If he had stayed healthy they probably would have made the playoffs both years. He kept getting dinged up with nagging injuries and missed quite a bit of time in 2001-2002, but you'd expect that with a guy who hadn't played in a few years going on 40. That team was dreadful without him, absolutely dreadful. The fact he was almost able to carry them to the playoffs with his injuries and age is one of the better accomplishments of his career in my book. I mean hell, in 2002-2003 he was .5 rebs a game away from being their leading rebounder. Just incredible.
MJ's defense, passing, and high shooting percentage are always underrated. This man gave people hell on both sides of the floor and played every game unless he was damn near dead.
Even at this age he was still giving great effort on the defensive end. There were games I looked out there and thought, "Man, he looks old and tired today." But I never watched him and thought, "He looks like he's not trying."
What? None of those things were ever underrated, until melinnials grew up, and started acting like he wasn't a 8 or 9 time all defense, Lead the league in steals and blocks twice, and could shoot lights out on anybody. He was hands down, top three mid range shooters ever.
He looks pretty quick to me for a guy with bad knees and turning 39 , if his knees didn't give out on him they would have probably made some noise in the Eastern conference playoffs that year!
He was never in the right condition. Taking 3 years off can take a huge chunk of a season a player returns on to try and get some stamina inside them. After the knee injury he was never the same anyway. Still played 82 games and averaged 37 minutes per game at the age of 40 in his final season. Kids these days don’t know. They are fed a never ending feed of LeBron and they don’t know anything other than that.
He's Michael Jordan. The greatest athlete in human history. The numbers prove it. 3 IN A ROW TWICE!!! BECAME 3RD TEAM TO 3 PEAT. IN 3RD FINALS IN GAME 3 IT WENT TO 3 OVERTIMES. 3RD GAME IN PLAYOFF HISTORY TO DO SO. WON HIS 3RD IN GAME 6 WITH 33 POINTS IN 111TH CAREER PLAYOFF GAME IN 1993 IN HIS 9TH YEAR!!! HIS 6TH PLAYOFF GAME HE SET A PLAYOFF RECORD WITH 63 POINTS. HIS 6TH FINALS GAME HE SET A FINALS RECORD WITH 6 3 POINTERS IN THE FIRST HALF, BECAME THE 3RD PLAYER TO MAKE 6 3'S IN A FINALS GAME AND HE DID IT IN THE FIRST HALF MAKING 6 IN A ROW. IN HIS 23RD FINALS GAME HE WON THE TITLE ON FATHERS DAY. TO CAP HIS CAREER OFF HE WON HIS 6TH CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE 6TH GAME DURING THE 6TH MONTH. HE MADE A CINEMATIC FINSH TYOE OF NBA FINALS WINNING SHOT AND HIS LASTING IMAGE WAS HIM LETTING GO OF HIS FINAL SHOT AS A BULL WITH 6.6 SECONDS LEFT. THIS JUST TOUCHES THE SURFACE. IM WRITING A BOOK ON THIS. CHECK OUT MY WORK ON MY CHANNEL IF YOUR INTERESTED FOR MORE. TESLA WAS RIGHT WHEN HE SAID THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE WAS 369. JORDAN HAD THE KEY.
@@789whitt3 hes physical proof theres some synchronicity going on in this world. We are able to manifest our destiny and when we focus on our dreams we create order in our thoughts and then our thoughts create order in the world and the numbers show the order. Mathematics is the universes language
And some fools say he scored a lot back then bec. he was guarded by shorter guys. In this game alone at 38 yrs old, he was guarded by a younger 6'7 jefferson, 6'5 kittles, 6'9 kmart and 6'10 KVH and dropped 51 pts!
He was so effective and crisp even at this age. Rarely do you see any wasted movement. Sound footwork, a dribble or two, break to the basket or take a jumper. Did not give the defense time to focus on him and collapse once he got the ball. It feels like it took MJ half the time to do anything that the stars in the league do now.
Zone was legal here and look at Jordan easily and causally finding guys open for 3 pointers, you got to laugh at people who say Jordan would struggle against modern "floating" zone defenses.
Exactly this was child's play for him you can see he was more relaxed too with his moves early the best of the early 20s can guard him he would absolutely destroy today's league he is scoring off pure footwork this game🤣🤣😂
You can see Jordan has gotten older by this time. Hes not as fast paced or explosive but he took his finesse to the next level. The master has mastered his craft. The GOAT.
At almost age 39, this man was still ridiculously good. He won 6 championships despite not one, but two retirement periods. There's no argument about who's the GOAT. Period.
Anybody who dares to say that Lebron is the greatest ever needs to watch this. This man was 40 YEARS OLD, showing no signs of slowing or aging. MJ was Fine Wine. If he never got injured, he would still be playing, and playing well. I have no doubts.
Lebron look so washed at this age, overnight. relying on athleticism over fundamentals and never developing a mid range or post game is taking a huge toll now that Bron's athleticism seems to have gone over this past off season.
Jordan was a chameleon. He could easily adapt to whatever the situation called for and DOMINATE. The most impressive all-around athlete I've ever seen.
@@andreaprelestian5443 It's because he never wasted a movement on flashiness. On Wizards he was just out there having fun. I have no doubt MJ could of been one of the flashiest ballhandlers, like a kyrie, if he actually cared to do it. But Jordan never ever wasted a movement. Everything was calculated.
This was a 38 year old, 14th year, pre-knee injury performance. Not to mention, the NBA slowly getting away from defense around this time. When he was feeling it, he can't be stopped.
Nathan Johnson knee was injured it was being drained from the beginning of the season it just got worse. He had multiple injuries when the season started and dropped 30 pounds.
Incorrect. He was having his knee seen to from the start of the season. He also had surgery on his shooting hand. He wasn't even close to the same player he was in 1997/98. Makes this all the more incredible.
And in pre season he was injured, bc he was elbowed by Ron Artest, so he missed time without working on his condition. Crazy to think he could've been even better
I think 40 PPG is a little more realistic. That’s 10 points per quarter. Assuming he plays at least 40 MPG and is still playing in blowouts in whichever hypothetical team he will play for in today’s NBA. His Wizards years were definitely a lot better than people think and this was at a time when scoring was much harder. Late 90s/early 2000s was the toughest era to score in. It’s the “deadball” era.
YES! He always seemed so under control even when performing wild acrobatics and fadeaways. That's one thing I didn't like too much about Kobe's style (RIP). He had a lot of Jordan's moves but there was a lot of flailing, it didn't look as crisp. Always loved that about MJ.
@@logicaldude3611 RIP to Kobes, dude was a killer and the closest replica to MJs style of play. But he indeed had that nagging flailing in his game no doubt. Towards the end though, he was as close as a player could come to that elite body control MJ had.
Age 39 or 40 isn't much to a regular person, but Jordan, pounding the ground for two decades punishing his body making it do things it shouldn't and with all his injuries, it's astounding he can do this. He of course had alot to prove being the age he was, but Jordan played every game of his career like he had something to prove.
I say this all the time. The early 2000's were statistically the toughest era to score in NBA history before the rule change in 2005. MJ as an old man avgd 20 ppg imagine what he'd score in todays wide open game in his prime.
@@ryanmiracle6229 he definitely could have won the East. Pierce, Kidd, Carter don't matter. Tangibly or intangibly none of those other leaders had IT more than AIR Jordan even at 38-39 and only running ground delivery anymore. His game at 39 athletically was the same as Pierce's at 25 years old lol 😂... Pierce is a tubby Inglewood boy... North Carolina raises high flying 🪽 cotton bred boys like Jordan and Wilkins and Dave Thompson... West Coast u get the gangbanger 40 oz bellies like the Game and Paul Pierce have... Lol 😂 I'm kidding but for real it's sad that Pierce prime was less explosive 🧨 and definitely less dominant than off vacation 39 year old Jordan. This all makes the Game of Zones series all the more hilarious because Pierce was such a loser pre Kevin Garnett era Celtics and even with Garnett and Allen the Celtics were largely beatable most of that entire run.
Damn michael was old, with no pippen or rodman. Yet he still managed to make the wizards a formidable team. This goat took a 3 yr break and came back like nothing changed. Although he didn't focus on dunks like he was young, he had more time to focus on his midrange.
..any debate whos the greatest is pointlesssssssssss. With an elegance of the cats scoring effortlessly .. his movement is simply poetry and ballet on the basketball court, mixing it with his competitivness .. the GOAT by far! Its not even close!
39 year old Jordan was doing this? Holy shiii I forgot , thanks UA-cam for reminding me how unstoppable he was . I never seen anyone who could just will himself to making every basket (I am talking ten trips down the floor he scored 10 times as if he wanted you to know he could do it no matter what you threw at him, he would eventually let someone else score . I swear if he really wanted to he could of averaged 70 a game.
Old MJ teaching to us, how u play and score effective without to much acrobat when dribbling on that court. Such a different play style when MJ was in bulls and wizard. Too much different with NBA games right now. Lot of waste move, handling just for showoff, but u still on same place.
Jordan’s jumper was so pure . Man could dominate , not just play , but dominate ANY ERA idc what kids say about today’s game . Let that man add 3 pointers to his game and he would average a easy 35 points a night
Michael Jordan toke a crappy team like the Bulls and put their name on the map in the history book and worldwide. He made every kids and adults who never heard of basketball wanting to play the game, Jordan made the Bulls so popular it was contagious, so I understand the hate you have for Jordan he was simply marvelous, hate all you want, no player up to these days spark and perform on the basketball court like Jordan hands down, while organizations like the Celtics and Lakers were Gods of the NBA with all their great players and history Jordan was building the Bulls to the same elite standard Staring from the bottom, put some respect on that man name period.
Yeah, guys of his age would be sitting hours in the bench, would probably score at most 5 points every game, I wish Jordan would find the fountain of youth
And K-Mart was a great rim defender, too. He's out there bodying and making some of these top defenders look foolish. Loved seeing him eat guys like Jefferson alive, they should have been shutting him down at his age.
If the wizards would have had a 34 yr old MJ they would have made a deep playoff run..the best team in the East was the Nets and Look wat MJ is doing to them smh
Before Jordan's meniscus injury they were the 5th seed, Jordan was averaging 29/7/6 on 48% on elite defense, they were looking for the first seed, when Jordan got injured they sucked and fell deep out of the playoff image, a 34 year old mj wouldve won the championship
hakeem olajuwon BEST ROCKET when did MJ get injured. Like what game if what did he get injured. I’m trying to see if was in the beginning of the season or near the end.
lol to be fair, Jordan was pretty much the guy who invented the subtle travel. It was just really hard to catch him doing it, it was so quick and so little movement that it didn't make sense to call even if you did catch it. It's just taken to such an extreme now.
He's Michael Jordan. The greatest athlete in human history. The numbers prove it. 3 IN A ROW TWICE!!! BECAME 3RD TEAM TO 3 PEAT. IN 3RD FINALS IN GAME 3 IT WENT TO 3 OVERTIMES. 3RD GAME IN PLAYOFF HISTORY TO DO SO. WON HIS 3RD IN GAME 6 WITH 33 POINTS IN 111TH CAREER PLAYOFF GAME IN 1993 IN HIS 9TH YEAR!!! HIS 6TH PLAYOFF GAME HE SET A PLAYOFF RECORD WITH 63 POINTS. HIS 6TH FINALS GAME HE SET A FINALS RECORD WITH 6 3 POINTERS IN THE FIRST HALF, BECAME THE 3RD PLAYER TO MAKE 6 3'S IN A FINALS GAME AND HE DID IT IN THE FIRST HALF MAKING 6 IN A ROW. IN HIS 23RD FINALS GAME HE WON THE TITLE ON FATHERS DAY. TO CAP HIS CAREER OFF HE WON HIS 6TH CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE 6TH GAME DURING THE 6TH MONTH. HE MADE A CINEMATIC FINSH TYOE OF NBA FINALS WINNING SHOT AND HIS LASTING IMAGE WAS HIM LETTING GO OF HIS FINAL SHOT AS A BULL WITH 6.6 SECONDS LEFT. THIS JUST TOUCHES THE SURFACE. IM WRITING A BOOK ON THIS. CHECK OUT MY WORK ON MY CHANNEL IF YOUR INTERESTED FOR MORE. TESLA WAS RIGHT WHEN HE SAID THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE WAS 369. JORDAN HAD THE KEY.
@@hakeemolajuwonBESTROCKET He's so underrated in the passing department because he actually played according to the offensive scheme unlike so many other stars, the ball wasn't in his hands to create every single play. His goal was to get isolated on the wing or post in a position to have a one-on-one against someone. When he did have the ball driving to create, he looked great doing it with some acrobatic passes. Jordan's willingness to play in schemes and get other players involved was one of the things that elevated the Bulls. Once he learned he didn't have to have the ball in his hands every play and that he could be a decoy or let other people create for him, he really got to his peak.
maaan i just realised..a young K.Martin was guarding an old MJ and as evrybody knows K..Martin was 1 of the toughest guy and defender at those time....the fact that him and nobody could guard an 38 old MJ properly tells us everything :D :D :D :D imagine a young prime MJ who was 5 times quicker than here, plus the 40 inch vertical at jump shots, plus the hang times.......OMG :D :D yes.probably at least 40 ppg.......
They were 26-21 when he went down - and Jersey with 52 wins was the #1 seed in the East. My guess is they would have won around 45 games and been the #4 seed in the East and then who knows what would have happened in the postseason.
@@chibill467 I doubt they could have made it even that far TBH - maybe they turn it on the way Brady's Buccaneers did this year in the postseason but the Wizards were really not very good outside of him.
They really were disrespecting MJ during his wizards days by placing defenders like Kevin Garnett and Kenyon Martin on him but he took advantage of them by using his quickness. But with the smaller defenders MJ used his size. It doesn’t matter era MJ played in. He got his buckets.
MJ had moments this season where he was balling. There was a 19 game stretch from December 29th to February 7th where he averaged nearly 29 points with 5.2 assists, 6.5 rebounds on 45% in an inefficient era of basketball. In 30 straight games with Jordan actually playing, the Wizards went 19-11. Without the meniscus tear, and a healthy Rip Hamilton, this team could have made the playoffs and made noise. The Pistons were young and without Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace, the Hornets were a very good team with a Big 3, but were beatable. The Wizards went 1-3 against the Celtics, but kept two of the games that they lost very close. The Nets played together and were tough but Jordan dominated them this game. I am envious of an alternate universe where MJ stayed healthy in 2002 (and didn't have the cigar injury in '98 that hurt his ability to palm the ball), because MJ was very fun to watch this season where he had to use his footwork, mid-range, IQ, and underrated strength more than ever (5:08 being a great example), without much of the athleticism from his younger days.
It is unreal to see Jordan out of his prime schooling a new generation of ball players and greats. That's why I was so glad he stayed around to compete up against the next generation because it would have been a very controversial topic indeed. Jordan set the record straight for any disbelievers. A true Legend indeed, Black Jesus no doubt
@@grosskopf2779 Sure, Kobe did an interview where he talked about hearing stories about Jordan and he said people called him Black Jesus. So it would of had to derive from someone earlier indeed. People gave Jordan the name too
@@trevinhickman9022 I got that. It originated from the story that Reggie miller said MJ called himself that , when Reggie was talking trash to him and MJ torched him. Don't see the greatness in that because Reggie was never known for his defense. MJ started that crap, smh. He stole a name that was taken, already. SMH.
5:07 that fancy dribbling combo right there before he switched to lowpost mode, MJ must have thought Hey this dude is not buying my dribbles now let me teach you young man about lowpost moves
This was one of the two games right after he scored in single digits in that blowout against Indiana. I remember everyone saying he was done, his body couldn't hold up anymore, etc. Nets were one of the best teams in the league this year.
I never liked his offcourt persona, but god damn people were in their seats way before the game started. It was a fucking performance. The audience back then was special too, it was more than a game for them. Nowadays people, who don't even love the game, just want to make an appearance, or cash in on the hype. MJ defined one of the greatest eras in basketball.
5:03 this possession right here...was a Kenyon not a premiere defender at this time, the Cincy kid? Why old man MJ has to do him like that smfhh Also keep in mind that MJ was still in the top three percentile of players deep into his fourties, which is a scary, sleepless thought
@@Monicoist Jordan biggest mistake as a wizard was trading Rip Hamilton.who loved playing with him for Jerry Stackhouse Who was always jealous of MJ and I think they would have at least made the playoffs if Mj had Rip playing off him with that almost automatic pull up and that catch and shoot jumper.
Now I understand why Lakers got Ty Lue. If you think about it dam near every young player that played with Wizard under MJ won a championship for some franchise. But if Jerry Stackhouse had that OG Mentality he would of been a top SG but Stackhouse Ego was too big and didn't understand MJ OG Mentality.
Dynomite this man is incredible he was doing this almost 30 plus years ago. You'll miss out this guy is from my generation he made watching NBA phenomenal he is the baddest cat that laced up a pair of sneakers
As you can see the title photo, his index finger's nerve of right hand was cut. he could not bend his finger. but he dropped this score and a lot of amazing performances in his Washington era. if his finger was healthy, maybe he got better performance throughout season.
5:22 Kenyon Martin didnt like that one. And Kevin Martin was a tough dude and Jordan was trying to humiliate him, and he did, making a highlight on him, first with the schoolyard handles, and then schools him and his teammate smoothly and quite confident using basic fundamentals off the post up. Its his mindframe that sets him apart even further from anyone. Mamba mentality closest thing
resdalhogal3 we all know he has that but he prefers playing fundamental and basic basketball no wasted movements. 2-3 dribbles pull up/fade Triple threat/back down footwork is damn near perfect.
I was watching a vid that he was getting better as games went along. I think 10 games before injury he was avg 27 points and they were on track on making the playoffs
This game just showed me that no, Bron aint beating MJ 1on1. This was 40 yr old MJ without an AD destroying 6'9 Kenyon Martin on the post! So no, Bron aint beating MJ 1on1. Bron getting destroyed.
First he was 38, Second he was the leading scorer for a BAD team. They didn't win anything. Wizards won this game by 20, The played again 18 days later and the Wizards lost by 44, MJ had 10, shot 4 for 14
3:53 man one thing MJ always influenced me on my game is IQ…see how he fakes K-Mart (who is a great defender and I’m a fan of) and after he bit on the fake MJ took advantage 💯
Kenyon Martin get backed down by a 38yr old MJ like he a Lil nigga 😂😂😂 bruh that's strength but then again MJ probably the only guard who tried to back down Shaq. MJ was making games look effortless lol. Giving the young boys lessons
If not for the accident MJ had that a cigar cutter injured his finger, thus reducing his effectiveness in gripping the ball, and tendinitis slowed his game, he could be more unstoppable .
that wizards mj was nothing but skill, IQ, will, and heart. greatest ever.
No doubt
Amazing he still unguardable at 40 years old
Thank you! He schooled Martin,Van Horn and Jefferson all in the same game! Truly unguardable!
Not only that, this nets was a championship caliber team! Hahahha
@@TheHobieBoy
Exactly, and would of defeated both teams, Toronto and GSW in the 2019 FINALS
@@sungodjrspot You forgot Jason Kidd who fouled him in one of the "and one" shot
38 year's old
His career in WA was so underrated
Jordan didn't have a team there...he just was out there cause he love the game
Especially when you consider how terrible the team was. Imagine if he had come back for any decent team
If he had stayed healthy they probably would have made the playoffs both years. He kept getting dinged up with nagging injuries and missed quite a bit of time in 2001-2002, but you'd expect that with a guy who hadn't played in a few years going on 40. That team was dreadful without him, absolutely dreadful. The fact he was almost able to carry them to the playoffs with his injuries and age is one of the better accomplishments of his career in my book. I mean hell, in 2002-2003 he was .5 rebs a game away from being their leading rebounder. Just incredible.
Jxmy highroller video
@@logicaldude3611 I personally think if he had kept Rip Hamilton with him they could have made the playoffs.
MJ's defense, passing, and high shooting percentage are always underrated. This man gave people hell on both sides of the floor and played every game unless he was damn near dead.
Black Sheep 💯
Even at this age he was still giving great effort on the defensive end. There were games I looked out there and thought, "Man, he looks old and tired today." But I never watched him and thought, "He looks like he's not trying."
What? None of those things were ever underrated, until melinnials grew up, and started acting like he wasn't a 8 or 9 time all defense, Lead the league in steals and blocks twice, and could shoot lights out on anybody. He was hands down, top three mid range shooters ever.
On god I swear he even played all 82 games his last year w none of the crazy technology we got now it’s insane
Jordan at 38 years old was slow, but I never seen him playing so smart, and his footwork was still unbelievable
That I believe was the best footwork of his entire career
Bulls MJ had it always but used his speed more so
He looks pretty quick to me for a guy with bad knees and turning 39 , if his knees didn't give out on him they would have probably made some noise in the Eastern conference playoffs that year!
4:38 that isn't slow buddy 😅
He definitely wasn't slow. His first step is arguably the quickest in NBA history.
He was never in the right condition. Taking 3 years off can take a huge chunk of a season a player returns on to try and get some stamina inside them.
After the knee injury he was never the same anyway. Still played 82 games and averaged 37 minutes per game at the age of 40 in his final season.
Kids these days don’t know. They are fed a never ending feed of LeBron and they don’t know anything other than that.
This why mj is the greatest of all time ever at 38
i can say agreed.i can say he is the god of 🏀
Greatest of all time period....
He's Michael Jordan. The greatest athlete in human history. The numbers prove it. 3 IN A ROW TWICE!!! BECAME 3RD TEAM TO 3 PEAT. IN 3RD FINALS IN GAME 3 IT WENT TO 3 OVERTIMES. 3RD GAME IN PLAYOFF HISTORY TO DO SO. WON HIS 3RD IN GAME 6 WITH 33 POINTS IN 111TH CAREER PLAYOFF GAME IN 1993 IN HIS 9TH YEAR!!! HIS 6TH PLAYOFF GAME HE SET A PLAYOFF RECORD WITH 63 POINTS. HIS 6TH FINALS GAME HE SET A FINALS RECORD WITH 6 3 POINTERS IN THE FIRST HALF, BECAME THE 3RD PLAYER TO MAKE 6 3'S IN A FINALS GAME AND HE DID IT IN THE FIRST HALF MAKING 6 IN A ROW. IN HIS 23RD FINALS GAME HE WON THE TITLE ON FATHERS DAY. TO CAP HIS CAREER OFF HE WON HIS 6TH CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE 6TH GAME DURING THE 6TH MONTH. HE MADE A CINEMATIC FINSH TYOE OF NBA FINALS WINNING SHOT AND HIS LASTING IMAGE WAS HIM LETTING GO OF HIS FINAL SHOT AS A BULL WITH 6.6 SECONDS LEFT. THIS JUST TOUCHES THE SURFACE. IM WRITING A BOOK ON THIS. CHECK OUT MY WORK ON MY CHANNEL IF YOUR INTERESTED FOR MORE. TESLA WAS RIGHT WHEN HE SAID THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE WAS 369. JORDAN HAD THE KEY.
@@369TheKey well said bruh
@@789whitt3 hes physical proof theres some synchronicity going on in this world. We are able to manifest our destiny and when we focus on our dreams we create order in our thoughts and then our thoughts create order in the world and the numbers show the order. Mathematics is the universes language
And some fools say he scored a lot back then bec. he was guarded by shorter guys. In this game alone at 38 yrs old, he was guarded by a younger 6'7 jefferson, 6'5 kittles, 6'9 kmart and 6'10 KVH and dropped 51 pts!
Peter Stark 💯
Got a couple really good defenders in there, too.
kittles was only 6"5 ...But still MJ schooled them all
@@PaulieAFantoneJays19 oh yeah my bad thanks. Corrected.
@@peterstark4562 ...No worries, happy holidays brother 😄
He was so effective and crisp even at this age. Rarely do you see any wasted movement. Sound footwork, a dribble or two, break to the basket or take a jumper. Did not give the defense time to focus on him and collapse once he got the ball. It feels like it took MJ half the time to do anything that the stars in the league do now.
Zone was legal here and look at Jordan easily and causally finding guys open for 3 pointers, you got to laugh at people who say Jordan would struggle against modern "floating" zone defenses.
Exactly this was child's play for him you can see he was more relaxed too with his moves early the best of the early 20s can guard him he would absolutely destroy today's league he is scoring off pure footwork this game🤣🤣😂
It’s an insult to his basketball IQ whenever people say that. He could easily average 8-10 apg if they tried playing a zone every game.
@keepnitreel 4me
How u gone find shooters if u aint got none? They are not playing zone on MJ this game.
Would have destroyed them all !
@@cameronnebraska6049 this is a zone d
You can see Jordan has gotten older by this time. Hes not as fast paced or explosive but he took his finesse to the next level. The master has mastered his craft. The GOAT.
Well, that reverse he ends with the left hand happened in the blink of an eye... He was fast as f***
The GOAT is LeBron
At almost age 39, this man was still ridiculously good. He won 6 championships despite not one, but two retirement periods.
There's no argument about who's the GOAT.
Period.
FACTS
Definitely the GOAT!!!!!
No questions asked! 🫡💯
You can see the difference, the moves, the shooting skill, the agility, and the ability to shake the defenders. Unbelievable skill level.
Anybody who dares to say that Lebron is the greatest ever needs to watch this. This man was 40 YEARS OLD, showing no signs of slowing or aging. MJ was Fine Wine. If he never got injured, he would still be playing, and playing well. I have no doubts.
I have a feeling Lebron may end up the same way tbh. It'll be interesting to see what happens. Either way MJ is my goat tho.
Lebron look so washed at this age, overnight. relying on athleticism over fundamentals and never developing a mid range or post game is taking a huge toll now that Bron's athleticism seems to have gone over this past off season.
Bron just recorded 4 straight trouble doubles against elite teams cut it out Jordan only played 15 seasons and was trash
@@_M....u crazy LeBron fade away is nice and he shooting the best at this moment
@@staywavee6474how bout now?
Jordan was a chameleon. He could easily adapt to whatever the situation called for and DOMINATE. The most impressive all-around athlete I've ever seen.
Water Like Bruce Lee
Look at his ball handling, when the bulls era he never handling the ball like that 😮
@@andreaprelestian5443 It's because he never wasted a movement on flashiness. On Wizards he was just out there having fun. I have no doubt MJ could of been one of the flashiest ballhandlers, like a kyrie, if he actually cared to do it. But Jordan never ever wasted a movement. Everything was calculated.
@@EliVanFleet 💯💯💯💯💯
@@EliVanFleet right, Kobe said the same thing about him. That’s what makes him a great baller. It should take 1 move to score 💯 💯 💯
This was a 38 year old, 14th year, pre-knee injury performance. Not to mention, the NBA slowly getting away from defense around this time. When he was feeling it, he can't be stopped.
Agreed bro! You are right on point!
Yessir pre knees injury
Nathan Johnson knee was injured it was being drained from the beginning of the season it just got worse. He had multiple injuries when the season started and dropped 30 pounds.
Incorrect. He was having his knee seen to from the start of the season. He also had surgery on his shooting hand. He wasn't even close to the same player he was in 1997/98.
Makes this all the more incredible.
And in pre season he was injured, bc he was elbowed by Ron Artest, so he missed time without working on his condition. Crazy to think he could've been even better
But they said he score on weak era,the only player to score 50 in 3 diffrent decades,MJ 23
thank you
@stoic romulan all great players
stoic romulan Kobe wasn't even close to MJ
goddamn Pacman, thats insane!
Dude was backing down kenyon martin man.. He would absolutely destroy the softies of today
This is why he would average 50 ppg in today’s nba...40 and still no one could guard him...flawless
I think 40 PPG is a little more realistic. That’s 10 points per quarter. Assuming he plays at least 40 MPG and is still playing in blowouts in whichever hypothetical team he will play for in today’s NBA.
His Wizards years were definitely a lot better than people think and this was at a time when scoring was much harder. Late 90s/early 2000s was the toughest era to score in. It’s the “deadball” era.
thelegendsqb1 more of the post 2003 ish era to like 2008
@@Terror832 KD in a most recent interview said MJ in his prime would average 40 in this era and would be the best player in the league
@@Terror832 this gotta be so accurate. Ppl say his prime is better but it depends on his motivation to play.
You never saw that goofy flailing in his body language when he played. Everything was tight and mechanically sound on every jumper.
YES! He always seemed so under control even when performing wild acrobatics and fadeaways. That's one thing I didn't like too much about Kobe's style (RIP). He had a lot of Jordan's moves but there was a lot of flailing, it didn't look as crisp. Always loved that about MJ.
@@logicaldude3611 RIP to Kobes, dude was a killer and the closest replica to MJs style of play. But he indeed had that nagging flailing in his game no doubt. Towards the end though, he was as close as a player could come to that elite body control MJ had.
@@logicaldude3611 MJ is truly a beauty to watch - poetry in motion
Naturally had style didn’t try at all just happened and he was so smooth
Age 39 or 40 isn't much to a regular person, but Jordan, pounding the ground for two decades punishing his body making it do things it shouldn't and with all his injuries, it's astounding he can do this. He of course had alot to prove being the age he was, but Jordan played every game of his career like he had something to prove.
I say this all the time. The early 2000's were statistically the toughest era to score in NBA history before the rule change in 2005. MJ as an old man avgd 20 ppg imagine what he'd score in todays wide open game in his prime.
he was actually averaging 25 ppg until the meniscus tear
@@ryanmiracle6229averaging near 30 in like the last 10-15 games pre meniscus tear
@@ryanmiracle6229e was legitimately 98 Jordan again before the meniscus tear
@@alecsanderhamilton9224 literally bro once he knocked off the rust old Jordan was torching the league
@@ryanmiracle6229 he definitely could have won the East. Pierce, Kidd, Carter don't matter. Tangibly or intangibly none of those other leaders had IT more than AIR Jordan even at 38-39 and only running ground delivery anymore. His game at 39 athletically was the same as Pierce's at 25 years old lol 😂... Pierce is a tubby Inglewood boy... North Carolina raises high flying 🪽 cotton bred boys like Jordan and Wilkins and Dave Thompson... West Coast u get the gangbanger 40 oz bellies like the Game and Paul Pierce have... Lol 😂 I'm kidding but for real it's sad that Pierce prime was less explosive 🧨 and definitely less dominant than off vacation 39 year old Jordan.
This all makes the Game of Zones series all the more hilarious because Pierce was such a loser pre Kevin Garnett era Celtics and even with Garnett and Allen the Celtics were largely beatable most of that entire run.
Jordan was schooling those youngsters.🎉
This Jordan era showed how crafty he was. Great footwork and instincts. Very little athleticism left. Arthritic knees. Amazing.
he had arthisis? and he still played this good? damn
@@2nerC9just a genius.
His mid-range shooting is absolutley insane🔥🔥🔥🔥
The greatest midrange shooter
Crazy that people think that lebron is better than jordan. This man was almost 40 and had more of a post game then lebron ever had
I never realized how easy he was scoring as a wizard back in the day. I can imagine today. Scoring easily... Nobody to try to kill him lol
Posting up Kmart with ease. Then Kmart looking at MJ like he saw God @ 5:22...lol
Hahahaha, exactly.
Lol
I was thinking the same thing, wondering before I type it if somebody already did and here it is :D
Hahahahah same
This Nets team is championship caliber. and MJ played them hard
He spanked them!
5:22 Kenyon Martin was like: "You can post me up, posterize me all day all night I won't mind it's my honor to be close with the GOAT"
People are on crack if they don't think a prime Jordan would dominate this era.
I was at this game. Unbelievable 🔥
You know Mike's strong, when he's out there backing down K-Mart.
Yooo... I was thinking the same thing he was backing him down with slight ease too smh
I always heard people say that Mike was country strong.
I was just coming to say this. MJ was posting on Kenyon like he was a guard lol
That’s that down in Carolina old man strength
MJ's strong, watch the 97 all-star game he was posting up Shawn Kemp. Lol!
Damn michael was old, with no pippen or rodman.
Yet he still managed to make the wizards a formidable team.
This goat took a 3 yr break and came back like nothing changed.
Although he didn't focus on dunks like he was young, he had more time to focus on his midrange.
..any debate whos the greatest is pointlesssssssssss. With an elegance of the cats scoring effortlessly .. his movement is simply poetry and ballet on the basketball court, mixing it with his competitivness .. the GOAT by far! Its not even close!
With all the screen usage today, MJ would feast.
39 year old Jordan was doing this? Holy shiii I forgot , thanks UA-cam for reminding me how unstoppable he was . I never seen anyone who could just will himself to making every basket (I am talking ten trips down the floor he scored 10 times as if he wanted you to know he could do it no matter what you threw at him, he would eventually let someone else score . I swear if he really wanted to he could of averaged 70 a game.
Old MJ teaching to us, how u play and score effective without to much acrobat when dribbling on that court. Such a different play style when MJ was in bulls and wizard. Too much different with NBA games right now. Lot of waste move, handling just for showoff, but u still on same place.
So true..too many flashy dribbles when all u need is max 3 moves to get a shot off or drive to the basket
5:02, he can still did that when he needs too.
Agreed
@@sachdevtruballer thank you!
I agree look at the players that really excel from the midrange now. Kd and kawhi to be specific.
Jordan’s jumper was so pure . Man could dominate , not just play , but dominate ANY ERA idc what kids say about today’s game . Let that man add 3 pointers to his game and he would average a easy 35 points a night
Michael Jordan toke a crappy team like the Bulls and put their name on the map in the history book and worldwide. He made every kids and adults who never heard of basketball wanting to play the game, Jordan made the Bulls so popular it was contagious, so I understand the hate you have for Jordan he was simply marvelous, hate all you want, no player up to these days spark and perform on the basketball court like Jordan hands down, while organizations like the Celtics and Lakers were Gods of the NBA with all their great players and history Jordan was building the Bulls to the same elite standard
Staring from the bottom, put some respect on that man name period.
He also took a crappy Wizards team and made them relevant approaching 40. It's one of his best accomplishments if you ask me.
Mj is the GOAT
Kerry, Richard, Keith, Kenyon, Jason. These are great defenders and he scored 45...and a win. Damn!
The best there is, the best there was and the best there will ever be. I present to you ladies and gentlemen...Michael Jordan.
Nope, nope and nope. MJ was not the best that ever was. If so, why?
This was why they feared Mj.
A forty year old man still being double teamed😂😂😂Wow"
Yeah, guys of his age would be sitting hours in the bench, would probably score at most 5 points every game, I wish Jordan would find the fountain of youth
Just imagine if you didn't lol
He was actually 38 in this game. Another two months until he turned 39.
SMH
🤣🤣
45 points for MJ with no 3 pointers. MJ is the goat no Question about that
Loved the Wizards years... Couple more years of the GOAT
Is to me or kawhi replicate this wizards Jordan playing style so he can reserve more energy entire game
You're right
Yep same thought, except kawhi is less skilled.
@@TUTUMAH Kawhi has more power built similar to Lebron, not for finesse
Exactly
@@chibill467 KL is not stronger than MJ, man. LoL.
See how this man tortured Kmart with postmoves? same way how he gonna torture lebron on the block
King Magno exactly! Folks don’t know ....bout basket and MJ!
And K-Mart was a great rim defender, too. He's out there bodying and making some of these top defenders look foolish. Loved seeing him eat guys like Jefferson alive, they should have been shutting him down at his age.
If the wizards would have had a 34 yr old MJ they would have made a deep playoff run..the best team in the East was the Nets and Look wat MJ is doing to them smh
Before Jordan's meniscus injury they were the 5th seed, Jordan was averaging 29/7/6 on 48% on elite defense, they were looking for the first seed, when Jordan got injured they sucked and fell deep out of the playoff image, a 34 year old mj wouldve won the championship
@Keanu Taiaroa damn that makes it even more impressive!
hakeem olajuwon BEST ROCKET 💯💯💯
hakeem olajuwon BEST ROCKET when did MJ get injured. Like what game if what did he get injured. I’m trying to see if was in the beginning of the season or near the end.
@@MackP414 It was in the middle of the season.
5:02 just like MJ of 1998 final. Started with a steal from the deep and went on to score on his own.
Like how he dribbles into Kmart and basically says, step into my office. Boom.
Non of these young guys can stop this old man.
I'm gonna save this to refute any claims by kids today saying he couldn't play with today's style. Awesome clip
Another thing that makes MJ better than Lebron...he doesn't have to travel to get points.
Yessss
LeBron get points however, that's what makes LeGoat.. simply LeGoat.
lol to be fair, Jordan was pretty much the guy who invented the subtle travel. It was just really hard to catch him doing it, it was so quick and so little movement that it didn't make sense to call even if you did catch it. It's just taken to such an extreme now.
@@logicaldude3611 lol where
@@justiceleague502 he gets turnovers too. Simply LeTurnover.
Looked at MJ face enjoying how he was schooling this young starts , anyone who thinks that MJ was not the best , dont know about basketball
He's Michael Jordan. The greatest athlete in human history. The numbers prove it. 3 IN A ROW TWICE!!! BECAME 3RD TEAM TO 3 PEAT. IN 3RD FINALS IN GAME 3 IT WENT TO 3 OVERTIMES. 3RD GAME IN PLAYOFF HISTORY TO DO SO. WON HIS 3RD IN GAME 6 WITH 33 POINTS IN 111TH CAREER PLAYOFF GAME IN 1993 IN HIS 9TH YEAR!!! HIS 6TH PLAYOFF GAME HE SET A PLAYOFF RECORD WITH 63 POINTS. HIS 6TH FINALS GAME HE SET A FINALS RECORD WITH 6 3 POINTERS IN THE FIRST HALF, BECAME THE 3RD PLAYER TO MAKE 6 3'S IN A FINALS GAME AND HE DID IT IN THE FIRST HALF MAKING 6 IN A ROW. IN HIS 23RD FINALS GAME HE WON THE TITLE ON FATHERS DAY. TO CAP HIS CAREER OFF HE WON HIS 6TH CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE 6TH GAME DURING THE 6TH MONTH. HE MADE A CINEMATIC FINSH TYOE OF NBA FINALS WINNING SHOT AND HIS LASTING IMAGE WAS HIM LETTING GO OF HIS FINAL SHOT AS A BULL WITH 6.6 SECONDS LEFT. THIS JUST TOUCHES THE SURFACE. IM WRITING A BOOK ON THIS. CHECK OUT MY WORK ON MY CHANNEL IF YOUR INTERESTED FOR MORE. TESLA WAS RIGHT WHEN HE SAID THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE WAS 369. JORDAN HAD THE KEY.
Still doesn't come close to LeBron.
@@justiceleague502 lol, funny one
They should be ashamed double teaming a 40 year old man who still dropped 45 points on em
He was passing out though so there double teams didn't do much 😂 Jordans playmaking is underrated
He was 38 in this game smh
@@hakeemolajuwonBESTROCKET that's the point of being a scorer star. You can't stop him aonhe gets double teamed. Then he will pass to an open player.
@@zackarmstrong.3089 2 weeks from 39
@@hakeemolajuwonBESTROCKET He's so underrated in the passing department because he actually played according to the offensive scheme unlike so many other stars, the ball wasn't in his hands to create every single play. His goal was to get isolated on the wing or post in a position to have a one-on-one against someone. When he did have the ball driving to create, he looked great doing it with some acrobatic passes.
Jordan's willingness to play in schemes and get other players involved was one of the things that elevated the Bulls. Once he learned he didn't have to have the ball in his hands every play and that he could be a decoy or let other people create for him, he really got to his peak.
He's still literally the alpha at 38. Amazing
When jordan is old his upper body is too strong he can post up and push back kenyon martin 😳
Wizards Old Jordan making K mart & Jefferson "dance wit dem stars" LOL!!! dayum
Jordan took it personally when people said he played against plumbers, came back to this generation and dominated.
maaan i just realised..a young K.Martin was guarding an old MJ and as evrybody knows K..Martin was 1 of the toughest guy and defender at those time....the fact that him and nobody could guard an 38 old MJ properly tells us everything :D :D :D :D imagine a young prime MJ who was 5 times quicker than here, plus the 40 inch vertical at jump shots, plus the hang times.......OMG :D :D yes.probably at least 40 ppg.......
This Jump shot would still be unguardable in today’s game, MJ will strike gold each time he hits them.
Even at 40 he was literally magic 🐐🐐
The biggest "What If" : What if Jordan never got injured during his first season with Wizard?
They were 26-21 when he went down - and Jersey with 52 wins was the #1 seed in the East. My guess is they would have won around 45 games and been the #4 seed in the East and then who knows what would have happened in the postseason.
He would've still like now be a beast but his team is crap
@@walterlv01 I don't see them having any chance against any Western contending teams.. might dent MJ'S 100% Championship record haha
@@chibill467 I doubt they could have made it even that far TBH - maybe they turn it on the way Brady's Buccaneers did this year in the postseason but the Wizards were really not very good outside of him.
Playoff
Kenyon martin is strong defender he ate him alive!!
Damn MJ. against Young PRIME 6'10 super athletic Kenyon Martin.
Posting him up too lol
They really were disrespecting MJ during his wizards days by placing defenders like Kevin Garnett and Kenyon Martin on him but he took advantage of them by using his quickness. But with the smaller defenders MJ used his size. It doesn’t matter era MJ played in. He got his buckets.
MJ had moments this season where he was balling. There was a 19 game stretch from December 29th to February 7th where he averaged nearly 29 points with 5.2 assists, 6.5 rebounds on 45% in an inefficient era of basketball. In 30 straight games with Jordan actually playing, the Wizards went 19-11. Without the meniscus tear, and a healthy Rip Hamilton, this team could have made the playoffs and made noise. The Pistons were young and without Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace, the Hornets were a very good team with a Big 3, but were beatable. The Wizards went 1-3 against the Celtics, but kept two of the games that they lost very close. The Nets played together and were tough but Jordan dominated them this game. I am envious of an alternate universe where MJ stayed healthy in 2002 (and didn't have the cigar injury in '98 that hurt his ability to palm the ball), because MJ was very fun to watch this season where he had to use his footwork, mid-range, IQ, and underrated strength more than ever (5:08 being a great example), without much of the athleticism from his younger days.
It is unreal to see Jordan out of his prime schooling a new generation of ball players and greats. That's why I was so glad he stayed around to compete up against the next generation because it would have been a very controversial topic indeed. Jordan set the record straight for any disbelievers. A true Legend indeed, Black Jesus no doubt
I don't get it, people are trying real hard to call MJ Black Jesus, that name was already taken and used for Earl Monroe. smh
@@grosskopf2779 Sure, Kobe did an interview where he talked about hearing stories about Jordan and he said people called him Black Jesus. So it would of had to derive from someone earlier indeed. People gave Jordan the name too
@@trevinhickman9022 I got that. It originated from the story that Reggie miller said MJ called himself that , when Reggie was talking trash to him and MJ torched him. Don't see the greatness in that because Reggie was never known for his defense. MJ started that crap, smh. He stole a name that was taken, already. SMH.
@@grosskopf2779 oh ok
Nice video post. I had the privilege of being in the arena that night to watch Michael Jordan play a vintage game to end 2001👍
5:07 that fancy dribbling combo right there before he switched to lowpost mode, MJ must have thought Hey this dude is not buying my dribbles now let me teach you young man about lowpost moves
There'a nothing better to watch than Michael get red hot.
Lebron now
This was one of the two games right after he scored in single digits in that blowout against Indiana. I remember everyone saying he was done, his body couldn't hold up anymore, etc. Nets were one of the best teams in the league this year.
I never liked his offcourt persona, but god damn people were in their seats way before the game started. It was a fucking performance. The audience back then was special too, it was more than a game for them. Nowadays people, who don't even love the game, just want to make an appearance, or cash in on the hype. MJ defined one of the greatest eras in basketball.
I love his off-court persona!
5:03 this possession right here...was a Kenyon not a premiere defender at this time, the Cincy kid? Why old man MJ has to do him like that smfhh
Also keep in mind that MJ was still in the top three percentile of players deep into his fourties, which is a scary, sleepless thought
GOAT
The G.O.A.T putting in that work!
His GOATness
Damn it would have been fun to see MJ in the playoff's with his time with the Wizards. Anything could have happen.
Facts 🔥
1:23 my favorite Jordan's moves,,I've never seen this shot blocked
John Nool i agree
It's the shot that he taught to Rip Hamilton. The two-dribble pull-up
@@Monicoist Jordan biggest mistake as a wizard was trading Rip Hamilton.who loved playing with him for Jerry Stackhouse Who was always jealous of MJ and I think they would have at least made the playoffs if Mj had Rip playing off him with that almost automatic pull up and that catch and shoot jumper.
@@ronaldjackson7541 yeah ikr. Rip's my favorite player from that Pistons era
@@ronaldjackson7541 Agreed
This man make it look so easy at 39!!! GOAT!!!
Now I understand why Lakers got Ty Lue. If you think about it dam near every young player that played with Wizard under MJ won a championship for some franchise. But if Jerry Stackhouse had that OG Mentality he would of been a top SG but Stackhouse Ego was too big and didn't understand MJ OG Mentality.
Wizards years were underrated..
-in his first year in the wizards were on pace to win 47 games pre injury.
-And only team in NBA to ever go from a
Dynomite this man is incredible he was doing this almost 30 plus years ago. You'll miss out this guy is from my generation he made watching NBA phenomenal he is the baddest cat that laced up a pair of sneakers
1000 years from now, if we still exist, he will STILL be remembered as “one of the top three most unguardable players in sports history.”
Who do you have in your three just curious
@@Janon743
Basketball:
Jordan
Tracy Mcgrady
Larry Bird
Football:
Randy Moss
Barry Sanders
Jerry Rice
Baseball:
Ken Griffey Jr.
Lou Gehrig
Honus Wagner
As you can see the title photo, his index finger's nerve of right hand was cut. he could not bend his finger. but he dropped this score and a lot of amazing performances in his Washington era. if his finger was healthy, maybe he got better performance throughout season.
Give Shaq a 38 years old Mike, he would win at least one more ring
Imagine how great jordan is..almost 40 but still unguardable versus prime kenyon martin..jordan unleashed hehehe
5:22 Kenyon Martin didnt like that one. And Kevin Martin was a tough dude and Jordan was trying to humiliate him, and he did, making a highlight on him, first with the schoolyard handles, and then schools him and his teammate smoothly and quite confident using basic fundamentals off the post up. Its his mindframe that sets him apart even further from anyone. Mamba mentality closest thing
i saw that look LOL. KM was like, "he doing this at damn near 40"
MJ the original mamba
5:08 Jordan showing off the handle. Sauce
resdalhogal3 we all know he has that but he prefers playing fundamental and basic basketball no wasted movements. 2-3 dribbles pull up/fade
Triple threat/back down footwork is damn near perfect.
I was watching a vid that he was getting better as games went along. I think 10 games before injury he was avg 27 points and they were on track on making the playoffs
This game just showed me that no, Bron aint beating MJ 1on1. This was 40 yr old MJ without an AD destroying 6'9 Kenyon Martin on the post! So no, Bron aint beating MJ 1on1. Bron getting destroyed.
Unguardable to the end
Name another Shooting Guard who can play at this level at age 40....Even Kobe/DWade/Clyde can't do this shit...
First he was 38, Second he was the leading scorer for a BAD team. They didn't win anything. Wizards won this game by 20, The played again 18 days later and the Wizards lost by 44, MJ had 10, shot 4 for 14
This man taking a young rj off the dribble and posting up Kenyon 😯. A 40 yr old mj would average 30-32 a game in today’s nba
3:53 man one thing MJ always influenced me on my game is IQ…see how he fakes K-Mart (who is a great defender and I’m a fan of) and after he bit on the fake MJ took advantage 💯
He was really hooping like an all star at 38
His jumpers are so graceful.. Killer
Kenyon Martin get backed down by a 38yr old MJ like he a Lil nigga 😂😂😂 bruh that's strength but then again MJ probably the only guard who tried to back down Shaq. MJ was making games look effortless lol. Giving the young boys lessons
What happened when these two teams met again 18 days later?
He was smart, talented and practiced hard, he maked the game to look easy, pleasure to watch!
If not for the accident MJ had that a cigar cutter injured his finger, thus reducing his effectiveness in gripping the ball, and tendinitis slowed his game, he could be more unstoppable .
The footwork is like poetry. Masterful.
Lebron is better