Which Jordan was the MOST DOMINANT?

[beau_boy04]

Was it '98, '91, '96, '93, '87, etc... and why?

What was Jordan best year? when was he the most dominant?

When did he became a defensive enforcer/specialist or whatever you wanna call it?

Thank you for your paritcipation

[Matthew]

This looks more like a survey then a discussion.

[cyanide]

You should edit your post and add a poll. Pre-retirement, I'd say he was more dominant scoring-wise, post-retirement, he was more dominant on defense and... smarts. I think that's the general consensus anyway.

[Dan's Brain]

It's hard to go past the years of the first three-peat. A more athletic Jordan, with much more to prove was an awesome prospect.

But then, you could also make a case for the '96 Jordan. The MVP of the greatest team (single season) in NBA history.

In terms of his defence. He was at his best when he was teamed with Scottie. So from when Pippen came over in that wonderful draft day trade, to the second MJ he retired again, and Pippen was dealt away again.

[Matthew]

93 finals, Jordan at his best. That and the the 91 finals. Look at the stat lines from both those series.

[Andrew]

93 finals, Jordan at his best. That and the the 91 finals. Look at the stat lines from both those series.

Agreed. His numbers from the 1993 season were great from start to finish: 32.6 ppg (49.5% from the field, 83% from the line), 6.7 rpg, 5.5 apg and 2.8 spg during the regular season, 35.1 ppg (47% from the field), 6.7 rpg, 6.0 apg and 2.1 spg through 19 games in the playoffs and 41 ppg (51% from the field), 8.5 rpg, 6.3 apg and 1.7 spg during the Finals series against Barkley's Suns. He also hit for 50 or more four times during the regular season (including 64 against the Magic) and twice in the Playoffs (including 55 in the Finals). He also had a good outing in the All-Star Game with 30 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.

His stat line in 1991 was also impressive: 31.5 ppg (54% from the field), 6 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2.7 spg and 1 bpg during the regular season, 31.1 ppg (52% from the field), 6.4 rpg, 8.4 apg, 2.4 spg and 1.4 bpg through 17 playoff games and 31.2 ppg (56% from the field), 6.6 rpg, 11.4 apg, 2.8 spg and 1.4 bpg against the Lakers in the NBA Finals. The 1991 All-Star game was also one of his best outings with 26 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. However, I'd have to rank the 1993 season ahead of 1991 as far as being his most dominant season.

[---]

31.2 ppg (56% from the field), 6.6 rpg, 11.4 apg, 2.8 spg and 1.4 bpg against the Lakers in the NBA Finals

Man, numbers like that make me wonder why some think MJ was not the best player to ever step on the basketball court.

[Andrew]

Well, pretty much every great player has impressive statistics and noteworthy accomplishments on their resume, not all of which are as widely remembered (particularly complete stat lines). I think when it comes to Michael Jordan there's still a group of fans who dismiss the idea of Jordan being the greatest because it's the popular opinion (and thus anyone who goes against that line of thinking must be more intelligent and well-informed) and dismiss it as simply media hype, opining Jordan's success only came because the NBA wanted/allowed/made provisions for it to happen. Curious how the same point of view makes you a "hater" these days whereas it used to be seen by some as a sign of a fan who knew the "truth".