Michael Jordan once revealed the one team that he couldn’t get past early on in his career before the Detroit Pistons.
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Michael Jordan came into the NBA as one of the most highly touted guards of the decade. Chosen 3rd overall by the Chicago Bulls, it wasn’t known if he could turn the Bulls’ fortunes around. The Bulls had extremely low attendances at their games and were even labelled the ‘travelling cocaine circus of the NBA’.
However, the second that Jordan stepped foot on NBA hardwood, it was clear wasn’t messing around. Having been coached by Dean Smith at Chapel Hill, MJ was used to being a part of a strict program. That wasn’t what the Bulls were at the time.
Somehow, someway, a rookie Michael Jordan managed to drag a lackluster Bulls squad to the Playoffs in 1985 after averaging 28+ points. Here, they would face off against Sidney Moncrief, one of the greatest defenders of his time, and his Milwaukee Bucks.
Due to their lack of experience, the Bulls fell short and lost the series 1-3 in the first round.
Also read: Gary Payton reveals who was harder to guard than Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan on facing the Milwaukee Bucks.
Michael Jordan has long said that the Milwaukee Bucks were a thorn in their side early on his Chicago Bulls days. While he did lose the first ever game he played against the city, his Bulls went 3-3 including a narrow IT victory in March 1985 against Moncrief and crew.
While speaking with Cigar Aficionado in 2005, Michael revealed the same, claiming the Bucks were a team they had to overcome in those first two seasons.
“Early on, it was Milwaukee. We couldn’t beat Milwaukee. They were just 45 minutes to an hour away. They were a strong team and they constantly kept beating us. Even when we got in the playoffs, they kept beating us. Then we got to a point where we started beating them.”
Funnily enough, Michael Jordan has a staggering 48-18 record in 66 games played against the Bucks in his career. He also averaged 32.3 points on 52.2% shooting from the field against them in those games.
It’s safe to say that ‘His Airness’ figured out how to beat them pretty quickly after losing to them in the postseason.
Also read: The secret to Michael Jordan’s success? An inhuman 48-inch vertical and an 11-inch hand span
