It has been noted a few times over the past year that the Air Jordan XX3 will probably be the last numbered Air Jordan to release.
What will happen after that?
Is Jordan Brand just messing with us or will there be an Air Jordan 24?
We do see in listed release dates that there will be an upcoming Air Jordan in February 2009, which has historically been the release month for all new legacy numbered Air Jordan sneakers. While the above image maybe more of a sample, it is the first image of the Air Jordan 2009 so we will wait and see if it is the final production or just a sample.
Marcus Jordan wants a scholarship and to feel like a normal recruit...
Too bad college coaches have to call the parents first.
Marcus Jordan has a bit of Michael Jordan in him. But most sons take something from their fathers. Marcus took a love for a basketball from his pops. It just so happens his pops is considered the greatest to ever play the game. And now the high school senior wonders whether college coaches will see him, his father or something in-between.
"I think that is a concern for him," says mom, Juanita. "I think he feels he doesn't want to be treated any different because of his name. He wants to be treated like any recruit."
So the initials are the same, Marcus wears Nike and Jordan gear from head to toe—he says he'd probably be grounded if he sported anything Reebok—and he does possess a lot of his dad's swagger, but let the similarities end there. Marcus Jordan is Marcus Jordan and Michael Jordan will always be, well, MJ.
As Marcus is set to launch his senior season at Whitney Young, a Chicago public school only a mile away from the United Center, his goals are lofty: He hopes to win Illinois' Mr. Basketball, be selected for the McDonald's All-American game and receive scholarship offers from the nation's top programs. And those are his expectations not because he's Michael Jordan's son; those are his expectations because he believes he can achieve them.
"I don't want to be MJ junior," Marcus says. "I want to be Marcus Jordan. I never tried to go out and copy a move my dad did."
Still, Marcus is smart enough to realize he can learn plenty from his dad. He just isn't trying to take off from the free-throw line or dunk on Mutumbo. "I definitely watched tapes," he admits, "and I figured out how to get to the lane quicker, how to expose my man, stuff like that. I never tried to, you know, switch hands on layups or anything like that."
So how good is Marcus Jordan?
Over the last year, the answer has changed. As a junior, he was an above-average high school player. He was strong to the rim and knew how to finish. He seemed like a great fit for most mid-major programs, but probably not good enough to crack the top tier. This summer perceptions changed. He developed a consistent jumper, better handles and showed during a few key events he could compete with the elite recruits. Recruiting monitors began referring to him as a high-major prospect. With his confidence soaring and plenty of rave reviews, he and those around him thought it was only a matter of time before his phone began to blow up.
It never did.
Two possible reasons: He's a 6-foot-2 combo guard and his last name is Jordan.
"With Marcus, the biggest question is where he will play at the next level," says Rising Stars coach Brian Davis, who has coached Marcus in AAU since seventh grade. "Is he a true point guard or a two guard? The next problem is he's Michael Jordan's son. I hate to say that's a problem, but it seems like a lot of college coaches are intimidated because of that. But he's a regular kid looking to play college basketball and he can play. It's not like he can't play.
"I just think college coaches are missing the boat on not recruiting because of his name. To be honest with you, you think it would be the opposite. You have the greatest player who ever played in the league in my eyes, and this is his son. Michael was a winner in college, a winner at the next level. This kid's a winner. He's going to work his butt off."
But there are reasons college coaches can feel weird about that phone call. Recruiting a Jordan isn't the same as recruiting most players. It starts with contacting Davis or Whitney Young coach Tyrone Slaughter. From there, the coach is contacted by Juanita Jordan, Marcus' mother, or Michael. Finally, if it's worth pursing, Marcus will contact the coach.
"This is what makes Marcus a difficult recruit for everybody," says recruiting analyst Roy Schmidt of Illinois Prep Bulls-eye. "Every program out there is aware that the process is going through so many different filters than Marcus himself. It reminds me of a little bit when Mike Bibby was recruited to Arizona with it relating to a family name and dealing with a father who not only played in the NBA, but is extremely high profile and easily recognizable."
Illinois coach Bruce Weber has been through that process. He and his staff began talking with Jeff Jordan, the eldest son, late into his senior season. Jeff was leaning toward committing to Valparaiso when the Illini got involved.
Illinois gave Jeff what he was seeking—a high-major basketball program and great academics. For Weber, bringing Jeff in provided him another solid guard off the bench. Early on though, Weber had to prove to the Jordans he was sincere about recruiting Jeff.
"I think there's no doubt just talking to Jeff and his family it probably has hurt both of them because some people are afraid to get involved," Weber says. "Maybe some people are recruiting for notoriety. I was recruiting him because he's a quality person, he's a good student, he wanted to be at Illinois. I talked to him about making his own legacy, his own mark. No one in the history of basketball, maybe LeBron, maybe Kobe, but no one may reach what his dad did. We're interested in what Jeffery's about."
While both are lefties and exceedingly polite and generally humble kids— both call reporters "Mr."—the brothers are different. Jeff has a quiet confidence while Marcus is more vocal. Marcus is stronger. Jeff is a more natural point guard. Jeff was willing to walk-on at Illinois and work his way into playing time. Marcus has three priorities: a scholarship, a high-major program and immediate playing time.
"I'm a basketball player first," Marcus says. "I would love to get a scholarship. I think that's the biggest misconception about me that I'm going to go anywhere where I want to go. I'm a basketball player, too. I want to be recruited. I want to feel like a school wants me."
Part of what Juanita and Michael do is make sure coaches seek Marcus for his game and not his name. It's not an easy thing to interpret. "He wants to be treated as Marcus Jordan, not Michael Jordan's son," says Juanita. "He feels like he works hard and he earns it."
So where does he stand now? Miami (Fla.) was high on him, and Marcus was preparing to commit to the Hurricanes last month, but when they picked up another commitment from a guard, it took his recruitment back to square one. Right now, he lists a bunch of schools as possibilities. Slaughter, his high school coach, recently traveled to Memphis to see a practice and struck up a conversation with John Calipari about Marcus. The Tigers are now among those recruiting him.
Exposure won't be a problem for Marcus this season. Whitney Young will play in seven states, including California, Hawaii and New Jersey. In December, it goes up against Oak Hill Academy in Milwaukee.
At every site, Marcus expects to be asked for autographs. He's been signing programs and answering questions about his dad since Space Jam. Marcus will probably even hear some taunts from opposing student sections, but it's nothing new and nothing that will affect him.
"I don't really care what people think," Marcus says. "I'm just going to go out and do me and do what I know I can do. When I was younger, people told me, 'You're not going to do this. You're not going to be that. You'll never be MJ junior' and all that stuff. I just push all that to the side, and once I figured out how good I was, it was like, 'Well, you can't guard me, so you know …'"
Scottie Pippen is out to crush a couple of allegedly crooked businessmen who may have screwed the NBA legend out of a ton of cash -- and this time, he doesn't need Michael Jordan's help.
Pippen -- a major stockholder of Learn.com (LDC) -- is leading a team of pissed off shareholders in a lawsuit against the site's head honchos, after Scottie says the bigshots pulled a bunch of shady financial maneuvers and couldn't produce a paper trail.
The suit is pretty technical, but it basically boils down to this: Team Pippen claims the honchos, James Riley and J.W. Ray, abused their authority, reducing share-prices and handing out millions of dollars in loans without getting the proper consent from their investors.
In the lawsuit, filed this month in Florida Circuit Court, the former baller and his team of stockholders are demanding Riley and Ray fork over a ton of cash for hurting the company -- and their pocketbooks.
I love this old video of Mike on the Arsenio Hall show from 1990. It starts off with a quick cameo from Isiah Thomas, then gets into how Mike was trying to get Scottie to switch to Nike, then Mike starts comparing the Air Jordans to the Reebok Pump's, Adidas and Converse plus a bunch of other things people that Like Mike will really like.
Back in February, SI's Chris Ballard wrote a story about a post-Wizards era Michael Jordan that received a bit of attention.
As the story went, some mutual fund CEO named John Rogers Jr. had beaten Jordan in a game of one-on-one at the legend's high-end "Flight School" camp in Las Vegas.
According to Ballard, there were one-handed runners and flip-shots and even Damon Wayans.
It was quite the tale.
And now, thanks to The Wall Street Journal, we finally have video footage.
We are starting a new feature on the Like Mike Blog that allows YOU, yes you the reader to contribute!
We want you to be a part of the Like Mike Team and have your voice heard by all the Like Mike readers.
We call it Mike Check.
How do I participate in Mike Check you ask?
Very simple.
Just email your story to Mike@LikeMikeClothing.com.
We are looking for any stories that people that Like Mike would enjoy.
You can write about anything, be creative. Maybe you have an interesting personal story you would like to share. Maybe you met Mike one time, or have a fond memory of going to a Bulls Game back when Mike was playing, maybe you would like to show off your Air Jordan Sneaker collection or maybe just a picture of you rocking your favorite pair. Maybe you have a rare video clip you would like to share or a rare photo of Mike.
Anything that has to do with Mike we would love to see!
Send all submissions to Mike@LikeMikeClothing.com with the title "Mike Check", make sure you attach all photo's, links to stories, video codes, etc etc.
If your story is approved it will be featured on the blog and you will receive full credit for the story. In addition to having your story featured you will also receive special discounts on Like Mike Clothing, access to limited edition prints not available to the public and other cool shit!
Comparing the Defense Used Against Kobe in the 2008 Finals to the Defense Played Against Jordan in Big Games Throughout His Career
Definitely a very well put together video. I'm just not sure I agree with the disapraging Michael Jordan comments made by the creator. I just like the video because it highlights what type of defense Kobe was up against in this year's Finals. By the way, I HATE the fact that the NBA allows zones now. It's changed the game so much over this decade.
So is the video creators claim that the Celtics defense was better than anything Michael Jordan faced during his career correct?
To be fair, I wanted to to have you compare the video you just saw to some of the defense Michael Jordan saw during his biggest games in the NBA Playoffs:
Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals
Any unbiased person could see that Jordan was single covered that entire game and definitely did not receive the physical contact that Kobe received during the Celtics series.
Game 5 of the 1992 NBA Finals
Jordan had 46 points in this game. Take a look at it and tell me how many doubles, triples or hard fouls Jordan had to deal with.
So you might be thinking, the Blazers aren't that strong of a defensive team. Well, lets show you what some of the "tough" defensive teams handled Jordan in that era:
Game 4 1993 Eastern Conference Finals
Basically Jordan saw single coverage by a defender two inches shorter than him. Starks was a good defender, but there is no way you can compare his single coverage defense to what Kobe saw from the Celtics in the 2008 Finals.
Game 7 1992 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
This is arguably when the Knicks were at their most physical point. You be the judge of comparing the defense Kobe saw in the 2008 Finals versus what Jordan saw in 1992
No doubt this game was pretty physical, but it seems like the Knicks were single covering Jordan and then coming with another defender once Jordan entered the painted area. With as spectacular a player as Jordan was that kind of defense just wasn't enough. By the second half, the Knicks started to bring a few doubles on the catch, but for the most part Jordan was allowed to catch the ball, make a move, and not have to worry about extra coverage until he got to the painted area.
Double Nickel Game against the Knicks in 1995
Pay special attention to how Craig Sager says the Knicks planned to guard Jordan. Then watch the video and tell me what kind of defense he had to contend with back then.
Again looks like Jordan was single covered by a shorter defender the entire game. Starks was a great defender, but his one on one defense versus Jordan could not hold a candle to what the Celtics brought in the 2008 Finals. The rules are different now, so teams are allowed to be more aggressive with their schemes without being called for illegal defense.
I know that someone is going to say well what about the Pistons and the Jordan rules. Well, it seems like the Pistons' Jordan Rules also wouldn't be able to hold a candle to what the Celtics were able to do in the 2008 Finals. You be the judge:
42 Points Against the Pistons in Game 4 of the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals
Again, looks like Jordan was single covered by a man two inches shorter than him. Of course, Dumars was a great defender, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Jordan was taller and stronger than him, and that Dumars basically guarded Jordan one on one. It also looks like Jordan is allowed to catch and make his move without double coverage. With the the illegal defense rules of the times, guys like Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman couldn't build a wall around the paint the way top defensive teams all do today. Again, I'm not saying the Pistons didn't send any doubles, but you have to admit they were much less aggressive on defense than the top defensive teams of the present.
This is not to say that if given the opportunity to face this kind of defense that Jordan would not have torn it apart. I don't know this, and their is no way of knowing this. But I do know that when Kobe has faced single coverage or been allowed to catch the ball and make a move in the post or on the perimeter without seeing a double team, he's pretty much been unstoppable. Just watch any of the highlights from the 2008 Western Conference Playoffs for proof of this.
Now is this any excuse for the Lakers losing the series? No, not really. If anything it should have been reason for them to beat the Celtics.
Throughout the 2008 NBA Playoffs the Lakers relied on spacing, great ball movement and outside shooting to combat the aggressive defense against Kobe. If anything, the Lakers want teams to play Kobe that aggressively, so that they can get wide open shots for their shooters. Once the shooters knock down their open shots, teams end up being less aggressive with Kobe, allowing him the opportunity to take over games in the fourth quarter. This strategy worked throughout the season and should have worked in the NBA finals. The only problem is that the Lakers role players laid an egg in the Finals.
The one game where the Lakers got their usual ball movement and outside shooting from start to finish was game 3 of the series. In that game, Kobe saw the same Celtics defense at the beginning of the game that that he had seen throughout the series. The only difference was that Sasha Vujacic came to play and knocked down pretty much every open three he got in the game. Every time they sent two or three men at Kobe, the ball would be swung around and Vujacic or one of the Lakers role players would knock down their open shots. By the time the fourth quarter came around the Celtics could no longer risk leaving Vujacic to be aggressive with Kobe. That meant that Kobe would have the opportunity to go one-on-one with Ray Allen pretty that entire quarter. He made the most of that opportunity and finished the game with 36 points. And if he would have made his free-throws (he missed seven in that game) they would have beaten the Celtics by a higher margin.
Sadly, this was pretty much the only game that the Lakers were able to execute this game plan from start to finish. Kobe never really had an opportunity to go one-on-one in the fourth quarter because his teammates didn't hit their open shots. The Lakers were a combined 3 for 14 from three in their game 1 loss and 6 for 21 from three in their infamous Game 4 collapse. Derek Fisher shot 19% from three the entire series. Sasha Vujacic shot 39% from the floor for the series. But minus his spectacular game three, he shot 30% from the floor and 27% from three during the series. The Lakers relied on outside shooting from those two throughout the year. The shots they missed in that series were shots that they hit the entire year. If those go in, then we're looking at an entirely different series. But overall, I just think the Lakers lost because the Celtics were the better team.
Thank Nate Jones from JonesontheNBA.com for the story.
Basketball legend and avid motorcyclist Michael Jordan is the latest high-profile celebrity to team up with the National Guard.
Jordan and Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn, director of the Army National Guard, unveiled the 2009 No. 23 National Guard Michael Jordan Motor Sports Superbike to more than 2,100 cheering citizen-soldiers gathered for a training workshop here last month.
Music star Kid Rock, who also appeared at the recruiting event, joked about Jordan's celebrity stature. "Who decided to put me on after Michael Jordan?" he demanded to know, before explaining the celebrity pecking order. "It goes like this: Actors. Sports stars. Rock stars. Michael Jordan."
The professional closed-course motorcycle road racing team that Jordan has owned since 2004 competes in the American Motorcyclist Association's superbike class. Jordan joins a National Guard celebrity "A" list that also includes Kid Rock, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rock group 3 Doors Down.
"These people associate themselves with the 'best-in' categories, and that talks about what the National Guard is," said Army Col. Mike Jones, chief of the Army Guard's strength maintenance division, who has presided over a historic recruiting surge that motivated other services to adopt the Army Guard's recruiting methods when the component's numbers eclipsed its congressionally authorized end-strength.
When Michael Jordan's older brother, James, retired in 2006 as command sergeant major of the 18th Airborne Corps' 35th Signal Brigade - the only airborne signal brigade - he told the Associated Press, "The Army was my life. That's why I dedicated myself to it. I felt I could be very successful in it. It didn't require me to be [six feet tall]. It just required me to be physically fit."
James Jordan's career increases Michael Jordan's empathy with citizen-soldiers, the basketball legend said. "He's spoken very highly about the armed services," Michael Jordan said. "Some of the lessons he's learned, he's passed on not just to me, but to my brothers and sisters and everybody that has come into contact with him. I live vicariously through him."
Michael Jordan's been a motorcycle enthusiast since he rode his first dirt bike at about the age of 6. He committed to AMA racing after his third retirement as a professional athlete. "Once I saw it, I became a great fan," he said.
Aaron Yates joined Michael Jordan Motor Sports in 2007, and on Aug. 31 handed the basketball superstar his first AMA Superstock championship.
"Winning means a lot," Jordan said. "You put forth a lot of hard work and dedication. You start the season off with a lot of goals. You go through disappointments in the course of the season, and at the end of the year when you finally step up to that podium and win the championship, nothing's more gratifying."
Jordan looked out at the 2,100 citizen-soldiers who gave him a standing ovation here. "I've represented my country a couple of times," he told the soldiers. "And you guys have represented me."
Michael Jordan appeared on the basketball court Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Arena, but the Charlotte Bobcats were nowhere to be found.
Instead, the NBA legend and Wilmington native strode to the stage and was honored by the Charlotte Chamber with its 2008 Citizen of the Carolinas Award.
Last year's winner was Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and previous recipients include Billy Graham, Dean Smith and former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl.
“Any chance I get to come back to North Carolina, it's a great joy, because this is where it all started,” Jordan said, behind a lectern, sporting a coat and tie. Before a crowd of about 2,000, he spoke fondly of his upbringing, his parents and Smith, his coach at UNC Chapel Hill. With their support, he said, he'd aimed high in sports and academics.
Though Jordan primarily lives in Chicago, where he starred for most of his career, he said the Carolinas remain home, and he's enjoyed experiencing Charlotte in his role as Bobcats part-owner and managing partner of basketball operations.
“A lot of you guys think I'm not here because you don't see me,” he joked. “But I'm here. I don't go to the grocery store, or a lot of places you guys go. But if you go to most any golf course, you'll find me.” He later said he did plan to go to the grocery store, and urged people not to be afraid to say hello if they saw him there. After some good-natured ribbing of Bobcats owner Bob Johnson, who was also on hand, Jordan pledged to bring “entertainment, joy and winning ways” to the city's NBA franchise, saying he hated how Charlotte Hornets owner George Shinn had left the city earlier this decade.
“We're going to try and do it this time much better than the first,” he said. “I want to put something on the basketball court you can feel proud about.” The business group's annual meeting, held for the first time at the downtown arena, also drew Gov.-elect Bev Perdue. In her first public appearance since winning election Tuesday, she asked attendees for their help in reviving the state's economy. She also presented Allen Tate Realtors founder Allen Tate with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state's highest civilian honor.
Outgoing Chamber chairman Pat Riley, the president of Allen Tate Realtors, highlighted what he described as some of the Chamber's successes in the past year, including work on infrastructure improvements and bringing baseball to uptown.
But incoming chairman and Belk department stores CEO Tim Belk, who began his duties at Thursday's ceremony, noted that the region faces considerable challenges amid the economic downturn. Among them: The sale of Wachovia and controversy at the United Way. However, he said, Charlotte is resilient and offers an attractive labor force, cost of living and leadership. In the coming year, the Chamber plans to focus on economic development, diversity, transportation and education to help the city thrive, he said.
Thank Jen Aronoff at the Charlotte Observer for the story.
It's been 18 years since Michael Jordan uttered the infamous quote that was still being trotted out against him right up until this week's presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain. The 1990 remark consisted of just four little words -
"Republicans buy shoes, too," Jordan said - but it left the Chicago Bulls star propped up then and now as the notorious poster boy for the millionaire modern athlete who stands for nothing.
So what a surprise it was Monday on the eve of Election Day to be scrolling through an online list of federal campaign contributions and finding three entries in the past four years beside the name: "Jordan, Michael, Mr." The columns beside Jordan's name show he's given a total of $14,400 to Obama's 2008 presidential and 2004 U.S. Senate campaigns.
Michael Jordan?
Shouldn't this have been some sort of headline by now? Jordan finally took a stand? Jordan isn't just a moneymaking machine, after all? Of all the stories about athletes and sports executives who have gotten personally involved in the presidential race, the discovery of a famous last holdout like Jordan getting personally involved feels like underreported news. Not because anyone should necessarily depend on athletes' examples to tell them how to vote. But because there's no denying that sports stars like Jordan have influence. And the sight of someone as notoriously reticent as Jordan suddenly participating in the political process, even in an entry-level way, can make other people pay attention or start exercising their citizenship, too.
Without going overboard, there's also this: Don't we kind of, maybe owe Jordan at least a tiny apology for the thumping he's taken for supposedly not having any social conscience? Wouldn't it now seem he's made at least some small personal migration since 1990? Who cares if it was even just peer pressure? In the weeks leading up to this weeks vote, Jordan's old pal Charles Barkley had talked publicly about switching allegiances from the Republican ticket to supporting Obama, and another old friend, Patrick Ewing, the retired Knicks great and current Orlando Magic assistant, teamed with Alonzo Mourning to appear at get-out-the-vote rallies for Obama in Florida in recent weeks.
Cleveland star LeBron James, who aspires to Jordanesque riches and fame, went farther than Jordan ever has by appearing at a rally for Obama in Cleveland two weeks ago with the rap star Jay-Z.
Current Knicks Stephon Marbury and Chris Duhon gave money to the Obama campaign, too, and Troy Aikman, Curt Schilling, Jack Nicklaus and Jets place-kicker Jay Feely were among the many athletes who came out in support of McCain.
(The Yankees' Alex Rodriguez and Mets' Carlos Beltran, both Bush contributors in 2004, don't show up on the lists for either presidential campaign this year.)
Dozens and dozens of other athletes and sports executives got personally involved in the presidential race, too. For the Jets' Feely, a Republican who harbors ambitions of perhaps running for office someday, it's been heartening to see the stereotype that modern athletes have abandoned activism challenged this vigorously.
"I think there's definitely been more involvement in this year's election, more so than any other year, and it's led to an interesting dynamic in the locker room," Feely said in a phone interview yesterday. "The majority of NFL players are African-American, and what you have is a strong desire among many to vote for Barack Obama because they see it as a culmination of the civil rights movement 50 years ago, and the struggle against slavery that goes all the way back to the start of our country. But they're also conflicted because they know Obama is going to raise taxes on the [income] group they're in. So it's made for some interesting discussions on how to vote."
When Jordan made his "Republicans buy shoes, too" comment in 1990, he was trying to explain why he sat out the racially charged and razor-close race for the U.S. Senate in his home state of North Carolina between Democrat Harvey Gantt, the African- American mayor of Charlotte, and the archconservative incumbent, Jesse Helms, a Republican.
But six years later, Jordan quietly gave two donations totaling $2,000 to Gantt for his 1996 Senate race, which Gantt also lost. He financially contributed to presidential hopeful Bill Bradley once, as well as Obama's senate and presidential campaigns.
Again, you'd just never know it. A Nexis computer search yesterday for a firsthand explanation from Jordan turns up nothing. A request for comment from Jordan through his personal public relations representative and the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA team Jordan is currently involved with, produced only an e-mail reply from a Bobcats spokesman saying Jordan was not available for comment.
The only detail that turns up about Jordan's support for Obama at all is an August quote from Bobcats majority owner Bob Johnson, a big Obama contributor and fundraiser, who said of Jordan: "He's not as involved as I am. I'll call anybody and everybody [for support]."
For Jordan, it's a start.
Thank Johnette Howard of Newsday.com for the story.
Gatorade & Michael Jordan are teaming up again, but this time it’s not for a commercial…
They are teaming up for a special release in Feb 2009 of a “Gatorade” Version of the Air Jordan VI. This is leading alot of people to wonder if it could be in fact the retro return of one of the most popular Jordans ever the VI “Infrared”.
I personally hope that it is because the history between Mike and the Gatorade Brand is the inspiration for my whole Like Mike concept, and the Infrared VI's were my first pair of Air Jordan's I ever had, and they are still my favorite pair of Air Jordans hands down.
We’ll keep you updated on any more info we get on this release…
***Bonus flick***
Peep this Custom Gatorade Version Bike for Jordan's Suzuki Team
After a terrible 0-8 pre-season start, the Charlotte Bobcats actually looked like a team Saturday night.
Yes, their opponent was only the Miami Heat. But it was also the home opener, and all the seats were sold, and Managing Member of Basketball Operations Michael Jordan was sitting about 5 feet from the bench, and for a change, everything looked good.
We're so used to bad news about the Bobcats that it's a little startling when they do something like this 100-87 win over Miami. Give the Bobcats their due for this one – they performed like a home team should against a Heat squad that was an NBA-worst 15-67 a season ago.
Gerald Wallace had one of those wonderful games he can have, with 34 points. Jason Richardson (23 points) was almost as good. Emeka Okafor was as solid as a telephone pole ( Heavy Pause ), Raymond Felton shot just four times but handed out eight assists, and everyone else filled in as necessary.
And there was Jordan, taking it all in at courtside in a tan jacket and blue jeans. He told me he actually purchased those seats right next to the Bobcats bench. Jordan also owns a suite in the arena and plans to alternate sitting up high and down low when he's here. One reason Jordan often says he doesn't like to be courtside is because he doesn't want the whole world to see his vigorous reactions to questionable calls by officials. But he was extremely visible Saturday, literally closer to the Bobcats on a game night than he has ever been before.
Does it really matter where Jordan sits?
Psychologically, I think it does. I think the Bobcats can't help but play a little harder when the best player in NBA history – the man who can trade them if he has a mind to – is sitting 5 feet away. Jordan sat most of the game beside Sean May, who is so deep in Larry Brown's doghouse right now that he was deactivated for this game without even being hurt. Brown didn't want to use May among his top 12 players.
That's a pretty serious message to get in shape – or else.
The Bobcats didn't miss May. They shared the ball, played good defense and slowed Miami star Dwyane Wade considerably (19 points on 5-for-15 shooting).
You could tell new coach Larry Brown was relieved. He noted the Bobcats had been “oh-for-October” – they had gone 0-8 in the preseason, then 0-1 in the regular season before tonight.
Brown, a hall of famer, doesn't have to prove to himself that his system works; his players needed some positive reinforcement.
The Bobcats still will be physically overpowered by some of the NBA's better teams. Wallace isn't going to score 34 every night; nor will the Bobcats shoot 53.6 percent as a team as they did Saturday. But this was a good sign for a franchise that has flashed mostly bad ones recently, including the way they laid off at least 35 people shortly before the start of training camp.
Jordan was in the house, as was team owner Bob Johnson, as were a whole bunch of real fans.
They all saw something no one anywhere has seen in more than six months – an actual Bobcat win.
Thank Scott Fowler at the Charlotte Observer for the story, and thank the lord for beautiful women like this...
