Disgustingly sick MJ mix.

I often wonder how much worse Jordan would have been without such large hands. He palms the ball in a very large percentage of those highlights, and for anyone who plays basketball on a regular basis, you know how big a difference it can make when you're able to palm the ball when driving in to score. Basically, a lot of his mid-air fakes and up and unders wouldn't have happened.

 

To accomplish what he did...

You need to have been blessed with exactly the right physical attributes: Not too tall (slows you down), not to small (can't dunk and power up)... big enough hands to control the ball well, but small enough for fast ball handling...

You need to have a natural ability to read the opponent. "Where are the three defenders right now? Where will they move in the next half-second? How tall are they? What is their weakness?"

And you need to have an amazing natural talent to Jump in one direction, divert the ball in a bazillion different directions, and then guide the ball into a path that will go into the hoop.

I'm not really a MJ worshiper, buy I must acknowledge that, he was the best offensive player to ever play the game.

 

MJ also had the love/dedication for the game plus he worked very HARD. Unlike most nba players these days....this is what differentiates them. Kobe and Arenas has the same type of mentality imo. YM probally does too but doesn't have the killer instinct these guys have.

 

He didn't have any major injury problems during his prime. I think the league is trying too hard to make another Jordan by making rules that encourage players to emulate him.

 

Yeap he had all the physical gifts.
But I think what made him so great/successful was his mental strength and dedication.

You'll always be able to find people more physically talented than MJ, but most likely they'll not be anywhere close to the MJ's determination.

Another example is Bruce Lee. I've studied Bruce Lee's work and words, BLee was great because he was extremely intelligent, had superhuman will, and he was never satisfied. I believe MJ and BLee have the same type of mentality towards their sport. Too bad one of them overdid it......

 

Sure he had all the physical tools to be good, but he reached the next level by his sheer competitive nature. Which turned out to be a double-edged sword, because whilst it enabled him to be the winner that he was, it often got him into trouble, what with his gambling problems, and his repeated comebacks, because he couldn't control the raging competitive fire in him.

 

i see alot of MJ in Novak anyone else think the same?

 

damn.

i feel lucky just to be around when that skinny kid from NC with the big hands entered the league

makes you remember how much more physical the league was back then; nowadays you can't cough in someone's direction without getting hit with a foul

 

Uh, did he bounce the ball into the hoop at 6:37???

 

Guess that's where T-Mac learned his up-and-under reverse layup.

 

nice highlights , lots of rare footage. thanks for posting. he certainly was ahead of his time

 

I thought I was going to be treated to a Mike James mix...

 

i thought the same thing til i realized the thread was in "NBA Dish".

 

He has that 'aura' about him; very few people do in any walk of life, but it's something that you very rarely see in historical figures -- politicians/athletes/religious figures -- that for whatever reason captures your imagination and separates them from everyone else around them. MJ had it, Ali had it, Babe Ruth, JFK, MLK...they seem larger than life, as if they exist in a completely different reality but choose to grace us with their mere presence.

 

Yeah, I saw that too. Don't remember seeing it before.

 

I don't know if you are old enough to remember MJ torturing the Cavs. If so, even as a longtime Cavs fan, you have to appreciate MJ's greatness.

I showed my son that clip and reminded him about MJ's 6 championships, 5 MVPs, 10 scoring titles, etc, etc and he was envious of not being old enough to see it. From my perspective, the 8 consecutive seasons where the Bulls, Rockets and Bulls won NBA titles were the Golden Age of the NBA. Some people my age and a little older put that label on the Magic/Bird Lakers/Celtics era in the 80s but I disagree. Being from the midwest, I started watching them in college. But while Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were all-time greats, they set the table for the greatest ever, MJ. Bulls basketball was really really fun and some of the moments (not referring to the video) were just off the charts. The steal from Karl Malone and the wining basket against Bryon Russell a few moments later remains my favorite.

 

Oh, most definitely. I was still pretty young when I saw it, but I still remember it like yesterday. MJ and Elway are unfortunately the most famous figures in Cleveland history for me (and Art Modell comes close). My only regret is I never got to see MJ in person. Only the passing of time into a next generation (when no one alive is young enough to have seen him play except for highlight reels) will someone dare compare another player to him.

 

Forgot to mention that it is so comical today that the Cavs got Gerald Wilkins to be our 'Jordan Stopper'. Ahhh, those were the days...

 

Another thing I noticed:
No Houston Rockets in the highlights