Sneaker News: Was It The Shoes? has focused on the many great shots and scoring outputs Michael has produced over his career, but Jordan certainly was not a one-trick pony. Sure, he was the greatest scorer of all-time, but he’s got top-notch defense that earned him plenty of accolades and for a man who draws so much of the attention of the opposing defense, his passing was as much of a dangerous weapon as his shooting touch was. One pass, in particular, stands out the most; it’s perhaps the reason why the Chicago Bulls was able to win a second-straight NBA Title after MJ made his come-back. Read on for tonight’s Was It The Shoes? feature and let us know if this pass is one of Michael’s greatest career highlights.
The best scoring guards in NBA history are rarely noted for their passing. Sure, they have the ability, but buckets is what they’re relied on and idolized for. The Jordans, Kobes, Iversons, McGradys, and Wades of the world are only relevant if their names are near the top of the list of PPG leaders, and more often than not, if they can’t keep up the scoring numbers, they need to supplement with point guard-like abilities or resort to a smaller role. Passing was a key weapon for Michael because he was often double-teamed, and an outlet pass from his hands would often lead to the ball getting to the open man. Jordan averaged as high as 8.0 assists a game back in ’89 – a rather high figure for a player in that position.
The 1997 NBA Finals was unlike any other Finals Michael has been in. The Utah Jazz were arguably more formidable than any of the first four he faced (the Lakers, Blazers, Suns, and Sonics), and after four games, the Series was tied 2 a piece. Game 5 would be the legendary Flu Game, during which Michael scored an astounding 38 points while battling a crippling flu. We’ll get back to Game 5 later on in our Was It The Shoes? series, but let’s move forward to Game 6, when Michael and Bulls sealed their fifth NBA Title.
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