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7-05-06 I love Michael Jordan. Let's get that straight up front. Most sports fans are willing to admit that their childhood heroes can never be topped, and that's exactly the case with me. I grew up watching those great Bulls teams of his; I even listened to them on the radio if I couldn't watch them. It was impossible to step onto a basketball court without thinking about Michael Jordan. Without putting yourself into his shoes if just for a moment. In fact, I still do that. We don't need to get into the "next Michael Jordan" debate, or even bother listing the largely unsuccessful recipients of that apparently talent-draining title. The fact that the media has been looking for (and naming) the next MJ since 1992 is enough of a testament to his greatness in and of itself. Say what you will about Dwayne Wade and his first championship this year, but I didn't exactly see "the next Bill Cartwright" or "the next Will Purdue" starting at center for the Heat either. So I see that list of names getting longer and the elusive search continuing. And with that, a part of Jordan's legacy remains that much stronger. I've been no more than a casual observer of the NBA since Jordan hung up his playing Nikes for good. But sure, I take a little interest when The Finals come around. After all, there's a good chance you'll run into some MJ highlights there too. Maybe a nice little Marv Albert clip that goes something like, "a spec-TAC-ular move by Michael Jordan!" Maybe Jordan hitting another trey against the Blazers followed by a shoulder shrug and "Whoever smelt it, dealt it" funny look to the camera while jogging down the court. Those were the days. Outside of those moments, there is a story/montage that has become a staple around Finals time about the best players to never win an NBA Championship. I didn't realize it until this year, but this too is a hidden tribute to Michael Jordan. I have to laugh about the moment this revelation hit me. During one of The Finals games I was half-watching and half-listening to the TV when all of the sudden a name was announced that shot me straight up in my chair. Shandon Anderson. So many questions popped into my head. "What's going on? This bum is still in the league? On a Finals-caliber team? And he's getting playing time? Is MJ coming off the Mavs bench to dunk on him?" It got me rethinking about so many great players who never won a title in the Jordan era. Those Bulls teams directly robbed a handful of superstars that cherry on top of their NBA careers. And guess what? I love it. Maybe it appeals to my own competitive drive. I've always been able to relate to that desire to win and the desire to let others know that you beat them. Hakeem got lucky the first time MJ took a year and a half off. David Robinson snuck in there for a title during MJ's second hiatus and also outlasted MJ. Others weren't so lucky. Check out some of these ringless stars, followed by how many times their teams were sent home in the playoffs by Jordan's Bulls: Dominique Wilkens - 1 - '93 Hawks Chris Mullin - 1 - '98 Pacers Reggie Miller - 1 - '98 Pacers Mark Price - 4 - '88, '89, '92, '93 Cavs (along with Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance) Patrick Ewing - 4 - '89, '91, '92, '93 Knicks Sir Charles - 3 - '90 76ers, '91 76ers, '93 Suns John Stockton - 2 - '97, '98 Jazz Karl Malone - 2 - '97, '98 Jazz Unfortunately, up until the end of Game 6 of the 2006 Finals, the list included these members as well: Gary Payton - 1 - '96 Sonics Alonzo Mourning - 3 - '95 Hornets, '96 Heat, '97 Heat Shandon Anderson - 2 - '97, '98 Jazz That's why there will always be something fishy about the supposed phone conversation Jordan had with Dwayne Wade. Could he really be endorsing a "next Jordan" candidate? Didn't he know 'Zo and Payton were on that roster, just waiting to break into the promised land? With the competitiveness that flows through his veins, didn't he care about that part of the equation? I hatched this whole goofy theory about MJ shutting out nearly a whole generation of NBA stars a couple years ago when Karl Malone was pathetically floating around, trying desperately to latch on with a title contender even though he was so banged up that he was actually a detriment to his team. It just happened that The Mailman and The Glove came together in 2004 with Phil and Shaq and Kobe's Lakers. On paper, they looked great. They had 2 mega-studs, and the old guys looking for a title were a mushy story that Hollywood of all places would enjoy. But in my screenplay, the story from 2004 would have gone like this: The Lakers are also allowed to add Jordan to their roster for The Finals (by David Stern, of course). Then you get all these additional juicy subplots: 1) Phil Jackson-Michael Jordan reunion 2) MJ passing the torch to Kobe 3) Jordan for once in his life playing with a good center 4) Aging superstar conglomerate of Jordan-Malone-Payton Back to the story: The series against the heavy underdog Pistons goes seven games. In Game 7, there are eight seconds left and the Lakers are to inbound the ball down by 1. Jordan has to go into the backcourt to shake his man and get open. He catches the ball, starts to take it over the half-court line, but PSYCH!, he turns around, dunks on the Pistons basket as time expires, then tears off his Lakers jersey to reveal a Bulls #23 jersey and promptly does the moonwalk on the scorer's table. When Payton and Malone come to confront him, he gets double-fisted and simultaneously punches them each in the nose with three championship rings that he had taped on underneath his jersey. As Payton and Malone lay on the court writhing in pain, Jordan steps over them, sneers, and says, "I've been telling you punks for years that you weren't going to get a ring, and I meant it. Don't f@*# with Jordan. Don't." Have fun! -T |
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