For as long as I can remember, I have loved the NBA.
I have loved the players, the teams, the courts, the uniforms but must of all, I have loved watching great basketball.
For some reason though, the NBA has been making a lot of changes lately and it just doesn't feel right to me.
All Star Game
The first thing that was changed was the Allstar game. Instead of the best of the west playing the best of the east this year, two team captains will pick their teams, irrespective of conference.
It was an effort by Adam Silver to make the Allstar game more competitive this year. For the past several years, the NBA Allstar games have been a joke. None of the players have competed and it has deteriorated the game to the point where it is a glorified layup drill.
The Allstar game used to be one of my favorite games each year. It was the one chance to see all the best players in the world but on a show, but more importantly compete to see who is best player/team in the world, at least for one day. I remember watching Jordan score 40 in the 1988 All Star game, Magic, Bird and Jordan putting on a show in their last Allstar game together in the 1990 Allstar game, Magic returning from retirement in 1992 to win MVP, Kobe and Jordan going head to head in 1998, and Iverson leading the east from behind in 2001. Those games meant a lot, because the players competed hard.
But because players have stopped competing, Allstar records have also become meaningless. Last year, Anthony Davis scored a record 52 points. In the same game, Russel Westbrook scored 41 points and the West won 192-182 but it was one of the worst all-star games I have ever seen.
This year, Adam Silver hopes that the changes will make the game more competitive. Personally, the problem is not with the teams, but the attitude of the players. I understand that they don't want to be injured, but when in the history of the all star game has a player been injured due to playing hard and competing?
I hate that players aren't competing and I hate destroying the 70 year tradition of East v West.
Uniforms
I was really excited when I heard that Nike would be producing the uniforms. I didn't like the sleeved jerseys that Adidas pushed and I was hoping that Nike produce some nice uniforms.
But then came the advertising on the jerseys. I don't like it and I think it just cheapens the whole look. I have seen other leagues around the world that have more advertising on the jerseys and you can barely tell what the team name is and what are the sponsors. I understand that its all about money and these advertisers are paying a lot of money to have their names on the jerseys. I understand it, but I don't like it.
What I really hate though is some of the jerseys. Firstly, what is going on with the Lakers' jerseys. The Lakers have one of the most classic jerseys in the NBA and somehow they got the color completely wrong. It looks horrible. Just look at this comparison between the classic Lakers purple and gold and the new banana yellow.
(Don't get me wrong, not all jerseys are horrible. I love the Wolves, the Heat and some of the other teams).
The other thing that's really annoying me is the uniform colors for home and away teams. Previously, home teams generally wore white and away teams wore their colors. But this year, for some reason, they have changed it. When the Bulls and the Lakers played in LA last week, the Bulls wore there white home uniforms and the Lakers wore their banana yellow. It just looked horrible.
The Lakers also don't seem to be wearing their classic purple uniforms anymore. Why would the most successful franchise in the past 30 years change their classic look?
I know change is good sometimes. But I just don't like these changes...
Yes, and it counts!
Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Tuesday, 14 November 2017
Why Michael Jordan will always be better than LeBron James (and it has nothing to do with six rings)
With
LeBron James recently overtaking Jordan in total games played, there has been a
lot of talk that LeBron James is closing in on Jordan's greatness and that by the end of
his career that he will overtake MJ as the greatest of all time.
But
with LeBron’s loss in the finals this year, he has won just 3 out of the 8
Finals that he has appeared in. On the
other hand, Jordan was a perfect 6 out of 6 in the Finals.
Some
people argue that Jordan’s perfect 6 for 6 in the finals means that his status as the
GOAT is unattainable for LeBron. Others
argue that the fact that LeBron made it to the Finals 8 times is more
impressive than Jordan’s 6.
But
is unfair to both LeBron and Jordan to only compare finals wins. Being the GOAT is about so much more than
that. So here are 3 reasons why Jordan
is better than LeBron that have nothing to do with rings.
1. The Decision
I
am not talking about the ESPN television special in which LeBron declared that
he was going to take his talents to South Beach. I am talking about LeBron’s actual decision
to leave Cleveland to join two superstars in Miami to win “not one, not two,
not three, not four, not five, not 6, not 7” championships.
A
lot of people argue that LeBron Cleveland left because the Cavs were a terrible
team. That is just not true. In fact, in the previous two seasons (2008-09 and
2009-10), the Cavs had the best record in the NBA. They won 66 games in 2009
and 61 games in 2010.
In
the previous four seasons, the Cavs also had made it to the NBA finals once,
the Conference finals once and the Conference semi-finals twice. Clearly, they
were an elite team in the NBA.
LeBron
fans also argue that LeBron had no help in Cleveland. While he certainly didn’t have Wade and Bosh,
he did have All-Stars Shaquille O’Neal (15 time All-Star), Antawn Jamison (2
time All-Star) and Mo Williams (1 x All Star).
Mo Williams and Shaq were both All-stars as recently as 2009 and Jamison
in 2008. Zydrunis Ilgauskas was also an
All-star in 2003 and 2005. It certainly wasn’t
like LeBron didn’t have talented players around him in Cleveland.
But
why does LeBron’s decision matter? LeBron fans argue that he still had to win
those championships in Miami. But the
league MVP joining a team with Superstar Dwyane Wade (All NBA First team in
2010) and Chris Bosh (11 time All Star) made winning those championships significantly easier for him. It also set a precedent for players like
Kevin Durant to go from the Thunder to go to the 73 win Golden State Warriors.
LeBron fans will argue that Jordan never won any championships without Scottie Pippen, which is true. However, Pippen was drafted by the Bulls as a raw talent and as a rookie, he averaged just 7.9 points per game. Jordan helped develop Pippen into the All-Star player that he became and Pippen improved every year he played alongside Jordan. Similarly, Horace Grant developed from a 7.7 points per game in his rookie year to a very solid power forward. Jordan pushed his teammates every day in practice to make them better players that could help him win the championship. He didn't just look to join two other established stars.
Imagine if in the late 1980’s, Michael Jordan went to the Celtics to join up with Bird
and McHale, or if he went to the Pistons to play with Isiah and Joe Dumars, or
the Lakers with Magic and Worthy. Sure,
he still would have won 6 or more championships, but they wouldn’t have been as
meaningful as they were by building a championship team in Chicago.
Again, after the Bulls 6th championship in 1998, Jordan was a
free agent and could have easily signed with the Lakers to play with Shaq and
Kobe, Spurs to play with Duncan and Robinson, Utah and played with Stockton and
Malone, Houston to play with Hakeem, Barkley and Pippen. Jordan could have gone
to any of those teams and won 2-5 more championships depending on how long he
played for.
But unlike LeBron going to Miami, Jordan never even considered about
joining two other superstars to chase more championships, because for Jordan
the challenge and the competition was why he played.
That
attitude of competition and challenge is one thing that sets Jordan apart from
LeBron. LeBron wants to team up with the
best players. Jordan wanted to
beat them.
2. Playoff Failures
Even
after joining Wade and Bosh in Miami, LeBron failed to win the Championship in
2011 losing to the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games
LeBron’s
performance in that series against the Mavs is one of the worst, if not the
worst, performance by a superstar in the NBA finals ever.
He
averaged just 17.8 points in series against the Mavs. In game 4 of the
series, LeBron had maybe his worst game ever, scoring just 8 points on 3-11
shooting and 4 turnovers. LeBron
followed that game up with a 17 point game in game 5 on 8-19 shooting and a 21
point game in game 6 where Miami was -24 when on the floor.
Not
only was he completely outplayed in the series by Dirk Nowitski who was finals
MVP averaging 26.0, 9.7 and 2.0, but also Dwyane Wade (26.5, 7.0, 5.2) severely
outplayed Lebron. Even Chris Bosh
averaged more points (18.5) and rebounds (7.3) than LeBron in the series.
LeBron
has a history of these types of failures in
the playoffs. In game 5 of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semi finals, LeBron had another
terrible game, scoring just 15 points of 3-14 shooting. LeBron appeared to be so disinterested in that game
that many people speculated that LeBron had already given up on Cleveland.
In
2007, LeBron carried the Cavs to the NBA Finals against the Spurs. But on the biggest stage, LeBron had a
terrible shooting series, shooting an incredible 35.6% from the field. While
he did average 22 points, 7 rebounds and 6.8 assists in the series, he also
averaged 5.8 turnovers per game. LeBron’s
loss to the Spurs in a 4-0 sweep should not be held against him, but his poor performance
in those Finals definitely should.
Even
LeBron‘s loss in the Finals to the Warriors in 2015 should not be held against
him, especially after the Cavs lost Kyrie Irving to injury in game 1. LeBron fans will say that LeBron had one of
the greatest series' ever averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8
assists. But what they never acknowledge
is that LeBron shot just 39.8 percent from the field in that series.
LeBron
fans usually argue that Jordan lost to the Bucks in 1985, to the Celtics in 1986
and 1987, the Pistons in 1988, 1989 and 1990 and the Magic in 1995. Like LeBron, there were times where Jordan’s
teams were not as good as their opponent.
But unlike LeBron, Jordan’s individual performance Jordan never faulted
during those series.
Yes,
Jordan has had some bad shooting games in the Playoffs. For example, in game 3 of the 1993 Eastern
Conference Finals, Jordan shot just 3-18 from the field. But he came back the next game and scored 54
points on 60% shooting. LeBron simply hasn’t
bounced back from bad shooting performances the way that Jordan has.
Jordan’s
most famous playoff failure occurred in game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semi-finals
against the Orlando Magic. The highlight
of Nick Anderson stealing the ball from Jordan in the final seconds has been
shown thousands of time. We all know
that Jordan came back the next year and destroyed the Orlando Magic. But what is rarely mentioned is that the very
next game, Jordan scored 38 points on 17-30 shooting, with 7 rebounds, 3
assists, 4 steals and 4 blocks as the Bulls won to steal home court
advantage from the NBA best Magic. Jordan averaged 31.0 points (on 47.7% shooting), 6.5
rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.8 blocks during that series against Orlando
including 40 points in game 3 and 39 points in game 5. Jordan’s statistics during that series, which
is considered to be one of Jordan’s worst in his career, are actually better than LeBron's career playoff numbers.
Overall
in the playoffs, Jordan has higher
points per game (33.4 v 28.4), Field goal % (48.1 v 46.7), Three Point % (33.2
v 33.0), Free Throw Percentage (82.8 v 74.2), Steals (2.1 v 1.8), fewer
turnovers, (3.1 v 3.5) and PER (28.6 v 27.9).
Similarly, in the finals, Jordan has higher points per
game (33.6 v 27.7), Field goal % (48.7 v 48.5), Three Point % (36.8 v 35.9),
Free Throw Percentage (80.6 v 72.6), Steals (2.1 v 1.8), and fewer turnovers (2.4
v 3.9).
Overall, Jordan is the far superior playoff performer and that is another reason why LeBron will never be able to catch Jordan as the GOAT.
Overall, Jordan is the far superior playoff performer and that is another reason why LeBron will never be able to catch Jordan as the GOAT.
3. Bronzed – Twice
One
blemish in LeBron’s career that is rarely mentioned is the fact that LeBron
failed to win the Gold Medal in the 2004 Olympics and then again in the 2006
World Championships. The failure to win
the Gold Medal, not once but twice, has to be one of the biggest
disappointments of LeBron’s career.
In
2004, LeBron was coming off his rookie year in the NBA where he was named
Rookie of the year. He was teamed with Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Carmelo
Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Stephon Marbury and Amare Stoudemire. By far they were the most talented team in
the Olympics and should have won the Gold medal easily.
But
in their first game, USA lost 82-73 to Puerto Rico, their biggest lost in
Olympic History. Prior to the 2004
Olympics, the USA had only ever lost two games.
In the 2004 Olympics, USA lost three games and only finished with the
bronze medal. LeBron averaged only 5.4 points, 1.0 rebound, 1.6 assists, 0.8
steals, 0.4 blocks and 1.1 turnovers per game. He also only averaged 11.4
minutes per game (in a 40 minute game).
LeBron
has a chance at Redemption in 2006 after his third year in the NBA at the World
Championships. Teamed with Carmelo
Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard and Joe Johnson,
the 2006 USA team was ridiculously stacked. But yet, somehow, they did not win
the gold medal
In 2006, Lebron led the team in minutes played (24.2 minutes in a 40 minute game). He also played 30 out of the 40 minutes in the loss in the semi-finals against a Greek team that had no NBA players.
In 2006, Lebron led the team in minutes played (24.2 minutes in a 40 minute game). He also played 30 out of the 40 minutes in the loss in the semi-finals against a Greek team that had no NBA players.
LeBron
fans may argue, LeBron was too young or that he didn’t get enough playing time.
But compare
LeBron’s stats with 21 year old Michael Jordan’s stats in the 1984
Olympics. 17.1 Points, 3 rebounds, 2
assists, 1.5 steals, 0.9 blocks. More
importantly, he led a team of college players who had never played an NBA game
to a perfect 8-0 record and the gold medal.
Jordan scored 20 points in the gold medal game against Spain. He also led them to a perfect 8-0 record
against NBA select teams which included Bird, Magic and Isiah.
LeBron
fans may argue that Jordan faced lesser international talent in 1984 than LeBron did in 2004
and 2006. This may be true (although the 2006 Greek team did not have any NBA Players), but Jordan certainly didn’t have teammates like
Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Stephon Marbury, Amare
Stoudemire, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard and Joe Johnson in 1984.
Secondly,
LeBron fans may argue that the whole offense was centered around Jordan, whereas
LeBron had to share with all of the other All-stars that he played with and
that is why Jordan was so much more effective than LeBron was.
Thankfully,
YouTube has many highlights and some full games of Jordan’s 1984 Olympics. Jordan played within Bobby Knight’s
structured system but still was able to shine.
His defence and hustle alone would have earned him playing time on any
team, especially teams like the 2004 Olympic team that were severely lacking
those qualities.
LeBron
went on to win 2 Olympic Gold Medals in 2008, 2012, matching the two that
Jordan has. But the two bronze medals
will always be a blemish on LeBron’s career compared to Jordan.
When comparing anyone who wants to be considered as the GOAT to Jordan, they almost need to have a perfect career. Jordan's career had very flew blemishes. LeBron's career already has far too many blemishes to be considered the Greatest of All Time.
When comparing anyone who wants to be considered as the GOAT to Jordan, they almost need to have a perfect career. Jordan's career had very flew blemishes. LeBron's career already has far too many blemishes to be considered the Greatest of All Time.
Sunday, 25 October 2015
Four teams to watch in 2015-2016 season
1. Los Angeles Lakers
The
2015-2016 Lakers won’t win the NBA championship. They probably won’t even make the playoffs.
So why should we watch them?
The answer is simple…
Kobe Bryant.
This
season could be the last time we get to see one of the greatest players of all
time on an NBA court. He is also one of
the last links that we have to the great era of the 1990s.
But there
are so many questions surrounding Bryant:
Firstly, will he be able to stay healthy? Can
his 38 year old body hold up for the season? He wasn’t
able to make it through the pre-season injury free, so how is he going to get through 82 games?
Is
he going to be able to perform like Kobe Bryant? He looked good in the pre-season, averaging 13.0
points in only 18 minutes and he scored 21 points in just 18 minutes against Maccabi. He shot .447 which is
slightly below his career average of .451.
Can
he adapt to playing small forward? Kobe
claims he can and that he loves playing off the ball. It will be intriguing to watch.
Can
the Lakers make the Playoffs? Probably not.
The Western Conference has so many great teams, but Kobe loves a
challenge.
No
matter what happens with the Lakers this year, every game in which Kobe plays
will be worth watching just to see one of the greatest ever for what could be
the last time.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
A
few years ago, the Thunder liked like they were going to be the team of the
future. They were young, athletic and
had three of the best players on the planet in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook
and James Harden.
But
after they lost to the Miami Heat in the 2012 Finals and subsequently lost
Harden to the Houston Rockets, the Thunder have been disappointing and failed
to make the Playoffs last season for the first time since 2009.
Admittedly,
a lot of their struggles were because Durant and Westbrook have suffered
injuries. Westbrook has missed 51 games
in the past two seasons and Durant was only able to play in 27 games last
season.
However,
Durant being did give Westbrook a chance to show just how great he is and finished
fourth in MVP voting last season.
Some
have questioned whether Westbrook’s elevated status will be a problem for team
chemistry. It is not clear whether the
Thunder will be Durant’s team or Westbrook’s team?
With
both players healthy, The Thunder were impressive in the pre-season with a 5-1
record. If Westbrook and Durant can stay
healthy throughout the season, the Thunder could again challenge for the NBA
championship in 2016.
3. Golden State Warriors
Ok,
this is an easy choice. The defending champions are one of the most entertaining teams in the NBA. They looked like they were on cruise
control in the pre-season with the Splash brothers putting on shows.
But
they will be without Head Coach Steve Kerr for the start of the season. Will this affect the defending champs? Luke Walton will be interim head coach for
the start of the season but he has never been a head coach before. I don’t think that this will be a big issue,
but could be a speed bump for the defending champions.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
Another
easy choice. Even without Kyrie Irving
and Kevin Love, the Cavs almost won the NBA Championship last season before
losing to the Warriors in 6 games.
The
Cavs were terrible in the pre-season, losing all but one of their seven pre-season
games.
Nevertheless,
if Lebron, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving stay healthy, the Cavs will be the
hands-down favorite to win the East and should make another trip to the Finals.
Kyrie
and Lebron also happen to be two of the most entertaining players on the planet
and the Cavs will definitely be worth watching this season.
Wednesday, 21 October 2015
Steve Nash Deserves More Respect
On a recent
episode of NBA Open Court, Shaquille O’Neal took an opportunity to have a free
therapy session in relation to some resentment he had towards Steve Nash
winning the MVP award over him in 2005 and 2006.
“He would
always beat me out on the MVP voting.
I’m averaging 28 and 15, without the free throws, and I’m going to the
Finals every year.”
When Ernie
Johnson asked Shaq whether he thought Steve Nash deserved the award, Shaq
responded:
“Maybe once
but not twice over the Diesel… He got 2, I got 1, Kobe got 1. There’s something
wrong with that picture.”
Is there any
truth to this? Did Shaq deserve the MVP
over Steve Nash. Let’s have a look at
the facts of the two years that Nash won the MVP.
2004-2005
The 2004-05
season was Shaq’s first season in Miami.
He led the Miami heat to a 59-23 record and to the Eastern Conference
Finals where they lost 4 games to 3 to the Detroit Pistons.
The Heat
improved their record by an impressive 17 games with Shaq from the 42-40 record
in 2003-04. Shaq’s per game averages
were 22.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.3 blocks. He shot .601 from the field but only .461
from the line. Certainly some pretty
impressive stats, although nowhere near the 28 points and 15 rebounds that he
claimed that he averaged. He also did
not make it to the Finals despite his claim that he made it to the Finals
“every year.”
His teammate,
Dwyane Wade actually led the team in points averaging 22.4 points per game with
4.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 block per game.
Like Shaq,
2004-2005 was Steve Nash’s first season with a new team after spending the
previous five seasons with Dallas.
Phoenix improved their record by an amazing 33 games, winning an
impressive 62 games after finishing 29-53 in the previous season. Playing in the tough Western Conference, the
Suns 62-20 record was best in the League after finishing 13th in the
West the previous year.
The Suns’
main move from 2003-2004 to 2004-2005 was getting rid of Stephon Marbury and
acquiring Steve Nash. The majority of
the Suns team from 2003-2004 remained intact in 2004-2005.
Nash averaged
15.5 points, 11.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1 steal per game, while shooting
.502 from the field, .461 from 3 and .887 from the line. His 11.5 assists per game led the NBA.
In the
voting, Nash earned 65 first placed votes, with a total of 1066. Shaq got 58
first placed votes with a total of 1032.
It was definitely a close race, but given the
incredible turnaround that Nash led in Phoenix in 2004-2005, in my opinion,
Nash deserved to win the MVP in 2005.
2005-2006
While Shaq
may have an argument in relation to the 2004-2005 season, there can be no doubt
that Steve Nash deserved the MVP in 2005-2006.
Nash received 57 first placed votes and a total of 924 points. Lebron James finished second in the voting
with 688 points but he received only 16 first placed votes. Shaq did not receive a single MVP vote in
2006.
The Suns had
to play the 2005-2006 season without Amare Stoudemire, who was injured in the
third game of the season. Despite this,
the Suns still won 54 games, finishing second in the Western Conference.
Nash actually
improved his averages from the previous year, with 18.8 points, 10.5 assists, and
4.2 rebounds while shooting an incredible .512 from the field, .439 from 3 and
.921 from the line.
Only playing
in 59 games, Shaq averaged 20.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8
blocks. He again shot .600 from the
field but only .469 from the line.
Having received zero votes in the MVP voting in 2006, Shaq has
absolutely no basis for complaining that Nash won the MVP in 2006.
Conclusion
The most
valuable player award is given for the player that is most valuable to their
team. The turnaround that Nash led in
Phoenix in 2004-2005 showed that he was the most valuable player. In 2005-2006, Nash posted even better stats,
leading the Suns to second place in the West despite Amar’e Stoudemire’s season
ending injury.
Steve Nash is
often overlooked in discussions of the greatest players of the 2000s. In a decade where MVP awards were won by Shaquille
O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Lebron James and Dirk
Nowitski, Steve Nash and Tim Duncan are the only players to win two MVPs in
that decade.
Steve Nash is
the best point guard of the 2000's. Let’s
start giving him the credit he deserves.
Monday, 12 October 2015
What if? Bulls v Spurs 1999 NBA Finals
I was watching a Bulls v Spurs game from late in the 1998
NBA Season recently and I couldn't help but wonder what if the Bulls had stayed
together following the 1998 NBA season? What if Jerry Krause hadn't made one of
the worst mistakes in sport history by getting almost the whole team and
coaching staff off side and deciding to rebuild? Would the Bulls have met the Spurs in the 1999 NBA Finals?
Michael Jordan has stated that the biggest regret of his
career was the way that it ended in Chicago. He wanted to keep going and
winning as many championships as he could until someone beat them. The Bulls
team were coming off three straight championships and seasons in which they won
72, 69 and 62 games. If they were to
have been able to keep Phil Jackson, they could have essentially brought back
their core group of players for the 1999 season.
But Phil knew before the 1998 season started that it would
be the last dance. Years of tensions with Jerry Krause had come to a head and
Krause already had his sights set on Tim Floyd to be the next Bulls head coach.
Over the years, Krause had also managed to get his two most valuable players
off side, firstly by devoting his efforts to signing Toni Kukoc rather than
re-signing Scottie Pippen in the early 90s. Then, as Michael Jordan vividly
recalled in his Hall of fame speech, Krause famously stated that “organisations
win championships”, not players. Unfortunately for Krause, he will probably be
most remembered for these mistakes rather than the man who drafted Pippen,
Horace Grant and Toni Kukoc and signed Dennis Rodman.
But enough about the politics of it all and on to the
basketball. If the Bulls had stayed together, could they have won the Eastern Conference
again and advanced to play the Spurs in the Finals?
So how would the Bulls have looked in the 1999 season? Firstly, had they re-signed Phil Jackson, I believe Jordan, Pippen and Rodman would all have returned for the 1999 season. I also believe that Steve Kerr and Luc Longley would have returned as well as Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper and Bill Wennington, who were still in contract for the 1999 season. This means that the core group that won 72 games just two seasons ago would be intact for the 1999 season.
The 1999 season was shortened by the lockout and the lockout meant a shorter training camp. Having a group of veterans that had played together for the last three seasons and knew the system would have greatly benefited the Bulls in the shortened season. The older players on the Bulls may also have benefited from the shorter season, two months shorter than the standard NBA season.
Although the Bulls won an impressive 62 games during the 1997-98 season, that number is actually quite deceptive. The Bulls were without Pippen for the first 35 games of the season and were 24-11 during those games. Their record was much worse than that in the first month of the season, staring 8-7 in their first 15 games.
Following Pippen's return, the bulls went an impressive
38-9, which equates to a 67 win season over the course of 82 games. They
easily won the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping New Jersey in three
games and then beating Charlotte in 5. However, in the Conference Finals
against the Indiana Pacers the Bulls looked vulnerable for the first time in
years. Of course, they did manage to defeat Indiana in 7 games then beat Utah
in 6 games after losing a 3-1 lead in game 5 in Chicago.
Based on the Bulls record from the 1998 season, the Bulls
would have won 37-38 games in the 50 game 1999 regular season which would have
secured top spot in the Eastern Conference.
However, if you look at the Bulls record for after Pippen returned from
injury, the Bulls would have won 40 games.
But working on the assumption that the Bulls wouldn’t have improved
their record from the previous season, they still would have finished first in
the Eastern Conference winning 37-38 games. The top three teams in the East in
1999 were the Heat, Magic and Pacers, each winning 35 games.
Interestingly, had the Bulls made the playoffs in 1999, the
Eastern Conference Champion from that year would not have even made the
playoffs. The Knicks finished eighth in
the Eastern Conference in 1999. In order
to reach the Finals, the Knicks beat the 1st seed Heat, 4th
seed Hawks and 2nd Seeded Pacers.
The Bulls would then have faced the Orlando Magic or the
Atlanta Hawks and would have dispatched them without much difficulty. In the 1999 Playoffs, the Magic lost in the
first round to the 6th seeded 76ers.
The Hawks were swept in the second round by the 8th seeded
Knicks. The Bulls had completely
dominated both teams in previous years with an 11-2 record against the Hawks
and a 9-3 record against the Magic. The
Bulls had defeated both the Magic (4-0 in 1996 with Shaquille O’Neal) and the
Hawks (4-1 in 1997) in the playoffs.
The Bulls then would have played one of their opponents from
the previous two eastern conference finals - the Miami Heat or the Indiana
Pacers. The Bulls won 14 of 19 games
against the Heat in the past three seasons, including a 4-1 victory in the 1997
Eastern Conference Finals. They won 2 of
3 games against them in 1997-98 season.
The Indiana Pacers would have been a tougher challenge for
the Bulls. Although the Bulls had won 9
of the last 12 regular season games against the Pacers, the Bulls were forced
to 7 games by the Pacers in the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals. However, the 1999 Pacers lost to the eighth
placed Knicks in the Conference Finals and were not as strong as they were in
1998. It would have been a tough series, but I believe the Bulls would have
won.
The 1999 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs would have
been a great series. It is often argued
that the Bulls never faced a team with a dominant center in the Finals, missing
out on Olajuwon in 1994 and 1995, David Robinson in 1999 and Shaq in 2000. Of course, the Bulls did have to face Ewing, Shaq,
Mutombo and Mourning in the Eastern Conference Playoffs and defeated each of
them.
Home court advantage may have been an important factor in
the 1999 Finals. The Spurs finished with
a 37-13 record in 1999 and possibly may have had home court advantage against the
Bulls in the Finals. The team which had
home court advantage may have come down to the only meeting in the Regular
Season meeting between the teams on 14 February 1999 at the United Centre in
Chicago. The Spurs actually won that
game by 13 points against the Jordan-less Bulls. However, if the Bulls had won that game, the
Spurs win total would have been 36 games that season and the Bulls would have
held the tie break had the two teams finished with the same regular season
record. Given that the Bulls were 115-8
at the United Centre in the previous 3 seasons, it is likely that the Bulls
would have won that matchup.
The 1999 Spurs team was comprised mostly of the same players
as the 1997-98 Spurs. The key players Tim
Duncan, David Robinson, Sean Elliot, and Avery Johnson all returned from the 1998
team. They did add Mario Elie and
Antonio Daniels who were important contributors to the 1999 Championship team.
The Bulls swept both games against the Spurs in 1997-98;
winning in Chicago by 4 in double overtime and in San Antonio by 10.
The early season game in Chicago was played without Scottie
Pippen and the Bulls needed Jordan to hit a 3 pointer at the buzzer to send it
into overtime. Jordan scored 29 points and
Robinson and Duncan had 21 and 19 points respectively.
Interestingly, the game in San Antonio the Bulls played
without Luc Longley and the Bulls started a small lineup of Jordan, Pippen,
Kukoc, Rodman and Harper against the Spurs Twin Towers. Robinson dominated the game with 35 points,
but Duncan was held to 14 points by Dennis Rodman’s defence. Jordan and Kukoc scored 30 and 21 points respectively
and the Bulls won quite easily.
The great shot blocking of Robinson and Duncan could have
caused problems for the Bulls, but by the 1998 season the Bulls were very much
a perimeter orientated team. The
triangle offense almost always gave the Bulls good opportunities to score from
the perimeter and also would not have allowed Duncan and Robinson to place
close to the rim on defence. The
strength of the Bulls centers, Longley and Wennington, was their medium range
jump shots, which would have drawn Duncan and Robinson away from the rim.
The Spurs may actually have had more trouble scoring than
the Bulls. The Bulls almost never double
teamed dominant post players, leaving Rodman and Longley to
defend Duncan and Robinson one on one. The Bulls were more focused on
shutting down the other perimeter players to make sure that they did not get
open 3 point attempts and Jordan, Pippen and Rodman were three of the greatest perimeter
defenders ever. The Spurs only averaged 84.8 points per game in the 1999 Finals
against the Knicks, who were an inferior team defensively to the Chicago Bulls.
It may have come down to the fact that the Spurs just did not have anyone that could stop Jordan. Jordan always raised his game in the Finals, with a career average of 33.6 points per game in the Finals and Robinson and Duncan’s great interior shot blocking would have been negated by Jordan’s outstanding perimeter jump shots.
It may have come down to the fact that the Spurs just did not have anyone that could stop Jordan. Jordan always raised his game in the Finals, with a career average of 33.6 points per game in the Finals and Robinson and Duncan’s great interior shot blocking would have been negated by Jordan’s outstanding perimeter jump shots.
The Spurs couldn’t beat the Bulls in the 1998 season and there
is no reason to believe that they could have in the 1999 season. I think the Bulls would have won in 6, but it
would have been a great series.
Why Kobe should try to be like (Wizards) Mike
Throughout his career, Kobe Bryant has been compared to Michael Jordan more than any other player in NBA history. There is no doubt that in terms of style of play, no other player has been more similar to Michael Jordan. However, after battling injuries over the past couple of seasons, the comparisons to Jordan seem to be becoming less frequent.
Recently, Kobe brought this comparison back into the spotlight when he was quoted as saying “My 37 (years old) isn’t MJ’s 37, you know what I mean? Nor is it the same team or the same system that he was playing in. It’s much, much different. There’s really no barometer, no (precedent) for training physically, for recovery. It’s unchartered territory.”
Although Jordan never actually played in the NBA as a 37 year old, Kobe’s comments seem to show that he does not want to be compared to Jordan’s years with the Wizards.
But Kobe should draw inspiration from Jordan’s last season in the NBA.
Why?
Firstly, Jordan played all 82 games in 2002-2003; a remarkable achievement for a 40 year old coming of a season ending injury. Jordan’s 2001-2002 season was cut short by a knee injury which required surgery and entering the 2002-2003 season, it was unclear whether he would be able to make it through the rigorous NBA season.
Similarly, over the past 2 seasons combined, Kobe has only been able to play in 41 of the possible 164 games due to injuries. He has not been able to play in all 82 games since the 2010-2011 season. It would truly be a great accomplishment if Kobe could play in all 82 games this season.
Secondly, Jordan shot .445 from the field in the 2002-2003 season. You may be thinking that statistic initially does not seem very impressive. In fact, it is way below Jordan’s career field goal percentage, which was .5003 before the 2002-2003 season. So why should Kobe strive to be like Wizards Mike in field goal percentage?
Well, Kobe’s career field goal percentage is only .451 and last
season, Kobe only shot .373 from the field.
If Kobe can match Jordan’s .445 from the field this season, that would
be a huge improvement for him and he should aim to do so.
Thirdly, in 2002-2003, Jordan’s averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. Although these statistics are nowhere near as impressive as his career numbers (30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game), they are still very impressive. Kobe should use Jordan’s 2002-2003 statistics as a barometer to measure himself against.
On the other hand, the Lakers have not been a playoff
contender since 2012-2013. They have finished
14th in the West for the past two seasons with a 21-61 record last
year and a 27-54 record in 2013-2014. It
would be an incredible achievement if Kobe can bring the Lakers back to the
playoffs and must be his main goal for this season.
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Is Kobe Bryant a better shooter than Michael Jordan?
In a recent debate on ESPN First Take, Stephen A Smith said that “Kobe Bryant is a better shooter than Michael Jordan ever was… that is just a fact. Michael Jordan was never that shooter.”
Interestingly, Skip Bayless did not disagree with him.
So is this just a fact? Is Kobe undisputedly a better shooter than MJ?
The statistics tell a different story. For his career, Jordan’s field goal percentage of .497 is much higher than Kobe’s. Entering the 2015-16 season, Kobe’s career percentage is .451. So how can Kobe be a better shooter than MJ when his career field goal percentage is so much lower?
A common argument is that Jordan, especially early in his career, scored most of his points from drives, dunks and layups. It is often suggested that Jordan did not have a reliable jump shot until late in his career.
This is a myth that is perpetuated by those who either didn’t see or can can’t remember Jordan’s early years and rely on the highlight videos which show Jordan soaring for spectacular dunks and athletic drives. The truth is that even in his first few seasons, Jordan scored the majority of his points with jump shots. Take for example his 63 point game against the Celtics in the 1986 Playoffs where 15 of his 22 field goals were from jump shots. Jordan had only one dunk, three layups and 4 field goals from drives in that game.
You could also argue that Kobe relied more on his drives and spectacular dunks during his younger years too. Kobe’s two best seasons for shooting percentage were 2001-02 (.469) and 1999-2000 (.468) which would support the case that Kobe shot a higher percentage earlier in his career because he attacked the basket more frequently than relying on jump shots as he does now.
But even if we do assume that Jordan scored most of his points from drives in his first few years, it still does not explain why his field goal percentage is so much higher than Kobe during later seasons.
Consider Jordan's stats post-baseball (from 1995 to 1998). During that period, most would agree that Jordan relied predominantly on his jump shot rather than his drives. Still, Jordan shot high percentages of .495 in 1995-96 and .487 in 1996-97. Even in his worst statistical full season as a Bull (1997-98), Jordan shot .465 from the field. Overall, Jordan averaged .482 during those seasons, much higher than Kobe’s .447 career percentage and even higher than Kobe’s career high field goal percentage of .469.
Free throw percentage
So while field goal percentage suggests that Jordan is a much better shooter than Kobe, what about some other shooting stats?
Free throw percentage is probably the one category that no one can dispute. Every player must shoot from the same distance and players cannot be affected by defense, double teams and other variables.
Kobe and Jordan have remarkably similar statistics in free throw shooting. In the regular season, Kobe’s free throw percentage is .837 and Jordan’s is .835. However, in the playoffs Jordan’s free throw percentage is .828 to Kobe’s .816.
Kobe and Jordan are clearly both great free throw shooters. It is too close to call to say that one is a better free throw shooter than the other.
Three point shooting
Most would say that this is one area that Kobe has the clear advantage. Certainly Kobe shoots more and makes more three pointers than Jordan did in his career. Kobe’s career high three pointers in one game (12) is almost double what Jordan’s career high is (7).
But again the stats tell a different story. In the regular season, Kobe’s 3 point percentage is .329 and Jordan’s is .327. Perhaps even Stephen A. Smith is not aware that Kobe’s 3 point percentage is only .002 higher than Jordan’s.
In the playoffs Jordan’s 3 point percentage (.332) is actually higher than Kobe’s (.331), although by the smallest possible margin.
While, you could definitely make an argument that Kobe is a better 3 point shooter than Jordan, it is not clear cut as some might think.
Conclusion
I think Stephen A. Smith was wrong. While you might be able to argue that Kobe is a better three point shooter than Jordan, you certainly cannot definitively say that “Kobe Bryant is a better shooter than Michael Jordan ever was.” If anything, the disparity between the field goal percentage shows that Jordan was actually a much better shooter overall than Kobe Bryant.
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