NBA basketball at its peak right here. Doesn't get ANY better than this. I'd happily sit and watch re-runs of 90's basketball all day over the trash we're fed from ESPN today. This is back when players CARED about the game and not the entertainment value of it.
I think this video not only displayed the greatness of Michael Jordan but also showed just how great 90's sports were in general. An injured player ala Patrick Ewing, Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan seemed to always elevate in the most important situations. When I saw Lebron James play against my Celtics I saw an injury take him out the game, excuses being made by the media, absolutely no will to win, no fire .... pretty much like modern sports today
that lay-up from 8:25 was amazing. He did it so quick and smooth, fake was absolutely brilliant and then spin. There is no other player in history who can do something like that
Your statement is sad but true, during this time or should I say, in the 80's and 90's where the pinnacle of the NBA. I wasn't old enough to watch anything in the 80's until the the end of it. However I was definetly watching during the 90's...Jordan was just unbelievable, there will never be anybody like him again.
Is it me or is the broadcasting quality of NBC back then was spectacular? I mean the replays, slow motion camera angles, the quality of the intro and of course Marv Albert. I have a feeling that they were ahead of their time by quite a bit.
No doubt he was a gamer too. It was a pleasure watching what Jordan, Pippen an Rodman could accomplish together in the late 90's. All three being the best at what they did and quite possibly the three best defenders ever on one squad.
At 4:22 of this video is incredible. I've seen more guys hitting the floor in clips of these videos than I have of a months worth of NBA games today. And that includes NBA playoff games!!! Could you imagine these Bulls/Knicks players in this series high-fiving one another, hugging and laughing together at 1/2 court in pre-game warmups like you see Lebron and Vince Carter doing today? Naw I sure as hell can't.
As Bulls fan this has to be my favorite ball game of all-time. Chicago haf alot of teams gunning for them in the east. But the knick were the only ones we respected, however when they beat us in 94. They were classy about it.
Exaaaaaactly.. look at the fans, the energy of the players, just the whole feel of the game. It feels like I'm watching a game of checkers. But in the Jordan era, there were energetic athletes fighting and scraping to climb the mountain.. The Clutch factor was unreaaaaaaaaal!! It seems like NBA players nowadays have a "Whatever.. there's always next year" mentality.
One of the best playoff series ever, if not the best. How I miss that pure basketball. Look at 6:35, how he breaks Starks' ankles. Starks literally falls to the floor!
watching the Bulls Utah game 6 live on TV was breathtaking..literally..i thought if i remember it vividly, i wasnt breathing when Michael stole the ball from Malone. who could have thought it was going to happen?and when Russell fell on the floor after Jordan 's impeccable move and shoot the ball nothing but net..amazing !!!
It's still amazing to see the tightness and roughness of the defense in contrast to today. Also, the old stadiums like Chicago stadium had the crowd close to the court unlike today with the luxury, corporate suites taking up space. The crowd being close was what MJ liked because it made the game purer. This was only the 2nd time of the Bulls' 6 ring run that was pushed to 7 games. Thanks for the link to me - I'll be linking you as well Starks23!
Just thought you guys might be interested in this one : From after game 6 ( NY Times) : Asked about the disparity in free-throw attempts between the two teams, Riley said: "The whistles were O.K. tonight. They just ran by our first line of defense and took it to the basket. Michael is a competitor. When you play against a guy like him, he tells you hard he wants to win by how hard he takes it to the basket."
Sweat memories of basketballs best years as a born bred Knicks fan i hated the bulls of the 90s Jordan and Pippen but know i can look at this and appreciate how amazing these guys were Pippen deserves so much more credit Jordan couldn't have done it with out him and It breaks my heart the Ewing retired without a ring Boston, New York and Chicago are basketballs greatest fans with such rich history
He dropped Starks a few times in this series on crossovers and change of pace dribbles, actually, but this time it looks like it was a combination of Starks losing his balance and tripping on MJ's foot. You've been on a tear, starks23 -- keep it up. Great stuff. :)
Jesus, that sequence around 7:20...goddamn. Everyone arguing for another player as the greatest, before or after Jordan, should have to watch that a few times. That shows it all. And for the record, that crossover was WICKED. I'm sick of the flashy, pointless crossovers when you're isolated at the top of the key and all you manage to get is a contested J. Jordan crossed that shit over in traffic, against double teaming defenders, and it got him to the rim. That's basketball's best.
Chicago Stadium was an incredibly difficult place for opponents to play. The sound level was incredible there. Yes, the United Center may be a superior facility but it definitely didn't give as much of a mental edge as Chicago Stadium did.
In the Bulls-Knicks rivalry I remember the bodies banging into each other and laying on the ground. Tough grinding games. The Knicks where the only ones to consistently push the Bull's to their limit.
Magic summed the game of basketbAll when he proclaims "WHOSE GAME IS it? IT'S MICHAEL JORDAN'S GAME"! Classic moment and one I am grateful I could watch live on NBC!! I wish I could rewind time like I do these jordan video clips lol
No one ever reminded me of Jordan at all when it comes to complete package until the goldmedal game this past summer ofr the redeem team when Dwyane Wade came out and just absolutely ripped spain to shreds with 24 first half points, he finished with only 29 and scored his last 5 in the last 2 minutes of the game to close it out (with kobe killin the 4th quarter with his game) but how Wade came out slashin in that goldmedal game reminded me of when i saw jordan and what he did in THIS game
This is what made Jordan so great, he had a will to win. I don't think most of the NBA players have that particular will or desire. For them it's all about the money but for guys like Jordan, Barkley, Magic Johnson it was all about wanting to win. Of course Jordan was the best at it, but I swear put those 90's NBA teams on the floor against the teams of today, they'll wipe em off the floor. Nothin better then 90's ball.
It's hard to pick just one, but this game may have been the defining game of Jordan's career. The Bulls had one only 1 chip at this point, and a second round exit would have been psychologically devastating. The Knicks were consistently the Bulls toughest opponent during their Championship reign. Jordan always responded in these situations like a cornered animal, a frightening level of anger/intensity that I've never seen from anyone else.
Jordan was a great ballhandler, he just never wasted dribbles, quick move and to the hoop strong, the way you're supposed to take it to the hoop. Plus remember that there wasn't all these crazyt moves even invented yet when Mike was playing, I have even heard Kobe talking about watching street leagues and seeing moves
ohh what a memories, i was 15 at that time, will we see again games like this, players like michael, pip, patrick..? a shame HDTV did not exit 20 years ago.
That's how the play the game back in those days. According to Jordan himself, "it is psyching out". If you can't throw back thrash talk, Knick or Piston would take your heart and confidence.
The Bulls won 10 more games than anybody else in the league that year, and 16 more games than the Knicks. NOBODY was expecting the Knicks to even get to 6 games.
MJ should have at least mention the Knicks when he was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame..it was that rivalry in the East that made MJ and the Bulls a championship caliber team. A Knicks and Bulls game was the most anticipated game to watch in the 90's. MJ destroyed Pat Riley's dream to give the Knicks a championship ring and many more great players and team during the Jordan era as we know it.
that is ankle breaking moves! forget about A.I crossover, Jordan is the one who started it all. People tends to overlook those crossover moves because their attention were focused on air maneuvering of MJ.
When basketball was basketball. I still love The Knicks, but this was some real shit right here. Man, The Knicks of the 90's had so many great rivalries! Knicks/Bulls, Knicks/Pacers, Knicks/Heat. ALL FUCKING AWESOME! All tough, gritty, physical, defensive battles. I loved that shti so much! Ewing, Oakley, Starks, Mason, Xman. This game was a real disappointment. All the games of this series were so close, and this one was a letdown
The Knicks gave it their all in the final game because it was the Bulls and they needed the win for their confidence. The Bulls "wanted" to win 70 games back to back, but that's not the same level of motivation. And to further the Houston point, Jordan lit up Houston the next season also, scoring 29, 44, 42, and 44 in the four games they played, all Bulls wins. The Knicks could simply never stop Jordan when it counted, and the 1997 team would have been business as usual.
In 95-96 the Knicks were 47-35 and the Bulls 72-10. With their worse 90's squad, nobody thought seriously for the in the playoffs. The swept the Cavs easily with a homecourt disadvantage, and they gave the Bulls such a hard time, that it was like 2 equal teams were competing. That was just because it was the KNICKS vs the BULLS:
I agree. The rules back then really were different. Now we've got the overall softer defense, which the NBA did on purpose to get higher scoring games. To Tabooboy24: I don't know which tapes you're watching, but the NBA is NOT the same. I watched last year's playoffs and there wasn't a single team that could've held up to 80's/90's brand of defense.
6:55-7:14 I have never seen kobe bryant do anything remotely close to this. How people even begin to compare bryant to jordan is still beyond me. I got chill bumps looking at this play.
damn knicks vs bulls in the early 90's were so brutal. those teams hated each other. listen to the crowd too. the old stadium was soo loud. no stadium gets that loud anymore.
WOW totally awesome video I was in 8th grade and even thou this went 7 games no-one in Chicago thought for a chance that the Bulls would get beat and to say that ever year thereafter.I caught myself wondering if this was highlights from a whole series or just one game.Wow really puts in perspective how good Jordan was and the Bulls players in general.Kobe ha sthe offense that is very similar to Jordans but did you see how Jordan would pass to GRANT PIPPEN and even PAXSON.
The Bulls were the exception; MJ was the exception. Their defense led to an unreal transition game that no one else had, and, of course, no matter how slow the game, MJ's presence made it enjoyable. Watch games in '98 though, Pippen is slowed by injuries, the rest of the crew is beat down, they played a lot of really ugly games in that title run. And watch the Bulls v. the Pistons or Knicks, then watch the '06 finals. The treatment stars get today is absurd.
THIS is basketball. i hate how ppl say "mj couldnt play in this current day and age, the defence is stronger'. you cant even smile without being called a technical foul now. lebron wouldve cracked under the defence the knicks put on mj. THIS is basketball!
In 1997 the Knicks were 1-3 against the Hornets in the season and swept them easily in the playoffs. Against Miami (61-21) they went 3-1 in the season, and 3-1 in the playoffs till it happened what happened. They were beating aybody anytime they wanted to. Against the Bulls (2-2) they showed slight edge over them. And it was REGULAR season. Remember 1996 and conclude what would happen in 1997.
Well, like others have said, not only did Chicago win 16 more games than NY, but they swept them 4-0 that regular season and swept them in the playoffs the year prior. And they were facing the defending champs who had the undisputed best player in the world on their team. It would've been a BIG upset -- not on the order of Dallas/GS this year or Denver/Seattle in '94, but big nonetheless.
I think in every playoff series I saw Jordan would generally play a solid game. In one game he might be cold and Pippen or someone could pick it up for him. But then it seemed that in at least 2 of those games in a 7 game series Jordan would single handed destroy his opponents. It was almost as if every team had to start with 2 games down, because he would just go off on some of them like this.
Show.....3:29 to 3:36 of this is intense. There needs to be a poster of MJ & Xman staring one another in the eye mano a mano head to head talking trash. One of my favourite all-time NBA playoff images.
3 of Ewing's top career plays come from 1997. One is his dunk over Rodwoman (bride-dressing homosexual person) running full court and jumping over him at the buzzer of the half. One is a beastial dunk over Zo in the playoffs (game 1). One is a game-winning block on Timmy Hardaway who shot a 3 at the buzzer of game 3. Also in the Charlotte series he had a couple of monster plays. So don't tell me that Ewing was old in 1997. CZcams "Ewing's top 10" or "top 13" and enjoy.
My prediction is: Knicks steal a heart-breaker in Chicago in game 1, as they did in the last reg. season game shutting down Jordan. Bulls beat them relatively easily in game 2. Series returns in MSG where in front of a berserk crowd Knicks win game 3. Game 4, an OT war where the Knicks prevail @ the buzzer. Game 5 in Chicago Bulls win. Game 6 in MSG Knicks win. If I was a bookmaker I would give the Knicks 60-40.
What you say is mistaken: In the final game BOTH of the teams had locked their slots. Moreover, no matter if the slots are locked or not, the Bulls and the Knicks went at it at full throttle. Regarding the 1997 case, there is a detailed documentary thereon coming up, stay tuned...
Před 16 lety
Agree 100% Tom. The game isn't the same. They took the physicality out of the game and included zone defense? c'mon Zone is for college ball, it doesn't belong in the NBA. Also this shows why Jordan is considered the Greatest baller ever.
6:55 - 7:10 sickest series of plays ever! pure determination and winning by pure will!
The NBA on NBC gave the best commentary I have ever seen. The opening music was tight. Memories, TNT can't stand next to them.
NBA basketball at its peak right here. Doesn't get ANY better than this. I'd happily sit and watch re-runs of 90's basketball all day over the trash we're fed from ESPN today. This is back when players CARED about the game and not the entertainment value of it.
I think this video not only displayed the greatness of Michael Jordan but also showed just how great 90's sports were in general. An injured player ala Patrick Ewing, Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan seemed to always elevate in the most important situations. When I saw Lebron James play against my Celtics I saw an injury take him out the game, excuses being made by the media, absolutely no will to win, no fire .... pretty much like modern sports today
"WHO'S GAMES IS IT ITS MICHAEL JORDANS GAME"
MAGIC JOHNSON
One of the best calls and THE best basketball sequence ever!!!
that lay-up from 8:25 was amazing. He did it so quick and smooth, fake was absolutely brilliant and then spin. There is no other player in history who can do something like that
this brings back memories. I don't remember seeing this kind of intensity during the playoffs these last couple of years.
The Bulls and Knicks in the 90s is by far the most underrated rival in the NBA. Those games were always other-worldly intense!
1992 Knicks, one of the best defensive teams ever!
Your statement is sad but true, during this time or should I say, in the 80's and 90's where the pinnacle of the NBA. I wasn't old enough to watch anything in the 80's until the the end of it. However I was definetly watching during the 90's...Jordan was just unbelievable, there will never be anybody like him again.
the sequence from 7:00 to 7:45 defines what makes Jordan great...the desire to compete...no one greater...
Is it me or is the broadcasting quality of NBC back then was spectacular? I mean the replays, slow motion camera angles, the quality of the intro and of course Marv Albert. I have a feeling that they were ahead of their time by quite a bit.
Wat a remarkable hustle play by jordan in this game...
this is truly best era of NBA...
Classic, classic, legendary B-ball 90's NBA Love it always.
No doubt he was a gamer too. It was a pleasure watching what Jordan, Pippen an Rodman could accomplish together in the late 90's. All three being the best at what they did and quite possibly the three best defenders ever on one squad.
At 4:22 of this video is incredible. I've seen more guys hitting the floor in clips of these videos than I have of a months worth of NBA games today. And that includes NBA playoff games!!!
Could you imagine these Bulls/Knicks players in this series high-fiving one another, hugging and laughing together at 1/2 court in pre-game warmups like you see Lebron and Vince Carter doing today?
Naw I sure as hell can't.
6:59 that crossover. The guy was disgustingly good
As Bulls fan this has to be my favorite ball game of all-time. Chicago haf alot of teams gunning for them in the east. But the knick were the only ones we respected, however when they beat us in 94. They were classy about it.
These games were unforgettable!
Exaaaaaactly.. look at the fans, the energy of the players, just the whole feel of the game. It feels like I'm watching a game of checkers. But in the Jordan era, there were energetic athletes fighting and scraping to climb the mountain.. The Clutch factor was unreaaaaaaaaal!! It seems like NBA players nowadays have a "Whatever.. there's always next year" mentality.
One of the best playoff series ever, if not the best. How I miss that pure basketball. Look at 6:35, how he breaks Starks' ankles. Starks literally falls to the floor!
Marv, Magic and Mike (Triple M) was like music to my ears. The greatest commentary team in NBA history.
watching the Bulls Utah game 6 live on TV was breathtaking..literally..i thought if i remember it vividly, i wasnt breathing when Michael stole the ball from Malone. who could have thought it was going to happen?and when Russell fell on the floor after Jordan 's impeccable move and shoot the ball nothing but net..amazing !!!
It's still amazing to see the tightness and roughness of the defense in contrast to today. Also, the old stadiums like Chicago stadium had the crowd close to the court unlike today with the luxury, corporate suites taking up space. The crowd being close was what MJ liked because it made the game purer. This was only the 2nd time of the Bulls' 6 ring run that was pushed to 7 games. Thanks for the link to me - I'll be linking you as well Starks23!
This game is like a damn war. The intensity is crazy!
Just thought you guys might be interested in this one :
From after game 6 ( NY Times) :
Asked about the disparity in free-throw attempts between the two teams, Riley said: "The whistles were O.K. tonight. They just ran by our first line of defense and took it to the basket. Michael is a competitor. When you play against a guy like him, he tells you hard he wants to win by how hard he takes it to the basket."
i'm with you.. nothing better than bulls games from the 80s and 90s
The NBC's opening sequence and music was the greatest basketball opening ever.
Sweat memories of basketballs best years as a born bred Knicks fan i hated the bulls of the 90s Jordan and Pippen but know i can look at this and appreciate how amazing these guys were Pippen deserves so much more credit Jordan couldn't have done it with out him and It breaks my heart the Ewing retired without a ring Boston, New York and Chicago are basketballs greatest fans with such rich history
Playoffs were SERIOUS!!! Look at how intense it was, those guys were ready to rumble for the win if they had to, they left it all on the court
He dropped Starks a few times in this series on crossovers and change of pace dribbles, actually, but this time it looks like it was a combination of Starks losing his balance and tripping on MJ's foot. You've been on a tear, starks23 -- keep it up. Great stuff. :)
Incredible. To have the toughness to come through and beat one of the most physical defensive teams ever in basketball.
This was war. And MJ was a true leader steppin up when his teammates needed. Some of the most intense series ever.
Jesus, that sequence around 7:20...goddamn. Everyone arguing for another player as the greatest, before or after Jordan, should have to watch that a few times. That shows it all.
And for the record, that crossover was WICKED. I'm sick of the flashy, pointless crossovers when you're isolated at the top of the key and all you manage to get is a contested J. Jordan crossed that shit over in traffic, against double teaming defenders, and it got him to the rim. That's basketball's best.
The old Chicago Stadium was amazing.
Introductions for NBA on NBC! Damn i still get chills. Those were the days!
Chicago Stadium was an incredibly difficult place for opponents to play. The sound level was incredible there. Yes, the United Center may be a superior facility but it definitely didn't give as much of a mental edge as Chicago Stadium did.
Agreed with poster below. And I didn't even see the NBA in this era. Give us this NBA back Stern!
In the Bulls-Knicks rivalry I remember the bodies banging into each other and laying on the ground. Tough grinding games. The Knicks where the only ones to consistently push the Bull's to their limit.
God the NBA was great back then. Rivalries, intensity, DEFENSE.
Magic summed the game of basketbAll when he proclaims "WHOSE GAME IS it? IT'S MICHAEL JORDAN'S GAME"! Classic moment and one I am grateful I could watch live on NBC!! I wish I could rewind time like I do these jordan video clips lol
NBC made a lot of amazing intros, but this one may be the best.
Wow
No one ever reminded me of Jordan at all when it comes to complete package until the goldmedal game this past summer ofr the redeem team when Dwyane Wade came out and just absolutely ripped spain to shreds with 24 first half points, he finished with only 29 and scored his last 5 in the last 2 minutes of the game to close it out (with kobe killin the 4th quarter with his game)
but how Wade came out slashin in that goldmedal game reminded me of when i saw jordan and what he did in THIS game
This is what made Jordan so great, he had a will to win. I don't think most of the NBA players have that particular will or desire. For them it's all about the money but for guys like Jordan, Barkley, Magic Johnson it was all about wanting to win. Of course Jordan was the best at it, but I swear put those 90's NBA teams on the floor against the teams of today, they'll wipe em off the floor. Nothin better then 90's ball.
It's hard to pick just one, but this game may have been the defining game of Jordan's career. The Bulls had one only 1 chip at this point, and a second round exit would have been psychologically devastating. The Knicks were consistently the Bulls toughest opponent during their Championship reign. Jordan always responded in these situations like a cornered animal, a frightening level of anger/intensity that I've never seen from anyone else.
Greatest of all time, greatest of all time, greatest of all time.
Jordan was a great ballhandler, he just never wasted dribbles, quick move and to the hoop strong, the way you're supposed to take it to the hoop. Plus remember that there wasn't all these crazyt moves even invented yet when Mike was playing, I have even heard Kobe talking about watching street leagues and seeing moves
ohh what a memories, i was 15 at that time, will we see again games like this, players like michael, pip, patrick..? a shame HDTV did not exit 20 years ago.
Never Realized How fast Jordan was until I saw that spin move DAMN!!!!
Great Series...top 3 all time, crazy crossover at 6:35, i think he stepped on his foot but G.O.A.T no doubt
That's how the play the game back in those days. According to Jordan himself, "it is psyching out". If you can't throw back thrash talk, Knick or Piston would take your heart and confidence.
look at the fire in jordans eyes at 3:52!! jordan was a beast!!!!!!!!!
daim m j's mid range was so sick!!!!!!!! no 1 could stop it
god that intro chills me to the bones
Jordan and the Bulls owns the Knicks anytime, anyplace and anywhere!!!!
The Bulls won 10 more games than anybody else in the league that year, and 16 more games than the Knicks. NOBODY was expecting the Knicks to even get to 6 games.
MJ should have at least mention the Knicks when he was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame..it was that rivalry in the East that made MJ and the Bulls a championship caliber team.
A Knicks and Bulls game was the most anticipated game to watch in the 90's. MJ destroyed Pat Riley's dream to give the Knicks a championship ring and many more great players and team during the Jordan era as we know it.
true 5 on 5 basketball. physical and mental. all men right here.
that is ankle breaking moves! forget about A.I crossover, Jordan is the one who started it all. People tends to overlook those crossover moves because their attention were focused on air maneuvering of MJ.
Cool vid man,i recognize u have starks on your nick. john starks is my favorite player as well. He inspired me in so many ways.
When basketball was basketball. I still love The Knicks, but this was some real shit right here.
Man, The Knicks of the 90's had so many great rivalries!
Knicks/Bulls, Knicks/Pacers, Knicks/Heat. ALL FUCKING AWESOME! All tough, gritty, physical, defensive battles. I loved that shti so much!
Ewing, Oakley, Starks, Mason, Xman.
This game was a real disappointment. All the games of this series were so close, and this one was a letdown
i got chills watchin this
This is the best NBA basketball ever- Knicks-Bulls- you go to an NBA game now you fall asleep
great game still remember when i saw this game live
The Knicks gave it their all in the final game because it was the Bulls and they needed the win for their confidence. The Bulls "wanted" to win 70 games back to back, but that's not the same level of motivation. And to further the Houston point, Jordan lit up Houston the next season also, scoring 29, 44, 42, and 44 in the four games they played, all Bulls wins. The Knicks could simply never stop Jordan when it counted, and the 1997 team would have been business as usual.
i'm french, i'm 32, and for me it's the best team ever! Hall of Fame basketball Team...!!
NO DOUBT!!!! ALOT OF THESE PLAYERS NOWADAYS DON'T REALLY HAVE THE PASSION FOR THE GAME OF BASKETBALL ANYMORE.
just 6:55 - 7:42 shows Michael Jordans greatness G.O.A.T
In 95-96 the Knicks were 47-35 and the Bulls 72-10. With their worse 90's squad, nobody thought seriously for the in the playoffs. The swept the Cavs easily with a homecourt disadvantage, and they gave the Bulls such a hard time, that it was like 2 equal teams were competing. That was just because it was the KNICKS vs the BULLS:
I agree. The rules back then really were different. Now we've got the overall softer defense, which the NBA did on purpose to get higher scoring games. To Tabooboy24: I don't know which tapes you're watching, but the NBA is NOT the same. I watched last year's playoffs and there wasn't a single team that could've held up to 80's/90's brand of defense.
Pretty intense rivalry. The Bulls would always win! The Knicks always played hard. Ewing is my all time favorite Knick. I had his shoes.
Thank you for this video.
6:55-7:14
I have never seen kobe bryant do anything remotely close to this. How people even begin to compare bryant to jordan is still beyond me. I got chill bumps looking at this play.
damn knicks vs bulls in the early 90's were so brutal. those teams hated each other. listen to the crowd too. the old stadium was soo loud. no stadium gets that loud anymore.
WOW totally awesome video I was in 8th grade and even thou this went 7 games no-one in Chicago thought for a chance that the Bulls would get beat and to say that ever year thereafter.I caught myself wondering if this was highlights from a whole series or just one game.Wow really puts in perspective how good Jordan was and the Bulls players in general.Kobe ha sthe offense that is very similar to Jordans but did you see how Jordan would pass to GRANT PIPPEN and even PAXSON.
The Bulls were the exception; MJ was the exception. Their defense led to an unreal transition game that no one else had, and, of course, no matter how slow the game, MJ's presence made it enjoyable. Watch games in '98 though, Pippen is slowed by injuries, the rest of the crew is beat down, they played a lot of really ugly games in that title run.
And watch the Bulls v. the Pistons or Knicks, then watch the '06 finals. The treatment stars get today is absurd.
THIS is basketball. i hate how ppl say "mj couldnt play in this current day and age, the defence is stronger'.
you cant even smile without being called a technical foul now.
lebron wouldve cracked under the defence the knicks put on mj.
THIS is basketball!
this is what basketball is missin these days (sigh)
This is crazy. MJ went beast mode in this game 7. Kobe has been in a few game 7s. What has he done?
In 1997 the Knicks were 1-3 against the Hornets in the season and swept them easily in the playoffs. Against Miami (61-21) they went 3-1 in the season, and 3-1 in the playoffs till it happened what happened. They were beating aybody anytime they wanted to. Against the Bulls (2-2) they showed slight edge over them. And it was REGULAR season. Remember 1996 and conclude what would happen in 1997.
Man this should've been in NBA 2K11 as one of MJ's greatest moments.
That´s intense... that`s basketball.
What a team the 90`s Chicago Bulls.
MJ: best ever.
Dam, now that a Game 7. Those are men out there battling, not youngsters thinking about what shoe they where and what not.
this series, along with the 1993 ECF, were the real NBA Finals those two seasons, only the knicks could have beaten the bulls
Well, like others have said, not only did Chicago win 16 more games than NY, but they swept them 4-0 that regular season and swept them in the playoffs the year prior. And they were facing the defending champs who had the undisputed best player in the world on their team. It would've been a BIG upset -- not on the order of Dallas/GS this year or Denver/Seattle in '94, but big nonetheless.
thumb up if you want this era to have physical basketball like this
NO ONE IS STRONGER THAN JORDAN!!!!!!!!!! HE S THE BEST AND HE S THE GREATEST 4ever
3:32 of this video. NBA needs more of this kinda intensity.
If i could only show one video of Jordan to someone who never saw him play before, it would be this game!
simply awesome
Thx starks23
I think in every playoff series I saw Jordan would generally play a solid game. In one game he might be cold and Pippen or someone could pick it up for him. But then it seemed that in at least 2 of those games in a 7 game series Jordan would single handed destroy his opponents. It was almost as if every team had to start with 2 games down, because he would just go off on some of them like this.
Show.....3:29 to 3:36 of this is intense. There needs to be a poster of MJ & Xman staring one another in the eye mano a mano head to head talking trash.
One of my favourite all-time NBA playoff images.
3 of Ewing's top career plays come from 1997. One is his dunk over Rodwoman (bride-dressing homosexual person) running full court and jumping over him at the buzzer of the half. One is a beastial dunk over Zo in the playoffs (game 1). One is a game-winning block on Timmy Hardaway who shot a 3 at the buzzer of game 3. Also in the Charlotte series he had a couple of monster plays. So don't tell me that Ewing was old in 1997.
CZcams "Ewing's top 10" or "top 13" and enjoy.
Jordan, the greatest ever.
GREATEST PLAYER EVER!!!!!!!!!1
Damn. Jordan is the greatest. Offensively and defensively he was a monster. Kobe lebron aint got shit on him when he was at his peak. G.O.A.T
That series was WAR
My prediction is: Knicks steal a heart-breaker in Chicago in game 1, as they did in the last reg. season game shutting down Jordan. Bulls beat them relatively easily in game 2. Series returns in MSG where in front of a berserk crowd Knicks win game 3. Game 4, an OT war where the Knicks prevail @ the buzzer. Game 5 in Chicago Bulls win. Game 6 in MSG Knicks win.
If I was a bookmaker I would give the Knicks 60-40.
What you say is mistaken: In the final game BOTH of the teams had locked their slots. Moreover, no matter if the slots are locked or not, the Bulls and the Knicks went at it at full throttle. Regarding the 1997 case, there is a detailed documentary thereon coming up, stay tuned...
Agree 100% Tom. The game isn't the same. They took the physicality out of the game and included zone defense? c'mon Zone is for college ball, it doesn't belong in the NBA. Also this shows why Jordan is considered the Greatest baller ever.