Writing the Pine

So Gatorade is running this promotion right now commemorating Michael Jordan’s brilliant career that will culminate in him getting inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 11, 2009.  It got ten sports journalists and asked them each to nominate a moment from MJ’s career that was most memorable to them.  The fans then can log onto facebook and vote on which moment is #1.  While MJ’s career is filled with plays that will stay with me for the rest of my life, there’s one moment in my mind that stands above all the rest: The Last Shot against the Jazz in the ‘98 Finals.  (And it was by far the most watched MJ moment as it drew a NBA-record 22.3 rating that still stands today.)  I wonder what Ben Osborne from SLAM did to be the one that got to nominate it.  Ahmad Rashad must’ve been pissed that he didn’t get to pick that one.  C’mon Ahmad, I thought you and MJ were boys.

Anyway check out this video by Gatorade below:

And for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, Michael Jordan, at the ripe old age of 46, can still ball:

So while our voice here at Writing the Pine is not quite as heard as that of a Ric Bucher or Scoop Jackson, we thought we’d ask our guys what MJ moment was most memorable to them.  Here are their moments:

THE WRITING ILLINI
The most memorable MJ Moment for me was the 55-point performance at Madison Square Garden. As a die-hard New York Knicks fan, most of my MJ memories are traumatic and angry rather than sentimental. The performance was truly representative of so many games MJ had against the Knicks. I grew up as an absolutely obsessed Knickerbocker fanatic. I had no cable television so I followed every game on radio, newspaper box scores and the 11 o’clock news. When playoff time rolled around, the Knicks many times got the best of MJ for the first two quarters or so. I remember distinctly in a few games he went 0-10 or 2-11 from the field to start the game, only to end up torching the Knicks in the latter half of the game. The 55-point performance was similar – he started the season very slowly, then he ended up tormenting the Knicks. Jordan was coming off a very rusty start since his return to basketball, and it was our chance to humiliate him on our homecourt. MJ, quite oppositely, destroyed us dropping his infamous “double-knickle” for one of the most dominant performances ever at the Garden. It wasn’t exactly the most fondest memory, but definitely the most hurtful and impressionable one.

FIVE TOOL PLAYER
More than his two word press release stating “I’m back”, the “Double-Nickel” game epitomized the return of His Airness. His 18 months away from the game opened the door to a lot of things: The Knicks returned to the Finals. The Birmingham Barons became relevant. The “Dream” and the Houston Rockets won a championship (and eventually two). And it opened the door to those questioning Michael Jordan’s ability to return to his pre-retirement form.

In his fifth game back, (and still wearing an unsightly 45 jersey) Jordan dropped 55 points on a very good defensive Knicks squad. MJ was back and all was right in the world. The NBA and their fans were still looking for the next superstar to the take the mantle once held by Jordan, Magic, and Bird. Turns out, Jordan wasn’t done yet.

Rarely does the anticipation of a game live up to the hype. But one of the most-watched NBA game in cable history allowed millions to witness the triumphant return of Michael Jordan to Madison Square Garden.

His return to the game and the NBA opened up many doors as well: The Knicks would not make the Finals until Jordan retired again. The Birmingham Barons became irrelevant. And the next chapter of Michael Jordan’s soon to be Hall of Fame career started with a memorable scoring outburst.

PINESOL
Father’s Day Championship – Great moments in sports history are about feats of athleticism and making big plays, but sometimes what makes a great moment in sports history is the emotion involved. This particular moment in Jordan history resonates with me because I have such a close relationship with my father. Under the circumstances, it would be understandable if Jordan crumbled, but he knew his father wouldn’t want that. He would want him to continue playing and he did, carrying the Bulls and his grief to another championship. When he finally did crumble, it was as he clutched another trophy to his chest; the tears flowing for his father. It was both a defining moment in his life and the truest testament to his willpower and dedication to the sport his father introduced him to.

ANDERSON
The biggest Michael Jordan play or moment that most stands out in my mind occurred in Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals, Jordan’s first Finals appearance, when he made the famous layup after switching the ball in different hands in midair. Many might recall Marv Albert’s legendary play-by-play piece from that moment: “A SPECTACULAR move by Michael Jordan!” Up until that point, Jordan was widely regarded as the most talented individual player in the game. Yet, he did not have the championship hardware to back up his unearthly abilities. For those that did not know Michael Jordan at that point, that play definitely made him a household name. Meanwhile, that series solidified his spot as the unquestionable best player in the game. Jordan’s first championship culminated with the image of him releasing his emotional tears while clutching onto his trophy which had alluded him for 8 seasons. It was memorable because it signified the passing of the torch from Magic to MJ and it also signified the start of the Jordan era, which arguably was the greatest era in NBA history, but undoubtedly the greatest individual era in NBA history.

Note: Anderson did not pick a moment that was listed in Gatorade’s Top 10.  While Anderson does like to roll to the beat of his own drum, I am a bit a shocked that that play was not one of the top 10 most memorable moments of MJ’s career.  It’s gotta be higher than the Rock the Cradle Dunk(s).