Tag: Gary Payton

21 people that can ruffle the feathers of every Oregon Ducks fan

There are just people that know what buttons to push for instant irritation. Here’s a list of those that do just that for most Duck fans.

For one reason or another, there are just certain people in this world that can push your buttons to cause instant irritation. For Oregon Duck fans, that list can be lengthy, and sometimes it’s through no fault of their own.

Whether if it’s just having that ability to defeat Oregon on a yearly basis, saying something derogatory towards the Ducks, or leaving them high and dry for their supposed “dream job,” a select group of people will forever be on the ****-list for Oregon fans.

This is a list of 20 people or entities that can put any Duck fan in a bad mood right away just by mentioning them. And while this list is in no particular order, we will mention first those that have really drawn the ire of every Oregon Duck fan young and old.

Gary Payton breaks down the Brooklyn Nets’ chances of winning it all

Gary Payton has some concerns about the Brooklyn Nets as we get closer to the playoffs. .

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson sat down with NBA legend Gary Payton on the Scoop B Radio podcast this week and asked how Payton’s 2004 Los Angeles Lakers team compares to the current Brooklyn Nets. Payton emphasized his squad played in a “different era” and that you “can’t compare us.”

Payton continued on to say that the Brooklyn Nets are more dynamic: “They shoot threes. Everyone has an opportunity.”

Payton was right. The three ball is more essential in today’s game and teams rely on the perimeter shot more than players back in his era in the early 2000’s. Furthermore, the minutes that went around on that Lakers squad weren’t as equitable as with Steve Nash’s team. Players like Bruce Brown, Landry Shamet, and Tyler Johnson have emerged as key pieces to this Nets squad when earlier in the season they were not given much of an opportunity. It was rare to get a similar chance to breakout as a key piece on Payton’s Lakers squad in 2004.

The Hall of Famer also didn’t shy away from showing his concern for the Brooklyn Nets and their chances of winning a championship: “What if one of them dudes get hurt – are they going to be able to share the ball when the playoffs come and they get down to possessions, not just going up and down.”

The answer to Payton’s questions will be revealed in a couple of weeks as we closer to the playoffs.

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On this day: Fred Roberts ‘drafted’; Gary Payton, Javonte Green born

On this day, the Boston Celtics lost Fred Roberts to the Miami Heat in the 1988 NBA Expansion Draft, and Gary Payton and Javonte Green were born.

On this day in 1988, the Boston Celtics lost power forward Fred Roberts in the 1988 NBA expansion draft, held to populate two new teams set to join the league that coming season, the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat.

Technically speaking, the Heat drafted Roberts with the fifth overall pick of the expansion draft, but immediately traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks for draft assets.

Roberts had come to the team in a trade from the Utah Jazz (for the pick that would become Billy Donovan, no less), where he would play two seasons for the storied franchise in a reserve role.

Roberts would average 5.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and an assist per game while with the team.

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Gary Payton wasn’t thrilled to see Michael Jordan laugh at him: ‘You know I was hot’

He wanted to call up Jordan.

Over the course of The Last Dance‘s airing, viewers were in for a treat whenever Michael Jordan was handed an iPad.

Jordan’s reactions on their own instantly became memes, which honestly made the entire documentary series that much more enjoyable.

Well, as long as you’re not Gary Payton.

During last week’s episodes, Payton explained how he felt he locked down Jordan in their Game 4 matchup of the 1996 NBA Finals. Jordan scored 23 points in the loss on 6 of 19 shooting. But when Jordan was handed the iPad to watch Payton discuss the defensive effort from that game, Jordan straight-up laughed at Payton.

That reaction, again, became a meme. And Payton wasn’t too thrilled to see Jordan dismiss his defensive effort. In an appearance on the Opinionated 7-Footers podcast, Payton said that he almost called up Jordan to confront him about the remark before deciding better of it.

Payton said:

“Oh you know I was hot. I was thinking about calling him at the time. … But you know what, that’s what I expect out of Mike because I would’ve said the same thing. I would’ve said the same thing. You know me, B. I’m not gonna admit to nothing, man. I’m not gonna admit to somebody that D’d me up or did nothing.

I’ll always tell you that any time in my career, nobody gave me problems but one person, and that’s John Stockton to me. That is just the way the game goes. I’m not mad at Mike because Mike didn’t have too many games that nobody D’d him up.”

Aw, he should have called Jordan. That would have been a conversation deserving of its own episode.

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Jordan said he had no problem with The Glove, but did Payton give him trouble?

Michael Jordan said he had no problem against The Glove, but stats show Gary Payton limited him more than he had been in previous Finals.

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.

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.

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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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Gary Payton felt he slowed down Michael Jordan in 1996 NBA Finals

Gary Payton thought he was slowing down Michael Jordan in the 1996 NBA Finals, but he clearly thought wrong.

In his prime, Gary Payton was one of the NBA’s best defenders. Payton had won the 1996 Defensive Player of the Year. He’s fourth all-time in steals. He was on the All-Defensive team nine times during his 17-year career.

But some players, when they’re truly at their best, just cannot be stopped. Michael Jordan was one of those players.

Payton and Jordan made for a comical segment Sunday during Episode 8 of “The Last Dance,” the documentary that’s capturing the attention of sports fans.

The 1996 Chicago Bulls were playing the Seattle SuperSonics in that year’s NBA Finals. Payton and Shawn Kemp led Seattle, and despite starting the series down 3-0, the Sonics won Game 4 and Game 5. Payton felt his defense on Jordan was a factor in the series.

“A lot of people backed down to Mike,” Payton said on the episode, per ESPN. “I didn’t. I made it a point. I said, ‘just tire him out. Tire the (expletive) out of him. You just gotta tire him out. And I kept hitting him and banging him and hitting and banging him. It took a toll on Mike.”

Jordan laughed at Payton thinking he was slowing him down. Later in the clip, Jordan made it clear that Payton’s defense didn’t affect him.

“The Glove,” Jordan said. “I had no problem with The Glove.”

Perhaps Jordan was relatively contained in Game 4, when he scored 23 points and shot 31.6% from the field in the Bulls’ 107-86 loss. Jordan scored 22 points and shot 26.3% from the field in Game 6, but the Bulls still won 87-75 to earn their fourth championship in six years.

Jordan averaged 27.3 points per game and shot 41.5% from the field in that Finals. He grabbed 5.3 rebounds a game and dished 4.2 assists.

Though he had two average games by his standards, Jordan and his Bulls were too good that season — they weren’t going to lose to anyone.

 

Michael Jordan laughing at Gary Payton’s defensive claim quickly became a meme

Michael Jordan is become the meme GOAT.

Michael Jordan was already one legendary meme before “The Last Dance” starting airing on ESPN. Now each week it seems like his reactions to things on the show are quickly catching up to the “Crying Jordan” meme.

Jordan’s latest perfect reaction came during Sunday night’s second episode. The producer gave him a tablet to watch as Gary Payton explained how he shut down Jordan in Game 4 of the 1996 NBA Finals and things would have been different if he had covered Jordan for the first three games of the series, which were all wins for the Bulls.

Jordan found that claim to be very funny:

Twitter did its thing:

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Gary Payton picked Marcus Smart as the player he’d play 1-on-1 today

Former Celtic guard Gary Payton revealed Boston’s Marcus Smart as the player he’d most like to play 1-on-1 in today’s NBA.

Former Boston Celtics point guard Gary Payton was on the back nine of his career when he was dealt to Boston in 2004, but well before than he’d established a reputation as being one of the best two-way players in the NBA.

A lethal scorer whose defense was so good, the nickname “the Glove” was bestowed on him for how tightly he’d cover opponents, Payton knows what it takes to excel on both sides of the ball.

When he was recently asked on the “All the Smoke” podcast who he’d most like to go one-on-one against out of all the players in the league today, he chose a current member of his penultimate stop in the NBA:

“Marcus Smart, from Boston.”

Why the Texan defensive specialist, who has only recently found his way as a shooter?

“I want to go at him, man — he’s got a little bit of a dog [in him]. I think me and him might have a real good battle, man.”

It’s undeniable the Oklahoma State product is one of the game’s fiercest competitors, and in many ways mirrors elements of Payton in his prime in that respect.

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Payton would also like to go up against Los Angeles Clippers defensive stalwart Patrick Beverly — but judging by the past, it might rub the Clippers guard the wrong way to have been mentioned in the same sentence by the legendary point guard.

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How much did Michael Jordan outscore fellow NBA legends in their matchups?

Even if not the top scorer in NBA history, Michael Jordan is probably the best scorer we’ve seen on a basketball court. It was not very often that an opponent (or a teammate) put more points on the board than him. Actually, only one player outscored …

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Even if not the top scorer in NBA history, Michael Jordan is probably the best scorer we’ve seen on a basketball court. It was not very often that an opponent (or a teammate) put more points on the board than him.

Actually, only one player outscored MJ in their matchups during his Chicago years. And then he did it again when His Airness was a member of the Wizards…

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Round 2: SuperSonics/Thunder March Madness bracket

The second round of the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder March Madness bracket is underway.

Round Two: ’79 vs. ’19 / ’96 vs. ’05 / ’12 vs. ’93 / ’16 vs. ’20

In the first round of voting to decide the best SuperSonics or Thunder team in the organization’s history, the recent teams did much better than their older opponents.

Most notably, the No. 12 2020 Thunder team upset the No. 5 1998 Sonics.

In Round 2, there are no more byes, meaning the NBA Champion 1979 SuperSonics, the 1993 Gary Payton/Shawn Kemp team, the Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook-James Harden Thunder and the final Durant-Westbrook team are competing.

The following pages have a description of each team followed by a poll to vote for the winner.

Round One: Closed March 23, 11:59 p.m.
Round Two: Closes March 27, 11:59 p.m.
Semifinals: Closes March 31, 11:59 p.m.
Championship: Closes April 4, 11:59 p.m.

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