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“Voshon Lenard, you can’t guard me, not tonight. Why are you even trying?”: When Michael Jordan talked trash to the Heat star and delivered on the same

Raahib Singh
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"Voshon Lenard, you can’t guard me, not tonight. Why are you even trying?": When Michael Jordan talked trash to the Heat star and delivered on the same

Bulls legend Michael Jordan dished Heat forward Voshon Lenard a ton of trash and delivered upon the same as well

Throughout the 75 years of NBA, there hasn’t been a player who dished sh*t like Michael Jordan and actually owned up to it. The Bulls legend tried to find small things to hold against people and use it as motivation to take down any opponent.

Michael Jordan had a rare ability to flip a switch and level up his performance at any given moment in a contest. This is one of the things that struck fear in MJ’s opponents, along with his talent to back up his talk.

Also Read: “Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan would cuss and bring grown men in near tears”: Matt Barnes quizzes LeBron James on letting his teammates off the hook 

Another thing about Michael Jordan was his ability to remember the smallest incidents that occurred with a player in previous contests, and use it as motivation for the next time he faced them. Voshon Lenard faced the same first hand in 1998. He had talked sh*t after he ‘put the clamps’ on the Bulls’ legend in Game 4 of the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals.

“Let’s start from 0-0, see who scores all the points”: Michael Jordan to Voshon Lenard

In 1997, the Chicago Bulls were coming off an NBA record season, getting 72 wins and a championship. They were planning to repeat their success, and were in the ECF. Voshon Lenard seemed to put the clamps on Jordan in Game 4 of the series. MJ went 0/11 from the field in the first half, and attempted 15 FGs before making his first shot. Lenard challenged MJ to go 1-on-1 when the Heat were up 25. MJ cut the lead to 7 by the end of the game.

In 1998, when they met in the regular season, MJ remembered the same. He talked trash to Voshon right from the start.

“You can’t guard me. Not tonight. Why are you even trying?’”

Also Read: “Michael Jordan really dropped 36 on Shaq after dropping 64 points”: When the Bulls legend edged out a close one against Shaquille O’Neal and his Magic

Well, MJ did exactly what he said. He finished the game with a game-high 37 points, leading the Bulls to a 106-91 win. I guess the lesson to take home here is that you don’t talk sh*t to the GOAT, unless you are ready to face the heat.

About the author

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh

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Raahib Singh is an NBA Journalist and Content Strategist at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him towards TSR. He started playing basketball at 14 and has been following the NBA since 2013. His entry into the basketball world perfectly coincided with Stephen Curry putting the league on notice. Having followed the league for a long time, he decided to use his knowledge to become a sportswriter with The SportsRush in 2020. Raahib loves to put up some shots in his spare time, watch Cricket, Formula 1, and/or read a nice thriller.

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