It’s been 13 years since Michael Jordan took his final NBA Finals shot; gently nudging Bryon Russell to the side, stepping back and holding the follow-through.
It was the ultimate pose by one of the NBA’s ultimate champions, quickly becoming a time capsule for the not-so-distant past; a picture-perfect ending on basketball’s biggest stage.
But Jordan never left. His Airness’ presence remains, lingering over the NBA like big brother. And these playoffs have been no exception.
In the modern NBA, players, coaches and decision-makers are almost exclusively judged on how they respond to a question: WWJD?
What would Jordan do?
Since he retired the second time, people have been on a never-ending search to find the next MJ. And until these people, who are like wanderers searching for a lake on a desert’s horizon, find him, everyone will be judged by the likely unattainable standard he set. Will the NBA ever see another cold-blooded killer? What about another marketing juggernaut on his level?
In a word: No.
Even though only a little over a decade has passed since Jordan nailed his final dagger, our world has completely changed. Every move is dissected, analyzed and contextualized immediately because of the creation of an—at times—overbearing, 24-hour news cycle. It’s not enough anymore to be just a supremely talented athlete.
Perhaps this can be explained by society’s fascination with the access it’s been given to reality television stars, which has placed an unusual burden on the modern athlete; they must show a side of themselves that could previously be hidden from the public eye.
In 2011, Jordan wouldn’t be able to be Jordan.
This isn’t an indictment on his legendary ruthlessness on and off the court, but a reflection of where society has gone. Do you think his gambling issues would be thrown aside? What would stop internet know-it-all’s from pontificating about his father’s murder? At the click of a mouse, an athlete can fire up a Twitter storm. Asking anyone to match Jordan’s likeability at the peak of his powers is useless because it’s too easy to poke holes in an image crafted by corporations.
Ask Tiger Woods. Ask Kobe Bryant. Ask LeBron James.
It’s not just the media scrutiny and intense public interest that dogs today’s NBA star. Jordan’s aura is palpable; the shadow that he casts makes it impossible for some to fully appreciate his successors’ greatest triumphs.
No matter what LeBron James does during his career, he’ll never be able to win in the court of public opinion. This isn’t a defense of James’ performance during the Finals. It’s apparent, after his “shrinkage” in Dallas, that LeBron deserves criticism. What I don’t understand is the expectation that James should follow Jordan’s lead.
Why does LeBron, who should use his court vision—probably his best skill—in late-game situations, always have to take the last shot? Is an MJ imitation always necessary? Since Jordan ruled the NBA, people look for a team’s best player to go one-on-one in the waning moments of crucial games.
It’s why we see late-game offenses that run as smoothly as clogged toilets.
With the expectation that players must finish like Jordan, it makes me wonder whether people could fully appreciate Magic Johnson if he had played after Michael. Sure, Magic would never have to answer questions if could be clutch—see the 1980 Finals—but he was more playmaker than shot-taker.
Kareem and James Worthy both won Finals MVP’s with Magic dishing out passes. In the context of Jordan’s late-game mercilessness, this may seem weak to some. Or more importantly, it may seem unbefitting for a “king.”
No, LeBron isn’t Magic, but he probably would be vilified for trying to be.
Even Dirk has had to deal with Jordan’s shadow during the Final. Imagine if Nowitzki was unable to play or didn’t close well in Game 4 because of his flu. If Dallas had failed to comeback—especially if he was missing shots at the end of the game—Dirk’s performance would always be compared, unfairly, to MJ’s 38-point epic in the ’97 Finals.
Dirk wasn’t dry-heaving or laboring off the court like MJ, so a loss could have tainted his legacy because his performance wasn’t “Jordan-esque.”
Even though he isn’t the one winning rings anymore, Jordan still resonates. We can’t make it through the Finals without him mattering.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as we appreciate future talents for who they are.
if only there were a witty ending.
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