Much like Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Bucks were expected to make a championship run this season, Michael Jordan and his Bulls were -185 favorites during their 6-game loss to the Orlando Magic in 1995.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo gave a rousing answer when asked whether he viewed the Bucks’ elimination as a failed season. The Greek Freak made the point that you can’t always win in sports – even the greatest like Michael Jordan lost more than they won.
The Milwaukee Bucks had, after all, been unceremoniously bundled out of the playoffs as the no. 1 seed of the NBA. This happened in Game 5 of the first round. Against an opponent that’s down 2 rotation players. The circumstances of the Bucks’ loss are certainly damning.
However, it was refreshing to see that Giannis doesn’t have a glass full/empty view of his sporting life, even if his detractors do.
NBA Insider shares how Michael Jordan had a response similar to Giannis’ yesterday after the Bulls’ 95 rout
Giannis’ response to Eric Nehm’s question yesterday has been lauded by many members of the media. Even though it was a bit disingenuous, the relatability of his answer spoke to everyone.
Tom Haberstroh recently shared Michael Jordan’s responses after his Bulls’ 1995 playoff elimination. His response to questions about his verdict of the Bulls’ season make for compelling reading:
“I came back with a dream. A dream of winning. Was that unrealistic? Maybe, if you look at it right now. But when I came back? No.”
“I’m very disappointed I wasn’t able to contribute in the way that I have in the past. But that just drives me to be able to contribute as I did in the past.”
“It’s great to be respected. I’d rather be respected than praised. The way people were praising me, it was like I was some religious cult. That was embarrassing. I’m just a human being. But people were looking at me as if I were a supernatural being.”
The grounded nature of Jordan’s comments resonates heavily with the sentiments expressed by Giannis yesterday.
How was MJ viewed till his first championship?
One part of greatness in team sports has always been the team success that any individual is able to obtain. There is no doubting the fact that you can’t be one of the greatest without championship wins.
To that end, Michael Jordan was among those who were roundly criticized for coming up short till they actually didn’t. Till the time the Bulls went on to win an NBA title, Jordan was looked at as a prototypical ’empty stats’ guy.
Of course, things change with circumstances, as do people’s views. 7 years after his first championship win, Jordan was thought of as the consensus GOAT. But he didn’t always exude this same air of invincibility, even during ‘his era’.
