Michael Jordan came into the NBA as a 28+ point per game scorer. He ran away with Rookie of the Year honors his first year and led the poverty Chicago Bulls to the Playoffs in his first season in the league. His first two coaches, Stan Albeck and Doug Collins, both ran the offense solely through him.
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Doug in particular made sure that Jordan had the spotlight on offense, leading to him winning scoring titles, his first MVP, and the highest scoring average for a season since Wilt Chamberlain. While MJ was flourishing with Collins manning the bench, the Bulls’ success stagnated.
It was clear that there was a ceiling to how good a team could be with one player averaging 37+ points per game and the others not being able to crack 20. So, in an extremely ballsy move, Jerry Krause fired Doug Collins and replaced him with Phil Jackson.
Michael Jordan on Bill Cartwright complaining about him
Krause made a ballsy move by firing Doug Collins given just how much of a bond he had shared with Michael Jordan. MJ himself stated that he did not like the move because Jackson was actively trying to get the ball out of his hands while Collins was putting it in his hands.
Phil and Tex Winter both implemented the triangle offense that helped take the offensive burden off Michael’s shoulders and allowed every single teammate of his to touch the ball in a single half-court set. Naturally, role players like Bill Cartwright were able to get more basket opportunities.
With this system in place however, Michael would occasionally revert back to his selfish tendencies at times. Bill Cartwright told this to Sam Smith, the man who wrote ‘Jordan Rules’. During a 1992 Playboy interview, Jordan was asked about this, to which Michael responded:
“Sam Smith says Cartwright said I was bitching about not getting fifty points and that everyone could have scored twenty instead. That’s the biggest lie in America. The whole offense is set for Cartwright to score as many points as he can. If he can’t score, that’s his damn problem. All I can do is throw him the ball. I can’t make him move.”
Michael Jordan was forced into passing during Game 6 of the 1992 NBA Finals
Game 6 of the 1992 NBA Finals saw the Chicago Bulls enter the 4th quarter down by 15. It felt as though a Game 7 would most certainly ensue. To prevent this from happening, Michael Jordan began isolating and hogging up the ball.
Tex Winter noticed this and mentioned this to Phil Jackson, who in turn relayed the information back to Jordan. He told MJ to start trusting his teammates and despite this being the biggest stage in the league, MJ stepped outside of his comfort zone and began to trust the likes of John Paxson and crew. And well, it worked.
