Michael Jordan wouldn’t fly so high in today’s NBA | FYF Sports Debates | FYF Sports Debates

I think it's the whole, the whole concept of this, this type of basketball, right? So everyone always, I hate, I hate, I'm starting to hate everyone in the nineties that played basketball, that whole group, cause they, they, they just think they shit don't stink. Like you know, you got, you know, Scotty Pippen and Dennis Rodman, both six, seven, both way to 10 talking about, they're going to stop somebody in today's game. Like six, seven, two, 10. Like you are a little guard in today's game. You guys are little guys, but that's the, every 10 years, the game changes. They have no idea about evolution. It's like, they don't take evolution. I always have these debates with my friends. I was like, bro, can you imagine dropping LeBron in the 75, like just drop LeBron now that you know, in 75, I was like, bro, he win 15 championships in a row. It's like dropping Superman in Metropolis. Yeah, that's what I said. And they sit there and say. If you take the worst player that you can think of and you're hitting the NBA and put him on 68. They just, they, it's like, they forget evolution. So they're like, well, this year, this game's soft, they flop too much. I think it's more skill. I said, no, that's the skill. I said, you have to understand rules, right? So if a player can get you in foul trouble because you're always out of place, that's a skill. And I said, it's not a flop, it's a skill. If I know I'm going to drive here and I know your speed is going to try to beat me there and I stop, you hit me and I shoot, that is my skill. That's what I'm skilled at. And I don't think anybody really appreciates the skill. They call it, oh, he's flopping too much. Oh, this is ball. Like, no, that's not the skill. You know, people, their reaction is they don't know how you do that because they can't think like you think. They didn't have to. Because it wasn't, it wasn't little. They didn't have to. I mean, first, in the 90s, they were averaging like 80, 90 points a game. Like we're doing 135s and 140s now, you know, in debts because of the skill level. So they didn't, they didn't have to figure out how to get to the free throw line. It was like whatever, whenever we score, I think it was more of a stops game in the 90s anyway. It was a big man game. Everyone wanted to play. Everyone, you know, you had post up guards. You got to remember guards back then weren't scores, you know, except for Jordan, I mean, but like point guards. Right. So, you know, you're talking about Gary Payton. You know, he was still considered a point guard back then. Soon as AI comes in, it's like, uh, well, you know, it's thrown to the two. We don't, we don't know what that is. We don't know what that is yet. Right. You know, you're talking about, you know, Mulberry averaging, you know, 22 and nine. He was considered a ball hog, like nine assists. He was a ball hog. The Stevie Francis, like, like that's what I said. So when I came in, I was a combo guard. I wasn't either, you know, it's just get out there and we're going to see what he can do. And then from there it just starts opening up. So it's like everybody became skillful. It wasn't just the shooting guard in the center. You know, so it's like, you know, back then your, your, your power forward was anywhere from six, four to six, eight, you know? So these guys talking about, oh, I'm going to stop you like that. Nobody even plays that. Actually. I was basketball. What can you talk about? What was the expression back then? Defense wins championships. No, no. Fuck it. Defense wins. Skill wins championships. Defense wins championships. Like you were stopping motherfuckers who can't like Anthony Mason. What is he going to do? Like really? What is he good? Like he's six, six. Like club. You ******* Westbrook right now. Like, come on. Like that says that, that, that got, what's so funny is that position got removed because of Shaq. All these centers in college coming in centers in high school, KGs, Van Horns, and I'm not ******* with him. I'm going to go to the four man, go against the guy who's six, four. And then the four man became this long guy and it took away the center. So I said, every position became skillful. So like when the 90s talking about, oh yeah, y'all soft, you know, we would have, we would have put y'all on your ass. Yeah. You, you're a little, you're a little kid, like you're, we gain weight when we get older. These motherfuckers 60, 70 years old, 185 pounds still like, come on, shut up. You're not even on a diet. Like you're little, you're a little guy. Like I remember like, like even like, like, like GP, like GP. Like he was a defensive stopper. Like he was literally a defensive stopper. Like he, my second year, I'm posting him up. You're a little, you're 185. This is 185. Get the **** out of here. Like, like I was afraid of you my rookie year. I don't know why. Like you're, you're a little like John Stockton. You guys are little, but you guys like, like you guys were deep, these are defensive guys. Like they became like, it became a joke. Like it's like, like put the two guard on me, man. These little, these point guards are just too little. And that's what people don't understand. Like evolution, evolution, like, like, no, like these guys are just too little. Like you're not going to hurt us. But you know what? We're going to do the same shit in 20 years. 20 years. You're right, you're right. That's what happens. Fuck that. That's what happens. We're going to lock that nigga up. We're going to do the same. They play it my day. Somebody asked me like, yo man, like you, how would you do in this era? I said, to be honest, to be honest, these motherfuckers are shaking and baking now. Like before when I played, we was just trying to score. These niggas trying to embarrass you now. Like these motherfuckers, Kyrie's out here trying to shake your boots off. No, thank you. I was not trying to play defense in my era. Let alone try to come in this era and try to play some defense. Like imagine trying to guard James Harden. Every play. Oh, I'll be mad. Like damn past the ball. Like seriously, I would like I would have hated to guard James Harden. And if I guys and you're like Iverson. I had to go. Yeah, who you had to guard. But guys are today. There's no Chris Paul, but it was just a kid. Yeah, there's like Kobe. I know you didn't have to go, but there were guys that were tough covers back then. But those are like those are like those are team offensive covers. But those are also all-time hard to guard players. But there's team offensive. Like AI was running around. But it's different because every once in a while Kobe had to come down and throw that bitch a shack. And chill for a second. James don't have to throw it to nobody. That's what I'm saying. Like every like think about it. Like think of every play. He gonna come down and he is literally doing a bop move on you. Like you're a record part and that's your enemy and he's coming down like like well, Katie like seven feet like I'd rather play against Kevin Durant way before I had to guard Guard who? Harden No, I don't know bro. Yeah Like Katie gonna get buckets. Like yeah, he might score 50. Cool. But you said James every single Like if there was 37 plays 35 of them went to you on ISO moves. Yeah. That's exhausting. I got my girlfriend in the stands. You ain't just gonna be doing me like this bro. Shit. You ain't just gonna be doing like this in front of a baby dog. Like nah bro. That ************ hurt people feelings. Like he said to try to make you fall. I don't got time for that. Okay. So who's in 1999-2000 season? One of those rules forever changed the game of basketball. And that rule was this the hand checking rule. A defender may not make contact with his hands and or forearms on an offensive player except below the free throw line extended. This would go on to be referred to as the end of hand checking in the NBA. So Scottie, how did banning hand checking change the way you play defense? Took me out the game. It changed tremendously because you know, I was in the latter part of my career and players were getting faster. So it was a difficult change for me to be able to make that adjustment because now I'm defending players that are younger and faster. So I wasn't able to keep up and it really changed how the game is today and that's why we see that there's a lot more scoring, a lot more freedom, movement out on the basketball court. It's made the game more exciting because fans want to see guys score basketball. How do you think players today would fare if these rules were still allowed? I think some would do well and some would probably struggle. But you know, to me it was great for the game. It allowed players to be great on both ends of the court. Now it seems more of an offensive driven game. Even you look at the All-Star game, it's really about players that can score the basketball and not about the best players in the game. And I think some players, and I'm going back to the Patrick Beverley game, guys like that, they kind of get looked over. And that's his mark in today's game as a defender. And he's not going to be a guy that's going to go out and score the basketball. That's not what he is. It's his DNA. He's about defending and stopping people and frustrating them. And to some degree, that's been taken away from the game. The defensive end and players have lost that edge that they felt that they had. Scotty, as somebody who grew up watching those great Bulls teams and the numbers that you and MJ put up, if you took the hand check out in your era, do you get upset because your numbers would be that much greater? No, I would not get upset about it. Myself and Michael, we were two players that we enjoyed playing both sides of the basketball. Michael, again, was the greatest scorer to ever play in the game. So he always competed and challenged players on the other side as to shoot the ball and things of that nature. And then he would do things to frustrate them, knowing that on the other end, he had the upper hand as an offensive player. But I think in today's game, if they played the way we played in the 80s and 90s, it would tremendously help the game because we would see players that can show greatness on the other end of the basketball court. And I think that's something that we've lost for the last 10, 15 years. I would say this, though. If you and Michael and Barkley and all these guys played in this era with no hand checking, your numbers would be ridiculous. Nick is right about that. They would be astronomical. No doubt. I mean, but it's hard to win. Yeah. Anybody can win on those nights because you're going to have some bad shooting nights. But if you can defend and be able to give those hand checks, you can make up for that. But in today's game, if you have a bad shooting night, you're probably going to lose. You know, it's going to be hard to defend a team unless they're just having a bad shooting night. Right. For sure. Now let's take a look at this graphic that we have here where this is the scoring leaders pre-hand checking rule in the 98-99 season. So look at the numbers there. Iverson, Shaq, Abdul-Rahim, and Keith Van Horn. And now let's take a look at the leading scorers now. Wow. Yeah, that's a big difference. Scotty, do you think the league will get to a point with the way scoring has exploded in the last five, ten years where they say, you know what, maybe we need to go back to the old days a little bit and put it back in? I don't think they can put it back in. I think that players have found a way to master the game. And I give a lot of credit to James Harden and Kevin Durant, Stealth. Those guys have found a way to master how to score the basketball. It's hard to take that away from them. The only thing that scares me, though, guys, is when you go watch high school games, college games, all anybody wants to do now is shoot. Right. It's like nobody wants to defend, which is what makes guys like Patrick Beverly and P.J. Tucker stand out even more in this era. But has the game lost a defensive identity at all in the lower levels because of what Steph and Harden and KD have done? I think it has lost a little bit of defense on the perimeter area, if that's what you're calling. The lower area, which I would consider are big, they haven't really lost that. Big guys have always been protecting the lane, protecting the rim, helping whoever gets beat. That's what they're back there for is to defend and deflect shots. But I think out on the perimeter, the way the game is now is more exciting. They would never go back to allowing players to check guys and stuff of that nature. You look at Stealth. Stealth shoots that ball from half court because he got freedom. Right, yeah. You know what I'm saying? Nobody can get near him. Yeah, and he knows that. But the only way you're going to guard a guy like Stealth, especially if he's handling the ball, is how I guarded Magic. You got to get up and make him work from 94 feet, and when he get in the half court situation, that hopefully he's working against being exhausted as well as working against the clock. So he's going to have a moment, but hopefully some of those things work in your favor as a defender. I found a way to fix the All-Star game as we go through this. Oh, boy. Hand-checking in the All-Star. Oh, yes, I like that. Yeah, because the All-Star game is ridiculous. It's a joke. It's a lay-up line. If you hand-check in the All-Star game, how much different does that make everything become? Yeah, I don't know if they'll let the guys hand-check in the All-Star game. Guys don't even barely want to play in the All-Star game or make any effort in the All-Star game. ♪♪ Oh, beautiful shot of the desert Phoenix, Arizona, Valley of the Sun. This is America West Arena. The Schick rookie game is history. We're just moments away now from the AT&T long-distance shootout, but first let's go back to Craig Sager and Chuck Daly. Well, Chuck, we talk about the NBA All-Star weekend. It gets bigger and better every year, but the league also changes with the rules trying to make the game better. We've had several different rule changes. The three-point line's been moved into 22 feet. If it was 21, Mike Hogan would have a million dollars. What about the rule changes this year? Well, we've had some significant changes, and the three-point line, of course, is in, but it hasn't changed the game that dramatically in terms of total points. We have a new three-point line. It used to consist of 22 feet right now, and then, of course, we have the stricter enforcement of the illegal defense, and this is kind of interesting what's happened here. When you throw the ball in the post, watch how the players congest the area. See the congestion? And what happened is the players, where they used to be at that black line, move into that white line, which allows for the defense to retreat and get there a little bit quicker. As you can see, it's changing, but it's made it very congested inside, but the players, instead of staying out there, have moved in the line, allowing the defense to recover those people a little bit quicker. They moved the line in, hoping for more shots from the outside, which, yes, they have gotten, but the defense is cramped down too. Yeah, they have, and there's two more makes. Attempts are up five. Percentage is up to 30. As I said, it's always been a 32% or 33% shot, but the second one, stricter enforcement of illegal defense, this drove people crazy. Especially at the beginning of the year. Yeah, at the beginning of the year, particularly from the top. We're seeing O'Neal there on the wing. Here we're seeing, this is an old one where Shrimp doesn't follow his man and gets called, but the one that's been bothering people is the one from the top, and it's changed the game a little bit. The other rule, of course, no hand checking. The players have adjusted quite early in the year, but everybody was very concerned about it. They've gone to the forearm, but the players have really adjusted to it, and we hardly see a call anymore. The point's the same as last year. So all these rule changes have not increased scoring. Yeah, everybody thought there would be a major increase in scoring. It just hasn't happened. But somehow coaches and players in this league learn how to adjust. They're amazing. You changed this whole game of the defense you guys played in Detroit. Changes have been trying to be made ever since to get scoring up. What needs to be done? What do you think? I don't know if there is any answer. I wanted the lane change. I'll tell you one thing. Ken Burns in his baseball series said he said, Babe Ruth only came to bat once every nine times. We're throwing the ball into these key guys like Shaquille, Patrick Ewing, 40 and 50 times a game, and I don't know. Something has to be done as to how many times we throw the ball to the post up. Okay, three-point contest coming up. Who do you like? Steve Kerr. I don't know why, but I do. We're going to win on Monday. We're going to come ready. We're going to come ready to play, and we will not play the way we played today on Monday without a doubt. And Alonzo Mourning made the statement after game three, We will win the next game. Marv, evidently Alonzo has spotted something everyone else has missed. Thanks, Marv. Have you heard Alonzo Mourning in our opening saying he guarantees a win? Now, that caused a reaction among the Bulls. Michael Jordan said that he would have been better off saying he would guarantee that they play better and play harder and let the outcome work itself out on the court. Now, Dennis Rodman said he didn't care. He figured that if you win Monday, we'll just win Wednesday. Now, in all my years in sports, that is the strangest, most different answer I've ever heard from an athlete, but I must say that Dennis is one of the most strangest and different kind of athletes that I've met. Now, who do we need to believe? Dennis Rodman or Alonzo Mourning? One of the great things about sports, we get a chance to sit back, relax, and for the next two and a half hours, let everything work itself out on the court. Marv? Officials, Ed T. Rush, Bob Delaney, Joe Forte, Luke Longley, Alonzo Mourning on the opening tip, and it's controlled on Saturday. Bob Rashad telling us Alonzo Mourning refusing to shake the hand of Michael Jordan just prior to the opening tip. And it will be Miami ball. In game three on Saturday. Face, hold, wait, and it has really stagnated the offense in Miami. And Alonzo Mourning has come out and hit his first two shots. Shot clock at two. Jordan for three. And went over the glass, so the ball back to Miami. Rodman posting up on Brown. Jordan over Hardaway. From three-point range, Miami 15 and Chicago 8. Pass intended for Jordan, broken up by Leonard. Michael Jordan putting moves on Rashad Leonard, and then going right at Alonzo Mourning, but the shot too strong. Up the Detroit Pistons. He does scramble for those loose balls and rebounds very well, but does have trouble with individual digs. Michael Jordan fouled by Rashad Leonard. The season, what's amazing, the competitive spirit still going so strong. Able to combine talent with amazing drive. His first two points of the game. And, Marv, I'm a little surprised that Michael did not come out roaring a little more. Now he had to take some tough shots early in the first quarter with the shot clock winding down, but realizing that the heat would be fired up, that Bulls might be a little complacent, expected Michael to take over early. A.J. Brooches come on for the first time. Jordan and Kern in the backboard. Dennis Rodman very offensive conscious with another shot. Alonzo Mourning now four of six from the field. And Jordan's pass broken up. Jordan unable to get it going from the field. Generally what he does in this situation, take the ball to the basket, try to get fouled. And as you mentioned earlier, did not look to come out with the barrage. He's now 0 for 6 from the field. And it will be Miami ball. Jordan putting the move on and is fouled. Michael Jordan off the hesitation. Need to forget about Dennis Rodman as an offensive threat because he rarely looks at the basket. That time, no doubt about it, he just wanted to catch the ball, make a move to the basket as a couple of big guys who have gone against Dennis. I said, where did that come from? Miami, South Florida was out playing golf. Now, golf is normally not a tiring sport. It is for some, Marv, you know, when you have to take a lot of whacks at it. I've done that a time or two myself. Maybe too much. There was a hard fall to the floor. Of course, Miami is so aware of Dennis Rodman even though they say they are not. Jordan putting moves on Mashburn. And front plate as well. And Michael way off. 0 for 7 from the field. 11. Not able to take advantage here with the Bulls closing. They're with him too. Jordan off the recovery and was trapped. Nowhere to go. Good look from Cooper. It will count. It's a goaltend. Dennis Rodman. In the first half. Brown poking away from Cooper. Michael Jordan. 0 for 8. Those are the mistakes. And four of those shots have come with the shot clock winding down. And this was one of them. And he just had to launch that thing. Not even close at all. And you can see the disgust on the face of Michael Jordan. He is frustrated. Primarily the way that he's playing, but also with his team. Led by as many as 11. Chicago was able to tie it at 30. And Miami has reeled off nine straight. Jordan not able to hit. From way downtown with no shot. Although we've seen him hit some of those. Here's Jordan. And again comes up short. Make it 0 for 10 for Michael Jordan from three-point land. And the fan of Let's Go Heat. Shot clock at three. Down it's Jordan. 0 for 11. Just extraordinary. But not only has he been off. Way off. I can't recall a shot that was actually close. Well, no legs. He had one drive to the basket. That shot got blocked. Very heavy-legged. Not getting up on the jump shot. No life in his legs, which is in game three. Which is why he was so strong. So quick off the dribble to come to that quick stop. Get up in the air and shoot. Even before some of those shots could get challenged. The other factor. Miami has turned it over. The dad is. He went to join his father at his bedside. In the first half. Look at that stat line. 0 for 11 from the field for Jordan. Hard away. Catch and make your play and not hold the ball. When he does that, first of all, he's not going to turn the ball over. And he's getting good shots. Jordan forced it. Here's Michael again. 0 for 13 for Jordan with the steal. The coaching staff has five red shirts out there standing still. Not Jordan. And it knocked away. Last sequence. Michael Jordan apparently beyond Tim Hardaway. Hardaway able to reach in and knock him loose. A turnover. Just three points. All three at the line. Jordan able to slice through. And Michael Jordan again not able. Williams able to save it. And here's Jordan. Yes. Michael's talking to himself. Missed his first 14. And now has his first field goal. Now Jordan looking to put moves on. Played well. Rashad Leonard able to stop the dribble. Hippen with the pick. Jordan for three. Fouled him. Fouled by Mourning. Game three. Very sharp. Very definitive. Hard dribble. Get up in the air. Shoot the ball at the top of his jump. Most of the shots that he missed in the first half, he was shooting on the way down. Mainly because he wasn't getting that high in the air. On Wednesday, the Bulls with hopes of a dramatic turnaround. They'd love to sweep it and go home and rest. Jordan. 1 for 17. Hippen on the recovery. And Michael Jordan with only his second field goal. Now 2 of 18. Mashburn. Mashburn had some words with Jordan. Well, you see a totally different look of the Miami Heat. Mashburn right in the face of Ron Harper and now technicals. A technical foul has been called on the Heat's Jamal Mashburn. Well, Jamal Mashburn got involved a moment ago with Michael Jordan. And then had something to say to Ron Harper. He's been hit with a technical. That's the first technical of the day. And Jordan to the line. 3 of 4 at the line. Well, read the ball so well in the first half. Jordan putting moves on Leonard. Here's the fadeaway. Just cannot get it going. All over. Oh, what a chip by Harper. Hands up with it. Make it 2 for 20. Trying to catch Miami back. The block stopped Jordan. Miami slow getting back in transition defense. And Michael Jordan thought he had an advantage, which he did against Leonard. Beat him to the basket. But Alonzo Mourning, who does that so well, coming over to help out. Knocked that shot away. Dennis Rodman. Obviously, Dennis looking for that next action movie. We talked earlier about the big 3. Well, they have not done it today. At least Jordan and Pippen have been way off. Rodman a surprise with 11 points. Michael Jordan 0 for 11 in the first half. Let's check in with Ahmad. All right. Thanks, Marv. I think because of the shooting difficulties of Michael Jordan, a lot of people think, well, he must have went out and played golf all day long yesterday and therefore being a little bit tired. But he didn't. He only had one round of golf. And as you and I very well know, it can't be that tiring. Well, you probably get tired because you swing a lot when you play golf. But it certainly won't be that he played too much golf. Marv. Thank you, Ahmad, for that rundown of my alleged golf. Ryan Williams. He's picked it up here today with 18 points. Jordan puts the moves up. Jordan draws the foul. The differential between the game clock and the shot clock. Jordan had it knocked away and had a 4-2. So after 3, after 3. The extraordinary 2 of 21 shooting by Michael Jordan. We'll be back after these words from your local station. You are watching the NBA on NBC. Bulls are back in it. But Michael Jordan's struggles continue from the field. 2 for 22. Mishandles the ball. Has this one just go off the rim on him? And then his reaction, just like other players on other levels, the look of frustration on Michael's face. There's Michael's numbers are shot in game 3. 14 for 25. And the Blues have overtaken the Reds here in game 4. Just 2 for 22. Michael Jordan attempting 11 shots in the third quarter. Only 9 points today. Hoping to extend to a fifth game, which will take place in Chicago on Wednesday. The Bulls seeking to ramp it in 4 here this afternoon. Jordan, yes. And that is easily the most fluid shot that he has been able to get off here today. And Michael has used so. Miami with 9 turnovers in the third quarter. Now Marley is on Jordan. Jordan able to shed. Swittleson. Pittman changed his mind. Rodman trying to draw the foul on Marley. Here's Pittman. Jordan with the rebound. Taking each other to the floor. Let's keep an eye on the benches. Nobody coming off either. And then coming in with that elbow first. And Alonzo has been throwing the elbows around. I think he caught Rodman with that right elbow on the side of the head. He's already gotten Pippen twice. And Rodman realized exactly what was going on. Tried to tie up and did. And the takedown on Mourning. Here's Brian Williams. Bulls have missed their last 5 shots. Rodman went down again. Bulls shooting just 34% for the game. Rodman going down just looking to pick up fouls now. Jordan, yes. Miami. The Bulls down by as many as 21. They've cut it to four. But Miami able to respond. Excellent defense by Miami. Well, Jordan wanted it early when he had Tim Hardaway in the post position. But it took the Bulls so long to get him the ball. And the double team got it out of his hands. Setting it up on the crossover. Off the good pick. Jordan with Hardaway in close quarters again. Michael Jordan cuts it to a seven-point heat lead. Timeout taken by Miami with 5.52 to go. But starting to get the rhythm now. Just beating Dan Marley. Getting up in the air. Knifing between two defenders to put up the jumper. And then Brian Williams setting the screen. Nobody's showing up to help out Tim Hardaway. Well, the Reds are starting to creep back. But the Blues still with an overwhelming advantage. Six to 28 for Michael Jordan. Miami coming into this fourth game averaging 73 points in the series. That's 73 right now and the seven-point lead. And Michael Jordan with eight of the Bulls. Nine points in this fourth quarter. He's hit four of six from the field. Ball for Chicago. Turned it up in the third quarter. Did it defensively to get back into it. Back into it. Amazing as Michael to the official. But just getting up and giving the 22nd timeout. And prior to that on the last possession, Michael roaming the baseline. The pump fake to Shed Leonard up in the air for another jumper. Ruffin trying to call for the possession. See if Pat Riley has talked about double-teaming Michael on possessions below the free-throw line extended. Both teams have three timeouts remaining. And here is Jordan. Browning with the rebound. All-around game for Dennis. 11 points. Nine rebounds. Jordan's on the line. He'll go to the line. Judd Buschler is back. If we're going to lose, let's have it be somebody else besides Michael Jordan. Dennis Rodman is back. Coming on for Judd Buschler. Six fouls. Able to come up with the block. Jordan looking for some space. Picked up on a switch by P.J. Brown. To the front line. Yes! It's down to four. And a timeout taken by Miami with 337 left in the fourth quarter. To block that Marley shot. And then Michael Jordan dropping the head. Beating the heat to any kind of double-team. Getting up in the air. So the Miami lead is four. And they're forced to take a timeout. Number 15 by Miami. George is looking down and scoring at John Leonard. And Jordan putting moves on Leonard then tripped up. The contention of the Miami Heat was that it was Dennis Rodman who inadvertently tripped up. Michael Jordan. But Leonard. Here's Michael Jordan getting that pick. And watch the left foot. And they are right. It was Dennis Rodman's foot that Michael Jordan tripped over. The foul. The quick whistle. And it was actually teammate Dennis Rodman who made contact with Michael Jordan. Still trying to get into the ear and the head of Alonzo Mourning is Dennis Rodman. The Miami lead is down to two. Pippen had the right idea. It was an isolation for Hardaway. Tried to get him to get off the ball. Hardaway wisely kept his dribble. And again Jordan. He was able to regroup. And somehow find the strength to turn it on here in the fourth quarter. 79-76. Jordan has the look. Puts the moves on Leonard. And fires. He has scored 20 of the 21 points in this fourth quarter. He turned a first half disaster into another Jordan classic. With 2.17 to go in the third. Jordan over Leonard. And the Miami lead is just one. Well we talked about the body language of Michael Jordan in the first half. It was not good. Now you just see him dropping his head. Using that high pick from Dennis Rodman on the reset. Hanging in the air. Feigning back. And Dennis Rodman knew he freed up Michael Jordan. But knew that Michael had to take a tough shot. And he'll take it. Pippen with the pick. Jordan swings in. And Mourning with the rebound. He's remaining in the fourth. Three point lead. Here comes the double on Hardaway. Shot clock down to six. And as Leonard went to his left. A blocking foul. Foul on Jordan. That is his second. Chicago Bulls are over the limit. As are the Miami Heat. Roddy with the feed in. Puts it down. 85-80. Bulls do have timeouts left. Down to 11 and four tenths seconds remaining. Bulls do have one timeout left. Here's Jordan. For three. And kicked out of bounds. With five and six tenths seconds to go. It will be Miami ball. And John Crotty will just run it out. Miami Heat winning a lot. It will be a fifth game. In the United Central. In Chicago on Wednesday. So Alonzo Mourning guaranteed it. And he certainly played a major role in this Miami victory here today. Let's go to Ahmad. To be Miami's last stand. But what we witnessed was unimaginable. Fourteen shots. Fourteen misses by a frustrated Michael Jordan. But only he believed. As long as there was time. There was a chance for vindication. And the game's greatest player took it upon himself. A 20-point fourth-quarter explosion. Brought the Bulls within striking distance. And the fire back in Michael's eyes. But the effort fell short. Miami backed up their bowl guarantee. Sending Jordan and the Bulls back to Chicago. And now Michael says it's personal. Alright thanks Marvin. Talking to Michael Jordan about the loss on Monday. He said some good things happened in that. He said the bad things were we got beaten and we got beaten up. And our pride took a hit. He said but what that did is that brought our whole team together. As a group and really improved our focus. He said even championship teams need a wake-up call. And he said that was theirs. Now Michael has been saying all week that this series is personal. If you watch here as the two captains meet in the middle of the court. I guess you'll see that this is what Michael meant by it's all personal. Watch Michael. And by the way another thing. Marvin, Michael after practice today went out and played golf. Shouldn't affect him today.