Michael Jordan 1989 Playoffs: 32pts, Gm 6 vs. Detroit Pistons

As the world currently ululates against Lebron James' recent shortcomings in the 2011 NBA Finals, it is just another reminder of how truly impenetrable the sanctity of Michael Jordan's legacy is. Thanks to Scottie Pippen's mentioning of Lebron in the same sentence as MJ just before the Finals, it served as a harbinger of things to come when anyone is compared to MJ; that is - the laughable absurdity of comparing anyone to MJ at all.

While it is disastrous to compare anyone to the level of mastery MJ was able to attain, it can be intriguing to see another great player at the same age or arc in their careers. In this famous game, MJ is also age 26 and facing what would become that year's champion Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Finals. MJ is also down 2-3 games and facing elimination.

But that's where the similarity ends. With Pippen out in the first minute with a concussion and MJ battling a groin/thigh injury, MJ truly became a one man gang and attacked Game 6 with all of his weapons blazing - going out with absolutely no bullets. In what was one of the most aggressive and inspiring performances ever in a loss, MJ initiated or was wholly involved in what appeared to be 99 of 100 plays. Whether it was scoring, passing, asserting his dominance while simultaneously uplifting his teammates, being the defensive stopper or plugging holes as the utility man - the passion, skill, and intensity with which MJ played was a spiritual experience.

In the end, one can sense the seething pain burning in MJ as he walks off the court -- the pain that ultimately made him the greatest. That is the purity of sport that MJ was able to communicate and that is why he is the most inspiring athlete of all time.

(Thanks to mjair10rtg for the opening layup clip. You can watch the full video of his here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU8YwEHohlI&feature=channel_video_title)

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[kinkdinkling]

Hoops, thanks for putting this lbj soap opera to sleep. For most of these lbj/kobe followers, the only thing they know of MJ is his shoes or the commercials. They don't understand the culture when MJ played- therefore they won't be able to appreciate his impact even for today. They don't understand the fact that most of the superstars of today copy most of their game (and swagger) from him. This league is turning into a swagger pageant.

[kileer7]

@kileer7 I'm a young fan who didn't experience Jordan's dominance first hand, nevertheless I am student of the sports history, and by applying minimal effort & critical thinking, I can come to the conclusion LeBron is not as good as MJ, nor for that matter is he better than MJ. Unfortunately many of my peers CHOOSE to ignore facts, visual, statistical, or other, which demonstrate MJ > LBJ; Wade, Kobe, Rose, et al.

[flyfishfp]

look how good hubie has looked his whole career, what a model man i aspire to be someone like him.

[hivanmcfly]

NOW THATS GOOD BASKETBALL

[hivanmcfly]

BEAST!!

[cloop77]

This is the time where the game is played with pride rather than money....

[HubieBrown2ndPerson]

From 89' -91' I think the Bulls had like 3 different PA announcers until Ray clay stayed from 91'-02'

[scorpionJB]

the move jordan did at :37 is greater than the move he did against the lakers in game 2 of the 91 finals.....all hubie brown could say was "ooohhhhhh"

[GOAChinguun]

lmao tiny winy lil kidz should stop watching today's league if it's that awful and get the ball player dicks out of their mouths for once. all these players mentioned below are all elite level athletes who seem to constantly demand cum guzzling fanatic attention whether it's positive or not.

[mhrce]

amazing form at 12:34

[stematwork]

@ThePS3RULES360 why so sick of it? debating greatness is ALWAYS a subjective enterprise supported by facts. and the majority opinion, based on measurable facts, is that if MJ was scoring 37 points a game at a time that hand checking and brutal play in the paint was allowed, then in today's game of hyper-sensitive rules designed to encourage more scoring, he would DESTROY defenses. of course, i think 45 points a game is more realistic.