Michael Jordan The Greatest Basketball Player In

Michael Jordan: The Greatest Basketball Player In Essay, Research Paper

Michael Jordan Over fifty years have gone by in basketball history. Thousands of players have come and gone, but one man stands out above the rest. That man is Michael Jordan. When the ball is in the hands of Michael Jordan you know you re about to witness something great. Fans line up in the thousands to see him, and sellout crowds of over 50,000 pack into normally empty arenas to get a glimpse of this legendary superstar. This living legend, Michael Jordan, has secured his place as the greatest basketball player of all times, and has shown himself to be one of the foremost athletes in history. (Boston Gardens- April 20, 1986) Its game two of the first round playoffs, with the Boston Celtics leading the series one game to nothing. What looked like another blowout by the top team in the east against the number eight Chicago Bulls turned out to be one of the best playoff games in history. The Bulls, looking to avenge their loss just three days before, took an early lead in the first quarter with Michael Jordan scoring 17 of their 33 points. The Bulls held the Celtics back, but the Celtics rallied to bring the game within three, as the Bulls lead diminished to 91-88 going into the fourth quarter. The Bulls turned to Jordan to lead their way, as he scored 18 out of 25 of the Bulls fourth quarter points. After a Bull s free throw the Celtics were still up by two with 34 seconds remaining. It was the Celtic s ball and the Bulls needed a miracle to get back in the game. That miracle came in the form of a steal by Michael Jordan with 9 seconds remaining on the clock. The Bulls would get one last shot, which would be taken by none other than Michael Jordan. He pulled up behind the three-point line and looked at his target. With the seconds running down, and Kevin McHale in his face, he went for the win. As the buzzer sounded, a whistle rang out in the background; a foul was called on McHale. Jordan would have to go to the free throw line and hit both shots to send the game into overtime. The upset crowd of thousands hissed and booed in protest of the call, and in an attempt to distract Jordan, but Michael confidently made both free throws, sending the game into overtime. The game went back and forth in the first minutes of overtime, then Jordan s heroic 3-point play Gave the Bulls a 123-119 lead with a little over a minute to play. The Celtics wasted no time though, scoring the four points they needed to tie the game. After a timeout Jordan went for the game winning shot, only to fall short and send the game into a second overtime. Boston took the lead late in the second overtime, leading 131-127, but Jordan brought the Bulls back once again, as he tied the game with a minute left on the clock. In the end though, the one-man performance by Jordan wasn t enough to put the Celtics away, as the Celtics took over with a score of 135-131. Jordan carried his team on his back through four quarters and two overtimes, scoring 63 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. He also set the record for the most points ever scored in a playoff game, but said he would rather have the win than the record. “Maybe someday, 15 years down the road when I have kids, I’ll look back on it,” he said. “For now, I just wanted to win the game.” (Michael Jordan) This winning attitude has been with Jordan ever since he was a child. Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in North Carolina. The son of James and Deloris Jordan, he was his parents fourth child, and the youngest of their three boys. While growing up, Michael developed a strong relationship with his brother Larry whom was one year older than he was. Michael and Larry competed in all sports, especially basketball. Larry worked harder than Michael did in athletics, but Michael enjoyed competing with him. Then, in Michael s sophomore year in high school, he sprouted above his brother Larry, growing to over 5 11 as Larry remained at 5 8 . This would prove to be an important character builder for Michael, who; as a result of playing with his brother, developed his desire to compete and win in all types of competition. Even through the hard times during high school, Jordan kept this winning spirit. When he was cut from the Varsity team as a sophomore, he didn t give up. Instead, he got up early every morning to practice with the jayvee team and had a very successful season, averaging nearly 25 points per game. Michael carried on his great performances throughout his junior and senior years on the varsity team. By the time he was graduating, many colleges were knocking on his door, including the University of North Carolina, which he would eventually decide to attend. As a freshman at UNC Jordan quickly showed what he was made of, when he became the only freshman to start on the varsity squad. At first, Michael thought of himself as only a minor part of the team, but that soon changed in a game with ninth-ranked Tulsa where Jordan put on an amazing performance and helped his team to a 78-70 victory. Freshman Michael Jordan came out of his self-imposed shell and thrilled the Carmichael [auditorium] crowds with his awesome skills, wrote Al Featherson of the Durham Sun. Jordan Shot 11 of 15 from the floor for 22 points, and added four steals and a blocked shot. As Jordan became more and more confident with his game, he developed the leadership skills that he would later be known for in his NBA ca