returned for the 1991 season he was still super quick athletic and could contort his body in the air like no one else but this time around he was also much stronger which allowed him to absorb contact better and Bully smaller players with his size what also helped Michael was the arrival of coaches Phil Jackson and tex winter who instituted the triangle offense which was based on cutting in open spaces and playmaking out of the post if executed properly the triangle was believed to be the most optimal offense to optimize spacing

MJ didn't have to bring up the ball all the time and force his shots and he was receiving the ball closer to the basket where he'd bully smaller Defenders and dominate like never before even though Jordan was phenomenal from the moment he stepped into the NBA in 1991 he was at his best and he won his second MVP award the 91 Bulls had the best offense in the NBA and they crushed the opposition in the Eastern Conference they swept the net beat the 76ers in five and then finally got their revenge against the Pistons this

time it wasn't even close as Detroit was on the decline after three straight NBA Finals trips while the Bulls were ascending MJ swept Isaiah and the Pistons who famously left before the final buzzer of game four refusing to shake the Bulls hands we finally got over the hump of the losers mentality we were starting to become a winning franchise and you know this guy was a limit but in the NBA ba finals another Legend awaited Magic Johnson and it seemed like the five-time NBA champion still had the upper hand when the Lakers defeated the Bulls

at home in game one that is until Phil Jackson made the adjustment to have Pippen guard magic which turned the series around and in game two Jordan dazzled the world with another iconic move switching hands midair to score an acrobatic layup oh a spectacular move by Michael Jordan the Bulls the next four games and at last the championship Jordan's hunger for an NBA ring was finally satisfied throughout the playoffs MJ averaged 31 points 8 and 1/2 assists 6 and 1/2 rebounds 2 and 1/2 Steals and 1 and 1/2 blocks shooting a career high 56% from

the field Jordan is the the most talented player in the NBA by far and the 1992 season was a continuation of Peak form for Jordan and the Bulls another scoring title with super efficient shooting First Team all defense and another MVP for His Airness the Bulls once again had the best offense in the NBA and won a franchise record 67 games Chicago reached the finals against the Trailblazers and the media pushed the narrative that Clyde Drexler was better than Jordan because Jordan is not a good outside shooter so MJ responded by nailing 6 threes and

35 points in the first half of game one which was a finals record for both threes and points in a half in what will forever be remembered as the shrug game and even though Portland tied the series at two AP piece the Bulls were just too good and they won the series in six with MJ averaging 36 points in the finals after the second finals and the Dream Team experience in Barcelona Pippen and Jordan came into the 93 season with an empty tank the Bulls weren't as dominant in the regular season but even though he

was tired MJ still led the NBA in scoring which was his seventh scoring title in a row and he also led the league in steals Chicago made it to a third consecutive finals where they faced League MVP Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns the best team in the regular season Barkley was also the best player on the Dream Team and when he won the MVP many people believed that he could be an even better player than Michael which pissed off Jordan but because of the sun's inexperience and Barkley's nasty elbow injury the Bulls won the

first two games on the road and it seemed like it would be smoo sailing to the next title however the Suns weren't going away that easily they won games three and five in Chicago and they could have won game four to if it wasn't for Jordan that mother would not let me win that game who buried the Suns with 55 points the second highest scoring game in NBA finals history and Michael just outplayed me that was probably the first time in my life that I felt like there was a better basketball player in the world

than me to be honest with you after five games it was 3-2 for the Bulls but the remaining two games were to be played in Arizona in game six the Suns had the lead throughout the fourth quarter but Jordan kept the Bulls in the game and everybody expected Jordan to take the final shot to tie the game but MJ wasn't the same stubborn player as before and he gave up the ball early to set up an open shot for John Paxton Chic three straight NBA championship that was it a three Pat and MJ Legacy was

set Jordan finished the 993 finals with averages of 41 8 and 6 on 51% shooting and 40% from three and this wasn't even his best playoff series statistically MJ was on the top of his game and his basketball IQ winning mentality and physical dominance all synced in Perfect Harmony Jordan showed his otherworldly ability to beat an opponent one-on-one separate double teams attack the rim but also to find open teammates if we comp compare the 1993 Jordan to his early NBA years the growth was evident when it was needed he was pressing full court defensively when

nobody could score he recognized it and carried the Bulls and when he got doubled he gave up the ball without trying to be a hero in terms of basketball skills Jordan was physically a much stronger player who became a master of footwork and postup game when he reached the desired position with his back to the basket he'd turn and stay in the air for what felt like an hour longer than his opponent it only to hit a patented turnaround jumper clean as a whistle the memories of anyone doubting him were long forgotten everybody knew he

was the best player alive and many believed after that three repeat he was already the best of all time my love for this game is strong I'm going to be here as long as my love is strong Jordan told reporters after the finals in a champagne soaked locker room however just one month later his father was killed and Jordan retired from basketball for a year and a half the love for basket ball was put on hold I had him for 32 years you know and he taught me a lot in 32 years you know how

many kids get that opportunity very few you know in today's society get the chance to spend that much time with their parents and get that type of influence 18 months and a stint in minor league baseball later and the itch for the game became too strong so Jordan released arguably the most famous two-word press release of all time it came in a two-word statement which is now just begging to have a Nike campaign built around it quote unquote I'm back and it didn't take Jordan too much time to show that he was still the God

of basketball in just the fifth game after his return He poured in 55 points against the Knicks in the infamous Double Nickel game but overall MJ struggled with his shot shooting a career low of 41% from the field and it turned out that playing baseball for a year and a half took a bite out of his greatness even the best players need to practice and in the second round of the playoffs against Orlando things didn't go according to play plan even though Michael averaged 31 points on 48% shooting the Bulls weren't as strong inside Horus

Grant who used to be their starting power forward was now playing for Orlando and together with a young Shack the magic simply outmuscled the Bulls in the paint many people will say the Bulls lost in '95 because Jordan wasn't in Peak form after his baseball Hiatus and there is some truth to that but Jordan actually averaged his usual numbers really basketball is just a team sport and they lost because Orlando was much bigger and deeper than them thankfully the Bulls management knew that too last week the Bulls announced the acquisition of a player many people

consider the most controversial basketball star in the NBA they added Dennis Rodman to the team the best rebounder of all time and one of the fiercest defensive players ever I don't care whatever what's up a year before they also added Steve Kerr the most accurate three-point shooter ever and together with a defensive dog Ron Harper and Tony kach who was the most versatile power forward in the NBA MJ had the Best Supporting Cast in the league in the 1996 season the Bulls were so good that they became only the second team in NBA history to

lead the NBA in offensive and defensive rating and their plus 13.4 net rating is still the best ever their 72-10 record was the best of all time and of course Jordan won an MVP averaging 36 and four as for the playoffs there was no stopping the Bulls only the Sonics in the finals showed any kind of resistance and Gary Payton was the first Defender to have slowed down Michael but he couldn't beat him and Chicago won their fourth title with Michael crying his guts out in the locker room because it was the first championship he

won without his father I know he's watching this is my daddy he's a voice of reason that always drove and challenged me that's the type of father I have like a friend yeah like a friend and when the 1997 season started the Bulls continued to rule the NBA with four hall of famers the most accurate three-point shooter of all time and other excellent role players no team could match up with Chicago running the triangle like a well-oiled machine the Bulls dominated the regular season with 69 wins and getting to the finals seemed like a walk

in the park as they only lost two games in three playoff series but in the finals it wasn't that easy because they played the formidable Duo of Stockton and Malone and the Utah Jazz this series would be remembered by the infamous flu game where Jordan suffered from food poisoning and had a fever before the pivotal game five when the series was tied but Jordan played through the illness and managed to squeeze every atom of strength to score 38 points and the Bulls won 90-88 in game six Jordan trusted Steve cerr with the final shot and

kerr hit a jumper for the win in the final seconds have won their first championship in the last seven years however when the 1998 season started the Bulls were running on fumes Pippen had injury problems and disputes with management and Rodman was more Reckless than ever but they still had Michael even though he wasn't as athletic as before and his efficiency decreased Jordan was still capable of winning games by himself the Bulls finished with 62 wins despite Pippen missing half the season and that's why Jordan was named NBA MVP for the fifth time in the

playoffs the Bulls survived the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern finals winning game seven by five points and then in the final Utah awaited again hungrier than ever in a tough defensive Series where neither team scored 100 points Jordan proved his clutch Factor once again hitting arguably the most famous shot in NBA history over Byron Russell Jord open Chicago with the lead six championships in eight years with six awards for the finals MVP and Jordan achieved basketball immortality and if this is the final chapter what a way to close the book after 1998 Jordan retired for

the second time which was the end of his Prime and we can sum up his career with the bulls in three parts the first part being between 1984 and 1990 when he was easily the most athletic player in the NBA a scoring machine beating players with speed and leaving Defenders stuck in the mud but basketball is a team sport and Jordan didn't have enough quality teammates around him and those who he did have he didn't trust the second part was the first repeat when he slowed down a bit and wasn't going 100 mph on every

possession MJ was then physically stronger he became a master of all facets of the game improved his shot and started trusting his teammates and then came the second three repeat where the Bulls had the deepest and most versatile team in the NBA the bulls with Pippen rookie cach and cerr won 55 games in the 1994 season and they played Without Jordan Rodman and Harper who was maybe the most underrated teammate MJ ever had when they all got together in 1996 it was game over for the league but having good teammates is essential to winning in

the NBA especially when you're past your physical prime Jordan lost a chunk of his quickness during the second threee but that's like when a Ferrari loses 100 horsepower it's still faster than almost anything else on the road and that answers the question how good was Michael Jordan actually even when he wasn't at his best Jordan was still the best player in the league if you divide his career into three parts each part would suffice for a Hall of Fame career in his first six seasons Jordan didn't win a ring but he was the most electrifying

athlete the NBA had ever seen with unreal stats and winning all possible accolades the first three Pat was Jordan at his best showcasing a level of basketball that's rare and few if any have touched and with his second three Pat the Bulls won 72 69 and 62 games in the regular season and capped it off with three championship rings losing just 13 games in 12 playoff series from 1996 to 1998 the only season of his career where Jordan wasn't the best player in the league was probably just his rookie season Jordan was the best player

in the world for over a decade something that can be said only of three other players Wilt Kareem and LeBron but while Kareem's individual and team accomplishments are similar to MJ's Jabar wasn't the best player on his team for three of his six championships and he only has two finals MVPs compared to Jordan's six wilts scoring numbers from the 60s were impossible to reach even for Jordan but he only won two titles and was constantly losing to Bill Russell and finally there's LeBron who might be the most complete basketball player ever and due to his

longevity he is the statistical goat but LeBron only has four titles and has lost six times in the finals including the 2011 dud against the Mavs where he played a catastrophic series that cost Miami the championship and that's something that never happened to Jordan and because of his of dominance a six row record in the finals with six finals MVPs and the biggest impact on NBA popularity worldwide it's hard to say that Jordan wasn't the greatest player to ever touch a basketball speaking of Jordan we've got another video about him and Pippen you simply can't

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