Charles Barkley reveals a conversation between him and Michael Jordan regarding their respective NBA Finals debuts from the 90s.
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There is no bigger stage in basketball than the NBA Finals. You could make the case for the Olympics, and you’d have a great one to make too. But ultimately, when a basketball fan is looking to watch the highest quality games that (s)he can, the NBA Finals are usually the answer.
This year’s Finals promise to be an exciting affair with a lot of new blood at this stage of the playoffs. Both Phoenix and Milwaukee have a ton of star players in their respective roles who’re out to prove their mettle.
Chuck has been backing both teams all through this year’s playoffs. But he’s picked a clear winner in Milwaukee, assuming that both teams stay healthy till the end of the series.
Charles Barkley reveals what Michael Jordan told him about his first NBA Finals bow
The 16-year NBA legend and sportscaster par excellence was recently in conversation with The Athletic’s Sam Amick. Chuck revealed his own side of playing in the Suns’ last NBA Finals appearance, back in 1993.
One of the topics he discussed was how teams could feel overawed by the occasion and intensity of their first Finals game. He cited how Michael Jordan and his Bulls lost Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Finals as proof. In his words:
“Michael (Jordan) actually talked about it in the documentary (“The Last Dance”). He was talking about his first championship (in 1991), and (how the Bulls) lost their first game to the Lakers (before winning in five games) — people forget.”
“And he said, ‘We were kind of in shock how intense it was in Game 1,’ and he said, ‘We weren’t ready for Game 1.’ And I had never talked to him about that before, to be honest with you, but I thought it was funny that he said that in the documentary.”
