Wonder if there is another forward (with a history of clutch moments in the WC) who should have been on the team if not for a jealous, spiteful manager, that would have easily converted that one. 
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Man I am loving Last Dance - peak NBA was so awesome.
Also I know this sounds stupid - and I know the whole thing is an MJ puff piece - but Jordan still seems like an awesome down-to-earth dude who would be a blast to play poker with - assuming you could play for the stakes that would make it interesting for him of course.
He’s a great story teller and his facial expressions, like when they ask him about the Pistons walking off the court, are just pitch-perfect.
I don’t feel that way about too many mega-stars. Mostly I think they’d be boring to hang out with, except for the fact that you’re hanging out with a mega-star obviously. But once that wore off you’d be like - ok this guy is all ego and doesn’t have anything to say. I think Jordan’s stories would be infinitely entertaining.
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No.
You’re ignoring the beautiful teams from 74 and 78, the ones Rivaldo was talking about. Go and watch some of that early 70s team with Cryuff and Neeskens and report back.
Cynical and dirty teams have traditionally overachieved in football, it’s nothing new. Leeds were notoriously violent, as were Wimbledon and more recently Chelsea have been at times utterly cynical and negative.
https://twitter.com/AroundtheHorn/status/1256353958223740928
So apparently there are new ATH episodes. But are they on TV or just online or something? Finding that out seems next to impossible. Great job getting the message out guys. Wouldn’t want to update your Facebook page, ESPN page, wiki, or anything useful to tell us how to watch.
My Frontier FIOS cable still has no results in searching or browsing the guide. But this wouldn’t be the first time it’s screwed that up.
Oh never mind. I solved the riddle, put the right key in the right lock, and now I get to fight the boss.
https://twitter.com/AroundtheHorn/status/1255240163720138753
I feel the same way but I can’t tell if the NBA was actually alot better then or if it’s just nostalgia. I was in high school and university during the 1990s and closely followed MLB and the NBA. I feel like both baseball and basketball have become less enjoyable since 2000, but not sure if there’s anything to that. I get the sense that both sports have become overly optimized so there are fewer interesting narratives about conflicting styles of play. Maybe it’s all in my mind.
It’s probably a lot of nostalgia. But that’s ok I enjoy the ride.
There seems to be a certain sweet spot when nostalgia peaks - after that it starts to fade. Jordan Bulls and that NBA is right in the sweet spot for me.
The NBA died when they let the Sonics move to OKC.
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I legit enjoyed the NBA more when the games were 91-85 slugfest and people got in fights. I understand why they changed the rules to open things up but I don’t really enjoy the floor spacing, tons of threes games.
There is something to it other than nostalgia though. I have always liked hockey but have found that the league has gotten better and I like it more now than ever. Structural things like rules changes and expansion make a big difference.
In contrast to what I said about Jordan - I’m watching the Bad Boys 30 for 30 which conveniently came on right after the Last Dance episode that featured Detroit.
John Salley is the only person on the Pistons I think would be remotely fun to have a beer or play poker with. Isiah Thomas is obviously a sociopath. Rodman is a freak. Laimbeer is a smarmy douche. Dumars is boring as hell.
Jordan called it - sportsmanship is a thing that either you aspire to or you don’t. It’s like aspiring to be an honest person or not. Pistons = no sportsmanship.
Larry Bird - also a dick. Magic seems ok but I bet he’d get on your nerves after a while.
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First time I’ve ever heard he was a dick. Definitely ultra competitive but always thought he was a good sport. Wondering if my perceptions are colored from being a Celtics fan in the Bird years. (Still a Celtics “fan” I guess, but I totally lost interest in BB 20 years ago and barely pay attention.)
Larry Bird is a HUGE dick.
Look at how he was with his first daughter. That’s the real infamous side of him.
Again, the bulk of “great” men is this way. I have no problem with Bird personally, but he was a dick. The way he approached the situation with Paul George was dickish too (attempting to strong-arm him into playing out of position, largely pushing him away).
MJ was a philanderer, Johnny Cash was a trash family man, etc. It doesn’t matter but they’re not great people.
re: sportsmanship I never really heard that take tho.
He was pre-GP talking mad shit, that’s not bad (modern) sportsmanship tho. Jordan was the same way.
So I don’t know anything about either of these two things. But I’m ok with a GM asking a player to sacrifice for the team if he thinks it will make the team better. (If that’s what it was.) Will have to look up the daughter thing.
The thing I think of Bird is his lack of any reaction to Reggie’s 3 when he was coaching.
It’s timestamped to the shot, but watch until 8:35.
Pyrrhic victory.
The players have the leverage in the NBA. Different sports are different.
Plus, PG was right. He shouldn’t really be a full time 4 (or at least he’d be a bit undersized there, even with the new NBA), you want him focusing on offense largely (esp with that Indy team).
That’s more a topic of conversation then much of a significant indicator of him being a dick, it just goes along with his mentality is the point. Contrast that with someone like Jerry West.
Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.
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I think a big part of it is that players stayed with the team they started with basically their whole career. Jordan Bulls , Magic LA, Bird Celts, Reggie Pacers, Stock Malone Jazz, etc.
Now it seems like stars just randomly decide which city to form a super team in and it just feels cheap. It’s why the Woyas were awesome when it was just the Splash Bros then hated once they added KD.
I still love me some playoff basketball but it just ain’t the same.
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Great point.
Duncan’s Spurs were the last home-grown great team (sans pre-KD GS, like you said). The thing is, you kind of have to keep up with the Joneses or else you’re Dame destined to never win in Portland, or KG if he would’ve stayed in Minny like he’d wanted.
KD would’ve been mocked for the entirety of his career for not winning (tbf they should have in OKC). It’s like the line about government, we’re getting the sports we deserve.
I think the other thing is that during the “golden era” stars fortuitously went to big market teams.
MJ and Magic ended up on 2 of the 3 biggest cities in America, and then Bird in Boston is up there in market size and money. Along with the Lakers and Celtics being the two premier org’s historically prior.
Stuff like Kareem leaving Milwaukee and Shaq leaving Orlando has always happened.