The one thing no player or coach wanted was to ignite Michael Jordan’s competitive fire. The Chicago Bulls star could elevate his offensive game at will, especially when opponents underestimated him.
In 1997, Jordan had enough of the criticism he was getting. In a game against the Seattle Supersonics, head coach George Karl believed MJ was playing it safe by relying more on jump shots than driving to the basket. Not long after, the two-time CBA Coach of the Year paid dearly for making those remarks.
Jordan erupted for 45 points as the Bulls downed the Sonics, 91-84. He was the only Chicago Bulls player to finish in double figures in scoring, shooting 19 for 28 from the field.
“If I motivated Michael Jordan, I’m disappointed. I don’t think I’ve ever said anything negative about him. All I said was that he’s taking more jump shots,” Karl said after that loss via the New York Times.
Jordan called his shots
Being the superstar he was, Jordan knew when he needed to step up or take it easy. He had good teammates at the time, including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Toni Kukoc.
However, if the 3rd overall pick of the 1984 Draft felt like proving a point, he would. “His Airness” knew that there were coaches who would try to play the mind games, a tactic he knew how to handle.
“I’m not afraid to go anywhere on the court,” Jordan quipped. “I think coaches are trying to bother me mentally, but if it’s a ploy, I’m not going for it.”
No stopping MJ
In that game, Karl had Gary Payton, the 1996 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, as his key defender. However, even Payton couldn’t slow down Jordan, who was completely in the zone.
Michael ran laps around “The Glove” despite being known as someone who knew how to guard the 14-time All-Star well. Payton emphasized that the key was to make it hard for Jordan to get the ball, something that could eventually tire him out, but that tactic didn’t work in this one.
“What I did when I went in to play him I made him work. I made him work, work, work. Made it hard for him to get the ball. People were so easy on him to give him the ball, and then he’ll kill you,” the 2nd overall pick of the 1990 Draft said.
Although he made a name for himself as one of the pekiest defenders in the league, Payton had his share of frustrations guarding the North Carolina product. Once “His Airness” got into the groove, it would take a lot to stop him and prevent him from scoring at will and leading his team to victory especially if he took things personally like he often did.