1993 NBA Finals Bulls vs Suns Game 2 Bulls win 111-108 Michael Jordan scores 42 points Bulls lead series 2-0 Box score: www.basketball-reference.com/b...
This was the only Finals of the 6 that the Bulls won that they didn't win a game by double figures - in fact it was the only playoff series, PERIOD during the Bulls' title runs that they didn't win a game by double figures. These Suns were a heck of a good team - after falling into an impossible hole by losing the first two games at home they actually outplayed the Bulls for good portions of the next four games, it took MJ's 55 in G4 and the Paxson shot in G6. It wasn't like the Suns just salvaged pride by winning two games after going down 0-2, they actually gave themselves a chance to win the thing. As a footnote - each team scored exactly 640 points total in this series.
The 97 jazz were in my view tougher than the 93 suns as 3 of the 6 games of the 97 finals came down to the final possession. But the runs and gun suns and perfect execution jazz cant beat god mode hacks, i mean jordan.
Those of us that grew up watching MJ will understand that he was more then just a highlight film MJ was a step ahead then everyone and had the physical skill to go with it. if you look at how he post up or ball faked players even today in 2015 no player does it better. An MJ in his prime playing today in the NBA would still be the GOAT
Ilias Mavromatis Yep, it's hard to explain to kids today how great Jordan was. His fundamentals were incredible. I've never seen anyone ball fake like he did.
2:08 listen closely "passing Magic Johnson" on the scoring list of NBA Finals Magic was not an elite scorer but no slouch either Magic played in 9 finals. it took Jordan 2 Finals and little more than a game to pass a legend like Magic. Crazy!
This was a great classic series! Probably the toughest bulls opponent, 92 blazers 97 jazz also. Had a chance to close it out at home, potential 7 game series but John Paxson came up huge. MJ and Scottie best duo of all time
It's hard to believe that this was nearly 20 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. The NBA was still entertaining to watch in the 90's, after that, it just plain sucked, it was so watered down. You can tell how hungry both of these teams were to win, you just don't see that these days.
Michael Jordan was already fade away the shot in 93 in the NBA finals with the Athletics he was lethal he was definitely dangerous nobody in the league can't fuck with Michael Jordan even now if he was playing in 2022/2023 in his prime 🏀
The best player in the world once again shows his greatness..and with this second straight Bulls victory in Phoenix, the Suns were as good as dead having to go back to raucous Chicago Stadium for the next three..or so it seemed..
Vernon Maxwell did not give MJ problems. Jordan averaged 32 ppg on 51% shooting against him from 1990-1996. Not sure where this myth comes from, but I've heard it before. Jordan did have one very poor game in 1992 vs. Houston, but several of Jordan's misses were from Hakeem's 8 blocks (and intimidation), not Maxwell's D. Again, 32 ppg/51% FG over 5 seasons (about 8-9 meetings iirc).
Yeah that would've been a super tough series. Nobody on the Rockets could guard MJ, and nobody on the Bulls could guard Hakeem. Guess the X factor would be Scottie.
Jordan could explode and hit houston with 55 points performance. Hakeem for me is the best center ever but in his prime which is in 1994 he couldnt put 55 on the table. Thats the difference
@TheRafaelBond Yeah it does. Again, it's "how" he won many of his titles that separates him from all others. Who today wins the scoring title, reg season, all star and finals MVP honors, leads his team to AT LEAST 60 wins (and to the title), and makes 1st Team All defense...in the same season?!! Nobody does that LOL!! He was the MAIN force behind CHI title runs and was the #1 target of opposing defense his ENTIRE career, while having NEVER even played with a teammate that demanded a double team!
@TheRafaelBond con't. Yes Pippen was a BEAST defensively, but didn't demand a double team on offense. Rodman during his post DET days had changed his entire game into being a great post defender & rebounder (despite being undersized), but was anemic on offense! Horace Grant was a terrific role player and excellent defender, but he wasn't even Top 15 among PF's or Big's at that time. MJ vs his team in career Finals FG% MJ: 442-911 (48%) > his teammates: 865-1988 (44%) That says it all LOL!!
Rockets wouldn't of had Home Court in 1994. You're assuming the Bulls would of still only won 55 games with Jordan. I'd say they'd of been in the mid 60's and of had the Home Court
@RafaelBond con't. MJ won 4 of his 6 title in his 30s, while playing with teammates who were WELL OVER 30 yrs of age. He also won his last 3 titles with Pippen only shooting a COMBINED 41% in the ENTIRE 1996-98 playoffs LOL!! You'll NEVER see LBJ or kobe consistently carrying a team to titles with such a LACK of productivity from their teammates. I guarantee it! Always look at HOW a player or players won their rings when comparing them. That's what'll ALWAYS tell U who's who in the comparison..
They did give it away, but the Heat capitalized on the gift by LeBron hitting the deep three to pull within striking distance and Ray Allen nailing the corner three to tie it up. LeBron and company also played lock-down D on Parker on that final shot to send it to overtime, and once in overtime, LeBron and company again made it happen.
@boguslife Lebron needs to develop a midrange game. MJ (and Kobe for that matter) could score from anywhere on the court, not just the paint and the three point line like Lebron.
Whta's funny is that none of the players they compare to him , not Lebron not Kobe not anyone has ever had a game like this in the Finals. especially on the road. and yet his average game is much better than their game. not the moves not the skill not the combination of athleticism nothing not the ability to score when his team needs it most and make the plays to win the game like him
...than anything Jordan or Bryant ever put up. Show me a season where Jordan or Bryant averaged 57/41/75 shooting splits. I don't believe either one of them ever hit that kind of efficiency, and by definition, that is the nature of being a good jumpshooter, consistently hitting shots. What the Spurs did in the Finals this year was apply the same strategy that they did in 2007 when LeBron was a crappy jumpshooter, not because he's not a great jumpshooter now, but rather, because they wanted to..
@Hypebusta I'm choosing to believe LaochWins is just high, because if he actually bothered to watch the video, there were some amazing assists by Jordan.
lebron is a 2 time runner up,and we really should compare their opponents for the DPOY,mark eaton and hakeem being 2nd and 3rd in 87. also later on in his career,jordan just hacked too damn much,look at his personal foul average,search for it on youtube,never seen a drop like that. he was above the damn law
We forget Lebron didn't make the playoffs his first 2 years in the league. We also forget Jordan missed over 60 games in his second season due to a broken foot.
LeBron is more like Pippen than he is Jordan. Just look at his game. He's a more physically dominating version of Scottie. Jordan was a killer on the court. LeBron doesn't have that same mentality.
@LaochWins . you can count on there assist, why some guy score 2pt but have 10 assist, why some guy score 2 but only 1 assist. why some guy score 50pt,40pt,30pt but have 10 assist, why some guy score 50pt,40pt,30pt, but have only 1 assist. look at kobe 81pt only 2 assist only 6rb, look at mj 69pt he 6 assist with 18rb. mj the goat was call by the league and fan , not you or me.
..get into LeBron's psyche and make him start thinking instead of trusting his work and instincts. When he does that, he's unstoppable, and they know it. For five or six games of the Finals, that winning strategy worked. In games 5 and 7, LeBron shot the ball well on average and blitzed 'em like he's perfectly capable of, and brought home the championship. Odds are if a team tries to take LeBron out of his game and into his head again next year for the 2014 title, it won't work.
Ya LeBron had deep playoff runs, in a weak eastern conference. Jordan only went up against two 40+ win teams in the playoffs in his first 6 years. Maybe if he was going up against 40 win Wizard and Nets teams he would have had a few more runs.
@justse2006 U can update all U want. And don't get me wrong, I love LBJ. He's BY FAR been the BEST perimeter player in the league SINCE MJ. All of the evidence proves it, so U won't get an argument from me on that. But it's not just how many rings MJ has, as it is HOW he won 'em. Not to mention he's UNDEFEATED in Finals competition. Nobody's dominated the playoffs & finals like him. And given the fact that LBJ's ALREADY LOST 2 finals (like kobe), that KILLS any legit playoffs/finals comparison.
Agreed, MJ's mentality is way better, but still LeBron's a better defender, they look similar, yet this is all with LeBron not being able to handcheck...
@TheRafaelBond "i think lebron is very much capable of doing all that if he wants to" Now you're interpolating. You're trying to equate him with MJ based on nothing more than your opinion of what U "think" he can do. MJ's actually done it! And multiple times at that! "he IS the mvp,finals mvp,champions,1st def team" MJ did this multiple times in route to titles. LBJ hasn't! "AND even more,defensive player of the year caliber years in 09,12" MJ actually won DPOY..LBJ hasn't! Reality > opinions
Correction: LeBron James has 1 ring. So now, let the record show: Jordan, 6 rings Kobe, 5 rings LeBron, 1 ring You bet I'm gonna keep coming back here and updating as LeBron continues to win ;)
btw,very interesting finals statistic,that is 91-98 all 6 finals including? anyway,jordan was above 50% from 91-93,sadly dropped from 96-98,especially 96,lowest finals % for him,yet kobe's career finals % LOLOL. and to your honours,i think lebron is very much capable of doing all that if he wants to,he IS the mvp,finals mvp,champions,1st def team AND even more,defensive player of the year caliber years in 09,12 and this year! whats left? scoring title,and if he wanted to he could easily have it.
@TheRafaelBond "looks to me like lebron is a better man on man defender AND help defender" MJ actually won DPOY. LBJ's 9 years in..where's his if what U claim is true?!! "As a [defender], he was the [best] double team post-up guy in [the league] and would play [any wing] position [defensively] against the top [wing scorers] on your team and [shut him down]." -- Hubie Brown: "Michael Jordan: How would I coach against him"; nba.com That's from 1 of the greatest b-ball savants of our time..
'I'm pretty sure that this is his last ring.' We'll see :) Two ain't bad anyway (Bird only won three), and he's primed to threepeat along with Wade and Bosh, if they keep the latter of those two. 'MJ dominated the playoffs/finals... he's undefeated. LeBron has lost 2 finals already' When MJ finally got to the finals, you mean :) He laid a big fat egg until he was twenty-eight years old in 1991. LeBron made deep playoff runs, including a title run, in his early-to-mid-twenties, so it's a wash.
'LeBron has lost 2 finals already, and it was just about to be 3 hadn't (sic) Spurs blown game 6.' I will admit that LeBron's second finals appearance, in 2011 with the Heat, was a major blemish on his record. However, his career is far from over. We'll see what he does to redeem himself moving forward, he's certainly made a great start by getting the repeat championships in 2012 and 2013. Also, it's not fair to the Heat's talent to say that the Spurs merely gave away game 6.
i know, i do that,and from a pure valuability standpoint,lebron can be up there with jordan,but he needs 2+ rings+finals mvp's. and kobe could never and can never,kobe=overrated.
No way do the Rockets beat the Bulls in '94. Hakeem/Jordan is a wash (let's assume best case scenario for Hakeem), and then Grant/Thorpe are a wash. Then who is Pippen's equal on Houston? Who is even close? Nobody. Plus throw in Paxson/BJ plus championship chemistry and battle-testedness and it's Bulls in 6, MAYBE 7. Rockets have about a 10-15% chance of winning that series in 1994. 1995 is a different story, however, if Grant still leaves, due to the addition of Drexler.
i dont know why u deleted your comment,i still can see it anyway and write you back,and really,quoting other people? that is so kobetard like. steals and blocks are not everything,i believe you have watched more of jordan,im too young,i was born when he played,but i do watch ALOT of his games and try to learn more about him,and of the things i saw,both are great defenders,but it looks to me like lebron is a better man on man defender AND help defender.
@lebron6theking Okay Little Boy Michael Jordan- 6× NBA Champion (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) 5× NBA Most Valuable Player (1988, 1991-1992, 1996, 1998) 14× NBA All-Star (1985-1993, 1996-1998, 2002-2003) 6× NBA Finals MVP (1991-1993, 1996-1998) 10× NBA scoring champion (1987-1993, 1996-1998) 3× NBA steals champion (1988, 1990, 1993) NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988) those are facts! not media hype!! STFU!! Lebron doesn't come close!!!
