the last week or so they've been showing a ton of classic games. mostly involving Magic but also some Michael. I watched a full game betwen MJ and Magic in 1988. saw Magic vs. Bird in 87 finals. saw Jordan vs. the bad boy Pistons in 89. 1992 all-star game when Magic won MVP. etc. there should be some more coming up this week. Nique v. Jordan. 89 Jordan vs. the Cavs. I got them recorded on my DVR.
Here are my impressions:
1. The game changed alot from the mid-80s to the late 80s/early 90s. I noticed alot more physical play. Alot better defense. More athletes. You could see a huge difference in the way the game was played if you watched the Bird/Magic 87 finals and then watched what Detroit was doing in 89 vs. Jordan. It was like 2 different worlds.
2. Prime Magic Johnson was ridiculous. He was basically a better passing, less athletic LeBron James. He's alot better scoring than I thought. He'd kill dudes in the post if they didn't double. And if they did double he'd always find the open man. His shot looked ugly but was actually very effective. I you left him open, he'd bury the shot. Better defensively that advertised as well. Not great but definitely not a liability. Could guard multiple positions. Incredible basketball player.
3. Prime Jordan really did nothing I haven't seen Kobe do. When he was younger in 88, his game was raw and mostly based on athleticism. He'd always try to get to the basket. And because he was so much quicker than everyone and because the game was soft, he was able to dominate. With the bad boy pistons bodying him up, he had to develop a better mid-range and post game. early 90s Jordan = prime Kobe IMO. From what I saw, its really hard to tell if there was anything Jordan did significantly better than Kobe. He was a bit smarter in what shots he tooks and had a bit better instincts on defense when it comes to getting in the passing lanes and getting weak side blocks (sorta like D-Wade). Otherwise they were pretty much clones. The highlight tapes don't lie. Even watching Jordan move without the ball looked exactly like Kobe. I guess I didn't miss much in not seeing prime Jordan cause Kobe pretty much had him down to the tee.
All in all, these guys were really good but not on some other level than Kobe or LeBron. Its ridiculous that people hype up these past eras. Some of those games were tortourous to get through. NBA basketball is definitely much better now than it was back then. However, the best players would dominate either era. Prime Jordan/Magic would be great in this era but so would Kobe/LeBron in the late 80s.
Here are my impressions:
1. The game changed alot from the mid-80s to the late 80s/early 90s. I noticed alot more physical play. Alot better defense. More athletes. You could see a huge difference in the way the game was played if you watched the Bird/Magic 87 finals and then watched what Detroit was doing in 89 vs. Jordan. It was like 2 different worlds.
2. Prime Magic Johnson was ridiculous. He was basically a better passing, less athletic LeBron James. He's alot better scoring than I thought. He'd kill dudes in the post if they didn't double. And if they did double he'd always find the open man. His shot looked ugly but was actually very effective. I you left him open, he'd bury the shot. Better defensively that advertised as well. Not great but definitely not a liability. Could guard multiple positions. Incredible basketball player.
3. Prime Jordan really did nothing I haven't seen Kobe do. When he was younger in 88, his game was raw and mostly based on athleticism. He'd always try to get to the basket. And because he was so much quicker than everyone and because the game was soft, he was able to dominate. With the bad boy pistons bodying him up, he had to develop a better mid-range and post game. early 90s Jordan = prime Kobe IMO. From what I saw, its really hard to tell if there was anything Jordan did significantly better than Kobe. He was a bit smarter in what shots he tooks and had a bit better instincts on defense when it comes to getting in the passing lanes and getting weak side blocks (sorta like D-Wade). Otherwise they were pretty much clones. The highlight tapes don't lie. Even watching Jordan move without the ball looked exactly like Kobe. I guess I didn't miss much in not seeing prime Jordan cause Kobe pretty much had him down to the tee.
All in all, these guys were really good but not on some other level than Kobe or LeBron. Its ridiculous that people hype up these past eras. Some of those games were tortourous to get through. NBA basketball is definitely much better now than it was back then. However, the best players would dominate either era. Prime Jordan/Magic would be great in this era but so would Kobe/LeBron in the late 80s.
