Jordan would dominate any era under any rules and destroy anyone concidered the "greatest" of that era..

Michael was Incredible I mean he's not even human I miss that Era so much

Gerald Wilkins and Nick Anderson were both outstanding defenders and they were still trying to double team Mike with Grant, who was also a very good defender but MJ just didn't care. He was just taking tough shots, making it look easy, smiling and torturing them...

MJ plays so beautifully. So efficient. Hardly breaks a sweat. So skillful with and without the ball.

He's doin this shit wit Jumpshots. I don't think people understand just how amazing that is to make your living on that perimeter like that. Yet still be so efficient and continue to be a phenomenal defensive player. Just simply the best to ever do it"

MJ game is so sweet to watch! No wasted movements

MJ is the only one who can live up to the hype of the expectation from everyone, and he delivers ALL THE TIME.

No doubt. Penny as a Magic in those three years was better than Kobe in his 1st three years in the league.

That fadeaway was smooth, hard work and effort. Jordan had the whole package and played defense. He was a master at posting up, find the open man on double teams, single coverage he’d torched opponents.

That crossover and pass at 53 seconds (through 4 Magic players) is ridiculous. He find the half inch of space that's open fo his hand to make the pass lol. That split of the pick and roll and sideways fading jumper at 3:00 is incredible, too. Thanks for the upload.

There is no one like MJ, and will never never be..

GOAT MJ. None come close.

I for one can't understand why peeps can't just enjoy both and forget the arguing, but peeps love a good argument. I enjoy both MJ AND Kobe for their competitve drives and genuine love for the game.

60% from the field against top defenders. Smgdh. This nigga was god on the court.

that move at 2:22 was so fast that its almost unbelievable....

I am glad MJ destroyed Horace after he betrayed the Bulls.... Horace might now be thinking "what did I did?"

This was one of Jordan's Yoda-like performances. He was toying with the Magic defenders and enjoying every second of it.

I miss these games

MJ is the master, and Jason Caffey with some monster finishes.

i have found that defending Jordan against these young idiots who want to compare Kobe or Lebron has become useless. They only support the players they have seen. Unless you are old enough to see ALL of Jordan you cant appreciate how much better he is than these guys. The #s are just an emphatic statement that crushes these young idiots. People either have to have seen or gone out their way to try to watch and learn of previous greats and not just modern day

Very easy to say that when they've had longer careers than him. And it's funny how Orlando actually doesn't get swept with Shaq not on the team, Orlando was used to giving up when they went down 0-2 and Penny by himself didn't let it happen again.

I think the only reason to play Longley is because he is young and he is a GREAT passer as a center. Triangle offense needs a good passing center and he filled that role pretty good.

he he was. the 30 games after he came back from baseball and hadn't touched a basketball in a year and a half

GOAT

I agree completely, he has the best jumpshot form ever, many have tried to emulate it, KB's case is blatant, but if you're gonna emulate the guy's game i guess trying to shoot like him is no surprise. It's my opinion that '97 was the season where Mike reached the perfect form, never looked better.

Mj underrated post defender... For some reason.. players cant move him out of his defense stance

Love the MASSIVE STUFF he did to Penny at the end, and the near tight rope dance down the side line. GOAT.... NUFF Said!!!

you know when michael jordan makes a shot. the way he runs back and starts smiling just makes me SSHHHHHIIIIIIIIVVVVVERRRRRR take a look at 06:24 to 06:32

Yeah - instead you've got a bunch of overpaid egotistical bums who play under girls rules just so they can fill up the score sheet - aka today's NBA. Half of them wouldn't even know what playing in the post is due to the fact a huge portion of them lack any fundamentals what so ever. All they care about is dunking and flashy and 1 dribbles. Most of today's players would get crushed if they played in the 80's/90s.

The highest level or athleticism combined with the highest level of skill with the highest level of awareness allows MJ to dominate with those fades alone. He could average 32ppg on that shot alone. It's just incredible how he knows exactly where all 5 defenders are in order to get that shot off exactly at the right time over and over again. The only player other than perhaps Bernard King who used that shot as a go-to shot - except Bernard was more of a turn than a faaade.

i'll take that.. but there's also one thing most people don't mention. jordan was an easy guy to coach and was a great teemmate as well. kobe bryant not so much on either of those cases.

Mike did go thru zones defences...Pistions was very good at it...but diff is Kobe when Kobe went thru Zone Defences he didnt get body slammed or elbow to face. Mike is the GOAT simply hes a different kinda beast...even Kobe said quote 'Jordans game was flawless and i wanted my game to be flawless to'

I'm surprised by how many people act like Jordan invented the fadeaway. All big guards tend to have some of the same skills. If you guys ever get a chance, check out Jerry West footage, George Gervin, or Dr J.

4:53 fundamentals and practice...how many times have we seen him hit that same exact shot... On Shaw Marion (In the All-Star game at 100 years old) being one of the most famous times.

Gotta love those shoes

Yeah, I agree. When people compare him to Jordan it's silly. Much more like Magic, with Scottie Pippen too. Still, I'd take Magic any day over LBJ. People forget how great he was. He had a drive that LBJ has only shown flashes of...as for Kobe, I don't know if he'd even crack my top 10.

Seasons shooting at least 40% in 3's: MJ 2 -- KB 0 39% in 3's: MJ 2 -- KB 0 37% in 3's: MJ 4 -- KB 2 35% in 3's: MJ 5 = KB 5 MJ's BEST 3pt shooting season is .427%, and at his playoff peak (during the 1st 3-peat), he was shooting 38-39% in each run. Kobe at his peak in these last 3 playoff seasons has shot 30%, 35% & 37% in each run. U should be tired of getting utterly owned..

@DanielWFilms "Our rules are [focused] on keeping the middle [open] to offer [more opportunities] for players to [cut & penetrate] to the basket. When we [disallowed] the use of the [hand] and [forearm] to the [body], the [defensive 3-second rule] in [conjunction] with the [hand check] interpretation, [gave] offensive players on the [perimeter], [more] offensive [freedom]." -- Stu Jackson; NBA Exec. VP of Operations; "Season Review with Stu Jackson", May 5, 2007 I guess he's "naive" too huh?

Dr J isn't a guard technically. i agree with you that jordan isn't the one who invented it though. but to me, jordan's fade away is the best fade away i have ever seen from any player, followed by hakeem's.

I love the Lakers and Kobe to death. But Jordan is on another level. What separates them is that Jordan took smarter shots. He got to his spots no matter what and take his shot which is why shot such a high percentage. Also even as he aged he wasnt afraid to take it in the post and bang with other opponents. Kobe on the other hand will force shots up if he cant get to his spot. and at time he will go away from his bread and butter which is in the mid post.

whats funny in this video is that MJ made shots as he always does and no commentator was out of their seat cuz they were used to MJ making crazy tough shots. I saw a clippers lakers game recently, which lakers lost ofcourse, where Kobe made some nice tough fadaways and the commentator was going crazy and excited talking about how impressive it was to see Kobe make a tough J - those moves are like a cup of Bud Lite to Kobe but to MJ they were like a cup of water.

yeah and he's 34 here...recognize

You can also make an argument that there are more complex defenses nowadays, but remember back then there was hand checking and you wer allowed to be more physical defensively.

I remember this game. It came on a Sunday evening. I sometimes wonder why was it when Mike was hot like this, did it seem like the ENTIRE other team go cold?

@DanielWFilms "It’s [definitely] a [perimeter player’s] league [now]. That’s [not good] for me, but the league wanted [more scoring]." -- Tim Duncan: "Since hand-check rule change, NBA has become a perimeter player’s league"; by Mike Baldwin, staff writer for the Oklahoman, Mar 10, 2010 Damn..Timmy too? I guess it's naive for me to think that defenses are WORSE today, due to the FACT that the Top perimeter scorers had a 23% INCREASE in scoring and a 4% INCREASE in FG% AFTER the rules changed..

Jordan didn't make use the the three early in his career. Once he started shooting threes in the late 80s onward, his career % was around 37%. He was a much purer shooter than Kobe. Late in his career MJ didn't shoot as well from downtown because of a broken shooting finger in his final season with the bulls, and a bum knee his entire time with the wizards. A healthy, at his prime MJ was a better 3 point shooter than Kobe. Still even then when challenged he was dangerous from beyond the arc.

5:50 is the famous block by Jordan on Hardaway.

WastedEuphoriA "You thinking that the defense is worse today is simply naive" I know this is 3 yrs after the fact, but oh really? Am I now?" "Our [current rules] are [focused] on [keeping] the middle of the floor [open] to offer [more opportunities] for players to [cut] and [penetrate] to the basket. When we [disallowed] the use of the [hand] and [forearm] to the [body], the [defensive 3-second rule] in [conjunction] with the [hand check] interpretation, [gave] offensive players on the [perimeter] [more] offensive [freedom]." -- Stu Jackson; NBA Exec. VP of Operations; "Season Review with Stu Jackson", May 5, 2007 # of teams scoring 100+ pts * 1999-04 (old rules) = 21 * 2005-13 (new rules) = 52 That's a MORE THAN DOUBLED total and the game pace remained virtually the same! FACT #1: the league's overall eFG% (which BETTER measures efficiency than reg FG%), has CONSISTENTLY been at an All Time HIGH ever since the rules changed in '05 FACT #2: in 2002-03 there were 5 Bigs in the Top 10 in scoring. But from 2005-06 (2 yrs after the new rules), there was only 1 FACT #3: in '04 (1 yr B4 the new rules), only 3 perimeter guys avg'd at least 24ppg. But in 2005-06, 11 of the Top 20 scorers were ALL perimeter guys, who ALL posted CAREER HIGHS in ppg, and saw HUGE INCREASES in scoring (23%) and FG% (4%). nba.com/media/stu_ppg_big.jpg

that pretty much went for the rest of the league as well, no shot at winning against Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman.

@DanielWFilms "You thinking that the defense is worse today is simply naive" Only 64 teams in the history of the game allowed FEWER than 101 pts per 100 possessions. 1993-04 had 48 teams do it, meaning 7 of those seasons are from the 90s ALONE. # of teams scoring 100+ pts from 1999-04 = 21 # of teams scoring 100+ pts from 2005-10 (new rules) = 46 That's a MORE THAN DOUBLED total, and the game pace remained virtually the same.

Yeah, I should scale down my enthusiasm for Kobe. LBJ is easily a better player. I'll tell you though, growing up in the mid-late 80s/90s was a great time for hoops...not now so much...

"The game has [changed big-time]. When I came in you could [hand check] and hold a little bit. You could [definitely] be [more physical] with the [ball-handler]. Now if you [just touch them] it’s [a foul]. It [definitely] gives [quicker] guys an [advantage].” -- Jason Kidd: "Since hand-check rule change, NBA has become a perimeter player’s league"; by Mike Baldwin, staff writer for the Oklahoman, Mar 10, 2010 How about him? Is he naive too?

after shaq left the magic the whole Bulls/Magic rivalry died. It Died right when the Bulls swept Orlando in the 1996 playoffs

@Metalstryke Like I said, MJ was basically a 32% 3pt shooter for his career, whereas kobe's basically a 34% shooter from there..a mere 2% edge...not that big a difference. Secondly, the 3pt line was ONLY shortened from 1995-97 and then returned to it's ORIGINAL length during the '98 season where it's remained, so WTF are U talkin' about?!! In the playoffs they're about even in 3pt shooting, but In the Finals MJ holds the edge (MJ 37% > KB 28%).

damn I miss Jordan

wow!! this is the game i been wanting to see...thanks bro!! do you have the whole game??

Hey it's the JordanStopper getting schooled one more time.

If you look at MJ style and the way his game was, he probably was 30 YRS ahead of his!!

Their fadeaway are different. if you watch very closely.

Of course you'd like it, that's where your idol took his form from. And how did you like those double and triple teams PAH?

@nibblebunny "You can also [make an argument] that there are [more complex] defenses [nowadays]" How, when U have the VP of NBA Basketball Operations saying this: "Our rules are [designed] to [allow] players to [penetrate] for [high percentage] shots. This has [allowed] for more high quality [perimeter] shots as well, because of how much [easier] it is to penetrate [today]." -- Stu Jackson, VP of NBA Basketball Operations; "Stu Jackson Presents", NBA . com May 3, 2007 Defense today = WWE

You know what experts said during the 90's about the NBA... Bring back the 80s. The 90s outside of Jordan had no flash. It was like a boxing match and low scoring lacking superstars. You had Jordan, Pippen, Olajuwan, Barkley, Malone, and Stockton. Penny, Grant Hill and Shaq came later, but Penny, and Hill got hurt and was never the same. today's NBA has more Star players and more offense. No grabbing and just thrwing it down to the post while everyone stand around the perimeter.

When I first saw the Movie Space Jam, when those little aliens turned into the Monstars, I did'nt think one damn bit they could stop MJ, I though man MJ is gonna whip their ass still, like them gettin all big n shit was gonna slow down MJ, but seriously though, MJ can beat any one on Earth or Mars or Pluto or anywhere in the fuckin galaxy, Jordan is and always will be the GOAT.

Even at this time Jordan still would've destroyed that team like he did at the 1996 WCF when the Magic had Shaq. The Bulls swept them 4-0.

haha gerald wilkins "the jordan stopper"

Talent-wise, the 1997 Bulls was the best Bulls team.

i meant JORDAN lol

You bring up a good point, but did you consider that Kobe's 3 pt. shooting % is almost identical to MJ's, while shooting double the amount (300-400 a year where MJ only shot 100-200). That pretty much explains the 5% you are mentioning even if you take off the Wizard years. But I like your point. That's the smartest opinion I've read.

I always laugh when people say that Kobe's jumper is like MJ's. No way in hell. Kobe's release is so damn slow compared to Mike's, which is part of the reason why he can't emulate MJ's midrange game.

totally agree. Lets see if kobe still can play the game at 40 scoring 30, 40 and 50 points like mj did. Like u say, kobe is the best now!, But MJ is the best of all time and anybody disagree doesn´t know shit about basketball

I think Kobe has surpassed MJ on the midrange game. Mj had spots he would go to, but Kobe shoots from everywhere. I'm not saying Kobe is better overall, just the midrange game.

Come on man, Jordan would shoot like max two threes a game. You can't compare on percentage. In 95-96 season Shaq hit 50% from 3, doesn't make him one of the best three point shooters that season.

@nibblebunny Michael Jordan abused the hand check, that's a weak argument because the hand check (against a smart player) is going to fuck you over hard. Jordan had the best first step in the game because he could swipe the hand check down or even lock the hand check to his body and blow past defenders while they were left off balance for that split second. The hand check argument is a bad one. Physical defense also doesn't help when every shot MJ took was open by 4 or 5 feet. He is the best tho

@palpatine55 I agree....

Yeah, i think people forget that. They just assume Kobe is a far better 3pt shooter than 'MJ' was, but that's not neccessarly the case. Kobe shoots the 3pt shot a lot more than 'MJ' did. Don't get me wrong, obviously Kobe's a killer beyond the 3pt arc, no doubt about that, but 'MJ' was'nt too damn shabby beyond the 3pt arc himself.

Ok I'm not trying to change your preference of player (your name is daGOATmj23 I know who you like, lol). I think Jordans midrange game was pullup J from the elbow and the fadeaway on the baseline. Kobe seems like his midrange jumper can come up at any time. But this is the telling factor between Jordan and Kobe: you ever watch the expression on the faces of the people that Jordan scored on? They look completely demoralized. I think that tells it all. MJ the best, Kobe a better midrange.

yeah but avg pts is no way to decide. you can see Penny was better. Penny wasn't going out every game to score 30, he could if he wanted to. Jordan was not the same those 17 reg season games and those playoffs. i think it was like 25 games or something. its fine. 25 games of his life he wasn't the same. the next year he comes and dominates, clearly back, redefined and 72 wins

Why do pple always gotta bring kobe name up when talking abt jordan? Two different players from two different eras.. Yea they played against one another but kobe was still young competing with Eddie Jones for the SG position.. two great players different though..

4:31 same move made in MJs supposedly game winning shot in da ASG in 2003 or 02?..

I respect ur opinion but MJ being a better midrange shooter is a fact

MJ shot the basketball from anywhere on the court so idk what ur trying to prove but no one can surpass MJ's midrange game which was the final piece to his game

i think lbj is just better in other aspects... passing, rebounding, getting teammates involved etc. i don't consider him necessarily "better" than kobe or mj. he's a great player and certainly a difficult guy to defend. he's more of a magic johnson type of player to me, with much more athleticism.

@blackadam06 nonono your right on that. i guess i shouldve worded my statement better. usually thats what people usually argue is that defenses nowadays are more complex which is why they think that great players back in the day would struggle in todays nba. which i disagree. i thiink that great players back in the day like jordan, magic, bird, etc et. would dissect the shit out of it. but anyway good find on that quote tho.

Penny brought the best out of Jordan he even wore a pair of Penny hardaways in the game Jordan only wore his shoes so we know who the real Hype was Penny and Lil Penny

Nice, they give the "greatest player of all time" 2 wide open jumpshots. ROFL!

Sure its nothing like the original but release or elevation aside, you can see he copied MJ's form, the way he positions his hands to shoot it, the leg kick.

@7:52 he lands very awkwardly on his left foot. Could have been dangerous.

The Magic were basically done after they got swept by the Bulls and Shaq left to LA...

Is not worth the hassle, I've turned blue in the face in trying to have intelligent conversations with people.

Did kobe ever dunk from the free throw line?

penny was magic and jordad combined...the evolution..taking something and making it better....not like lebron, kobe and wade who pretty much just want to do the same shit..MOVE ON ITS BEEN DONE!!

What? 27 year old Kobe was more athletic than 34 year old Jordan, yes. But 27 year old Jordan and 27 Kobe? There's no comparison as far as athleticism. Kobe could never dream of dunking from the foul line. Jordan had a far superior vertical and more raw athleticism in his prime (age 23-27) than Kobe ever did. Jordan's 34 in this vid, and his playing style was completely different than it was when he was 24. He just sorta lounged and calmly sank jumpers at this stage of his career.

@blackadam06 haha so you're going to quote a man involved in the creation of those rules... instead of analysts who have no bias? Haha good on you man, good on you. Not to say that I don't think Jordan is better than Kobe, but you are SADLY mistaken if you think defenses are weaker today. I've seen games of MJ where the defense is pathetically bad, and I've never seen a team play as horrid defense as I saw in that game. Plus, athleticism nowadays is much higher. Modern training allows athletes

You have to realize also is Kobe had to deal with Zone defenses geared towards him unlike Jordan.

Kobe not crack your top 10. WHAT???

Did you say no point tho.. mj was definitely more athletic when he was 30 something but did you say ay no point in kobe career? Uhh yeah ok

Let's see Jordan, or.. LeBron, Kobe or whatever overhyped player of today score 41 and 42 points back to back playing with injured knees like Penny did in the playoff series against the Heat that year

Kobes weak.Nah he ok.A prime penny hardaway was even better.This comparison to mj is insane.Kobe still shoots airballs hear and there as we speak.And he believes that him being 33 or 34,he and this years olympic team would beat a 29 year old jordan and the dream team lol.Say no to drugs!

Penny in the white Foams

@MrIamabitch Oh hell nah Penny wasnt better than Kobe,Kobe is a monster.