Michael Jordan -- in his own words

[Da_Realist]

I decided to post parts of a couple of interviews that SLAM magazine did with MJ that sheds more light on his career than his Hall of Fame Induction speech did. :pimp:

Quotes taken from a special collector

[Da_Realist]

Scoop Jackson -- July, 1996

SLAM: If you only had $5, who would you pay to see play ball?

MJ: I would pay to see Scottie Pippen play. I think he is the ultimate team player. A guy that can score, pass, rebound and play defense. I also think he

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Heilige]

Thanks! :cheers: Is this magazine on sell?

[Da_Realist]

Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson – November, 1997 (cont)

SLAM: When you first came in, you ended up playing with George Gervin, right?

MJ: I played with Gervin my second year, after I broke my foot. My first year…

SLAM: Orlando Woolridge…

MJ: Orlando, Quintin Dailey. All those guys.

SLAM: What’d you learn from those guys?

MJ: You really want to know?

SLAM: Sure.

MJ: Not to be like them [laughs]. You know, go out there and…I learned how to be a leader In all respects. Just try to lead them or help them out of their situation of losing all the time. The attitude was pretty acceptable here, of losing, so I was trying to break the mold.

[Da_Realist]

Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson – November, 1997 (cont)

SLAM: You talk about Magic’s five rings, that being a big plateau and now you…

MJ: Sure, I want to get six.

SLAM: How do you put yourself now, with Bird and Magic?

MJ: I don’t put myself above them. I think that we’re all on parallel ground here. You know, they educated me about a lot of things about the game, from a team standpoint. So I can’t put myself above…I mean, people try to, but we played in different eras. I had an opportunity to go against them, in the peak of their careers, while I was still young. And I went against them, when I was at the peak of mine, when they was on the other end. So it was a passing of trends there, and we never had the opportunity to play against each other in peak years. You know, so it’s hard to say that I’m above them, by no means. I like to consider myself parallel to them.

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’t. In terms of the way I perceived it.

[juju151111]

[QUOTE=Da_Realist]Scoop Jackson -- July, 1996

SLAM: If you only had $5, who would you pay to see play ball?

MJ: I would pay to see Scottie Pippen play. I think he is the ultimate team player. A guy that can score, pass, rebound and play defense. I also think he

[TheAnchorman]

The man has mad respect for Scottie Pippen. I can't think of any other player he respects more, besides maybe (David Thompson?).

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Ryan Jones

[Da_Realist]

Ryan Jones – August, 2006 (cont)

SLAM: You played on the original – well, the only real Dream Team –

MJ: Thank you for saying that. [Laughs]

SLAM: Yeah, I always catch myself. There’s only been one, only will be one. But if you could create a “dream team” of guys from your era, you and four other guys, who do you put around you?

MJ: Oooh – In our era? That’s tough…the point guard is Magic Johnson, without a doubt. I would have a tought time at the small forward position, because that’s Scottie Pippen and Larry Bird and splitting ‘em…

SLAM: If I give you a sixth man, you can go with that?

MJ: Yeah, I can go with that. At the power forward…Charles [Barkley] is gonna be mad, but I know Charles never played defense. Man, that’s another tough one…At center, I’d go with Olajuwon, that’s without a doubt. I mean, I never saw Jabbar in his prime, and Patrick, and I love Patrick, but I would have to say the versatility of where the game was going, Olajuwon was by far the best at the center position. And even Shaq, he’s the dominant center of today, but if you ask him back when he first came in, if he doesn’t say Olajuwon then he’s got a little amnesia. At the four, you’re talking Kevin McHale, you’re talking Karl Malone and then you’re talking about James Worthy. I’ma take James because I’m a Carolina guy.

[Da_Realist]

"I just want to get inside their head. Like when I'm playing against a rookie, I might say: 'You watched me on TV, now you're going to see me for real. On TV you can change the channel; you can't now." -- Michael Jordan

[Da_Realist]

On not making the Varisty as a sophomore at Laney High in Wilmington, NC:

"Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I'd close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it, and that usually got me going again." -- Michael Jordan

[Da_Realist]

"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it." -- Michael Jordan

[Da_Realist]

"Once I made a decision, I never thought about it again." -- Michael Jordan

[Da_Realist]

"There is no such thing as a perfect basketball player, and I don't believe there is only one greatest player, either. Everyone plays in different eras. I built my talents on the shoulders of someone else's talent. I believe greatness is an evolutionary process that changes and evolves era to era. Without Julius Erving, David Thompson, Walter Davis and Elgin Baylor, there never would have been a Michael Jordan. I evolved from them." -- Michael Jordan

[Da_Realist]

"I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it is an illusion to me...Failure always made me try harder next time." -- Michael Jordan

[Bodin]

thanks for taking the time to post these
:applause:

[Da_Realist]

"There's Michael Jordan, and then there's the rest of us" -- Magic Johnson

[1987_Lakers]

[QUOTE=Da_Realist][B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Da_Realist]

"I normally get to school between 7 and 7:30. Michael would be at school before I would. Every time I'd come in and open these doors, I'd hear the basketball. Fall, wintertime, summertime. Most mornings I had to run Michael out of the gym." -- Ruby Sutton, phys ed teacher at Laney High, Wilmington, N.C.

[Da_Realist]

"Michael Jordan is the best ever." -- Jerry West

[Da_Realist]

"After three games I said to myself, 'Whoa!'. I told my friends, 'This guy is in another world.' I played with and against some of the greatest players ever, but Michael had the kind of insatiable appetite to win that I had never seen before." -- Doug Collins

[Da_Realist]

"[Guarding] Jordan is like a nightmare. I have dreams about it. Especially when the tongue comes out." -- Craig Ehlo

[Da_Realist]

"You don't hesitate with Michael or you'll end up on some poster in a gift shop someplace." Felton Spencer

[Da_Realist]

"Sometimes the game just seems to gravitate into his grasp." -- Phil Jackson

[Fatal9]

I thought this was "his own words", what's with the Magic, West and phys-ed teacher quotes?

Nice SLAM interview. Love the stuff he said about Scottie :applause:

[Da_Realist]

"Jordan combined the best traits of many players into one remarkable package. He was as mentally tough as anyone and played with great intensity from the first minute to the last...Ultimately, Jordan combined unbelievable talent with unbelievable competitiveness." -- Chuck Daly

[Da_Realist]

"When Michael is hot, to say that he is unbelievable is an understatement." -- Dominique Wilkins

[Da_Realist]

"You ain't got no chance while he's playing; He overtakes people with his mind. He's not out there playing basketball with his skills and his God-given talent. He's playing with his mind." -- Stephon Marbury

[Da_Realist]

"Michael Jordan is the best who will ever play the game." -- Bob Knight

[Da_Realist]

"It's just God disguised as Michael Jordan." -- Larry Bird

[Da_Realist]

"I always thought Larry Bird worked harder than any other player...and...I never thought Michael, or anyone, could ever be as intense as Larry in terms of winning. But Michael is at least his equal in all those categories, besides being a superior athlete. Michael's the best player, without question, of all time." --Danny Ainge

[Da_Realist]

Thanks! :cheers: Is this magazine on sell?

Yes. I don't know where you live but BarnesandNoble and Borders should have it on the shelves. There's much more in the magazine, of course, but I tried to get out all the interesting things I hadn't heard or read before...until my hand grew numb from the typing. :(

[Da_Realist]

I thought this was "his own words", what's with the Magic, West and phys-ed teacher quotes?

Nice SLAM interview. Love the stuff he said about Scottie :applause:

I was on a roll and said...I'm sure there are people out there that may not have access so why not type some of these quotes.

Plus, he did such a piss poor job of representing himself at the Hall of Fame Induction...I wanted to post real quotes from him that did a much better job.

The quotes from the other players and coaches are from a special collector's edition of ESPN: The Magazine, by the way. It's also in stores if anyone wants to buy it.

[Jasper]

Great great value. :applause:
You did not have to remind me of these quotes and statements , I've seen it all. :cheers:
People forget the past , and the value these players as Pippen brought to 6 championships.
Including the statement of picking a PF and he took Worthy (sf) but in that same breath he was putting Mchale and the Mailmen as the real GOATS of the PF spot.

I hope the young guys on this forum can appreciate some of what was said and done in history from Micheal Jordan.

[Da_Realist]

Bulls GM Jerry Krause walked in front of the bus to get to his car. With his hands on the steering wheel, key in the ignition, MJ turned around and looked at Scottie and said, "Pip, for $5 I'll step on the gas."

[Da_Realist]

Whoa, never heard MJ say this. Good stuff.

I've been saying 91-93 > 96-98 since I've been on this board. Glad to see MJ agree with me. :D

[Don Imus]

"It's just God disguised as Michael Jordan." -- Larry Bird

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.

[nosurrender]

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.

agreed.
would've loved to see 96 bulls against 86 celtics

[OldSchoolBBall]

LMAO @ the notion that any team ever LET Jordan score. You can just dismiss a person out of hand when they start talking nonsense like that. :oldlol:

[chitownsfinest]

Wait you can't post this, MJ was a d!ck to his teammates. I mean, he got in a fight with Steve Kerr in practice! OMG lolz

Which brings me to another point. Something that amazes me about MJ's relationship with the 96-98 Bulls is how he was able to lead a players that were outcasts or nobodies before he came to the championship and gel with them so well. I mean who were Steve Kerr, Longley, Wennington, Caffey, and Buchler before playing with MJ? Not to mention few teams wanted to touch Dennis after he became insane and effed up in San Antonio and Kukoc also had a rep as a soft player. It is crazy with his first full season with a completely new group of guys sans Pippen, he led them to 72 wins.

[Raider007]

[QUOTE=Da_Realist]I decided to post parts of a couple of interviews that SLAM magazine did with MJ that sheds more light on his career than his Hall of Fame Induction speech did. :pimp:

Quotes taken from a special collector

[Jasper]

I've been saying 91-93 > 96-98 since I've been on this board. Glad to see MJ agree with me. :D

And that my friend is incorrect.
96-98 teams were the best , and most dominate (.)

[BallersTalk]

I'm a Kobe homer. If I don't bash Jordan, KB42PAH will kick me out of the I Love Kobe Club.
Oh.

[godofgods]

Whoa, never heard MJ say this. Good stuff.

He spoke the truth. First threepeat Bulls >>>>>>>>>> second threepeat Bulls (overrated, 72-10 is the 2nd most overrated stat since 81 points).

[momo]

Ace post, repped.

I liked reading the following 2 things especially:



SLAM: Have you ever been wrong?

MJ: Sure. I was wrong with the Oakley-Bill Cartwright trade. I loved Charles Oakley – he was like a brother to me, and I felt we were giving away too many years by trading a young rebounder for an old guy who hadn’t played a full season. But in terms of what were trying to get, he was the best…it was the best trade at the time. I still love Charles Oakley, and I loved having him on our team, but in terms of what Bill Cartwright brought to the team, he made a difference.

I read "The Jordan Rules" when I was younger and at the time MJ clearly had a problem with Cartwright. It is nice hearing MJ giving him props.




[B][I]
MJ: Yeah, I can go with that. At the power forward…Charles is gonna be mad, but I know Charles never played defense. Man, that’s another tough one…At center, I’d go with Olajuwon, that’s without a doubt. I mean, I never saw Jabbar in his prime, and Patrick, and I love Patrick, but I would have to say the versatility of where the game was going, Olajuwon was by far the best at the center position. And even Shaq, he’s the dominant center of today, but if you ask him back when he first came in, if he doesn’t say Olajuwon then he’s got a little amnesia. At the four, you’re talking Kevin McHale, you’re talking Karl Malone and then you’re talking about [B]James Worthy. I’ma take James because I’m a Carolina guy.

Nice seeing the real King James get some dap, even if it is in part due to the baby blue.

The team MJ outlines (Magic, MJ, Bird and Pip, Worthy and The Dream would be the sickest thing... Imagine them on the break... LOLZ!



You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Da_Realist again.

[Da_Realist]

Ace post, repped.

:cheers:

[Da_Realist]

It Must Have Been A Dream
By David Halberstam

Everyone has their favorite Jordan game, but the greatest one you’ve never seen? That would have to be the closed-door ’92 Olympic tune-up that pitted a Michael-led squad vs a Magic-led one. Care to guess who won?
….

Michael Jordan had not particularly wanted to go to Barcelona. He was exhausted from two long championship seasons that seemed to run into each other. Playing in the Summer Olympics would cost him the precious time he needed to rest his body and retreat from the pressures around him. His coach, Phil Jackson, saw no upside for Jordan, who had already played on one Olympic team eight years earlier.

But he would go, of course, because his decision was never really about basketball. It was about showcasing the NBA and pleasing corporate sponsors. It was about putting on an exhibit of basketball as an art form, and that could not be done without the league’s premier artist. It was never about beating Angola or Croatia or Spain.

Jordan was also reluctant to assume a leadership role on the team. He would leave those responsibilities to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The U.S. coach, Chuck Daly, asked Jordan if he wanted to be one of the team captains because, in any real way, this was to be his team. But Michael deferred to Bird and Johnson, saying, “No, let the two old guys be the captains.”

Soon enough, though, Jordan’s pride and competitive juices took over. Before the Dream Team left for Europe, the coaches arranged a couple of controlled scrimmages against a team of college stars – Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber, Jamal Mashburn, Allan Houston – coached by Roy Williams of Kansas. In the first scrimmage, the pros were flat and the college players were eager, and the kids won 58-52, thanks to seven three-pointers by Houston. Sadly innocent of the world they were about to enter, the college players celebrated by jumping around and doing a great deal of trash-talking.

[Da_Realist]

It Must Have Been A Dream
By David Halberstam (cont)

Later that day, Williams played golf with Jordan, Daly and Charles Barkley, and he apologized for the impetuous behavior of his young charges. Jordan, who had played at North Carolina when Williams was an assistant there, said, “Don’t worry about it, Coach. We’ll take care of it tomorrow.” At the next day’s scrimmage, just as the referee was about to throw the ball for the tip-off, Jordan pointed a finger at Houston and said, “He ain’t getting any seven threes today.” Jordan then suffocated Houston, and at the end of the 20-minute scrimmage, the Dream Team was up by 38 points. Daly wanted to add 10 more minutes to the clock, and the pros kept it up, winning by 56.

That game set the tone for the summer. No team, not even one composed of the best young American players, was going to beat the Dream Team when it paid attention. The coaches marveled day after day at the camaraderie of the players. For all the woofing and barking and gamesmanship, the individuals showed a palpable pride in being part of the greatest group of basketball players ever assembled, in being part of the generation that had taken the NBA from a game unwanted by network television to one watched by the whole world.

[Da_Realist]

It Must Have Been A Dream
By David Halberstam (cont)

Still, there was a pecking order within the team, and a great deal of pecking at each other. Bird, Johnson and Jordan never missed an opportunity to give teammates such as Barkley and Patrick Ewing a hard time because they didn’t have the rings to prove their greatness. Even the ring-holders took jabs at one another. One night in the players’ lounge, Michael, Magic and Larry went at it.

“You know,” Jordan said to Bird, “when I go to the Garden, I like to look up and see all those great championship banners hanging from the ceiling.” He paused – was this going to be an homage to Bird and Celtic greatness? “And then I think how sad it is, knowing that there will never be another one up there.”

Bird, who had three rings to Jordan’s two, struck back. “Michael, let’s talk about banners when you have your third ring.”

“I don’t know, Larry,” Jordan answered. “You used to be such a great player. And now you’re right down there at the end of the bench waving your towel – just like another M.L. Carr.”

Then Jordan turned his attention to Johnson, who had come back to play in the Olympics after retiring in 1991 because he had tested HIV-positive. “You know,” Jordan said, “it isn’t much of a challenge going out to LA anymore. In fact, from now on I’m going to take both of my kids with me, because it’s such a sleeper. It’s not like the old days, when you were playing. There’s no real test anymore.” Then he smiled. “But in deference to you, if you come back and play again, just as a sign of respect, I’ll take only one of my kids with me.”

[Da_Realist]

It Must Have Been A Dream
By David Halberstam (cont)


It was against that backdrop of edgy and constant competitiveness that an intrasquad game in Monaco was played, a game still whispered about by the tiny handful of witnesses. They had the opportunity to watch the greatest players of all time challenge one another behind closed doors. It was an All-Star Game played at the intensity of an NBA Finals seventh game, and it will forever be remembered as Magic’s Team vs Michael’s Team. That the game took place in Monte Carlo, hardly a citadel of basketball, only adds to the legend. No official box score was kept, and there was even some argument over the final score. But there was no doubt about whose team won, or abut who the best player on the court was, or about the game’s mythic quality.

From the start, Daly had been wary of an all-out practice, fearing that some other coach’s superstar would be injured on his watch. But some of the assistant coaches, notably Lenny Wilkens, thought the players needed a tougher workout than usual. Many of the players, including de facto coach Magic Johnson, also wanted a hard practice. So Daly reluctantly agreed to put all that power, ego and talent on the line in an intrasquad scrimmage. Another assistant, Mike Krzyzewski, was so mindulf of the potential trouble that he volunteered to lead morning drills to escape the duties of refereeing.

Magic’s team included Barkley, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler and Chris Mullin. On Michael’s team were Ewing, Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone. Johnson’s team jumped out to an early lead – a few say 14-2, others 14-0. Also in dispute is the identity of the first player who mouthed off. Magic, according to some, talked a little trash to upgrade the level of play. Josh Rosenfield, then the NBA’s head of international PR, believes Magic was too smart to goad MJ and that it was Barkley, the woofer’s woofer, who began it all by ribbing Jordan after Magic’s team scored. Rosenfield recalls Johnson’s giving Barkley a forearm shot and saying, “Stop it – you’re not the one who has to guard him.”

[Da_Realist]

It Must Have Been A Dream
By David Halberstam (cont)

The pleasant little intrasquad scrimmage suddenly became raw and physical, all about territory and ego. Michael’s territory. Michael’s ego. Jordan took over, driving to the basket every time he got his hands on the ball, hounding Magic on defense, stepping into the passing lanes for steals, rebounding, screaming at opponents and teammates alike, pushing himself. There was one stretch in which he made at least 12 points in a row.

When a call went against Magic’s team, Johnson yelled, “What is this, Chicago Stadium? Are you going to get all the calls here , too?”

“I’ll tell you what it is,” Jordan shouted back. “It’s the ‘90’s, not the ‘80’s.”

Kryzyzewski, who had been apprehensive from the start, was amazed at the ferocity of play. It was, he thought, like being in a house and hearing a terrible hurricane outside, then opening the door and realizing the storm was even more powerful than you had envisioned. Daly’s awe at the quality and intensity of play gave way to unhappiness. The game was out of control, and he was sure that something terrible was going to happen, that some great star was going to get hurt.

[Da_Realist]

It Must Have Been A Dream
By David Halberstam (cont)

Fortunately, Daly’s worst fears were not realized. The only damage was to the pride of Magic’s team. Jordan – and his teammates – simply took over the game. With a few minutes left, and Michael’s team up by 10, Jordan went to the line to shot two foul shots. At that point, Krzyzewski yelled timeout, in the manner of a thousand coaches encouraging their players, “Plenty of time, plenty of time left.”

Jordan slammed the ball down and shouted, “F--- that, there’s no time left at all! It’s over!” He then made both free throws. When the game ended, his team won, it was said, 36-30. Some players wanted to continue, but Daly had seen enough. The Dream Team was ready – if anything, too ready.

A handful of journalists were allowed to watch the end of the game, and afterward they went out onto the floor to talk to the players. Newsday basketball writer Jan Hubbard noticed that Jordan was still on some kind of competitive high. Holding up a Gatorade bottle and borrowing a line from his recent commercial, Jordan said, “Sometimes I dreams.” He was clearly enjoying the moment, realizing that he had just dominated a court filled with the best players in the world. Magic, in the meantime, told reporters, “We just screwed up. We got him mad. We all did too much talking. You’d think by now we’d know better.”

Hubbard approached Jordan and said, “You just have to win every time, don’t you?”
Michael smiled and replied, “I try to make a habit out of it.”

[OldSchoolBBall]

^^^^^ Always loved that story. I've heard other accounts of it too, and it's said that Jordan just dominated that game. Dominating first-ballot HOF's like that is no easy task. :oldlol:

[Glide2keva]

Awesome Thread!

[juju151111]

[QUOTE=Da_Realist]It Must Have Been A Dream
By David Halberstam (cont)

Still, there was a pecking order within the team, and a great deal of pecking at each other. Bird, Johnson and Jordan never missed an opportunity to give teammates such as Barkley and Patrick Ewing a hard time because they didn

[Da_Realist]

From When The Game Was Ours (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/When-the-Game-Was-Ours/Larry-Bird/e/9780547225470/?itm=1&USRI=when+the+game+was+ours)
by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson with Jackie Macmullan

"Larry was a debate. He still is. People ask me all the time who my all-time five top players are, and when I start saying Larry, they interrupt me. They say, 'You've got to be kidding me. He can't play with Lebron James!' I tell them, 'You guys don't get it. Larry is far better than any small forward who played the game, and to be honest, I'm still not sure if he is a small forward or a power forward.' "

"To appreciate Bird fully, you need to know the game. You have to be a basketball person to be able to give him his due. He's not jumping out of the gym. He doesn't dunk on anyone. He doesn't show any quickness. That's why some people can't see the value of his game. Now, is that racial? I suppose you could see it that way, since he doesn't possess the athleticism of some of the black guys in the league, but I never bought that." -- Michael Jordan

[Da_Realist]

From When The Game Was Ours (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/When-the-Game-Was-Ours/Larry-Bird/e/9780547225470/?itm=1&USRI=when+the+game+was+ours)
by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson with Jackie Macmullan

Knowing he had witnessed the next marquee star, Bird felt even more urgency to seize another title while the Celtics were young and healthy. Jordan didn't yet have the complementary pieces he needed to contend for a championship, but it was clear to Bird that it was only a matter of time before he would.

"Early on, people were saying Michael didn't have a team mentality," Bird said. "That was because he didn't have a team."

[CB4GOATPF]

"To appreciate Bird fully, you need to know the game. You have to be a basketball person to be able to give him his due. He's not jumping out of the gym. He doesn't dunk on anyone. He doesn't show any quickness. That's why some people can't see the value of his game. Now, is that racial? I suppose you could see it that way, since he doesn't possess the athleticism of some of the black guys in the league, but I never bought that." -- Michael Jordan

:applause:

[Roundball_Rock]

[QUOTE=Da_Realist]Scoop Jackson -- July, 1996

SLAM: If you only had $5, who would you pay to see play ball?

MJ: I would pay to see Scottie Pippen play. I think he is the ultimate team player. A guy that can score, pass, rebound and play defense. I also think he

[Harison]

Thanks Da_Realist, amazing thread :applause:

[KelticForce1349]

Bulls GM Jerry Krause walked in front of the bus to get to his car. With his hands on the steering wheel, key in the ignition, MJ turned around and looked at Scottie and said, "Pip, for $5 I'll step on the gas."


This is my favorite quote of all by far. Where did you get this one from?

[Juges8932]

Awesome thread.

[Da_Realist]

This is my favorite quote of all by far. Where did you get this one from?

ESPN the Magazine did a special MJ commemorative edition in honor of his Hall of Fame Induction. This quote came from that magazine.

[Heilige]

[QUOTE=Da_Realist]I decided to post parts of a couple of interviews that SLAM magazine did with MJ that sheds more light on his career than his Hall of Fame Induction speech did. :pimp:

Quotes taken from a special collector

[Da_Realist]

Is this the issue:


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Hz7r%2BUq4L._SS500_.jpg

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[Da_Realist]

From When The Game Was Ours (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/When-the-Game-Was-Ours/Larry-Bird/e/9780547225470/?itm=1&USRI=when+the+game+was+ours)

The margin of victory for the Dream Team in Barcelona was an average of 45.8 points. Jordan occasionally toyed with opponents before applying suffocating full-court pressure that usually generated a turnover, fast-break lay-up, or both. Bird felt that Jordan's defensive pressure was the single biggest reason the United States dominated, and he wasn't surprised to see in 2008 that Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski (an assistant on the Dream Team) employed the same tactics using Kobe Bryant.

From Sports Illustrated presents Jordan -- Commemorative Issue

The most compelling evidence of Jordan's on-court greatness played out in July and August 1992 when the Dream Team captivated the world at the Barcelona Olympics. Here he was with 10 other superstars and one of the greatest college players in history (Christian Laettner), and what became obvious was that Jordan was twice the player of any of his teammates. True, Bird was only a shell of the player he once was, and Magic was limited by his HIV-related retirement nine months earlier, but even in their primes neither could do what Jordan did.

It was in the semifinal game, one in which the Americans were safely in control from the opening whistle, that Jordan's brilliance was truly revealed. Lithuania had two celebrated players. One was Arvydas Sabonis, who a decade earlier had been considered the top player in the world before injuries and booze consipired to turn him into only an above-average player. the other was the polar opposite of Sabonis, Sarunas Marciulionis, a fit and mentally tough guard who played like a fullback and who was by that time an established backcourt player with the Golden State Warriors.

Quite simply, Jordan tortured both of them. In the first half, as Sabonis stood poised with the ball above his head to make an outlet pass, Jordan swooped in behind him and took it out of his hands, as if completing an old Statue of Liberty play in football. But it was his clamp-down defense on Marciulionis that was most memorable. During one six-minute period Jordan all but prevented Marciulionis form even getting his hands on the ball, as the Americans went on to an astounding 127-76 win against a team that some believed would keep it close. "You can take all his dunks and clutch shots and everything else Michael has ever done," said the late Chuck Daly, the U.S. coach, "but that [defense on Marciulionis] was the most
incredible thing I've ever seen on a basketball court."

More from Sports Illustrated presents Jordan -- Commemorative Issue

No opponent was expected to challenge the Dream Team, and with Jordan setting the tone, all went according to plan. Before the opener, against Angola, Barkley warned, "They're in a lot of trouble." Trouble, indeed. The U.S. won that first game by 68, though without much help from Jordan, who scored just 10 points in a reserve's role. Humiliating an undersized, inexperienced squad wasn't for Jordan, who seemed more interested in America's second opponent, Croatia. That team had won the '90 world championship and boasted two NBA up-and-comers, Drazen Petrovic and Stojko Vrankovic, as well as a pro prospect, Toni Kukoc, who'd drawn the interest of Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Krause. Jordan promised before the game, "If defense is ever going to be played, it will be" against Croatia. "I'm anxious to play Kukoc."

On the court one media outlet described Jordan's airtight defense against the Croatian guard as comparable to that of a high school bully. He would pace the U.S. with 21 points in 28 minutes to Kukoc's four (on 2-of-11 shooting) in 35 minutes. More important, the Americans had trounced what was expected to be their stiffest competition 117-85.

More from Sports Illustrated presents Jordan -- Commemorative Issue

Against Germany the U.S. found itself without a point guard (Magic Johnson and John Stockton were injured) so -- heck, why not? -- Jordan took the helm. After his 15-point, 12-assist effort in a 111-68 win he joked, "I just tried to fill [Magic's] shoes. I'm not a bad utility-man, am I?"

Even with so many prolific scorers sharing the floor, Jordan averaged 14.9 points,
pushing him to the top of the Team USA's all-time scoring list. He led the
tournament with 4.6 steals per game and dished out an average of 4.8 assists, fifth
among all players.

More from Sports Illustrated presents Jordan -- Commemorative Issue

As the anticlimactic tournament wound down, Jordan confirmed Gomelsky's sentiments, " We can elevate our game if someone pushes us," he stated before the gold medal game against Croatia, which the U.S. won behind Jordan's team-high 22 points. "I'd love to see it happen, but I doubt it will. If someone push us, we'd really be something to see."

[Da_Realist]

Michael Jordan -- A Champions Journey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBWjSjN2XbU) (1 of 2)

Michael Jordan -- A Champions Journey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh2kijXUg5M) (2 of 2)

[kumquat]

[QUOTE][B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[-23-]

:cheers:

[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.:cry:

but with mucho dinero you can bring back old games :pimp:

[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 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBWaLX5_9tk)

MJ reflects on his 4th and 5th championships (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRKfp8C_uAg)

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 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBWaLX5_9tk)

MJ reflects on his 4th and 5th championships (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRKfp8C_uAg)

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=ZU7w5B0aQ1gC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=flaming+#v=snippet&q=trade%20value&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 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoQATxSgXNQ)

[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