Tag Archives: 1990s

The Eternal Debate: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James

When comparing two basketball players, how do you determine who’s better? There’s many factors; per game stats, advanced stats, individual accolades, championships, finals appearances, etc. There are players who had very good, very long careers, and others who were in the NBA for shorter spans but were spectacular while they were there. These days, the debate over who’s the greatest ever mostly comes down to Michael Jordan and LeBron James, although there’s a few others, like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, that I think should be in the conversation, but there’s too much recency bias for that it seems. Some people have Kobe Bryant at number one, which I think is a bit ridiculous and I’m guessing most of them are just deranged Laker fans.

For full disclosure, it’s my opinion that Michael Jordan is the greatest NBA player ever. I think there’s a case to be made for LeBron James, but I happen to think Michael’s case is stronger. Since LeBron’s career is ongoing, it’s more difficult to compare them than it is to compare MJ to Kareem for example, but I’ll try anyway.

So what is Michael Jordan’s case vs. LeBron?

He won twice as many championships.

Championships aren’t everything, but they are the ultimate goal NBA players strive for, and Michael Jordan has, so far, twice as many of them. Some say that championships don’t matter because they’re a team accomplishment. To me that makes no sense, because Jordan was the number one reason his team was able to accomplish winning six of them. People are often inconsistent with this and will use LeBron’s victory over Golden State in 2016 or his nine finals appearances to ague that he’s better than Jordan. If winning a championship is just a team accomplishment, shouldn’t you say the same thing about a Finals appearance?

He never lost in the Finals.

Jordan never failed once he reached basketball’s biggest stage, and his teams beat some of the best teams to ever lose the Finals in the ’93 Suns, ’96 SuperSonics, and ’97 and ’98 Jazz. He was the MVP in all six of those Finals, and he average over 30 points in five of them. He also never had a Finals where he played flat out poorly by his standards, like LeBron did in 2011. Unlike LeBron, he never needed to go seven games to win a Finals, and usually closed them out in six, and on one occasion, five.

He played in a tougher Eastern Conference.

In five of Jordan’s 15 seasons, the East had more 50+ win teams than the West (’85, ’86, ’87, ’89, ’97). There were five other years where there were equal numbers of 50 win teams in each conference (’88, ’92, ’95, ’96, 98). The Big Three Celtics, Bad Boy Pistons, Cavaliers of the late ’80s-early ’90s and Patrick Ewing’s Knicks all come to mind when thinking of the East in his era. In the 15 years LeBron spent in the Eastern Conference, there was only one season where there were more 50 win teams in the East, that being 2018 (for 2012 I extrapolated based on win%). There was an equal number of 50 win teams just once also, in 2006. In total, that’s eight more seasons in Jordan’s era that the East was as tough or tougher than the West.

He actually played good teams in the first round.

Much is made of the fact that in their first three trips to the playoffs, Jordan’s Bulls were eliminated in the first round and had a record of one win and nine losses in those three series. Those who harp on about that never say how good their opponents were or how weak the Bulls were outside of Jordan. In 1985, they faced the Milwaukee Bucks, a 59 win team and one of the best defensive teams in the league, who were coached by Don Nelson and led by Sidney Moncrief, Terry Cummings and Paul Pressey The Bulls lost to Milwaukee three games to one. In 1986, they faced one of the greatest teams of all time in the 67 win Boston Celtics, featuring Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson. Jordan had an incredible series, averaging almost 44 points a game, and set a new playoff record with 63 points in game two, but Boston was unstoppable. In ’87 he met another Celtics team, this one with 59 wins. Boston’s bench wasn’t what it was the year before, but their starting five was still there, and it was another sweep. Jordan’s Bulls later beat two 50+ win teams in the first round, those being the 57 win Cavaliers in 1989 and the 50 win Hornets in ’95. They played fewer weak teams in the first round compared to LeBron’s teams. Jordan’s Bulls played only two teams with a record of .500 or less, while LeBron’s teams have played seven .500 or less teams in the first round and even one in the second (the ’07 Nets). The best opponent that a LeBron team has faced in round one was the 48 win Pacers in 2018, who pushed his Cavs to seven games.

He had slightly tougher playoff competition but was still slightly more successful.

Collectively, Jordan’s playoff opponents had an average winning percentage of .653 (about equal to a 54-28 record). For LeBron’s teams, the average opponent’s win% is a bit lower at .632 (about equal to 51-31). Despite that, Jordan’s Bulls won 80.1% of their playoff series, as opposed to LeBron’s 77.8%. Not a huge difference, but it’s there.

He never left to form a super team.

It’s hard to define exactly what a super team is, but however you define it, Michael Jordan certainly never joined one. Some might argue that the Bulls of ’96 to ’98 were a super team. Personally I don’t think so, but even if they were, that team was created around Jordan; he didn’t create it himself. LeBron James left Cleveland in 2010 after losing to the big three Celtics for the second time in three seasons. I’m not sure what I think of LeBron’s ‘decision,’ other than it might’ve been better received if not for the terrible TV special he used to announce it. It’s true he didn’t have much help in Cleveland the first time around and Boston looked like it might dominate the East for years to come, but it’s hard to imagine Jordan, after losing to the Bad Boy Pistons for the third time, bailing on Chicago to join up with Charles Barkley or Patrick Ewing. What bugs me is LeBron saying that he doesn’t think he’s ever played on a super team, when Dwyane Wade was one of the best players in the league besides James himself in 2010, and Chris Bosh was an All Star every year from 2006 until he retired in 2016. I’d like to know what he considers a super team if that doesn’t qualify. Even LeBron’s team in Cleveland from ’15 through ’17 with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love could possibly be considered super team territory.

He played fewer seasons, games and minutes than LeBron has but accomplished more.

It’s true LeBron has only played one more season than Jordan did (16 vs. 15), but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Jordan only played 18 games in ’85-86 because of a broken foot, and only averaged 23 minutes a game due to minute restrictions when he returned. In ’94-95, he only played the last 17 games after coming back from minor league baseball, and wasn’t really in basketball shape until the next season. He played his last two seasons in ’02 and ’03 for the Wizards at ages 38-40 after being retired for three full years. Most of what he accomplished, including all six championships, took place in just eleven seasons he played in Chicago when he wasn’t either coming back from an injury or from playing a different sport. LeBron did miss 27 games due to injury this past year, but that was the first time he was sidelined for a significant chunk of a season. Some of this I got from Dom2k’s awesome Youtube video on the subject, so if you’re a basketball junkie like me and you haven’t looked at his stuff yet, I strongly recommend you check him out.

He won 25 out of 26 playoff series between 1991 and 1998.

MJ took all of ’93-94 off, but I still think it’s crazy that he only lost one playoff series in the seven seasons he played between 1991 and ’98. He and the Bulls took on 26 teams, and only one, the ’95 Magic, were able to bump them off, and that was when MJ was still in baseball shape and adjusting to the NBA. It also showed the importance that Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman had for the Bulls, as that was the year after Grant’s departure and before Rodman’s arrival. Grant was now playing for Orlando, and played a big role in beating his old team.

He didn’t miss the playoffs as many times.

Not a huge difference here, but Jordan only missed the playoffs twice, and that was when he was in his late 30s and early 40s playing for the Wizards. LeBron’s Cavs missed the post-season his first two years in the league and his Lakers missed out this year. Of course in the ’04 and ’05 seasons LeBron ranged in age from 18 to 20, and this past year, LBJ only played 55 games due to injury.

He didn’t have much help winning his first three rings besides Pippen.

From the ’91 to ’93 seasons, Jordan and Pippen weren’t exactly surrounded by talent. Horace Grant was a damn good rebounder and defensive player, but was only an All Star once, in 1994, when Jordan was playing baseball. Center Bill Cartwright did make an All Star game. While playing for the Knicks. In 1980. John Paxson was a solid PG, but only twice did he average over ten points per game. I don’t mean to disrespect anyone who played for those teams, but if you compare their rosters to the Celtics, Lakers, and Pistons of a few years earlier, they clearly don’t have the same kind of depth. And yet, for three straight years, they were winning between 57 and 67 games and bringing home a banner.

He had more points per game on a higher FG% excluding the Wizards years

Michael Jordan is the NBA’s all time leader in points per game with 30.1, just ahead of Wilt Chamberlain. If you exclude his Wizards years, his average rises to 31.5 ppg. LeBron James so far has averaged a still elite 27.2 ppg. Jordan’s fg% as a Bull was 50.5%, although including the Wizards years lowers it to 49.7%. LeBron James so far has averaged 50.4%. When comparing the two, I think it makes sense to exclude Jordan’s Washington stats, as LeBron is still only 34, much younger than Jordan was at that stage. Jordan also led the league in scoring a record ten times, something LeBron has done once.

He was a much better free throw shooter.

Jordan averaged 83.5% at the line for his career, while LeBron so far is at 73.6%. Jordan ranged from 85.7% in ’87 to 78.4% in ’98. LeBron’s best mark so far was 78% in ’09 and his worst was 66.5% this past season. Not to crap on LBJ, but it’s a bit surprising that Jordan’s worst ft% (including when he was a Wizard) is still better LeBron’s best.

He was likely a better defensive player.

Jordan is usually considered the better defensive player, although LeBron’s size allows him to guard more positions than Jordan usually did. Jordan was Defensive Player of the Year in 1988, which is an award LeBron’s yet to win. Jordan averaged 2.3 steals per game, 2.5 during the Bulls years, and led the league in steals three times (’88, ’90 and ’93), something LeBron has never done. LBJ has averaged 1.6 steals during his career. Despite the height difference in LeBron’s favor, Jordan averaged just as many blocks per game (0.8), and as a Bull averaged slightly more at 0.9. LeBron has been accused of slacking off on defense recently, something that, as far as I know, MJ was never criticized for.

He averaged more offensive rebounds.

As mentioned earlier, LeBron has the obvious size advantage, so this isn’t one you’d necessarily expect. In LBJ’s defense though, offensive rebounding was a bigger part of the game in Jordan’s day and he still has more rebounds overall.

He has a higher PER, BPM and WS/48.

He has the advantage in these three advanced stats and also has nearly as many win shares as LeBron despite playing 126 fewer games.

LeBron’s per game averages will almost certainly drop before he retires.

LeBron benefits in some ways in this debate from still being an active player. His statistics will likely decline the longer he plays, which could lower his career averages the way Jordan’s years in Washington did. Jordan also hurt his averages by retiring for nearly two full seasons in his prime to play baseball.

LeBron’s case

He’s had more finals appearances

Nine finals appearances really is insane, and eight in a row is even crazier. LeBron is tied at fourth all time in appearances with Magic Johnson, Jerry West and Tom Heinsohn. Only Bill Russell, Sam Jones and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have been there more. Although he’s won twice as many rings, Jordan is tied for 18th in appearances with thirteen other players. I didn’t have time to look this up, but I’m quite sure no one else has played in eight straight Finals since the Celtics dynasty of the ’50s and ’60s.

He’s faced slightly better finals opponents.

On average, LeBron’s Finals opponents have been slightly better regular season teams with an average winning percentage of .756, compared to .746 for Jordan’s opponents. Not a big difference (basically a 62 win team vs. a 61 win team), and it’s largely due to the outliers that were the 2016 Warriors, but it’s worth noting. The 2017 Warriors were also one of the best teams ever though, and they and the ’18 Warriors were very much stacked with talent.

He’s never lost in the first round.

Although he’s missed the playoffs three times, LeBron’s teams have never lost in the first round in their 13 trips there, which is what happened to Jordan in his first three NBA seasons. As noted before though, Jordan faced considerably tougher competition in the first round than LeBron has. Still, making to at least the second round 13 out of 13 times is a big accomplishment.

He’s already played more than MJ and has been extremely durable.

LeBron has already played in 126 more games and 5,224 more minutes than Jordan did, not even counting playoffs, and has been more durable than him or just about any player ever. Jordan was one of the greatest athletes of all time, but he did have a fondness for whiskey, cigars, staying up all night playing cards and spending a huge amount of time golfing rather than resting. LeBron, by contrast, has spent millions of dollars staying in the best condition possible, and his endurance brings to mind past greats like Wilt, Malone, Kareem, and Robert Parish. That’s not to say that Jordan wasn’t durable as well, and he really only had one major injury, but he was also aided by not playing pro basketball from June of ’93 until March of ’95. It’s possible MJ could’ve had an even greater career though if he’d taken better care of himself.

He led two very underwhelming teams to the NBA finals in 2007 and 2018.

The 2007 Cavs, who won 50 games, had no All Stars besides a 22 year old LeBron. Their second leading scorer was Larry Hughes who averaged less than 15 points a game. Personally I think this accomplishment is a bit overblown. In the first two rounds the Cavs faced two 41 win teams, the Wizards and Nets, before facing the Pistons in the Conference Finals. With 53 wins, Detroit was the only other team in the East with over 50. Detroit did win a championship in ’04 and made the Finals in ’05, but that was when they had Ben Wallace, one of the best defensive players of the decade, who by ’07 was playing for Chicago. Still, LeBron was unstoppable in game five with 48 points, giving his team a two point win. Cleveland was swept by the Spurs in the Finals. Still, he’d made it that far in his fourth year at age 22, while Jordan first didn’t make the Finals until his seventh year at age 28.


In 2018 the Cavs had another 50 win season and their second best player was All Star power forward Kevin Love, but they weren’t a deep team, and Kyrie Irving had split for Boston the year before. They were pushed to seven games by the 48 win Pacers in the first round before sweeping the 59 win Raptors in the second. My Celtics almost had them in the Eastern Finals even without two All Stars in Kyrie and Gordon Hayward, but the Cavs gutted out a game seven win in Boston, as the Celtics bricked three after three, before getting swept by Golden State. Although some of his competition wasn’t top notch, leading a team to the Finals without much help is an impressive feat that even the best players rarely achieve.

He’s averaged more assists.

LeBron’s put up almost two more assists a game than Jordan, with 7.2 to MJ’s 5.3. He’s considered a better passer and playmaker and a less selfish player. Of course one of the things that makes the two hard to compare is that Jordan was a two guard who’s main job was to score, while LeBron is a forward who often plays more like a point guard.

He’s a better rebounder, particularly defensively.

LBJ’s averaged 7.4 rebounds, while Jordan grabbed 6.2 per game. Although Jordan had the advantage in offensive rebounds, LeBron has had 6.2 defensive rebounds to Jordan’s 4.7, giving him the edge overall.

He leads Jordan in some advanced stats.

LeBron has the highest VORP (value over replacement player) ever, and slightly more win shares. Because VORP and win shares are cumulative stats, he’ll always have MJ beat in those categories.

He’s a better three point shooter.

LeBron’s 3P% is somewhat higher than Jordan’s at 34.3% compared to 32.7%. Thanks to this and his more frequent three point attempts, LeBron also has a higher effective field goal percentage (eFG%). LeBron benefits from this era in that the three point shot is a much bigger part of the game than it was in Jordan’s day. Jordan was a very bad three point shooter during his first four seasons but improved greatly after that.

He’s had considerably better stats in the playoffs compared to the regular season.

Although Jordan had better stats in many areas in the playoffs as well, that’s even more the case with LeBron. His numbers are better in the post-season when it comes to points, free throw percentage, rebounds (offensive, defensive and total), steals, blocks, defensive rating, net rating, PER, WS/48 and BPM.

Conclusions

Based on everything they’ve done so far, I think Michael Jordan is a better player, but it’s conceivable that could change depending on what happens in the remainder of LeBron James’ career. Whoever’s better, they’re both great players that basketball fans have been lucky to watch. Hardcore fans of both players try to tear the other down with misleading and often false arguments. I know I might be a bit biased in Jordan’s favor as someone who grew up the ’90s when MJ was the baddest man on the planet, but I don’t think I said anything about LeBron in this little article that was unfair or incorrect.

The Top 10 NBA Teams of All Time: Honorable Mentions

This is the first part of a series I’ve posted about some of the greatest NBA teams of all time. The first criteria was that the teams listed had to have won a championship, so you won’t see the 2016 Warriors for example. I ranked every championship team by adding up their wins and losses in the regular season and playoffs and seeing which teams had the highest win percentage. I could’ve put more thought into this and made it much more complicated, but this was a simple and impartial way of coming up with a list. The other entries will be much more detailed than the brief paragraphs I wrote for these three teams.

Honorable Mention #3
The 2012-13 Miami Heat
Regular Season: 66-16 (80.5)
Playoffs: 16-7 (69.9)
Total: 82-23 (78.1)

Award Winners;
Chris Bosh: All Star
LeBron James: League MVP, Finals MVP, 1st Team All-NBA, 1st Team All-Defense, All Star
Dwyane Wade: 3rd Team All-NBA, All Star
Erik Spoelstra: All Star head coach

This was definitely the best team of the Heatles era and was quite possibly LeBron James’ best individual season. Good thing they had Ray Allen to bail them out against the Spurs, though. The team came within shouting distance of setting a new NBA record by going on a 27 game winning streak.

Honorable mention #2
The 1991-92 Chicago Bulls
Regular Season: 67-15 (81.7)
Playoffs: 15-7 (68.2)
Total: 82-22 (78.8)

Award Winners;
Michael Jordan: League MVP, Finals MVP, 1st Team All-NBA, 1st Team All-Defense, All Star
Scottie Pippen: 2nd Team All-NBA, 1st Team All-Defense, All Star
Phil Jackson: All Star Head Coach

This team steamrolled the league in the regular season and is generally considered the best of the Bulls’ first three-peat teams. It was also probably Horace Grant’s best year in the NBA, although he wasn’t an All Star. Chicago scuffled a bit in the playoffs, needing seven games to get past the Knicks, but got it done in the end. That was also the year of MJ’s classic “Shrug Game” in the Finals. They decided to take it a bit easier in the next regular season, winning ten fewer games in ’92-93, but they fared better in the playoffs and won their third straight title.

Honorable mention #1
The 1988-89 Detroit Pistons
Regular Season: 63-19 (76.8)
Playoffs: 15-2 (88.2)
Total: 78-21 (78.8)

Award Winners;
Joe Dumars: Finals MVP, 1st Team All-Defense
Dennis Rodman: 1st Team All-Defense
Isiah Thomas: All Star

This team was definitely the best of Detroit’s “Bad Boys” era. Trading top scorer Adrian Dantley for the less stat heavy but more team oriented Mark Aguirre helped put them over the top. At 15-2, they put up one of the best playoff runs in NBA history. They swept the two time defending champion Lakers in the Finals, getting revenge on the team that beat them in the Finals the year before, partly due to a dubious foul called on Bill Laimbeer in the closing moments of game six. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

The Top 10 NBA Teams of All Time: #4, The 1997 Chicago Bulls

#4
The 1996-97 Chicago Bulls
Regular Season: 69-13 (84.1)
Playoffs: 15-4 (78.9)
Total: 84-17 (83.2)

Award Winners;
Michael Jordan: Finals MVP, 1st Team All-NBA, 1st Team All-Defense, All Star
Scottie Pippen: 2nd Team All-NBA, 1st Team All-Defense, All Star

A couple things stand out about this team. First is just how old they were, with four guys in their starting five being over 30 and the fifth being 28. The other is that they won 69 games and still weren’t as good as the year before! Bill Simmons made the case that the ‘97 team could actually be just as good or better than the ’96 team, because despite their core being a year older and having accomplished everything a team could the year before, they still found the motivation to produce almost as great a season. I’ll have more on the ‘96 Bulls later.

This year’s squad was of course led by shooting guard Michael Jordan, who turned 34 in February and still led the league in scoring with 29.6 points to go with 5.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals on 48.6/37.4/83.3 shooting. Their second best player was 31 year old small forward Scottie Pippen, who averaged 20.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals. 35 year old power forward Dennis Rodman was still one of the league’s best rebounders, averaging 16.1 per game. Their sixth man was the 6’10 Croatian small forward Toni Kukoc, who brought 13.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.2 minutes a game. Point guard Ron Harper and center Luc Longley rounded out the starting five and Steve Kerr was a dead eye shooter off the bench. The team started off red hot, winning their first 12 games, which was their longest winning streak that year. They were 68 and 10 through their first 78 games, with a chance to tie their NBA record of 72 wins they’d set the year before, but lost three out of their last four games in the closest thing to a slump they’d had all season, for a final record of 69-13.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Bulls met the 44 win Washington Bullets, led by Chris Webber, Juwan Howard and Rod Strickland. Although the series was a three game sweep, games two and three were surprisingly close at 109-104 and 96-95. Jordan had an incredible game two, with 55 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals on 22 of 35 shooting in one of his best games of the playoffs. Kukoc and Rodman both did well in game three; Kukoc had 16 points on 7 shots plus 5 rebounds and two steals, and Rodman had an efficient 14 points, 10 rebounds and a block.

Their next challenge was the much tougher 56 win Atlanta Hawks, featuring Mookie Blaylock, Steve Smith, Christian Laettner, and the 7’2 Congolese center, Dikembe Mutombo. The Bulls took game one, but to the Hawks’ credit they won game two in Chicago, 103-95. Blaylock had 26 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals while shooting 9 for 13. Steve Smith led the scoring with 27 points and Mutombo put up 19 points, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks. The next three games Chicago won by between 9 and 20 points; the biggest win was 100-80 in game three in Atlanta. Jordan had 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks in the win.

The NBA was headed into a lower-scoring, more defensive oriented era by the late ‘90s that lasted into the mid 2000s, and that was clear in the ‘97 Eastern Finals. The Bulls faced Pat Riley’s 61 win Miami Heat led by Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning. In game two, the teams combined for just 143 points as the Bulls won 75-68. The Bulls took a 3-0 lead, winning two fairly close games before blowing the Heat out 98-74 in Miami. Jordan was the hero again, scoring 34 points to go with 8 rebounds and a steal on 14 of 25 shooting. The Heat took game four at home but the Bulls closed them out 100-87 to end the series in five.

The Bulls had some formidable competition in the NBA Finals. Their opponents were the 64-18 Utah Jazz, who only lost four games after the All Star break. They were led by 33 year old power forward and League MVP Karl Malone, 34 year old point guard John Stockton, who was one of the best PGs of his generation, and 34 year old two guard Jeff Hornacek. Malone’s often considered one of the best power forwards of all time as well as one of the best players never to win a championship. He peaked late, playing some of his best seasons in the late ‘90s when he was in his mid 30s. At 6’9 and 250, he was built similar to LeBron James, albeit with a different playing style. Stockton and Malone had been teamed up in Utah since ‘85-86 and were one of the NBA’s best duos during the late ‘80s and ‘90s.

Although the Bulls won the series in six, it was one that could’ve gone either way. Game one was a close call in Chicago, with Michael Jordan hitting the game winner to give the Bulls an 84-82 win, and he had 31 points plus 8 rebounds and a steal. Scottie Pippen may have had the best game though, with 27 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals while shooting 11 of 19, including 3 for 7 on threes. Game two was a bit more comfortable, with the Bulls winning 97-85. Jordan had a huge night, scoring 38 points to go with 13 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals on 55% shooting. The next three games were played in Utah and the Jazz won the next two, including a 104-93 win in game three. Malone had a big night, with 37 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals on 15 of 29 shooting. Stockton also put up 17 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block.

Game five in Utah, also known as the “Flu Game,” has taken on almost mythic status in Michael Jordan’s career. He played despite suffering from flu like symptoms, and the sweat-covered, visibly exhausted Jordan dropped 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a block and shot 48.1% from the field and was 10 of 12 at the line. It took one of the most memorable performances of MJ’s career, but the Bulls gutted out a 90-88 win and led 3-2 going back to Chicago. Jordan had 39 points in game six along with 4 assists, a steal and a block, and Scottie Pippen put up 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Steve Kerr was the unlikely hero though, and he scored the last shot of the series, a mid-range jumper from Jordan that put the Bulls up by four with only a few seconds to go, putting the game out of reach for Utah. Jordan was the Finals MVP for the fifth time, averaging 32.3 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 1.2 steals in the series.

The Bulls won their sixth championship in eight seasons in 1998, again defeating the Jazz in six games, with Jordan famously hitting the winning shot and picking up yet another Finals MVP. And then everything shit the bed at once. It wasn’t like the Celtics and Lakers of the ‘80s who went into a slow decline until eventually fading away in the ‘90s. After the ‘98 season, head coach Phil Jackson retired (or was forced out by management), and since Michael Jordan didn’t want to play for anyone but Jackson, he retired for the second time. He returned to basketball in 2001, playing for the team he was now part-owner of, the Washington Wizards. He played two more All Star seasons in DC, averaging over 20 points both years before retiring for the third and final time at age 40 in 2003.

Scottie Pippen was traded during the lockout-lengthened off-season (that lasted until early February of ’99) to the Houston Rockets for Roy Rogers and a second round draft pick. Rogers was released by Chicago before ever playing a game for them. Dennis Rodman was released by the Bulls in January of ‘99 and signed with the Lakers a month later. Center Luc Longley was traded to the Phoenix Suns for three players and a draft pick, which was later used to select Ron Artest, but go figure, he too was traded during the 2002 season. Steve Kerr was traded as well in January ‘99 to the San Antonio Spurs, where he’d win two more championships. In exchange for Kerr, the Bulls got Chuck Person, who somehow signed with the Charlotte Hornets five days later. I’m not sure how that happened.

All that was left of of the Bulls championship core was Toni Kukoc and Ron Harper, and they went just 13-37 in 1999’s 50 game season. Many opponents relished the chance to beat the team that’d terrorized them throughout the decade. As someone who was a kid in the ‘90s, when Michael Jordan and the Bulls defined basketball, it was weird when they suddenly sucked. It wasn’t until the Derrick Rose era that Chicago got close to contention again.

The Top 10 NBA Teams of All Time: #1, The 1996 Chicago Bulls

#1
The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls
Regular Season: 72-10 (87.8)
Playoffs: 15-3 (83.3)
Total: 87-13 (87)

Award Winners;
Michael Jordan: League MVP, Finals MVP, 1st Team All-NBA, 1st Team All-Defense, All Star, All Star MVP
Toni Kukoc: Sixth Man of the Year
Scottie Pippen: 1st Team All-NBA, 1st Team All-Defense, All Star
Dennis Rodman: 1st Team All-Defense
Phil Jackson: Coach of the Year, All Star head coach

So this is it, the pinnacle, the peak, the greatest team with the greatest player and the greatest coach and the crown jewel of one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. The history of the Chicago Bulls was pretty unremarkable though until 1984.

They came into the league as an expansion team in 1966 and enjoyed some good years in the ‘70s with Chet Walker and Bob Love. Then between 1976 and 1984, the Bulls made the playoffs just twice. In the ‘84 draft the Bulls picked Michael Jordan, who surprisingly didn’t go number one. The Houston Rockets grabbed University of Houston star Hakeem Olajuwon 1st overall, and the Portland Trail Blazers picked Sam Bowie at number two. Bowie wasn’t a bad player, but it’s fairly surreal that he was picked ahead of Jordan, considering he retired after only 511 games and averaged about 11 points in his career. Portland passed on MJ because they’d drafted another top shooting guard in Clyde Drexler the year before. I’m glad Jordan went at number three, personally. It’s weird to imagine him playing in Houston or Portland, or really anywhere but Chicago. It’s a huge, proud city with passionate sports fans located in the middle of America, plus they have those cool red uniforms. Somehow it feels like he ended up right where he was supposed to be.

Jordan played like a superstar from day one, but it wasn’t until 1988 that the Bulls made it past the first round. That was the season that Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant arrived, although neither played a major role until the ‘89 season. Chicago made the Conference Finals in 1989 for the first time in the Jordan era. In ’88, they lost to Detroit in the second round in five games, and in ‘89 it took six for the Bad Boy Pistons to bump off the Bulls, and Chicago handed them their only two losses of the playoffs. Phil Jackson joined as head coach in ‘89-90 and introduced a more unselfish style of offense that was extremely effective. Like Wilt Chamberlain in 1967 and ‘72, Jordan had to share more of the offensive load in order to be truly successful. Chicago nearly made it over the “Detroit roadblock” in the 1990 Eastern Finals, but lost in game seven when Scottie Pippen was stricken by a migraine. As someone who’s had those, I don’t know how in the hell you even try to play professional basketball like that. Tough break, Scottie.

In 1991, Chicago finally rose up and crushed Detroit in the ECF, sweeping them in four games. The Pistons weren’t the most gracious in defeat, and most of them walked off the bench and into the locker room in the closing moments of game four in Detroit. In the Pistons’ defense, Michael Jordan had publicly and harshly criticized them for their dirty play earlier in the series, saying their downfall would be good for basketball. The Bulls then moved on to meet Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, beating them in five and closing the book on the “Showtime” era. That core of Jordan, Pippen and Grant won two more championships after that, in 1992 against Clyde Drexler’s Portland Trail Blazers and in 1993 against Charles Barkley’s Phoenix Suns.

Shortly before the beginning of the ‘93-94 season, 30 year old Michael Jordan did the unthinkable and retired from the NBA. He explained that he’d done everything he’d set out to accomplish as a basketball player. The previous July though, Jordan’s father was murdered in a robbery back in North Carolina. Jordan and his father had always been close, and he was devastated by the loss. Michael’s father James Jordan had always wanted him to be a baseball player, and it was a sport Mike played well in high school. Jordan decided to honor his father by taking a crack at professional baseball, and he had the opportunity to do so as Bulls’ owner Jerry Reinsdorf also owned the Chicago White Sox.

Jordan played not for the White Sox but for their Double-A affiliate, the Birmingham Barons, in Birmingham, Alabama. MJ wasn’t as awe-inspiring at his new sport, hitting .202 with three home runs and 51 RBIs. He fared better later that year playing in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .252. For everyone who thinks Michael Jordan “sucked” at baseball, I guess that’s true when compared to how good he was at basketball, but in reality you have to be really, really good at baseball to play professionally at any level. It can’t be any easier when you’re 30 years old and haven’t played it regularly since you were about 18. According to Phil Jackson, the experience was humbling for Jordan and made him a better, more patient and more helpful teammate.

Meanwhile in Chicago, the Bulls fared well in their first season without MJ, winning 55 games, just two less than the year before. They’d added some new talent in Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr and Luc Longley, but despite their strong regular season, they were knocked out in the second round by Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks. People who use Chicago’s 1994 season as proof that Jordan’s overrated never mention what happened in the playoffs. The next season though, the Bulls really struggled without MJ or Horace Grant, going 23-25 before the All Star break. Michael started practicing again with his old Chicago teammates, and soon his appetite for basketball returned. In March of ’95 he officially left baseball, partly due to the ongoing player’s strike, and announced his return to the NBA on March 18th, playing his first game the next night.

Although he wasn’t quite in basketball shape yet, he still had some amazing performances. Jordan famously dropped 55 points in a win against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in late March. The Bulls went 13-4 after Jordan’s return, and eliminated the 50 win Charlotte Hornets in round one. In the semifinals though, The Bulls lost in six games to a very good Orlando Magic team led by Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway. Horace Grant had also signed with Orlando in 1994 and got revenge on his old team.

1996 was Jordan’s revenge tour, and the 32 year old shooting guard got right back into MVP form, averaging a league-leading 30.4 points, plus 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 49.5/42.7/83.4. His three point percentage that year was a career best, not counting the 17 games he played in ‘94-95. 30 year old small forward Scottie Pippen adjusted well to Jordan’s return, putting up 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 37.4% from three point range. The only other Bull to average over 10 points was their sixth man, 27 year old small forward Toni Kukoc, who had 13.1 points, 4 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 26 minutes while shooting 49% from the field and 40.3% on threes. Power forward Dennis Rodman was traded to Chicago shortly before the season and was an elite rebounder as always, averaging 14.9 boards a game. Between Jordan, Pippen and Rodman, Chicago could absolutely kill you with their defense. The Bulls ran a big starting five, rounded out by 32 year old 6’6 point guard Ron Harper and 27 year old 7’2 Australian center Luc Longley. 30 year old point guard Steve Kerr provided elite shooting off the bench, averaging 50.6/51.5/92.9. He only took 2.9 three pointers a game, but still, that’s crazy. The team had the best regular season ever, until the Warriors broke their record in 2016, with 72 wins and just 10 losses. Their first half was especially phenomenal, winning 41 of their first 44 games, including 18 straight from late December to early February.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Bulls met the 42-40 Miami Heat, led by Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. Not surprisingly it wasn’t much of a series, and the Bulls won by between 17 and 31 points. Game two in Chicago was their biggest win at 106-75. Jordan led the scoring with 29 points plus 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal. Pippen probably had the best game though, with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and a block on 10 of 14 shooting, including 3 for 6 on threes. Scottie stayed hot in game three with 22 points on 12 shots, along with 18 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 blocks and a steal for a triple double.

In the next round, the Bulls faced the rival New York Knicks, led by center Patrick Ewing, for the sixth time since 1989. The Bulls had won every meeting until 1994, but this year things went back to the old trend. Still, the Knicks put up a better fight than the Heat. The Bulls won the first two in Chicago by 7 and 11 points before the Knicks took game three as MSG in overtime, 102-99. John Starks led the scoring for New York with 30 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals on 11 of 18 shooting, including 5 of 8 from three. Patrick Ewing played a big role as well, with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. Jordan scored 46 in the losing effort. The Bulls won game four by three points before having their biggest win of the series in game five at home, 94-81. Jordan put up 35 points, 5 assists and 2 steals, and Pippen had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 5 steals.

In the Eastern Finals, Chicago faced the formidable 60 win Orlando Magic, the same team that’d beaten them the year before. The Bulls were unfazed and eager for revenge. They swept Orlando, and game one was a 121-83 dismantling of the Magic, with six Bulls scoring in double figures. Jordan was the leading scorer with 21 points plus 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Rodman had a big night with 13 points, 21 rebounds and a block on 6 of 10 shooting and Kerr put up an efficient 14 points, plus 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Game three in Orlando was another landslide victory at 86-67. Shaq and Penny combined for only 35 points on about 37% shooting. In game four, Jordan scored an efficient 45 points, plus 5 assists, a steal and a block to close out the Magic and had officially made his point.

In the Finals, the Bulls encountered a tough team in the 64-18 Seattle SuperSonics, who’d swept the two-time defending champion Houston Rockets in the second round. They were led by 27 year old point guard Gary Payton, considered one of the best defensive guards ever, and 6’10 power forward Shawn Kemp. They also featured German forward Detlef Schrempf and shooting guard Hersey Hawkins.

The Bulls won the first game emphatically, 107-90. Jordan put up 28 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block, and Pippen had 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Kukoc had a good game as well with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal, and Harper put up 15 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Basically everyone played well. The next game was much tighter, but Chicago won it 92-88. The next three games were played in Seattle, and game three was the biggest blowout of the series at 108-86 Chicago. As Bill Walton put it, it was a “statement game” for Jordan, who had 36 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. Luc Longley had a good night too, with 19 points and 2 blocks on 8 of 13 shooting. With Seattle already down 3-0, the Sonics decided to change things up by deploying Gary Payton to guard Michael Jordan, and it worked. Seattle unexpectedly blew out the Bulls 107-86 in game four. Although Jordan still scored 23 points, 11 of them came at the free throw line and he shot just 6 for 19 from the field. Payton was doing it on both ends that night, putting up 21 points, 11 assists and 2 steals. Shawn Kemp led the Sonics in scoring with 25 points plus 11 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. The SuperSonics extended the series again in game five, 89-78. Jordan did better that night, making 11 of 22 from the field for 26 points, but Pippen, Kukoc and Kerr all had poor shooting nights. Gary Payton led the charge again with 32 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal, and Kemp had 22 points and 10 rebounds. If Seattle had used Payton the same way in the first half of the series, it seems plausible the whole thing could’ve gone the other way. The Bulls closed things out pretty comfortably though in game six back home, 87-75. Jordan did have a very bad shooting night, going just 5 for 19, but still had 22 points, half of them free throws. He also had 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Pippen had 17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in the clincher. Rodman had one of his best games of the post-season with 19 rebounds, 9 points, 5 assists, 3 steals and a block in game six.

The win was extremely emotional for Jordan, as it was the first championship he’d won since the death of his father, who’d celebrated with his son’s team after their first three titles. He was barely able to speak to reporters after the final buzzer and sobbed on the floor of the locker room after leaving the court. He later said that winning that ring meant the most to him out of the six. Jordan was the Finals MVP for the fourth time, averaging 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals. It was probably Jordan’s weakest Finals performance, as great as those numbers are. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well thanks to Gary Payton, and it was the only time he averaged less than 30 points a game in a Finals series. To find out the rest of the story on Michael Jordan and the Bulls, check out the entry on the 1997 team.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 16: Larry Bird

#33 Larry Bird, “Larry Legend,” Small Forward, 1979-1992

Born in West Baden, Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird grew up in the tiny southern Indiana town of French Lick. Bird went off to Indiana University in 1975, but he didn’t stay long, as the self-described “Hick from French Lick” was overwhelmed by the transition from small town to a huge college campus boasting a student population in the tens of thousands. He attended briefly Northwood Institute before moving on to Indiana State University in 1976, where he had an incredible career.

He was Third Team All-American in 1977, First Team All-American in ‘78 and ‘79, Conference Player of the Year in ‘78 and ‘79, and National Player of the Year in 1979. That year, Bird led an undefeated ISU Sycamores team to the National Championship Game against the Michigan State Spartans, who were led by Bird’s future NBA rival, Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Indiana State lost the game, 75 to 64. Magic Johnson led all scorers with 24 points with Bird leading Indiana State with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Still, Bird was unhappy with his performance, having shot 7 of 21 from the field. The game was the most watched basketball game at any level, college or professional, in American history at the time. During his college years, ISU won 83 games and lost just 13, he averaged over 30 points and 13 rebounds per game, and his number “33” was retired by the school.

Bird was actually drafted a year before his college career ended; he was picked sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, but elected to play one more year for ISU. Bird joined the NBA in 1979 as the highest paid rookie in league history at that time. He was an excellent NBA player out of the gate, making the All-Star Game, All-Rookie First Team, and being named Rookie of the Year in ‘79-80. He also helped take the Celtics from a 29 game winner in 1979 to a 61 game winner in 1980. The Celtics made it to the Conference Finals that year but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The team was reinforced the next year with the acquisition of center Robert Parish and rookie power forward Kevin McHale, and the Celtics won the NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets. In 1982, Bird was named MVP of the All-Star Game. In ‘83, the Celtics had a disappointing end to their season, being swept in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks. Head coach Bill Fitch was fired following the loss, and assistant coach K. C. Jones was promoted to replace him. The Celtics also added the excellent defensive guard Dennis Johnson to their lineup going into ‘83-84.

They were champions again that year, defeating their arch rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, in seven games. It was a rough series, with Bird getting into a shouting match with Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after catching his elbow in game four. Bird scored nearly 28 points per game in that year’s playoffs, and was the NBA Finals MVP, with averages of 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks on 48.4% shooting.

The next year the Celtics made it back to the finals but lost in six games in a re-match with the Lakers. Earlier that season, Bird set a new franchise single game scoring record, dropping 60 points on the Atlanta Hawks. The record he broke was only nine days old; Kevin McHale had just scored 56 against the Detroit Pistons. During the ‘85 off-season, Bird injured his back moving gravel while working on his mother’s driveway back in Indiana. It was the first of a series of back injuries that would eventually end his career.

The Celtics had their greatest season of the ‘80s and perhaps ever in ‘85-86. During the off-season, forward Cedric Maxwell was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for center Bill Walton, who would have a great year coming off the bench for Robert Parish. Maxwell’s departure allowed Kevin McHale to start at power forward, and his career would reach new heights in that role. The Celtics also picked up sharp-shooting point guard Jerry Sichting from the Indiana Pacers, who shot 57 percent from the field, adding depth to a back court that already included Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge. The C’s went 67 and 15 that year, their second best regular season ever, and lost only one home game. The Celtics won the NBA Championship that year, again defeating the Houston Rockets, who now featured a young Hakeem Olajuwon. Bird was again the Finals MVP, averaging 24 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 2.7 steals on 48.2% shooting.

Following that dream season, the Celtics’ luck began to change. Len Bias, the college superstar forward the Celtics drafted at number two overall in 1986, died two days later of a freak cocaine overdose. In the ‘86-87 season, Bill Walton was only able to play ten games due to injuries. He played twelve more in the playoffs, but on very limited minutes. Kevin McHale broke his foot in March of ‘87 and continued playing, but wasn’t 100 percent.

That year’s Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons included some memorable incidents involving Bird. In game three, he was clothes-lined and tackled to the ground by Pistons center Bill Laimbeer, who had one of the league’s dirtiest reputations. Bird was enraged, throwing punches while on the ground before getting up and chucking the ball directly at Laimbeer’s head. He was avenged by Robert Parish in game five, when the Celtics center hit Laimbeer with his forearms, knocking him to the ground. Laimbeer had been throwing elbows toward Parish’s head and neck, and Robert wasn’t even called for a foul (he was given a one game suspension by the league). For the game’s dramatic conclusion, Bird stole the Pistons’ inbounds pass with the Celtics down by one point with five seconds left, before passing the ball to Dennis Johnson who scored the game-winning layup.

After beating Detroit in seven games, the Celtics lost to probably the greatest Lakers team of the ‘80s in six. ‘87-88 turned out to be the end of an era of Boston dominance of the Eastern Conference. The Celtics made it as far as the Conference Finals, but lost to the Detroit Pistons in six games. It was the first time since 1983 they hadn’t made it to the Finals In ‘88-89, Bird missed nearly the whole season, playing in just the first six games before having surgery to remove bone spurs in both of his feet. He wasn’t back in time for the playoffs, and the aging, Bird-less Celtics were eliminated in the first round, failing to win a playoff series for the first time since 1979.

Bird returned in ‘89-90 and continued to play well through the early ‘90s. Due to continually worsening back problems though, Bird missed 22 games in ‘90-91 and 37 in ‘91-92, which turned out to be his final season. He was still only 35. Even at the end, Bird still averaged over 20 points, nearly ten rebounds, seven assists and one steal per game. He turned out to be not quite done with basketball after the ‘92 season, as he reluctantly joined the 1992 US men’s Olympic team, better known as the ‘Dream Team.’ Generally considered the greatest collection of basketball talent ever assembled, it included the likes of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, John Stockton, and Larry’s old friend and rival, Magic Johnson. Although he played limited minutes, Bird averaged 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Team USA cruised to victory, crushing opponent after opponent in eight straight wins, never even needing to call a time out.

Larry Bird currently sits at second all time among Celtics players in steals, behind only Paul Pierce. He’s also third all time in points, assists and blocks, fourth in three pointers made, fifth in minutes played and eighth in games played. His career highs include 29.9 points per game in ‘87-88, 11 rebounds in ‘82-83, 7.6 assists in ‘86-87, two steals in both ‘80-81 and ‘85-86, shooting nearly 53% from the field in ‘87-88, nearly 43% from three in ‘84-85, and shooting a league-leading 93% from the line in ‘89-90. Bird also led the league in free-throw shooting in ‘84, ‘86 and ‘87. Bird was the founding member of the ‘50-40-90 Club,’ shooting 52.5 from the field, 40 percent from three, and 91 percent from the line in ‘86-87. Bird broke the 50-40-90 threshold again the next season. He also served as the Celtics team captain from 1983 until the end of his career.

Aside from his three championships, his career was littered with individual accolades; he was MVP of the League every year from ‘84 to ‘86, averaging 26.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.8 steals on 50.4% shooting across those three seasons. He made All-NBA First Team an incredible nine straight years, from 1980 to ‘88, All-NBA Second Team in 1990, and All-NBA Defensive Second Team in 1982, ’83 and ‘84. He was an All-Star an amazing twelve times in his 13 seasons, only missing out in ‘89 due to season ending surgery. He also won the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend the first three years it was held, from ‘86 to ‘88. Bird’s number “33” was retired by the Boston Celtics in 1993, in a ceremony attended by Magic Johnson, who wore a Celtics t-shirt underneath his Lakers warm-up jacket.

Bird stayed with the Celtics organization for a time, serving as a special assistant to the front office from 1992 to ‘97. In 1996, Bird was named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1997, he took on the job of head coach of his home state’s Indiana Pacers, being named Coach of the Year and coaching the Eastern Conference All-Star Team, both in 1998. His assistant coach was an old teammate from his Celtics glory days, Rick Carlisle. In 2000, Bird, Reggie Miller, and the Indiana Pacers made it to the NBA Finals, but lost in six games to Bird’s old foes, the Los Angeles Lakers. Having told Indiana he would only coach for three seasons, he retired in 2000. Bird became the Pacers’ president of basketball operations in 2003, a post he held until retiring in 2017, and maintains an advisory role with the team. He was named Executive of the Year in 2012.

Larry Bird is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, with many placing him in the top five. He’s undoubtedly one of the greatest shooters of all time, and along with Bill Russell, one of the greatest Celtics. Larry Bird was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 17: Kevin McHale

#32 Kevin McHale, “Black Hole,” Power Forward, 1980-1993

Born in Bob Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota in 1957, Kevin McHale attended the University of Minnesota from 1976 to 1980. While in school, McHale helped Team USA take home the Gold at two different international competitions in 1979; at the Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Universiade in Mexico City. His number “44” has been retired by the school.

In the 1980 NBA draft, the Celtics traded the number one overall pick and another first round pick to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for center Robert Parish and the Warriors’ third overall pick, which the Celtics would use to draft McHale. This move would set the team up for success for over a decade to come. McHale made All-Rookie First Team in 1981 despite mostly coming off the bench for forwards Larry Bird and Cedric Maxwell, and that year the Celtics won the NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets.

Following the ‘83 season, McHale’s contract expired and it was speculated he’d soon be signing with the New York Knicks, but in the end he signed a new high-price contract with the Celtics. It was a good investment for Boston, and they made it back to the finals in 1984, facing their old rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. McHale played a memorable and controversial role in the series. The Celtics lost badly to the Lakers in game three, going down 2-1 in the series. They knew they had to do something to get into the Lakers’ heads, and while trailing in game four in Los Angeles, McHale delivered a hard foul to Lakers forward Kurt Rambis, knocking him to the ground. Rambis was unhurt, but the move set the tone for the rest of the series. The Celtics came back to win the game in overtime and win the series in seven games. ‘84 also marked McHale’s first All-Star appearance.

The following year Cedric Maxwell suffered a knee injury, giving McHale a chance to become a starter at the power forward position, and he flourished in the role. He quickly showed what he could do by setting a new team record by dropping 56 points in a game against the Detroit Pistons. Not to be outdone, Larry Bird set a new record nine days later by unleashing 60 on the Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics made it back to the finals in ‘85, but lost in a re-match to the Lakers in six games.

Cedric Maxwell was traded in the ‘85 off-season to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for center Bill Walton, giving McHale even more minutes in ‘85-86. McHale’s increased playing time, Walton’s excellent performance as back-up center, and the acquisition of sharp-shooting point guard Jerry Sichting all contributed to one of Boston’s best seasons to date. The team went 67 and 15, losing only one home game, and won their third championship of the decade, again defeating the Houston Rockets. His 25.8 points per game led all scorers in the Finals.

McHale had a career year in ‘86-87, setting career highs in points, rebounds and field goal percentage. Unfortunately, he broke his foot during a game in March of ‘87. He continued to play despite the advice of doctors, and played well through the playoffs, although he wasn’t as hot as he’d been in ‘86. Along with McHale’s foot injury, Bill Walton was only healthy enough to play 102 minutes in the ‘87 playoffs, and the Celtics top draft pick in ‘86, Maryland’s superstar forward Len Bias, had died two days after being selected by Boston. In the end the Celtics were too beat up to win the finals, losing to the Lakers again in six games.

McHale missed the first two months of the ‘87-88 season due to his foot injury, but was still able to play 64 games and the Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in ‘88, but they were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons, missing the Finals for the first time since ‘83. It was the last time until 2002 that the team would make it as far as the Conference Finals. The next year, Larry Bird missed all but six games due to foot surgery and the Celtics fell to a record of 42 and 40, their worst mark since ‘78-79. Still, they were able to hold on and make the playoffs. Without Bird though, the C’s were eliminated again by the Detroit Pistons, this time in a three game sweep in the first round.

Ankle surgery during the 1990 off-season caused McHale to think about retiring. Injuries caused him to miss 14 games in the ‘90-91 season, and 26 games in ‘91-92, and he would miss the All-Star Game that year for the first time since 1985. After being able to play just 45 games that year, Larry Bird would retire. McHale would play one more year at just 23.3 minutes per game in ‘92-93, the least since his rookie season. McHale retired in 1993, and his number “32” was retired by the Celtics the following year.

He currently sits at second only to Robert Parish all time among Celtics players in blocked shots, with just thirteen fewer than the Chief. He’s also fourth in games played, fifth in points, sixth in rebounds and seventh in minutes played. Along with his three rings, McHale won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 1984 and ‘85, made All-NBA First Team in 1987, All-Defensive First Team in 1984, ‘85 and ‘86, and All-Defensive Second Team in ‘83, ‘89 and ‘90. He was also a seven-time All-Star, making the team in 1984 and every year from ‘86 to ‘91. His career highs include 26.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game in ‘86-87, and 60.4% field goal shooting back to back in ‘86-87 and ‘87-88; he led the league in field goal percentage both years. He also shot 89% from the line in ‘89-90 and averaged 2.3 blocks per game in ‘81-82 and ‘82-83.

After retiring, McHale joined the Minnesota Timberwolves organization, and was promoted to General Manager in 1995, drafting power forward Kevin Garnett that year. He would trade Garnett to the Boston Celtics in 2007. McHale was also head coach of the Timberwolves in 2008-09, and head coach of the Houston Rockets from 2011 to 2015. He’s also worked as a basketball analyst for TNT and NBA TV. Kevin McHale was selected to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 18: Robert Parish

#00 Robert Parish, “The Chief,” Center, 1980-1994

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1953, Robert Parish attended his hometown’s Centenary College from 1972 to ‘76, where he made Second Team All-American his senior year. While in school, Parish served as captain of Team USA at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City where the team won gold.

He debuted in the NBA in 1976 for the Golden State Warriors, who drafted him 8th overall, two seasons after they won their first championship since leaving Philadelphia. He was traded to Boston prior to the 1980-81 season, which was Larry Bird’s second season and Kevin McHale’s first. The Warriors hadn’t made the playoffs since his rookie year, and he joked that going to the Celtics was like moving from an outhouse to a penthouse.

That season, the Celtics won an NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets, and they would win two more that decade. In 1984 they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games, and Parish played a big role in the pivotal fourth game, with 25 points, 12 rebounds 3 steals and 2 blocks. They won another against the Rockets again in 1986 in their best season of the decade. Along with the big three of Bird, Parish and McHale, the Celtics had a back court of Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge, a Hall of Famer sixth man in Bill Walton and Jerry Sichting and Scott Wedman coming off the bench. The team would also reach the finals in 1985 and ‘87, losing to the Lakers both times. The team began to decline after ’86 in large part due to the death of the Celtics’ pick in the 1986 draft, Len Bias, who passed away from a freak cocain overdose.

In a memorable incident, Parish punched Detroit Pistons center Bill Laimbeer in game five of ‘87 Eastern Conference Finals, knocking him to the floor. Laimbeer’s elbows had come close to striking Parish when he was hit; Laimbeer had a reputation as one of the league’s dirtiest players, and Parish wasn’t even assessed a foul. Two games prior, Laimbeer had clothes-lined Larry Bird, knocking him to the floor. Parish was suspended for one game, which Boston lost before clinching the series in game seven.

Parish would make All-NBA Second Team in 1982 and All-NBA Third Team in 1989. He would also make the All-Star Game nine times, including every season from 1981 to ‘87, and again in ‘90 and ‘91. Following the ‘93-94 season (during which he served as team captain), Parish left the Celtics and played two seasons for the Charlotte Hornets. In 1996, while still an active player, he was selected to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

In 96-97, Parish’s final year, he played for the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen-led Chicago Bulls, who won their fifth championship of the decade that season on their way to a second three-peat. Although he played limited minutes, Parish added a fourth ring to his resume. Parish retired at age 43 as the NBA’s all time leader in games played with 1,611. He was ahead of his time when it came to his focus on nutrition and physical fitness, and was and is a practitioner of yoga and martial arts. He was also the third oldest player to play in the NBA and the oldest to win a championship.

He holds the all time lead among Celtics in blocked shots with 1,703. He’s second only to Bill Russell in rebounds, second to John Havlicek in games played, and in fourth place in points, minutes played and steals among Boston players. His career highs include 2.9 blocks per game in 1978-79, 12.5 rebounds per game in ‘88-89, 19.9 points per game in ‘81-82, and shooting 60% from the field in ‘90-91. He scored a career high 40 points in a January 1981 win against the San Antonio Spurs. Parish’s famous number “00” was retired by the Celtics in 1998, and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, with the introductory speech given by his old friend and teammate, Bill Walton.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 19: Dennis Johnson

#3 Dennis Johnson, “DJ,” Guard, 1983-1990

Born in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1954 and raised in Compton, California, Dennis Johnson attended LA Harbor College from 1972 to ‘75 and Pepperdine University in Los Angeles County in ‘75-76.

In 1976, Johnson was drafted 29th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics. Seattle’s head coach during his rookie year was Celtics great Bill Russell. The Sonics lost in the Finals to Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes and the Washington Bullets in 1978. He won his first NBA Championship in a re-match with the Bullets in 1979 and was named Finals MVP, averaging 22.6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.2 blocks in the five game series. He was especially dominant in the Sonics’ game four win with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks on 12 of 23 shooting. Seattle’s head coach during his rookie year was Celtics great Bill Russell. following the 1979-80 season, Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns, where he played until 1983.

Johnson was traded to the Celtics after the ‘82-83 season. He played there with greats like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. It was a hell of a career move for DJ, and he and Bird greatly complimented each other’s games He won a Championship against the Los Angles Lakers in his first year in Boston. The Celtics won it all again in ‘86 against the Houston Rockets with quite possibly their best team ever. Along with DJ, Bird, McHale and Parish, they also featured guard Danny Ainge, Hall of Fame center Bill Walton as their sixth man and Scott Wedman and Jerry Sichting coming off the bench. They made the finals in 1985 and ‘87, but lost to the Lakers both times. The C’s slowly declined after ’86, in large part due to the death of Boston’s #2 overall pick in the 1986 draft, Maryland’s star forward Len Bias. DJ was involved in one of the Celtics’ most famous plays of the ‘80s if not ever in game five of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. The C’s were down by one point with five seconds left in the game when Larry Bird stole Isiah Thomas’ inbounds pass before firing a pass to Dennis who’d rushed towards the basket for a layup. His bucket put the Celtics up by one point and won the game.

Johnson made All-NBA first team in 1981 and Second Team in 1980. Always an excellent defender, he made All-Defensive First Team six times; every year from 1979 to ‘83 as well as ‘87, and All-Defensive Second Team every year from 1984 to ‘86. Johnson was a five time All-Star, including every year from 1979 to ‘82, as well as ‘85. Johnson retired following the 1989-90 season and his number “3” was retired by the Celtics in 1991.

He currently sits at eighth all time among Celtics players in both assists and steals, as well as twentieth in points. His career highs include 7.8 assists per game in 1987-88, 19.5 points per game in ‘81-82, 1.8 steals per game in ‘79-80, and shooting over 50% from the field in his rookie season of ‘76-77. He scored a career high of 39 points in a February 1981 loss to the New York Knicks while a member of the Suns. He also served as the Celtics’ assistant coach from 1993 to ‘97, and as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2003.

Sadly, Dennis Johnson died of a heart attack on February 22nd, 2007, at the age of 52. He was considered by many, including former teammate Danny Ainge, to be one of the most under-rated players of all time. For Larry Bird’s part, he called DJ the best teammate he ever had. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 20: Reggie Lewis

#35 Reggie Lewis, “Truck,” Shooting Guard, 1987-1993

Born in Baltimore in 1965, Reggie Lewis attended Dunbar High School in the city’s east side, which boasted one of the best basketball teams in the country. He played alongside several other future NBA players, including Muggsy Bogues. Dunbar went undefeated in back to back years when Lewis was a junior and senior. In college, he played for Northeastern University in Boston from 1983 to ‘87. He was his conference’s Player of the Year in 1985, ‘86 and ‘87 and his number “35” has been retired by the school.

Lewis was drafted 22nd overall by the Celtics in 1987, the year after Boston’s number two overall pick, Maryland superstar Len Bias, died of a freak cocaine overdose two days after the draft. The Celtics got the high quality young player they needed in Lewis, as the Celtics’ Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were beginning to age. McHale, the youngest of the three, turned 30 in 1987. Lewis played only 405 minutes in his rookie year, but his role greatly increased in ‘88-89, partly due to Larry Bird playing only six games that season due to foot surgery. Lewis averaged 18.5 points and 1.5 steals per game, helping the Celtics make the playoffs without Bird, although they were eliminated in the first round.

With Bird back, the Celtics were able to advance to the second round in ‘91 and ‘92, but no further. 1992 also marked his lone appearance in the All Star Game. Lewis helped power the Celtics back to the playoffs in ‘93, the first season after Bird’s retirement. In the first game of the opening series against the Charlotte Hornets, something was clearly wrong with Reggie Lewis. He collapsed during the first quarter and was hospitalized; it turned out to be the last NBA game he ever played. With Lewis absent, the Celtics lost the series three games to one. The team’s management hired a “dream team” of doctors to diagnose Lewis and determine whether or not he could return. He most likely suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, meaning he could never play basketball again.

However, he sought a second opinion, and was told by another doctor that it was safe for him to play. Lewis decided to trust the second opinion and it cost him his life. He went into cardiac arrest and died on July 27th, 1993, while practicing at the gym of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He was 27 years old.

Despite his tragic illness and death that cut short his career, Lewis is currently seventh all time among Celtics players in blocked shots, tenth in steals and 18th in points. His career highs include 20.8 points per game in both ‘91-92 and ‘92-93, shooting over 50% from the field in ‘91-92, and averaging 1.5 steals per game in ‘88-89, ‘91-92 and ‘92-93. He scored a career high of 42 points twice, first in an April 1991 win against the Miami Heat and again in a second round playoff loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in May 1992.

Reggie Lewis has gone down as one of the great what-ifs in Celtics history, along with Len Bias. The Celtics missed the playoffs for six straight seasons following his death, the longest stretch in franchise history. In a ceremony attended by many of his former teammates, including Larry Bird and Dennis Johnson, Reggie Lewis’ number “35” was retired by the Celtics on March 22nd, 1995, just months before the team played their last game at the old Boston Garden.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 21: Paul Pierce

#34 Paul Pierce, “The Truth,” Small Forward, 1998-2013

Born in Oakland, California in 1977, Paul Pierce grew up in Inglewood, California, in Los Angeles County. Naturally, Pierce grew up rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers and hating the Boston Celtics. As a junior in high school, Pierce first showed signs of becoming a great player. As a senior in 1995, Pierce won the California Mr. Basketball award and played in the McDonald’s All-American game with the likes of Vince Carter and future teammate Kevin Garnett. Pierce went on to attend the University of Kansas from 1995 to 1998, and in 1997 he helped Kansas win the Big 12 Conference Tournament. He was First Team All-American in 1998, and his number “34” has been retired by the school.

Pierce was picked tenth overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1998 draft, joining the team in one of the worst stretches in its history. They hadn’t made the playoffs since 1995 and hadn’t won a playoff series since 1992. Their last championship came in 1986 and the glory days years were now long gone; Larry Bird had retired in ‘92 and Kevin McHale in ‘93. The Celtics star shooting guard, Reggie Lewis, passed away at 27 during the ‘93 off-season from a heart condition, and Robert Parish moved on to the Charlotte Hornets in 1994.

There were seeds of promise though, as power forward Antoine Walker had joined the team in ‘96, and was an All-Star the year before Pierce’s arrival. Shooting guard Ron Mercer joined the league the year before Pierce and was was averaging 17 points a game during Pierce’s rookie season. For his part, Paul averaged 16.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals in his first year, and made All-Rookie First Team in ‘99. Mercer left following that season, and although Pierce steadily improved, the team didn’t make the playoffs until 2002.

In what could’ve easily been a fatal off the court incident, Pierce was stabbed eleven times in a Boston night club on September 25th, 2000. His life was saved at Tufts-New England Medical Center and he went on to play all 82 games of the 2000-01 season. He later donated 2.5 million dollars to the hospital.

In 2001, he was nicknamed “The Truth” by Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal after Pierce dropped 42 points on one of the best ever Lakers teams in a losing effort, hitting 13 of 19 from the field. The Celtics were finally back in the playoffs in 2002, and faced the New Jersey Nets in the Conference Finals. With the series tied 1-1, the Celtics were getting blown out at home in game three with the score at 74 to 53 after three quarters. It was all Boston in the fourth though, with the Celtics outscoring the Nets 41 to 16 and winning the game 94 to 90 in one of the greatest playoff comebacks of all time. Pierce alone scored 19 in the fourth. Unfortunately, Jason Kidd and the Nets went on win the next three games and the series.

Antoine Walker left the team after the ‘03 season, and in ‘06 and ‘07, the team would miss the playoffs again. The low point was the 2007 season, in which Pierce was only able to play 47 games due to injuries and the team went 24 and 58, their worst mark since the train wreck that was ‘96-97. Things turned around in a hurry though as the team traded for two star players. The first was Ray Allen, one of the league’s best shooters, who came from the Seattle SuperSonics. The second was power forward Kevin Garnett, traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves, where Kevin McHale was serving as GM. Garnett was generally considered the best active player without a championship at the time. He went on to win Defensive Player of the Year in his first season with the team, and so far is the only Celtic to do so. The ‘07-08 team also featured young point guard Rajon Rondo, who joined the team the year before, and point guard Eddie House coming off the bench. The team proved to be one of the greatest in Celtics history, winning 66 games, just one shy of the legendary ‘86 team.

The playoffs were no cakewalk though, with the first two rounds going to seven games, first against the underdog Atlanta Hawks, then vs. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. They went on to beat the Detroit Pistons in six before arriving in the NBA Finals against their classic rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics won the first two games at home, before dropping game three in LA. In game four, the Celtics staged an amazing comeback akin to the one they’d gutted out against New Jersey in 2002. The Lakers led by 24 points early in the third quarter, but the Celtics wound up out-scoring them 31 to 15 in the third and 26 to 18 in the fourth, winning the game 97 to 91, stunning the LA crowd and giving them a 3-1 series lead. However, the Lakers won game five and the series shifted back to Boston. The Celtics ended the series decisively in game six, destroying the Lakers by nearly forty points, 131 to 92. It was their first Championship in 22 years; previously, the longest gap between titles had been just five. Pierce was named MVP of the Finals, having racked up 21.8 points, 6.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game in the series.

The Celtics seemed likely to repeat in 2009, but lost one of their best players when Kevin Garnett was injured in February and he did not return for the playoffs. The Celtics won 62 games despite the loss of Garnett, but would lose to the Orlando Magic in seven in the second round. In 2010 the Celtics won 50 games and then surprised many by making it back to the NBA Finals. They beat the Miami Heat in five in the first round, and again bounced LeBron James and the number one seeded Cavaliers in the semifinals in six games. It’s speculated that the Cavs’ second loss to Boston led to James’ decision to sign with Miami. The Celtics beat the Magic in six in the Conference Finals before facing the Lakers in the Finals for the second time in three years. The Lakers were the favorites going in, but the Celtics took it all the way to a seventh game in Los Angeles. The Celtics led 23 to 14 after the first quarter but wound up losing 83 to 79. The Lakers were aided by getting 37 free throw attempts to the Celtics’ 17. The Celtics’ starting center Kendrick Perkins getting injured in game six may have been the deciding factor, as the Celtics were out-rebounded 53 to 40 in the final game.

In 2011, the Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs in five games, as Miami had recently added LeBron James and Chris Bosh to a lineup that already included Dwayne Wade. In 2012, the Celtics made it back to the Conference Finals but again lost to the Heat, this time in seven, and Miami would go on to win the NBA Championship. 2013 would be Pierce’s last year with the Celtics. Ray Allen had left the team after the 2012 season, and Pierce and Garnett were now in their mid 30s. Still, they made it to the playoffs one more time in green, but lost to the New York Knicks in the first round.

That off-season, Pierce and Garnett were traded to the Brooklyn Nets along with Jason Terry and D.J. White in a trade that turned out to be very lopsided in Boston’s favor. The Celtics received five players along with four first round picks, two of which were used to draft Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum with a third being traded to Cleveland as part of the deal that brought star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Celtics for two seasons.

In Pierce’s one season with the Nets, they reached the second round of the playoffs but couldn’t make it past the star-studded Heat. The next year Pierce played for the Washington Wizards, but lost in the second round again, this time to the Atlanta Hawks. In 2015, Pierce began playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, and for the first time in his career was coming off the bench. The Clippers made it to the playoffs in ‘16 and ‘17, but never past the first round.

Pierce retired in 2017 and his number “34” was retired by the Boston Celtics in 2018. He currently sits at number one all time among Celtics in three pointers made with 1,823, almost twice as many as Antoine Walker, who’s in second place with over 900. He’s also number one in steals, just ahead of Larry Bird, number two in points, behind only John Havlicek, and third in minutes played and games played. He’s also fourth in blocked shots, fifth in assists and seventh in rebounds. He served as team captain from 2000 until his departure in 2013. His career highs include 26.8 points per game in ‘05-06 and shooting over 41% from three point range in both his rookie year and again in ‘09-10. He scored a career high of fifty points in a February 2006 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Pierce also made All-NBA Second Team in 2009 and Third Team in ‘02, ‘03 and ‘08. He was an All-Star an impressive ten times; every year from 2002 to 2012 with the exception of 2007, when he missed out due to injuries.

Since his retirement, he’s worked on television as a basketball analyst. Paul Pierce has undoubtedly been the greatest Celtic to emerge since the end of the original big three era and should be a lock for the Hall of Fame.

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