Re: Best of all time

[mustang@gis.net (michael a, dizio)]

>Well stated.  You have to give Jordan (as Hubie Brown would say) "his due,"
>and he has certainly carried the Bulls on his back.  How else could someone
>like Scott Williams have ever gotten three rings?  However, Jordan has had
>the good fortune to be alone in his era.  Russell had Wilt, Bird had Magic,
>but Jordan has not had an opponent of that magnitude to be measured against.
>
>Think about it: in the '80s, Magic's Lakers won five titles, Bird's Celtics
>won three **while they were dueling each other**.  Take Magic out of that
>era, and Bird might have won seven or eight times--and vice versa.  But put
>the Jordan Bulls of the '90s into that era against the Boston and LA
>"mega-teams," and Chicago would have been equivalent to Dr. J's Sixers--a
>great team that managed to win it all just once because the competition was
>too strong.

 These are important points when agonizing over the endless "greatest of
all time" debates.I am not going to dispute Jordans greatness. But consider
this.Jordan's teams have faced different opponents every year (except for
this one) Expansion has watered down the league talent (72 wins) Players
have an easier time moving around, weakening team chemistry and preventing
the formation of strong units that grow together and learn how to win
(CELTICS, Lakers to Pistons,Pistons to Bulls etc). Also Jordan benefits
from the enormous growth the N.B.A. has experienced as a result of the Bird
Magic rivalries. (All the playoff games on T.N.T. etc hype hype hype) I
remember Finals Games on tape delay at midnight etc. Enjoy the players, the
games. Eras, circumstances are different and comparisons to absolutely
prove this or that need to be taken with a grain of salt.

                                           Michael DiZio