I’ll be the first to tell you that I am not a Michael Jordan fan. I don’t know if I rooted for him at all. I may have done that when the Bulls were playing the Lakers (only because if I had a NBA team, I’d probably pull for the Boston Celtics).
After that first title, I think I pulled against the Bulls every single time. I don’t know exactly why. Maybe his attitude rubbed me the wrong way. He seemed like a rather arrogant, overconfident player who seemed to always get his way.
I viewed him as the villain of the NBA. He was hogging all the championships. He left so many players I loved without a championship. Most notably, he and John Paxson (the ultimate assassin) defeated the pride of Leeds, Ala., and Auburn — Charles Barkley. They showed that 3-pointer with less than 4 seconds left on Sunday night, and that shot hurt as much as it did watching as a 12-year-old kid in 1993.
I felt that way until Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals. It was the infamous “flu game,” where Jordan scored 38 points despite having some kind of illness. Mabye it was food poisoning. Maybe it was the flu. Who knows? But he came up with the biggest game of his career, in my opinion.
I’m still disappointed that players like Patrick Ewing, Gary Payton, John Stockton, Jeff Hornacek and Karl “The Mailman” Malone didn’t get a chance to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
However, I had mad respect for Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all time. I didn’t completely understand it at the time, but when I’ve gone back and watched some of those great games, I understand the basketball behind it.
I felt the same way with Phil Jackson. I didn’t like him, but I truly understand how good of a leader he was. He earned the respect of the team, and he truly developed relationships with the team, especially the star players in the nucleus of the team. It changed my perception of what good coach is.
I admit, the language is pretty rough, but it gives great insight into that era and Jordan. It’s good entertainment, and you can make up your mind about it.
Brent Maze is the publisher of the Appeal. Contact Brent at bmaze@newtoncountyappeal.com.
