how come Jordan never lost in the Finals?

[Rasheed1]

Robert Horry

[gengiskhan]

Was he really that good or was his competition really not that good? He played in an era too in which true dominant centers played (Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, Shaq, Mourning, etc.) as well as dominant big men (Webber, Barkley, Kemp, Malone, etc.) and yet all these other teams still couldn't beat Jordan.

Also, bonus question - can you guys name another player who never lost in the Finals ***and*** was also the FMVP each time?

Greatest compliment one can pay Michael Jeffery Jordan is

"He was always, I mean ALWAYS!..Better than the Hype created about him"

A reason why he came CLOSE to losing NBA finals but pulled it off by a single point.

example :1993 finals
example :1998 finals.

[InfiniteBaskets]

It's already been posted. Willis Reed.

That's kind of a trick question, especially the way phrased in the OP. Reed was on the Knicks in 1972 and the Knicks lost to the Lakers in the finals that year. Sure you can say Reed didn't play because he was injured, but he was on the team and thus he would have gotten a championship ring had they won.

His 1970 finals MVP is also one of the weaker ones. Reed gets injured in game 5 in the 2nd quarter while the series is tied 2-2. The Knicks afterwards are down by 18 points before rallying all the way back, without Reed to lead the series 3-2 with Walt Frazier scoring a team high 21 points.
Reed does not play at all in game 6. Then he goes on and plays a few minutes in game 7, more for a symbolic spirit-raising gesture than anything while Walt Frazier scores a game high 36 points to clinch the series in game 7. Finals MVP goes to Reed.

I didn't see the whole series live, but imo just looking into the story and box scores it seems like Frazier was more of an impact after the series was tied 2-2. Granted, Reed was a BEAST prior to his game 5 injury, but those weren't the games that won the title for New York. Imo it should've been a shared FMVP between Reed and Frazier.

[tikay0]

Greatest compliment one can pay Michael Jeffery Jordan is

"He was always, I mean ALWAYS!..Better than the Hype created about him"

A reason why he came CLOSE to losing NBA finals but pulled it off by a single point.

example :1993 finals
example :1998 finals.

I get your point, but neither of those were elimination games.

[gengiskhan]

I get your point, but neither of those were elimination games.

But

Game 6 ON THE ROAD is an ELIMINATION game 99% of the time for the visiting team.

Game 7 just becomes a formality.


Bulls lost either game 6s even by single pt. 1993 suns win the ring.

definitely 1998 Jazz win the ring.

[tmacattack33]

Biggest he was never on second place team. His Bulls were either outside the top 2, or they were the best team in the league.

[The Choken One]

He's the fhcking GOAT ( though I believe KAJ is better personally ), so of course Jordan is a god and has some godly stats.

[Soundwave]

They did almost lose in 1998, but Jordan basically just won that game six on will alone.

Because if there was a game 7 in that series, it would have been tough, I don't know if Pippen would be able to play, and even if he could his effectiveness would be limited.

[Soundwave]

Biggest he was never on second place team. His Bulls were either outside the top 2, or they were the best team in the league.

Well they were third best in '93, and they beat both of the teams ahead of them in the playoffs (New York and Phoenix), versus New York they came back from 0-2 at that. I remember a lot of people saying the Bulls were done for sure then.

[poido123]

This Tzek guy is coming accross as some type of Bulls fan. I never see him in Bulls forums and he seems to have a mancrush on Lebron.

I was confident that the Bulls fans on here don't make stupid threads like this, but I was wrong. :

[3LiftHeatCurse]

This

He was basically a definition of a frontrunner

Never won a single series in which he was not a favourite

Bulls were underdogs in 1998. THey were an old team and Jazz were favorites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPYseUjOBAc

Listen to that MJ interview during the 98 finals.

Both the Interviewer Ahmad Rashad AND JOrdan both talk about how the Jazz were the heavy favorites, and everyone saw the Bulls as old and tired , and how the Jazz thought they would wipe the floor with the old bulls.

[Soundwave]

Bulls were underdogs in 1998. THey were an old team and Jazz were favorites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPYseUjOBAc

And the Bulls were coming off a grueling 7 game series against Indiana, whereas Utah was rested and had home court and won game 1 to boot.

A lot of people were picking Utah to win that series.

New York was also heavily favored in '93, especially when they went up 2-0. Most people said the Bulls were done.

Phoenix was favored by a lot of people in '93 also. Team of destiny nonsense.

A lot of people even felt like the Bulls could still be beaten by Orlando in '96.

[clutch18]

Because bulls only made to the finals when they had the best squad in the NBA. Don't get mad that i just wrote that. Them being best was because jordan played for them but also because their team had all the right pieces to complement Jordan.

Well put

[I<3NBA]

because when the times his team was weak, he didn't make it.

[LeBird]

Because whenever they weren't the best team in the league they lost before the finals.