Why MJ is the GOAT

Bobby Knight once said Michael Jordan was the best player he'd ever seen ... before MJ played a single game in the NBA.

After MJ put up 63 points in the playoffs against four Hall of Famers and the best Celtics team in the Larry Bird era, Bird said after the game "that wasn't Michael Jordan.That was God disguised as Michael Jordan."

Bird and Magic Johnson were two of the best players in the history of the NBA. And when they both talk about Jordan, you can't help but notice the admiration they had for him. Those two guys wouldn't say the things they said about MJ if they didn't believe it.

Jordan and the Bulls lost to the Celtics during that postseason run but MJ started the series with 49 and 63 points, respectively. That was Jordan's second year and he missed most of the year with an injured ankle.

MJ averaged 30 points per game for his career. And for those of you who thought he was just a scorer, he also averaged 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for his career.

In his rookie season, he scored 28 points, grabbed 6.5 rebounds and dished out 6 assists per game.

Jordan led the league in scoring 10 times, averaging at least 30 eight of those seasons. In the other two seasons he averaged 29.6 and just less than 29.

What he did on the basketball court was poetry. It was something I probably won't ever see again. He did all that scoring with a modest 3-point shot. He only made 32 percent of his 3s in his career.

The game has changed today. Everything is a foul in today's game. Back when Jordan played, defenders could hand check without getting whistled for a foul. It was harder to score in the 90s than it is today. That's a fact.

I love LeBron James. I have never been a hater. But to see his truthers tonight during The Last Dance say Michael Jordan played in an era of chumps is just plain wrong.

I think the 80s and 90s NBA was the best era in the history of the league. So many Hall of Famers. And so many players in that era are on a lot of top 15 NBA players of all time lists.

Jordan's 63 in the postseason against the Celtics came against Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bill Walton. He beat Magic, Karl Malone (twice), John Stockton (twice), Charles Barkley, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and Clyde Drexler in the Finals. 

He kept all of those players and Patrick Ewing from ever winning a title.

The first two episodes of The Last Dance were fun. I am already excited for next installments. It did make me hate Jerry Krause more than I did when I was a kid. I never really understood it back then.

Krause actually wanted to break up the dynasty before the 5th title. He wasn't getting enough credit for the run. And actually told Phil Jackson the 1997-98 season would be his last, even if he won 82 games and after he already won five championships.

Who does that? And you know what, the Bulls were nothing before that dynasty and they haven't been much of anything since MJ, Jackson and Scottie Pippen have been gone. 

The Last Dance is centered around that final season. But it will be a career documentary on MJ, too. The first two episodes discussed MJ from high school, college and his first few years in the league.

MJ is not a fan of tanking. He wants to play when he can play and is not concerned with draft picks. Jordan plays to win the game.

Social media was going nuts throughout the two-hour premiere. I think everyone on my twitter feed was watching the show. Ratings will be huge every week, especially with very little on TV during COVID-19.

The next two episodes are supposed to be a lot about Dennis Rodman. He was a key piece in the second three-peat. And a character off the court.

I'm looking forward to it already. I'm sure you are, too.