How come MJ never took it "Personal" outside of championship years?

jerok · Post #1 » by **jerok** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:24 am

We all have heard or watched stories when MJ took it personal against said player/team/gm.
But it seems like he only did during Bulls champsionship years, with Scottie/Grant or Scottie/Rodman Super teams. When he had a crew.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but how come we never hear stories of MJ taking it personal when he was 1-9 in the playoffs or no playoffs without Scottie?

How come he didn't take it personal when Larry was sweeping him. Or when he kept losing to the Pistons?

I thought MJ and Scottie were GODs growing up. MJ is still the GOAT for me, but damn sometimes makes me wonder where was his competitive fire during those hard times?

Antinomy · Post #2 » by **Antinomy** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:28 am

He also never lost.

Except when he did.

Admiral-Kizaru · Post #3 » by **Admiral-Kizaru** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:31 am

MJ is a legend no doubt but most things about his career have to be taken with a grain of salt considering that he was Sterns's golden child. I don't think I would ever put Lebron above him but I do wonder how he would have fared in today's league where it seems like there's an arms race every other season. He still wins a few championships but i imagine if played today, that the moment he repeated or even 3 peated that 2 other top 10 players would instantly link up to drag him down in embarrassing fashion.

No amount of "competitive fire" is stopping him from getting 4-1 or swept by a team like the 2017 Warriors.

Lockdown504090 · Post #4 » by **Lockdown504090** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:31 am

you can play very hard and lose. its a team sport, not tennis.

Bornstellar · Post #5 » by **Bornstellar** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:34 am

Didn't he drop 60+ on those Celtics? What else do you want him to do? Basketball is a team sport no matter how great MJ was

Admiral-Kizaru · Post #6 » by **Admiral-Kizaru** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:34 am

Lockdown504090 wrote:you can play very hard and lose. its a team sport, not tennis.

Nostalgic MJ worshipers would have you believe that MJ if he was in Brons position would beat the Warriors with a healthy KD because of his "competitive fire" Some even claim that his "competitive fire" would fuel him to become a 40% 3-point shooter despite analysis showing that the reason he was so bad at 3s is the exact reason he's a monster in the mid-range and while driving.

Admiral-Kizaru · Post #7 » by **Admiral-Kizaru** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:35 am

Bornstellar wrote:Didn't he drop 60+ on those Celtics? What else do you want him to do? Basketball is a team sport no matter how great MJ was

Thats the point of OP's post. No amount of competitive fire will stop you from losing against a better team yet certain people with nostalgic goggles worship MJ as if he could do the impossible when his earlier track record proves otherwise. No one wins in sports without a good team and or great luck.

Bornstellar · Post #8 » by **Bornstellar** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:36 am

Admiral-Kizaru wrote:
Bornstellar wrote:Didn't he drop 60+ on those Celtics? What else do you want him to do? Basketball is a team sport no matter how great MJ was

Thats the point of OP's post. No amount of competitive fire will stop you from losing against a better team yet certain people with nostalgic goggles worship MJ as if he could do the impossible when his earlier track record proves otherwise. No one wins in sports without a good team and or great luck.

Then it's a silly point

Post #9 » by **AshyLarrysDiaper** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:41 am

I just researched this and the OP’s right: Michael Jordan didn’t play a single great game until ‘91.

What an odd career arc.

Uncle Mxy · Post #10 » by **Uncle Mxy** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:44 am

Check out his HOF speech.
MJ always took it personally.
He took it out on teams, personally.
/endthread

Jersey Generals · Post #11 » by **Jersey Generals** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:49 am

Jesus Christ, these threads are getting stupid. You don't think MJ is the greatest? Cool, but know others do and will talk about him as such. You think he is the greatest? Cool, but understand others have other players higher than him.

Give it a rest already.

Post #12 » by **HomoSapien** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:51 am

Ridiculous thread.

FreeThrowLine · Post #13 » by **FreeThrowLine** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:06 am

Not surprising to see the posters that gave your post an ‘And 1’, there’s still a handful I’m waiting on.

As has already been mentioned, it’s a team game, if you actually watched the games back then and read some of the back stories you’d understand just how stupid you sound to question the mans competitive spirit.

Regardless of how well he played, there’s only so much 1 guy can do when you’re playing alongside below average talent and going up against teams featuring multiple allstars.

It’s also funny this narrative that Pippen & Rodman saved the day, go back and watch early day Pippen and see how relatively useless he was on offense. Rodman was still ab outstanding rebounder, but his defense was not like his Piston days and he left the Bulls playing 4 on 5 on offense

Additionally once you start looking at the majority of those Bulls benches, once you get past the 6th or 7th player it’s a real who’s who of nobodies. Even the starters went on to accomplish FA elsewhere other than Grant for 1 season

But hey, gotta keep up with that bi-weekly rent free hate

JayMKE · Post #14 » by **JayMKE** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:18 am

Nonsense thread, MJ was still taking it personal as a Wizard and probably still is.

Lalouie · Post #15 » by **Lalouie** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:43 am

jerok wrote:We all have heard or watched stories when MJ took it personal against said player/team/gm.
But it seems like he only did during Bulls champsionship years, with Scottie/Grant or Scottie/Rodman Super teams. When he had a crew.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but how come we never hear stories of MJ taking it personal when he was 1-9 in the playoffs or no playoffs without Scottie?

How come he didn't take it personal when Larry was sweeping him. Or when he kept losing to the Pistons?

I thought MJ and Scottie were GODs growing up. MJ is still the GOAT for me, but damn sometimes makes me wonder where was his competitive fire during those hard times?

because no one wants to know what motivates a loser.
losing can stoke that fire but quick
and besides, if he had that fire it didn't work

twyzted · Post #16 » by **twyzted** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:47 am

CIN-C-STAR · Post #17 » by **CIN-C-STAR** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:50 am

Admiral-Kizaru wrote:
Lockdown504090 wrote:you can play very hard and lose. its a team sport, not tennis.

Nostalgic MJ worshipers would have you believe that MJ if he was in Brons position would beat the Warriors with a healthy KD because of his "competitive fire" Some even claim that his "competitive fire" would fuel him to become a 40% 3-point shooter despite analysis showing that the reason he was so bad at 3s is the exact reason he's a monster in the mid-range and while driving.

That's not how "research" works though.
You can't just predict complete hypotheticals through "research." You can come up with an untestable hypothesis, but that's not particularly valuable from a scientific standpoint.

(also his "competitive fire," which you seem to doubt, did result in him 3peating twice and winning all 6 of those Finals MVPs, the most in the award's history. Seems a lot more solid than this "research" you failed to cite, tbh)

Balls Deep · Post #18 » by **Balls Deep** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:50 am

Don’t forget he also quit not once, but TWICE in a 14 year span. Jordan is a product of the Nike and Gatorade hype machine. He’s not who most think he is.

ChaseDown · Post #19 » by **ChaseDown** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:51 am

MJ took it personally this off-season.

“YOU DON’T THINK WE CAN WIN WITH STEVE CLIFFORD? You watch.”

NZB2323 · Post #20 » by **NZB2323** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:59 am

1. Jordan first motivated himself to win. It's easier to motive yourself to win when you haven't won before. After you become a champion it's harder to motivate yourself so Jordan would make up ways to motivate himself.

2. Jordan hated the Bad Boys Pistons, who beat him in the playoffs 3 times. He made sure Isiah Thomas wasn't on the dream team and he hates Isiah Thomas to this day.

“Oh, I hated them. The hate carries even to this day. They made it personal. They physically beat the **** out of us.”

https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/26/michael-jordan-pistons-hated/

3. This thread is somehow a criticism of Jordan? Find me a playoff series he played poorly in from 85-90.