In a race for GOAT more contested than ever, fans of Michael Jordan will be able to rely on a new figure which greatly pleads the cause of His Airness.
The record of 6 victories in 6 NBA Finals contested? Seen and seen again. The ultra-complete record, both offensively and offensively? Nothing new under the sun. The arguments of Michael Jordan for GOAT status are numerous, and make it one of, if not the main contender to receive it at present.
But while the breath of LeBron James More and more insistence on MJ’s neck, his supporters in this debate will certainly not spit on a new stat that illustrates the greatness of their colt. That’s good, since one internet user delivered two impressive figures on the impact of His Airness in the last two Bulls titles.
The 2 Lowest Scoring Supporting Casts on Championship Teams
Jordan’s 1998 Bulls: 54.5 PPG
Jordan’s 1997 Bulls: 55.5 PPGNo excuses. Still got the job done … pic.twitter.com/WejjnKOgxA
— MJs GOAT (@MjsGoat) November 26, 2020
The two least productive supporting-casts in terms of scoring in a champion team (in the Finals, Editor’s note)
Jordan Bulls 1996-97: 54.5 points per game
Jordan Bulls 1997-98: 55.5 points per gameNo excuses. He still did the job …
Despite aging and unproductive teammates in scoring, the Chicago legend has indeed managed to lead the franchise twice to the supreme coronation thanks to his explosive performances. But if these two statistics give pride of place to Jordan’s talent as a leader and offensive machine, they must also be qualified.
The late ’90s did not see NBA franchises prioritizing offense. The Bulls of ’97 and ’98 thus represent the 3rd and 4th least prolific champion teams in the history of the playoffs, with respectively 92.5 and 93.1 points per game on their run. The fact remains that the attack rested above all on Mike, who performed wonderfully with around 40% of the points scored by Chi-Town in the Finals.
No scoring help, no problems for Michael Jordan, who was responsible for punishing the opposing teams on his own in 1997 and 1998. The Jazz know something about it.
