WHO WAS BETTER THAN JORDAN
If you think Michael Jordan is the best player ever, before you continue reading, quickly determine why you think he is the best ever. Championships? Points? Records? Multiple criteria? Whatever they are, quickly define them. I will now dismantle the myth that Jordan is the best ever using YOUR criteria. Remember, the purpose isn't to determine that player X is the best ever...only that Jordan is NOT the best.
CHAMPIONSHIPS: Bill Russell -- In college, Russell won 2 national championships in 3 seasons. Jordan won 1 championship in 3 seasons. Russell was the star of his championships. No matter how much the history revisionists try to use hype to change reality, Jordan was NOT the star of the 1982 Tar Heels. James Worthy was. Furthermore, Russell�s team won 55 games in a row. This is a most impressive feat, but consider that this is all the MORE impressive when you consider that every single game was on the road, because the University of San Francisco did not have a home gymnasium.
I have covered Jordan�s lack of winning in college in great detail. I suppose a Jordan-supporter could point out that USF made the Final 4 the year after Russell graduated, but consider that UNC made the championship game the year BEFORE Jordan joined (making it 1981 and 1982). After James Worthy left in 1982, UNC failed to make it back to the championship game during Jordan�s 1983 and 84 seasons, and didn�t make the Final Four again until 1993. Furthermore, UNC went farther in the tournament the year after Jordan left than they did during his last year there, and with Jordan, they had a #2 seed. Therefore, no matter what argument is used, it boils down to Bill Russell was a more valuable college player and winner than Jordan.
In the pros, Bill Russell played 13 seasons. His teams played in the NBA Finals 12 of those 13 seasons. They won the title in 11 of those seasons, including eight seasons in a row. In his second season, he played in the sixth game on a severely sprained ankle, and his team lost in overtime. Jordan fans like to claim that if Jordan had not retired, the Bulls would have won eight straight (ignoring that Jordan DID play in 1995 and couldn�t win the title), but if Russell had not sprained an ankle, Russell probably would have won 10 titles in a row (and 12 in 13 seasons). Even woulda, coulda, shoulda arguments don't help in the Jordan vs. Russell argument.
Russell, like Jordan, happened to have good teammates and coaches. However, consider that the Celtics did not win the title until Russell joined the Celtics, and failed to make the playoffs the year after he retired, going from NBA champion to no playoff appearance. Jordan fans will try to say the same thing about the 1999 seasons, but the Bulls lost eight players, four of which were starters � big difference. This is an undisputed fact: Jordan retired in 1993, and the Bulls still made the playoffs, nearly capturing the best record in the east. It is simple to see that not only was Russell a bigger winner than Jordan, but also more valuable to his team than Jordan was to his team.
Jordan fans initially try to say that Russell was a good player who was fortunate enough to play with many good players. This is true. It is also true for Jordan. That explains why he played on 3 losing teams and had a 1-9 playoff record before Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, and Doug Collins joined the Bulls. You see, no matter how many times the media says otherwise, Jordan could not win by himself. Like Russell, he needed teammates. Unlike Russell, he couldn't win the championship as often, and when he retired, his teammates didn't miss him as much as Russell's.
Want to talk about who changed the game? Russell is indisputably the greatest defensive player in NBA history. He is one of the 3 greatest rebounders in history (statistically #2), and on a balanced team, he averaged 15.1 ppg (more than Rik Smits) and 4.3 apg. To put this into perspective, Jordan, a guard, averaged 4.1 over his last 3 seasons, when many of his fans say he was at his best. Compare his scoring numbers to a balanced scoring team of today -- the 1999 Portland Trailblazers (Isaiah Rider led the team in scoring at 13.9 ppg) -- and Russell looks very good. In 1962, he averaged 18.9 ppg (17th best in the league), 23.6 rpg (#2), and 4.6 apg (#12).
As sure as the sun sets, you can count on Jordan fans saying, "Jordan scored more points than Russell." IT DOESN'T MATTER! The name of the game is winning. Obviously scoring less points individually MUST be the key to winning championships, as Russell dominates Jordan in that category. Jordan fans say, "The name of the game is to score more points than your opponent." No. The name of the game is to outscore your opponents. 2-1 is as much a victory as 102-101. Furthermore, it is the role of the TEAM to outscore the opponents. When Jordan scored 63 points against the Celtics in game #2 of the 1986 playoffs, the Bulls still lost. No Celtic came close to 63, but the team scored more. That explains why only one scoring champion won a championship between the start of the shot clock and 1990. Perhaps if Jordan were more interested in winning than in scoring points, then he would have more championships.
Thank you for playing. You have just proven to yourself that Michael Jordan is not the best player ever.
