G1 sucked but blowouts in the playoffs aren't uncommon. MJ just got hot and when you're defending a talented scorer such as MJ you'd rather he be shooting beyond the arc than getting to the FT line. What was tougher for me is losing two out of three at home, especially after that gritty and resilient G2 performance.
It's funny, that's exactly how the Blazers defended Shaq during their "Pippen years." Sabonis was the primary defender and they'd bring long defenders like 'Sheed or Pippen to double on Shaq against the baseline. The Blazers largely didn't get the better of the Lakers, but I felt no team defended Shaq as well the Blazers did.
Well Shaq and Sabonis would play physical with each other tons of contact and yet Sabonis was the one who always had 2 fouls like 6 minutes into the game lol.
He was okay. I just think he was the weak link in the starting lineup. A big 7 footer who relied on finesse and got like 5 rebounds a game. where was Sabine’s when we needed him?
Due to Chicago Bulls nostalgia with this series starting up, Bill Simmons posted an article which is essentially an excerpt from his "Book of Basketball" about Scottie Pippen. Since Pippen was also a part of the Blazers, I thought it might be of interest here. Where Does Scottie Pippen Rank Among the NBA’s All-Time Greats?
https://nypost.com/2020/04/20/larsa-pippen-cancels-the-18-million-scottie-pippen-pity-party/amp/ Larsa Pippen cancels the $18 million Scottie Pippen pity party
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bl...-jordan-shrug-the-last-dance-video-highlights Blazers Fans Beware, New Episode of ‘The Last Dance’ Features Jordan-Drexler Battle Episodes five and six of ESPN’s ‘The Last Dance’ will feature Michael Jordan’s heroic performance against the Trail Blazers in the 1992 NBA Finals.
This is a bizarre POV. An overweight 2nd rounder becomes a 2-time all star, and starter on a team that went to the finals. His improvement, single-handedly made Bowie, who was finally playing and playing well, to be trade bait - which is how we got Buck in the first place. If Duck "sucked", then there is no Buck, and no trips to the finals. Duck was a good midrange shooter, and was a serious threat with both hands - a skill few post players have, even today. As for "weak links", they were all over. Outside of Porter, no one could shoot - and it showed. Double the length of the court, and they'd be NBA champs, maybe multiple times. Slow down the game as in the playoffs, and they weren't.
Allow me to proffer an unpopular hypothetical: if the Blazers had been able to deal Duckworth for Williams and kept Bowie, they would have won at least one title.
I was born a couple of years after the Blazers lost to MJ so I never got to see it live. Obviously I'm not saying that what he was, but MAN, did this documentary make Clyde look like a bitch against MJ in the few "highlights" they showed. Disappointing to say the least.
Forgotten: the Lakers lost both Byron Scott and Magic to injury in that series (after winning game 1 in Chicago).
To be clear: Isiah Thomas is, and was an asshole. But no more of an asshole than Jordan, and he had a MUCH harder young life.
I'm disappointed Clyde wasn't in the documentary more. Clyde and Jorden where thought of the top guards in the game and he doesn't even say anything.
