November 8, 2011 – Kevin Burke

I f I had to pinpoint anything positive about this lockout, I’d have to say that some of the “Hardwood Classics” games, that NBA TV has been showing, have been fun to watch. Some of them take you back to when you were a kid (regardless of how old you are) and why you fell in love with the game and the League in the first place. Some games featured Michael Jordan in his prime and it is apparent to me that if he played today, he’d be just as dominant. It’s both a shame and unsettling that some guys in the NBA are too young to have ever seen Mike play.

Naturally, Jordan has countless great moments in his legendary career. He has so many that when you ask people what their favorite Jordan memory is, you’ll probably get a different answer each time. In many cases, he embarrassed defenders. Often times, those hapless defenders became remembered solely because of what Jordan did to them. The two that come to mind for me more so than any others are Craig Ehlo and Bryon Russell.

Craig Ehlo is largely remembered only because of what Jordan did to him at the conclusion of the fifth and decisive game of the first round playoff series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls in 1989. First, Jordan was able to shake Larry Nance to free himself up for the inbound pass, then take a few dribbles towards the center of the court before elevating for the double-clutch 17-footer, while Craig Ehlo’s attempt to alter his shot only reached somewhere near Mike’s elbow. But of course, that alone isn’t why this shot is famous. It’s the baseline angle that shows Ehlo throw himself on the ground in disgust like a rebelling child, while Mike celebrates in the foreground:

Then, there’s Bryon Russell of the Utah Jazz. Aside from reminding people that his name is Bryon and not “Byron”, the most annoying thing for Russell has to be that he’s most remembered because of Jordan’s shot on him in the closing moments of the decisive Game Six of the 1998 NBA Finals. You know the one. Many still believe that perhaps Jordan gave Russell a tiny shove, allegedly causing Bryon to slip and ultimately freeing himself up for one of the most memorable moments in sports history. If Jordan did in fact push Russell (which I believe), it makes the story worse for Russell because Mike got away with it. Then, after the ball goes through the net, Mike leaves his right arm extended for an extra moment; almost as if he was waving bye-bye to everyone. An award-winning director could not have scripted a better conclusion:

So, which of these guys looks worse as result of what Michael Jordan did to him?

If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook