2021 NBA Playoffs

[Spider-Dan]

Because the Bulls had no good big men that could rebound once Horace Grant left for the Magic.

So the Bulls were forced to add the best rebounder of all time (and, um, create a superteam) because they had a lack of talent with their existing roster?  Well, when you put it that way...

[CF DolFan]

Not to burst your Lebron-hate bubble, but the Celtics trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen beat them to it by at least 5-6 years.

Oops ... my bad.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Very slightly on topic, but why do you guys think Jordan first retired to play baseball? Does anyone actually buy that story?

[Tenshot13]

Very slightly on topic, but why do you guys think Jordan first retired to play baseball? Does anyone actually buy that story?

Gambling

[EDGECRUSHER]

Gambling

Same here. Pretty certain that David Stern had him take a break for awhile as a pseudo suspension due to his gambling habits. I am not so certain that his Father was killed in relation to his gambling but that rumor has been around for a long time.

[CF DolFan]

Same here. Pretty certain that David Stern had him take a break for awhile as a pseudo suspension due to his gambling habits. I am not so certain that his Father was killed in relation to his gambling but that rumor has been around for a long time.

I realize as a Trump supporter I'm probably considered to be a conspiracy theorist but I don't buy that at all. I've always thought it was just people saying dumb stuff to see if it sticks.

[EDGECRUSHER]

I realize as a Trump supporter I'm probably considered to be a conspiracy theorist but I don't buy that at all. I've always thought it was just people saying dumb stuff to see if it sticks.

The Father angle I have never seen evidence for, just a terrible tragedy. The other one would make sense. Michael was a known gambler, pretty much a degenerate who couldn't stop. He even stayed up all night in Atlantic City one night and played the next day. Mike being Mike, he did well but that's a problem. Leaving in your prime to play baseball? That just doesn't pass the smell test.

[ArtieChokePhin]

I pretty much agree with the consensus.  Jordan had a serious gambling problem and had run up some gambling debts.   He owed money to loan sharks and when he didn't pay them on time, they killed his father.  When Stern found out about it, he told Jordan to go away until this whole thing blew over.  The guy who owns the Bulls also owns the White Sox, which made it easy for Jordan to go into baseball.

[Spider-Dan]

Now tell me about the frozen envelope and Patrick Ewing!

The problem with the gambling angle is that Jordan was still a famously compulsive gambler even after he returned.  So what changed?  Did David Stern "force" him to retire again (for three years) in '98?

I think the answer is much more simple: Jordan was obsessed with being considered the best (as opposed to being the best), and retiring right after he did something that Magic and Bird couldn't do - win three in a row - was a lot easier than trying to win 6 (to pass Magic).  I do also think the (coincidental and non-gambling-related) death of his father also weighed on his desire to keep playing.

[EDGECRUSHER]

I pretty much agree with the consensus.  Jordan had a serious gambling problem and had run up some gambling debts.   He owed money to loan sharks and when he didn't pay them on time, they killed his father.  When Stern found out about it, he told Jordan to go away until this whole thing blew over.  The guy who owns the Bulls also owns the White Sox, which made it easy for Jordan to go into baseball.

The problem I have with this is that Michael is a wealthy guy, even if he ran up $10 Million in gambling debts at the time, he had it in the bank or could've gotten it elsewhere. It really may just be a tragic coincidence.

[ArtieChokePhin]

Well, the Heat bowed out pretty quick.  Guess they just got lucky last year with the play in.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Well, the Heat bowed out pretty quick.  Guess they just got lucky last year with the play in.

Last year was a weird year, but there is a clear hierachy in the East this season. 1-3 are legit contenders, 4-6 are solid teams missing a piece and 7-10 are just filler. 4-6 had the exact same record, so if not due to tiebreakers, then the Knicks get bounced by the Bucks or the Hawks.

[Sunstroke]

 
GO SUNS!!            (woo-hoo!)

[EDGECRUSHER]

The Suns are America's team right now.

[Sunstroke]

^^^ All it took was for us to face LeBron to paint the country in purple and orange?

OK, I'll take it.