I really liked this letter written by a fan about Magic Johnson. Just had to share.... The guy makes a damn good arguement too. IMO. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magic Johnson was named Finals MVP three times, but he made his biggest impact as a rookie in 1980. With all due respect to MJ and his six rings and six Finals MVP awards, there has never been a better performance than the one turned in by Magic Johnson in Game 6 of the 1980 series vs. the Sixers. With Kareem injured, Magic was asked to do it all for the Lakers, and he responded with a game for the ages. He ran the offense, he rebounded, he even jumped center on tipoffs that day. He scored 42 points. And he was just 20 years old! He should have been a junior at Michigan State! He was too young to realize that he had absolutely no business having a game like that with the kind of pressure that a Game 6 in the Finals would bring. With Kareem out, and the 1980 Lakers not yet having James Worthy, Byron Scott or any of the other great players on the roster that would help them to four more titles in the decade, the burden fell on his young shoulders. Did Jordan ever have to play a Finals game without Pippen? No. MJ probably would have scored more than 42 points without Scottie in the lineup, but would he have bettered Magic's totals in rebounds or assists? No way. It took MJ eight years to reach the Finals. It took Magic eight months. 'Nuff said. David Burton Fresno, Calif. Greatest NBA Final Moments in History
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting trenchteam:</div><div class="quote_post"> It took MJ eight years to reach the Finals. It took Magic eight months. 'Nuff said. David Burton Fresno, Calif. Greatest NBA Final Moments in History</div> Well, as Cannibus said, "it's about who strikes hardest, not who strikes first." I love Magic Johnson, he was probably the greatest pg ever, but MJ was on a level all his own once he reached his prime (twice)...
Magic was a better team player of course. But MJ could be a team player and will his way to win too. + they most likely would've won 8 titles in a row if MJ didn't retire the first time. I like them equally, but it's pretty unanimous that MJ is the best.
That was a good arguement till it got to the part about how many years it took for both mjs to get to the finals because Magic didnt lead his team to the finals his first year it was Kareem who led the team to the finals and overall those Lakers were much better then the bulls team before Jordan began winning not only the fact a championship is a team accomplishment not an individuals. The Bulls began to win when the Bulls had a great team not when Jordan became good because Jordan was good from the start. The won before magic not a ring but they were still a good team Magic came in and became the deciding factor of winning a ring.
Magic won is first ring is rookie season at 20 years old with Kareem on the bench because of an injury in Game 6. Magic won the final game all on his own....
<div align="center"></div> That was one of the best moments in NBA history. Magic proved that he could play any position in basketball, after scoring 42 points at center. I just heard about this when the Finals started, and when they showed Spike's 52 Greatest moments. I was stunned what I had just seen and now I knew that was shocking. It was a great moment, and this probrobly won't be accomplished anymore, but MJ did better in my opinon. <div align="center"></div> But remember, here was a moment for Michael Jordan. When he came back during the end of the season in 1995. Jordan had just came back and on March 18, Jordan's first time back in Madison Square Garden, what did he do? He dropped 55 points. Here's a man who retired for more than a season, leaving basketball and then playing baseball in the major leagues. But he missed basketball to much, and it was the most memorable moment of a comeback player in NBA history. <div align="center"></div> Remember when Jordan had the flu on the day of Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals? Well, Jordan proved to the basketball world, that the mind is the most vital part in playing basketball. After scoring 38 points, Jordan came away with a great victory. Not only that, but Jordan buried the tie-breaking three-pointer with 25 seconds left to win the game. He finished off the game with the Bulls winning the game 90-88. So who's better? In my case, Michael Jordan. Even though Magic Johnson proved to the world about he can play, Jordan did it better. It's not my choice, it's yours.
Yeah, well I guess I want to step out of the mold. Too many people idolize Jordan. He was great. Perhaps one of the greatest. But to go and say he was the greatest is too much for me take in. There are so many great players, and its really tough to rank the best of the best. I mean look at Wilt. The guy scores 100 pts in a game. Good Lord. Averages over 50 pts in one season. Thats amazing. It just depends on really a persons idea of being great. It could be a single season, and entire career, records, clutch plays, etc...
Magic and MJ are tied for the best ever IMO. Here is why: Think back to the players that have guarded Jordan over his career: Danny Ainge, Jeff Hornacek, Bryon Russell, etc. None of them are great defenders. Gary Payton was the only GREAT defender that ever seemed to contain MJ. The Bad Boy Pistons worked together (they played dirty BTW) to slow up Micheal. Jordan would always score alot of points, but it is deceiving because he had weak opponents defending him. For the early part of his career, he played in an era where defense was non-existant, at least compared to the physical play of today. Could Jordan hold up in today's game? Probably, but you at least have to consider the factors... Magic on the other hand, it wouldn't matter who defended him. If it were a smaller defender, he could post them up. If it were a bigger defender, he could blow by them with his speed. The other part of my argument deals with popularity. Did Wilt, Magic, Kareem, Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, have marketing available to them when the played? Jordan played in an age of the internet, where his face would be posted everywhere. He was seen in commercials and magazines, and television helped make him more popular. David Stern really created Jordan's popularity and image. Jordan had charisma, good lucks, and skill. Blend those together and it creates money for the NBA. I read a guy write somewhere about how Jordan got him popularity boosted by endorsements. Did Converse do as much for Magic as Nike did for Jordan? Did CBS do as much for Magic as NBC did for Jordan? Not to mention, Magic had a better all-around game. He was less selfish, and shared the ball. Jordan on the other hand had more athleticism and leaping ability. Both were clutch, with Jordan being known a lil more for his late-game daggers. Both Jordan and Johnson had good supporting casts: Magic had Kareem and Worthy. Jordan had Pippen and Rodman. Both had good coaches: Magic had Riley and Jordan had Jackson. So as you can see, they are very similar. It is hard to put one ahead of the other. Make your own arguments...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting All-Star:</div><div class="quote_post"><div align="center"> :mrgreen: YOu think he really had a "bad case of the flu"...he probably had the sniffles and the media hyped it up...They do it all the time...it's all drama...it just sounds good to make money..."Michael Jordan still able to play with the flu. Last night he was shivering and lay awake with sever headaches and some cases of excess vomiting"...C'mon man...Use your head. what I'm saying is that there is a lot of stuff going on that "we" don't know.
YEAH, I'm double posting! Anyways, the losers are thinking "Mj beat magic in 91" That is BS! Worthy and Byron Scott were injured! And Scottie guarded Magic in 91 throuhout most of the time, people cover it up by "MJ needed to rest on defense, so he can execure offensively" In general: Most of Jordans blocks/steals come from behind, while Pippen did all the dirty work, we forget that Pippen was on the dreamteam, and he is Ron Artests and T-mac combined. We also forget the role players. Jordan would be double teamed, Then he would kick it out to these robotic 95% shooters in each corner (BJ, Kerr, PAxson, Judd, Hodges, Kukoc, etc.) He also had a rebounding nut later on and another shooter by the name of Tony Kukoc. Jordan was good, but people forget the loads of help he got. And the fact that he was the salesman of the NBA, he got away from fouls, and they would sometimes not call his, or call a fould when not needed. He was amazing though, but I think he travelled the same amount he spent time in the air. I dunno if you have seen the ultimate collection, Bird, Magic, and Jordan were doing a photo shoot, and Magic said "Don't get too cose to Michael, they might call a foul". He also had bad nights too, or some times he would play "great" he would put up like 40 points, sounds good don't it. But he would be like 15/41 and 10/12 from the freethrow line. And people go wow! FORTY POINTS! GOD DAMN! The east was not as good as the west, and the Bulls really did not have any competition in the east. The western teams were so much better. I also believed KJ got fouled in 93, and they didn't call it, and that was crucial. Remember in 92, when Pippen and Jordan sat on the bench, and the robots put them back in the game. Remember when Jordan/Pippen picked on the slow/unathletic Jazz. There wasn't no real competition in the east, neither. They would barely get away, everytime, always game 6. It's not like they creamed in all 6 years. I bet those teams, in the reg. season always beat them. Michael Jordan was blown up, he was an ad for the NBA, and it worked. If you hear "Mj is the greatest of all time...He's unbelievable" all time your gonna be like hmm...yeah he's amazing, which he was, but he wasn't god. 63pts! Wow, he was double teamed by 2 small white guys! The CAVS were horrible. The same thing is going on with LBJ, it's the hype, it makes him better than he is. His highlights are amazing! The twist and turns. Half of them are luck. You notice this when you watch a "Real game" from start to finish. You see him missing shots, missing crazy layups, and occasionally causing turnovers. He would barely make those impossible shots. We all witnessed that when he came back. MJ was the right place at the right time Sure, MJ is offensively/defensively better. Would cream MAGIC one on one. But having MAGIC makes a team better, and he has a better attitude, because Mike's ego is larger than his nostrils. Magic had HOFers every where around the court. No look razzle dazzle pass and then dunk. Who knows, if he didn't get AIDS, he couldve prolonged his playing days, and played Michael at his prime.
Really good point Prodigy. I agree, you are probaly right. but whatis with the MJ/Kobe sig, it sounds like you dislike Jordan a lot.
Just a few things... <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Prodigy:</div><div class="quote_post">Michael Jordan was blown up, he was an ad for the NBA, and it worked. If you hear "Mj is the greatest of all time...He's unbelievable" all time your gonna be like hmm...yeah he's amazing, which he was, but he wasn't god. 63pts! Wow, he was double teamed by 2 small white guys! The CAVS were horrible. The same thing is going on with LBJ, it's the hype, it makes him better than he is.</div> Hype isn't a big factor. If so, what happened with Jerry Stackhouse, Harold Minor, Kwame Brown, and Michael Olowokandi? And...just something that I noticed...a small white guy can have good defense and can play offense...ask Manu Ginobili. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Prodigy:</div><div class="quote_post">Anyways, the losers are thinking "Mj beat magic in 91" That is BS! Worthy and Byron Scott were injured! And Scottie guarded Magic in 91 throuhout most of the time, people cover it up by "MJ needed to rest on defense, so he can execure offensively" </div> If Worthy and Byron Scott were injured, why didn't Magic perform his miraculous playoff performance like he did his rookie year? Also...I would rather say that Jordan beat Magic than say that Pippen did. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting trenchteam:</div><div class="quote_post">Magic won is first ring is rookie season at 20 years old with Kareem on the bench because of an injury in Game 6. Magic won the final game all on his own....</div> Duncan won the championship two years into his career...and that was playing throughout the season and playoffs, not just one game.
Jordan is the NBA's commecial basketball legend. Thats why he is so popular. He revolutionized the way basketball was shared with the world. If a person was asked who they knew in the NBA on the other side of the world it would probrably be at least a 70% chance they would name Jordan first. He was the first with the Shoes, Mc Donalds, Hanes, etc.... The guy was a commecial giant and he was a great ballplayer. Thats why there are so many fans that idolize him. NO doubt in my mind, he is one of the greatest to play the game as well, but as I mentioned in countless other posts. In no way is he the greatest ever if we are talking simply on the court play.
THe writer of that article makes a good point. Magic and MJ are the 2 best guards in NBA history. I believe MJ is better though but Magic was MUCH more versatile than MJ. You guys are right though. MJs hype and popularity made him better tha nhe acually was. David Stern and the Refs absolutley LICKED MJs ass up and down. Like in the finals against the Jazz. MJ fouled Malone but they didnt call it. That one bad call decided the game. O well too bad. Jordans the greatest. I actually dont like Jordan. But I must say he is better than Magic.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting realdealbneal:</div><div class="quote_post">Just a few things... Hype isn't a big factor. If so, what happened with Jerry Stackhouse, Harold Minor, Kwame Brown, and Michael Olowokandi? And...just something that I noticed...a small white guy can have good defense and can play offense...ask Manu Ginobili. If Worthy and Byron Scott were injured, why didn't Magic perform his miraculous playoff performance like he did his rookie year? Also...I would rather say that Jordan beat Magic than say that Pippen did. Duncan won the championship two years into his career...and that was playing throughout the season and playoffs, not just one game.</div> Man, I thought you were mah boy man. Hey Real, if paxson/kerr/rodman (either one, depending on what year, etc.) and Pippen were injured, just like Worthy and Scott, do you think MJ would prevail victorious (in any of the 6 Finals). Basketball is a team sport, Magic can't do it by himself, and MJ can't do it by him self, sure they would put up great numbers statisically but no W. MJ was the first and elevated sports marketing on to a different level, and was the first to use the "one-man show" performance (no big man) because he can take every shot. That type o game attracted people, and created this massive media explosion. Look at "Come Fly with me" and watch the defense...It's like the defense is on slow motion, and MJ is just blazing past them like a breeze, and people react by saying "OH SHIT!"...The defense had more holes than swiss cheese.. NOTE: Ginoboli is athletic...How is bird and ainge gonna stop the 10x more athletic Jordan. They lost that game any ways. Jordan said it himself it would been a lot better if they won. Like I said in another posts "I wanna be like Mike" straight BRAIN WASH...we witness that today...tedious one-on-one matchups, guards scoring and scoring, and scoring, trying to make the high-light reels. The Lakers were at their end of their dynasty they were old, the Bulls were also athletically better. Most of your posts I agree with, but not this one. That line you said about magic about doing it himself was just ignorant, because you and I know MJ can't do it himself either. I love MJ, but I'm getting to "think" logically now, and being skeptical to see his real talents. Real ure still tite though...we all have our opinions...u like Kobe right? I do to.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Prodigy:</div><div class="quote_post">Man, I thought you were mah boy man.</div> I'm a huge Jordan fan, and a huge Kobe fan. I like Magic alot too...but Jordan really did work hard...he earned his fame and reputation as one of the greatest. It was just sounding like you were saying he was all hyped up and that Stern made him what he is today. The way I look at that is: it's saying that Kobe is the same way then. In my opinion (and yours), we both like to compare their careers and say that Kobe is the closest to Jordan, so why would either of us say that Jordan was all hype and that's it?
When MJ came in to the league, it seemed as if he were the "newer model" of a basketball player (kinda like the T-1000 from Terminator) while the other players were following the traditional style of play. He also had great oppurtunities, as a rookie, he was to lead the struggling Bulls, meaning take any shot you want, I don't care, the city of Chicago got nothing to lose. I was reading a mag. it ranked top 100 (ain't sure) college players of All-Time. I don't remember what rank Jordan was, but he was in a fairly decent rank, but ranked a little too high for me. See that's his hype. Just because he hit that open shot with 17 sec. left. People forget that James Worthy was the key to the victory, and he is the won who stall the ball at the inbounds just after Jordan hit that shot. I don't think he's all hype. He created the hype him self because of his unique style of play, without realizing it. From his interviews you really tell that he, himself, is amazed with the feedback/hype he got (during his playing days-Ultimate DVD collection). And the NBA and several companies bounced on this. He was the first to do the one-man show, which we see today (probably because of him, who knows). Well, if Mike played today, he would be just like Kobe, AI, VC, T-mac. He won't stand out that much like he did. Or you can look at it from a different point of you, and say with out Mike those players wouldn't exist/be what they are today. A guy like "Mike" was bound to appear in b-ball. It's kinda like he was at the right place at the right time, with corporate conscience coming in, unique, etc. You just got to ask your self: Was he really 10X better than all the other SGs/players? But he had or what it seems like a picure perfect career. Let's just nick name him 1/2 Man 1/2 Gold and Glitter Why is he on my sig.? Because he was good, not god. Two o's not one. Some people get confused. BOTTOMLINE: He was amazing, but he had the right components (teammates, karma, chem., refs, love, etc.) He was the first, and that is why he is the "GOAT", or as some people put it.
Magic had how many hall of famers and all-stars on his team? How many did jordan have when he won the finals? you could argue that both players made their teammates better which i think is true, but jordan he just had the drive to play basketball more than anything else in the world and he is just an amazing guy
