Pretty good breakdown of the play

Yep, that's good. Still, with that amount of time left, Jordan had to know he likely wouldn't get the ball back. For a guy who had scored every point in the quarter, that was an unlikely pass, especially without a double team. You wonder if maybe he didn't want to go to the foul line.

They had set Paxson up many times before. Could have been on purpose.

But watching it again, it looks like a regular play where Jordan and Pippen were going to run a play to get Jordan a shot from a spot he was comfortable with.

Junkhead said:

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94chem said:

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You wonder if maybe he didn't want to go to the foul line.

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No one with half a brain in their head wonders that.

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Yea, that's one of the stranger takes I've ever heard

CrottyKid said:

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They had set Paxson up many times before. Could have been on purpose.

But watching it again, it looks like a regular play where Jordan and Pippen were going to run a play to get Jordan a shot from a spot he was comfortable with.

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Yea, I think MJ threw it ahead to Scottie with intention of getting the ball back, but Chuck over-committed on the play and Scottie had a free lane to the basket. The rest sort of happened organically.

If Chuck had played base defense, I think Scottie would have held it on top of the key, MJ would have made a few jukes, then rushed back to Scottie and had the ball handed off to him. Then Scottie would have cleared out and MJ would have gone one-on-one for the game tying/winning shot.

I know Clay Travis tweeted about it, but as a kid of the 90's, those Dream Team McDonalds cups were the absolute best. Think my grandmother still might have one or two

Deluxe said:

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Junkhead said:

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94chem said:

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You wonder if maybe he didn't want to go to the foul line.

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No one with half a brain in their head wonders that.

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Yea, that's one of the stranger takes I've ever heard

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Sorry, I was thinking of LeBron. Jordan must have expected to get the ball back, but the Barkley overplay changed everything.

For the record, MJ shot 80.5% from the line in the '93 play-offs. It was the lowest of any title run, but there was very little scatter.

In today's game, I suppose Paxson would have never been open unless it was a set play with screens for him. You just can't collapse these days when a 3 can beat you.

Shaq was robbed in 92, said it then, say it now.

I watched WGN while at TAMU, I
arranged my study schedule around the games.

Back then, we laughed at those haters who said he was a degenerate gambler. We all knew he was, it did not matter one bit.

I still hate the Pistons and that btch John Starks.

Shaq was robbed of what?

Junkhead said:

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Shaq was robbed of what?

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Selection for the Dream Team. Both Laettner and Shaq were in contention for the "college/about to be drafted" spot. They chose Laettner.

Yeah, this headline has me even more jacked for the next two episodes.

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/last-dance-director-jason-hehir-shocked-michael-jordan-approved-episodes-7-8

Pumpkinhead said:

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BoxingAg84 said:

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Seven Costanza said:

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Junkhead said:

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Shaq was robbed of what?

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Selection for the Dream Team. Both Laettner and Shaq were in contention for the "college/about to be drafted" spot. They chose Laettner.

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It didn't make sense to have three centers, and plus Laettnner was a better player in college than Shaq was. At that stage, Laettner was the more skilled between the two. He was pretty much the darling of college basketball at that time. It wasn't a robbery.

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Laettner is considered by most as one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time. Not talking NBA...strictly college. Had a better college career than Shaq.

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That's subjective. Laettner played on better teams and has the famous shot against Kentucky. But Shaq might have been the last player in college basketball who was more or less physically unstoppable. He didn't have the championships but probably had a way better individual resume than Laettner did.

M.C. Swag said:

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ATM9000 said:

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Pumpkinhead said:

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BoxingAg84 said:

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Seven Costanza said:

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Junkhead said:

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Shaq was robbed of what?

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Selection for the Dream Team. Both Laettner and Shaq were in contention for the "college/about to be drafted" spot. They chose Laettner.

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It didn't make sense to have three centers, and plus Laettnner was a better player in college than Shaq was. At that stage, Laettner was the more skilled between the two. He was pretty much the darling of college basketball at that time. It wasn't a robbery.

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Laettner is considered by most as one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time. Not talking NBA...strictly college. Had a better college career than Shaq.

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That's subjective. Laettner played on better teams and has the famous shot against Kentucky. But Shaq might have been the last player in college basketball who was more or less physically unstoppable. He didn't have the championships but probably had a way better individual resume than Laettner did.

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Either way, he wasn't robbed. Laettner was beyond qualified for the spot.

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I don't think he was robbed either. Just saying I think it is a stretch to say he had a better college career than Shaq did. Shaq was an all timer in college too.

This has been quite a bit different than what I expected. I thought it was going to be mostly about the behind the scenes story of the final season, with some backstory peppered in as needed. It seems more like it's mostly the history of Jordan's career, though. Not that I mind; it's been great. Granted, we still have four more episodes, so it could still turn out to be focused on the final season. But I'm expecting this week to be about the 94-95/96 timeline, then episode 9 focusing on '97, and 10 wrapping it up with '98.

Agreed. I thought I'd see more about Utah these last two episodes. That's where this is all leading, to that showdown, and I'm surprised they didn't get a real mention yet.

ATM9000 said:

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M.C. Swag said:

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ATM9000 said:

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Pumpkinhead said:

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BoxingAg84 said:

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Seven Costanza said:

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Junkhead said:

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Shaq was robbed of what?

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Selection for the Dream Team. Both Laettner and Shaq were in contention for the "college/about to be drafted" spot. They chose Laettner.

---

It didn't make sense to have three centers, and plus Laettnner was a better player in college than Shaq was. At that stage, Laettner was the more skilled between the two. He was pretty much the darling of college basketball at that time. It wasn't a robbery.

---

Laettner is considered by most as one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time. Not talking NBA...strictly college. Had a better college career than Shaq.

---

That's subjective. Laettner played on better teams and has the famous shot against Kentucky. But Shaq might have been the last player in college basketball who was more or less physically unstoppable. He didn't have the championships but probably had a way better individual resume than Laettner did.

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Either way, he wasn't robbed. Laettner was beyond qualified for the spot.

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I don't think he was robbed either. Just saying I think it is a stretch to say he had a better college career than Shaq did. Shaq was an all timer in college too.

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Laettner
3 Times All ACC Team
2 Times Consensus All-American
1991-1992 AP Player of the Year
Still holds the record for most career points scored in the NCAA tournament (407 points), and won two NCAA Championship titles
Played all 4 years at his school (and it was Duke)

Shaq was great in college, but strictly college resume, Laettner had a clear edge.

Shaq agreed with the decision to choose Laettner when actually asked about he recently. He said that of course he felt that he was the stronger, more powerful player but that Laettner (at that time) had better fundamentals and was a college star and he totally understood the decision.

Article out today about Craig Hodges criticizing Jordan for some comments from the series. Honestly sounds like sour grapes from a guy who made a lot of money playing a game and may not have been "all in" on the drive it takes to be a consistent winner

Matt_ag98 said:

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Article out today about Craig Hodges criticizing Jordan for some comments from the series. Honestly sounds like sour grapes from a guy who made a lot of money playing a game and may not have been "all in" on the drive it takes to be a consistent winner

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Learn the story of Craig Hodges before you criticize. He was one of the best shooters in the NBA for years but got blackballed and ran out of the league from trying to fight for the rights of African Americans.

aggiepaintrain said:

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Shaq was robbed in 92, said it then, say it now.

I watched WGN while at TAMU, I
arranged my study schedule around the games.

Back then, we laughed at those haters who said he was a degenerate gambler. We all knew he was, it did not matter one bit.

I still hate the Pistons and that btch John Starks.

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Shaq would have added zero to the Dream Team other than dunks. A team that skilled in finesse basketball didn't need a bruiser. Laettner was given the opportunity to reflect his incredible college career. He had the kind of skills they wanted, a guy who could dribble, shoot, pass, and rebound.

Matt_ag98 said:

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Article out today about Craig Hodges criticizing Jordan for some comments from the series. Honestly sounds like sour grapes from a guy who made a lot of money playing a game and may not have been "all in" on the drive it takes to be a consistent winner

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Keep Craig Hodges' name outcha mouth.

Houston Rockets episode on tonight

Brooks Thompson got a flash just now.

Not the first time this grenade has been thrown but this documentary solidifies for me that the bulls would've won '94 and '95.

And that Jordan wasn't himself at all when he returned near the end of the season.

TheMasterplan said:

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Not the first time this grenade has been thrown but this documentary solidifies for me that the bulls would've won '94 and '95.

And that Jordan wasn't himself at all when he returned near the end of the season.

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Part of me agrees with you. But part of me thinks Jordan wouldn't have been mentally challenged enough to maintain his edge for eight consecutive years. Unless of course he made up a LaBradford Smith story every night.