As the final episodes of The Last Dance approach, one of the main plot lines of last weekend’s episodes still ring in the ears of Seattle SuperSonics fans.
The 1996 NBA Finals between Michael Jordan’s Bulls and the SuperSonics was discussed.
Gary Payton guarded Jordan in Games 4-6, during which the Sonics won two straight before falling in Game 6 and losing the series 4-2.
Payton said he thinks his physical play tired Jordan out, which changed the series, though ultimately not the outcome.
In the interview, Jordan was given a tablet to watch Payton’s quote. Jordan laughed loudly and dismissively.
“I had no problem with The Glove,” Jordan said.
Gary Payton thought he found a way to get to MJ … Mike wasn't sweating the Glove 😂 #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/Z8NG7qN5hW
— ESPN (@espn) May 11, 2020
Stats show there might have been some trouble there.
Payton did not guard Jordan over the first three games of the series due to a calf injury. As he was still recovering from the tear, head coach George Karl decided to allow Payton to focus his energy on offense and not guard the best player in the world.
The Bulls went up 3-0. Jordan was averaging 31.0 points and 5.0 assists on 46% shooting from the field and 50% from deep.
Karl flipped the playbook, making Payton the primary defender of Jordan.
Jordan’s averages dropped to 23.7 points, 3.3 assists and 36.7% shooting from the field and only made one more 3-pointer in the series.
It’s a small sample size, and 23.7 points is still very good. Additionally, as Jay Williams pointed out on ESPN, those three games were right around Father’s Day, and as Jordan’s father had passed away three years prior that may have been affecting him psychologically.
Yet Jordan had only averaged fewer points than that once in his career, his second season in which he played just 25 minutes per game due to injury.
Old rivals also hadn’t played him as well. As CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn pointed out, the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons couldn’t contain him even with the “Jordan Rules.”
In 1988-1990, three straight years in which the Pistons knocked the Bulls out of the playoffs, Jordan averaged 27.4, 29.7 and 32.1 points per game, respectively, and shot at least 46% in all three series. When Jordan finally beat the Pistons in 1991, he posted 29.8 points on 53.5% shooting.
Quinn reviewed ways Payton disrupted Jordan: Not letting him jab step with his left foot, swiping while Jordan tried to go into the triple threat position, playing vicious off-ball defense and directing him into traffic when Jordan did have the ball.
None of that is to say Payton stopped the Bulls star. Jordan averaged nearly 24 points, by no means a small number, particularly when the winning team scored less than 90 points in Games 5 and 6. And in Game 5, Jordan did shoot 50% from the field.
But overall, compared to historical stats, Jordan’s numbers were not as good in the games when Payton was switched onto him.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYDlNV9W7No]
It’s no surprise that the highly competitive Jordan would argue otherwise. No one can in the world can match him or stop him. Over those six seasons in the 1990s, no one could.
But for those three games, Payton certainly seemed to make his life a little more difficult.
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