1996 Michael Jordan Cemented His GOAT Status

No one doubts Michael Jordan is one of the greatest to ever play the game. He did everything, including winning championships, scoring titles, MVPs and finals MVPs. He basically ruled the NBA during the early 90s to put his name on the board as one of the greatest players of all time. But it was in 1996 that he truly cemented his status as the greatest of all time. And there are very good reasons that 1996 MJ was the best version of the GOAT. We all know Jordan changed the game when he entered the league in 1984. While the NBA had seen high flyers and high scorers before, MJ was different. He entered the league with a lot of flair, style and grace. Joining the Chicago Bulls as the third overall pick in 1984, he was already one of the most popular players in the world because of his magnetic style and flair when he was with the University of North Carolina. In fact, Nike signed him to a sneaker deal before he even played his first NBA game. True enough, as soon as he stepped onto an NBA court, he was already a special talent. Jordan wowed crowds with his thunderous dunks, gravity-defying plays and never-before-seen highlights. The rookie was already one of the most popular players in the league because no other rookie in league history had done the things he did during his first season in the NBA. To that end, Jordan was the rookie of the year winner and was first in points scored all season long, doing it as a rookie. Only Bernard King and Larry Bird averaged more points per game in 1985. After that, Jordan's meteoric rise was essentially inevitable. He started in all-star games, put on incredible 60-point performances during the regular season and the playoffs, won MVPs and sold more sneakers than any other player in league history. Jordan was basketball personified, even if he was yet to win a title. People gravitated toward him because he was every great scoring wing combined into one package. He had Julius Irving's athleticism, George Jervin's grace and Jerry West's ability to take over games. No one doubted his individual greatness as he won MVPs during the 80s. But it was only during the early part of the 90s that he proved he was the greatest in the world. When Phil Jackson joined the Bulls as their new head coach and Scottie Pippen developed into an all-star, Chicago was suddenly the favorite to win the title. True enough, MJ led the Bulls to the 1991 championship, winning his first ever title and solidifying his place as the best in the league. He did it again in 1992 and then again in 1993. The last time a team won three straight titles was during the 60s when the Boston Celtics were dominating the NBA. And like Bill Russell, Jordan was steadily establishing himself as a winner on top of his status as the best individual player in the world. By the end of the 1992-93 season, he was already a three-time MVP, a three-time champion, and a seven-time league scoring leader. He was averaging 30 points or more on a regular basis, making scoring look easy. But something happened. Jordan had to retire from the game in 1993 following the death of his father. It was his father's wish for him to play professional baseball, which was his father's favorite sport. While there were plenty of speculations surrounding Jordan's retirement from the game, he left it at just 30 years old, right when he was at the prime of his career as the best in the NBA. Of course, he didn't lead the game for a long time. He missed the entire 1993-94 season only to return in 1995 to play 17 games for the Chicago Bulls. But he didn't look like the Jordan of old. He was out of basketball shape, struggled to hit shots, and couldn't dominate using his athleticism. Air Jordan seemed like a thing of the past because this was a version of MJ who had been out of the game for nearly two seasons. By that time, more youngsters entered the league to become the next big thing, seemingly coming after Jordan's title as the best in the league. And it seemed like his errandous time was already up because he and the Bulls lost to the Orlando Magic in the second round of the 1995 playoffs. From the looks of things, Jordan peaked in 1993 when he left the game. Some people believed he would never get back to the top of the league as the best player in the world. Others thought that while he was still going to be an all-star because he was still incredibly popular and putting up good numbers, he was only going to slow down. After all, during his younger years, Jordan relied heavily on his athleticism. He used his quickness and explosive steps to drive past defenders. And using his incredible hang time and vertical, he could dunk over anyone, or at the very least, finish strong up top. But at 32 years old in 1995, he looked like a shell of his former self. At that time, plenty of players had already slowed down at 32 years old because of wear and tear. This isn't the modern era where players can still play at their prime in that age. In the 80s and 90s, when sports medicine wasn't as advanced as it is today, players retired or looked like old-timers in their early 30s. In Jordan's case, especially after averaging 26.9 points on 41.1% shooting from the field in the 17 games he played in 1995, it looked like he was set to regress. But that didn't happen. Instead of allowing father time to beat him, Jordan used the 1995 offseason to get back into game shape. He used the filming of Space Jam to return to his old form, using the basketball court on the film set to play pickup every possible time he could. He even invited plenty of NBA players over the summer to play with him without them knowing that MJ was simply using them to get back to the top of the mountain once more. But the most important part was Jordan's complete understanding of his mortality. He got back into shape well enough to regain much of the verticality and explosiveness he lost while he was away from basketball. But he understood he could never play like that throughout the rest of his career. So, instead of simply relying on his athleticism, he perfected his mid-range game, one of the strongest parts of his offense. Jordan was always a good jump shooter, even back in college. He could pull up anywhere between 10 to 20 feet to hit jump shots over any defender. With his combination of explosiveness and strong vertical leaping ability, it was easy for him to elevate over his defenders on a dime to hit pull-up shots. As such, this was already a strong part of his game, even when he was relying mostly on his athleticism. But before the 1995-96 season, MJ perfected this part of his game, understanding he needed to rely on his jump shot more than ever. The first time the NBA started tracking shot distance was during the 1996-97 season, a year later. But we can assume that Jordan's shooting numbers were not that different between the 1995-96 and the 1996-97 seasons. During the 1996-97 season, nearly 60% of Jordan's total shot attempts came from between 10 feet from the basket and just within the three-point line. That means he was relying more on his mid-range game than he ever did in his career. But that's not the surprising part. You see, advanced analytics will always consider the mid-range game as the most inefficient shot in basketball. That's why there aren't a lot of players taking mid-range shots in the modern game. But when you can make it at a high level, there's no reason for you not to take a mid-range shot. After all, some of the greatest winners in NBA history were known for their mid-range shot. Michael Jordan was one of them. During the 1996-97 season, he shot over 52% of the shot attempts he took from just inside the three-point line but 16 feet away from the basket. In most cases, players would shoot in the 40s from that distance. But Jordan did it at such a level that he could hit those shots efficiently even though those shots are supposed to be inefficient. He also did it during a time when floor spacing wasn't very good, as opposed to today. The way MJ did it was incredible. Unlike most players who simply try to get to their spots and pull up from the mid-range area, Jordan had different ways of getting the best shot available to him. He used his legs to feel the distance between him and his defender. If he didn't have enough space, he would simply create one using a good combination of footwork and post moves. Jordan mastered the art of the shoulder fake from the high post to get his defender moving in one direction before he would spin to the other shoulder to hit a mid-range shot. This windshield wiper move was so unstoppable that he would always go to it from the high post area and then hit a fading mid-range jumper over his defender. So, even though he knew he could still get to the basket to dunk the ball or perform aerial moves that defy gravity, Jordan knew it would be best for him to rely more on his perimeter game moving forward to extend his career and continue playing at the highest level possible. To that end, he led the Chicago Bulls to the greatest single-season win-loss record in the history of the NBA at that time. By the end of the 1995-96 season, the Bulls had won 72 games, becoming the first team in league history to win 70 or more games. While that record has since been broken by the 2016 Golden State Warriors, the 1996 Bulls team was on a different level, all thanks to Michael Jordan. He averaged 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.2 steals that season, winning his fourth MVP trophy in the process while also adding more scoring titles to his resume. But Jordan wasn't alone in pursuing that accomplishment. There was a good reason the Bulls finished the season as the highest-scoring team and with the best offensive and defensive ratings. That team had specialists. While MJ and Pippen were responsible for carrying the bulk of the offense, the other guys stepped up. Sixth-man sensation Tony Kukoc provided the necessary spark off the bench. Steve Kerr shot over 50% from the three-point line that season to help stretch the floor, but the defenders were also carrying their load. Ron Harper, a former star capable of averaging 20 points in the past, completely changed his game in Chicago. Instead of providing offense, he focused entirely on the defensive end to shut down the opposing team's best guards, thereby alleviating pressure off Jordan's shoulders. Then there was the mercurial Dennis Rodman, an unwanted player because no team or head coach could control his untameable personality. But when he got to the Bulls, they allowed him to be himself and to focus more on his role, which was to do the dirty work. Rodman rebounded the ball like a man possessed, all while disrupting opposing offenses with his elite defense. Simply put, the role players stepped up and perfected their roles to turn this team into the favorite to win the championship. That was when Jordan eventually showed why he was the GOAT, as he had one of the greatest runs in the 1996 playoffs. The Bulls defeated the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, winning all three games by blowouts. Then, in the second round, his earnest scored 44 points in the opening game win over the New York Knicks. The Bulls defeated the Knicks in five games, with Jordan scoring 40 or more points twice in that series. He averaged 36 points against New York, proving he could deliver his best under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. Then, in what was a revenge series for him and the Bulls, Jordan led his team to a four-game sweep over the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. MJ closed that series out with 45 points in Game 4. He averaged 29.5 points throughout that series, as he led the Bulls back to their first championship series appearance since 1993. Meeting them in the finals were the Seattle Supersonics, who won 64 games and had the league's second-best defense. The man who led the defensive charge was Gary Payton, often regarded as the greatest defensive point guard in history. He won that season's Defensive Player of the Year trophy. But the Supersonics made a fatal mistake in the finals. Instead of putting Payton on Jordan, they allowed their point guard to focus more on offense. Because of that, MJ went off in the first three games, averaging 31 points in the process. The Bulls won those games to open the series 3-0, an insurmountable lead in the NBA. It took until Game 4 for Seattle to finally put Payton on Jordan. While he would never admit it, MJ struggled against Payton's defense from then on as the Sonics won the next two games to make the series 3-2 in favor of the Bulls. But while Jordan shot 5 out of 19 for 22 points in Game 6, the Bulls' defense and his teammates were more than enough to beat the Sonics in six games. With Jordan winning his fourth championship ring at the end of that series, he was undoubtedly the best player in that grueling defensive matchup with the Sonics. He averaged 23.7 points on 36.7% in the final three games of the series. But his early explosion in the first three games was more than enough to land him his finals MVP trophy after averaging 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in the finals. That finals win in 1996 set the tone for the next two seasons as the Bulls won a second three-peat, ending their run in 1998 with a bang. But while MJ went on to win one more MVP, two more finals MVPs, and two more scoring titles after that 1996 season, that run to the 1996 championship is still widely considered his best. This wasn't the version of MJ easily dunking and flying over everyone. Instead, this was the Jordan who inspired future generations with his mastery of the mid-range game and with his perfect footwork. This was the Jordan players like Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and Dwyane Wade learned to idolize. Of course, this was the version of MJ that perfectly combined athleticism, skills, experience, and mentality to create the perfect basketball player. That is why the 1996 version of MJ solidified his status as the undisputed GOAT.