Chicago Bulls Playoffs Thread

[Old Style]

I heard this first on the Dan Patrick show but I wanted to share it.

 

Chris Webber on Michael Jordan

 

 

Quote:

On playing against Jordan:

 

“One time we played in Washington. We played a five game series against the Bulls. It was the year they won 72 games. We lose all three games by a total of seven points. I saw Michael Jordan come into our locker room with a cigar, while it was lit, and said, ‘Who’s going to check me tonight?’ And we looked at Calbert Cheaney and we were laughing like little school kids knowing that Calbert Cheaney was going to get him, we knew it wasn’t a game for Mike. He was going to be there and he was going to be playing like he said. Game Three we get off the bus and Juwan (Howard) is from Chicago and used to workout there. I’ll never forget, Jordan was sitting on his Ferrari and Pippen was right there and they have a cigar lit. We get off the bus and we have to pass them with a lit cigar. You want to talk about posturing? Forget Phil Jackson. You got Michael Jordan there behind the scenes smoking a cigar before the game, letting us know that he’s the Red Auerbach before the game even started. It was almost like, ‘I lit the cigar. I’m celebrating already. This is just a formality, you guys getting on the court tonight.”

 

That's outstanding. I guess I don't know anything about the culture of the locker rooms, but I'm surprised he was allowed to just stroll in there to stir the [expletive].

Who was going to stop MJ from doing anything in his own bulding?

[Old Style]

One thing just hit me about Webber's story. The incident with Jordan & Pippen sitting on MJ's Ferrari waiting for them to get off the bus could not have been game 3. That would have been in Washington. It had to have been either game 1 or game 2. Those were the ones in Chicago.

[Magnetic Curses]

I could understand dislike for a guy like KG, but why for LeBron? It honestly makes no sense to me. Especially when you have a guy like Noah on your team. Somehow because he acts goofy off of the court that makes it OK? I thought his comments about Cleveland were pretty hysterical (and, for the most part, true).

 

again, i am not talking about joakim noah, i am talking about lebron james.

[Magnetic Curses]

One thing just hit me about Webber's story. The incident with Jordan & Pippen sitting on MJ's Ferrari waiting for them to get off the bus could not have been game 3. That would have been in Washington. It had to have been either game 1 or game 2. Those were the ones in Chicago.

 

maybe jordan and pippen pulled an all-night road trip just to show the wizards that they didn't need sleep to beat them.

[SouthSideRyan]

I heard this first on the Dan Patrick show but I wanted to share it.

 

Chris Webber on Michael Jordan

 

 

Quote:

On playing against Jordan:

 

“One time we played in Washington. We played a five game series against the Bulls. It was the year they won 72 games. We lose all three games by a total of seven points. I saw Michael Jordan come into our locker room with a cigar, while it was lit, and said, ‘Who’s going to check me tonight?’ And we looked at Calbert Cheaney and we were laughing like little school kids knowing that Calbert Cheaney was going to get him, we knew it wasn’t a game for Mike. He was going to be there and he was going to be playing like he said. Game Three we get off the bus and Juwan (Howard) is from Chicago and used to workout there. I’ll never forget, Jordan was sitting on his Ferrari and Pippen was right there and they have a cigar lit. We get off the bus and we have to pass them with a lit cigar. You want to talk about posturing? Forget Phil Jackson. You got Michael Jordan there behind the scenes smoking a cigar before the game, letting us know that he’s the Red Auerbach before the game even started. It was almost like, ‘I lit the cigar. I’m celebrating already. This is just a formality, you guys getting on the court tonight.”

 

That's outstanding. I guess I don't know anything about the culture of the locker rooms, but I'm surprised he was allowed to just stroll in there to stir the [expletive].

Who was going to stop MJ from doing anything in his own bulding?

 

David Stern. But only for a year and 3/4

 

ETA: I guess Nick Anderson for that last 1/4

[Magnetic Curses]

i love nick anderson but i'm still kind of sore at him for that play.

[ConstableRabbit]

Lebron's immaturity is evident every time he makes a big shot. He runs and jumps around like a little girl. The only time MJ did anything close to that was "The Shot" and the look on his face was bad to the bone. Like he expected it to happen. Kobe is the same way.

 

When LBJ hits a big shot, he looks surprised. Which, granted, he probably is.

[SouthSideRyan]

I wonder if Cavs fans are laughing as much as I am at the descriptions of Jordan in this thread.

[UMFan83]

I wonder if Cavs fans are laughing as much as I am at the descriptions of Jordan in this thread.

 

I can't believe you are trying to downplay the player who once played a conference finals game in the Benny the Bull costume just because he was bored. And he still scored 47 points and the Bulls won by 12 despite Pippen and Harper both missing the game with typhoid fever.

[UMFan83]

Lebron's immaturity is evident every time he makes a big shot. He runs and jumps around like a little girl. The only time MJ did anything close to that was "The Shot" and the look on his face was bad to the bone. Like he expected it to happen. Kobe is the same way.

 

When LBJ hits a big shot, he looks surprised. Which, granted, he probably is.

 

I gotta disagree a little here. If you were to watch a timeline of Jordan's buzzer beating shots through this career, you would see that early in his career he did celebrate like LeBron does now, and as he got further along in his career, it evolved into a simple fist pump with a stone cold look on his face. Let LeBron be 25.

 

Besides, no one said that to be better than Jordan one had to act exactly like Jordan. The greats have dominated in personality throughout history. Bill Russell probably had the most similar personality to Jordan. The man was just all about winning, every single time he played. Wilt was more of a character, was obsessed with his statistics, didn't end up being remembered as a complete team player, Bird was a pretty cold blooded winner too in his own time, as was Magic but had a different personality to get to that point. If LeBron never "matures" and is always a big kid that likes to enjoy his winning shots, and loves to have a jovial commradare with with teammates, etc that doesn't mean he can't be as good as Jordan when all is said and done.

Edited April 23, 2010 by UMFan83

[ConstableRabbit]

I wonder if Cavs fans are laughing as much as I am at the descriptions of Jordan in this thread.

 

I can't believe you are trying to downplay the player who once played a conference finals game in the Benny the Bull costume just because he was bored. And he still scored 47 points and the Bulls won by 12 despite Pippen and Harper both missing the game with typhoid fever.

?

[Magnetic Curses]

I wonder if Cavs fans are laughing as much as I am at the descriptions of Jordan in this thread.

 

probably, considering no cav fan on this board is old enough to remember "the shot", or even the "cream-puff game" in which the cavs smashed the jordan-led bulls after they admitted to looking ahead to a match-up with the knicks in the ecf.

 

when you have six titles you start to inspire myth. jordan is not just a legend, he is legend. at some point, someone will conjure an image of the entire 88-89 cavs team being consumed by lightning like beloch and the nazis in raiders of the lost ark, while a legion of angels bore mj off the court, fist-raised. i've also heard that mj's heart beats one time per minute.

 

but he's earned everything that could ever be said about him on the court.

[Guest]

I wonder if Cavs fans are laughing as much as I am at the descriptions of Jordan in this thread.

 

probably, considering no cav fan on this board is old enough to remember "the shot", or even the "cream-puff game" in which the cavs smashed the jordan-led bulls after they admitted to looking ahead to a match-up with the knicks in the ecf.

 

when you have six titles you start to inspire myth. jordan is not just a legend, he is legend. at some point, someone will conjure an image of the entire 88-89 cavs team being consumed by lightning like beloch and the nazis in raiders of the lost ark, while a legion of angels bore mj off the court, fist-raised. i've also heard that mj's heart beats one time per minute.

 

but he's earned everything that could ever be said about him on the court.

 

You're the kid who wrote the essay about El Nino, admit it.

[Formerly Snayke]

Lebron's immaturity is evident every time he makes a big shot. He runs and jumps around like a little girl. The only time MJ did anything close to that was "The Shot" and the look on his face was bad to the bone. Like he expected it to happen. Kobe is the same way.

 

When LBJ hits a big shot, he looks surprised. Which, granted, he probably is.

 

You're just mad that LeBron took his SATs.

[Magnetic Curses]

[UMFan83]

I wonder if Cavs fans are laughing as much as I am at the descriptions of Jordan in this thread.

 

I can't believe you are trying to downplay the player who once played a conference finals game in the Benny the Bull costume just because he was bored. And he still scored 47 points and the Bulls won by 12 despite Pippen and Harper both missing the game with typhoid fever.

?

 

I thought SSR was referring to people describing Jordan as a mythical figure often overexaggerating or misremembering the details of Jordan's career.

[Soul]

Lebron's immaturity is evident every time he makes a big shot. He runs and jumps around like a little girl. The only time MJ did anything close to that was "The Shot" and the look on his face was bad to the bone. Like he expected it to happen. Kobe is the same way.

 

When LBJ hits a big shot, he looks surprised. Which, granted, he probably is.

 

You're just mad that LeBron took his SATs.

 

The way I see it, you either learn to ignore his antics, or learn to like them. Because they aren't going away any time soon and it's not worth getting upset over.

[Andy]

I really couldn't care less how LeBron behaves - if he wants to be a kid, be a kid. I'm all for it. I just hope he's ready for the consequence if he does things like dancing around on the sidelines during a game.

[Sammy Sofa]

Uh-oh, is someone gonna give him the business?

[SouthSideRyan]

Uh-oh, is someone gonna give him the business?

 

Joakim Noah's gonna give him the meanest look as he celebrates winning in 5.

[Sammy Sofa]

I'll bet the guys on the bench will say really nasty things to him as he sinks yet another shot. Oh, he may rack up the points...but he will also rack up the tears.

[Guest]

yes, dancing all around during games and on the bench and being a general dufus

He is having a good time. He doesn't do it in the face of anyone else. With the exceptions of a few stares at the Chicago bench, you hardly ever see LeBron taunt any player or team. And, Taj and LeBron were laughing when they were talking late in tonight's game, so obviously it is all in good fun.

 

I could understand dislike for a guy like KG, but why for LeBron? It honestly makes no sense to me. Especially when you have a guy like Noah on your team. Somehow because he acts goofy off of the court that makes it OK? I thought his comments about Cleveland were pretty hysterical (and, for the most part, true).

 

Also, the whole title argument is a bit of a stretch for a 25-year old kid. I mean, really? And, in case you haven't noticed over the past few years (and game two in this series) LeBron doesn't need someone else to take late game shots. People stopped trying to use that against LeBron about 3 years ago, so you should probably catch up.

 

Again, the LeBron hate is ridiculous. He's cut down on the dancing and all of those shenanigans, but it was equally as ridiculous to see him pulling those stunts out.

 

I like LBJ though. I'm praying that we have a fighter's chance at stealing him away from the hole known as Cleveland.

I can understand why someone would think the dances are dumb. But, to dislike LeBron for it is pretty dumb. It's just good fun.

 

I don't get why you are so surprised about this? If Dwyane Wade starting dancing all over the court after destroying the Cavs, you wouldn't resent that just a little? I can see why YOU would think it's in good fun, and it probably is, but when your team just got beat down the last thing you want to see is the opponent dancing and acting all jovial. He's already the damn most talented player in the league and now he has to essentially rub it in. It's one of those things that on paper it doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you are on the losing side of a game and you are already feeling upset by it and then you see the best player in the league dancing around laughing it up, you quickly develop hate.

 

This sounds like exactly the same argument people have against Carlos Zambrano with his antics after getting a big out except its Bulls fans on the other side of things this time. You hate it because he's on the other team but, like Cavs fans, you wouldn't care at all if LeBron was on your team.

[Magnetic Curses]

i don't get angry when lebron dances around, i've never said that. i just think it's indicative of his focus. i think it reflects poorly on him as a basketball player. smiling and laughing is normal, dancing around like a fool is immature.

 

if he played against teams like the late 80's pistons or early 90's knicks, he wouldn't be playing anymore because he'd be dead and gone because some jerk like laimbeer or rodman or xavier mcdaniel or anthony mason would have undercut him and broken his neck and he'd have to be rushed to the graveyard and people would be like "oh lebron james would have been the greatest if anthony mason wouldn't have killed him a long time ago".

[Guest]

i don't get angry when lebron dances around, i've never said that. i just think it's indicative of his focus. i think it reflects poorly on him as a basketball player. smiling and laughing is normal, dancing around like a fool is immature.

 

if he played against teams like the late 80's pistons or early 90's knicks, he wouldn't be playing anymore because he'd be dead and gone because some jerk like laimbeer or rodman or xavier mcdaniel or anthony mason would have undercut him and broken his neck and he'd have to be rushed to the graveyard and people would be like "oh lebron james would have been the greatest if anthony mason wouldn't have killed him a long time ago".

 

The rules were different back then and it's not fair to compare. If those guys were playing now, they probably wouldn't have the chance to take LeBron out because they'd miss at least 2/3 of the games every year due to suspension.

[SpongeWorthy]

I don't really mind Lebron dancing around. I wish he, and the rest of the league, would engage in more straight up trash talking though.

 

The zillion hand slaps and chest bumps before tip off between opponents is what annoys me more than anything. The sport has been over fraternized.