Michael Jordan's Flu Game

[Tribal Warfare]

24 years ago today, Michael Jordan gave us the "Flu Game."

Stuart Scott's highlight will always be 💯 pic.twitter.com/ZP2tYdjKNP

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 11, 2021

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Why would he need to? He had 3 HOFers brought to him by the GM he oddly despised. The mid to late 90s Bulls were the most stacked team in history other than the KD Warriors.

What a dumb statement. Krause traded for Pippen before he was ever anything. He became the player he was WITH the Bulls. Rodman came there for the second 3 peat because no one else wanted him and they badly needed a rebounder.

Jordan didn’t get together with Barkley and a few other guys and say ‘hey, let’s all go form a super team and dominate the NBA’. He wanted to prove it on his OWN team. He desired to BEAT the best, not join them to beat others. He wanted to beat Barkley (which he did, the year Barkley won MVP and the Suns had the best record in the NBA). Jordan never attempted to take the easy way out (like you know who did) by leaving Chicago and going somewhere where a new GM would simply acquiesce to his every desire.

Jordan was very arrogant, but he was also prideful and stubborn and wanted to do it his way. He wanted to win so badly he made everyone else around him on the Bulls miserable half the time. But they all got to reap the benefits of 6 titles by him doing things his way. Even if they had to put up with his B.S.

You never saw Jordan walk off the court pouting before the end of a game, because it wasn’t in his nature. He would just quietly stare at his opponent and tell them, sometimes verbally, you may have gotten me this time but I will ****ing bury your ass next time I see you. That was Jordan, like him or hate him. But you had to respect him. He wanted to win more than anyone else did, which is why he never lost an NBA Finals and dominated the NBA for almost a decade span.

You can have all the numbers and everything else. I’m sure a LOT of guys will have better numbers than Jordan when it’s all said and done. Part of that is Jordan only played 14 full NBA season. Part of it is Jordan didn’t really care about numbers. They were merely circumstantial. He cared about them only from the standpoint of translating to wins on the basketball court. That’s all the dude wanted to do: win. And if others around him didn’t want it as bad as him it pissed him off. So he pushed you till you did. Even if it made you miserable.

And that’s why the ‘flu game’ is so great. It was such a big moment, in a game the Bulls REALLY did need to win to guarantee another of those 6 titles. Whether he had the ‘flu’ or food poisoning or whatever, it didn’t matter. He just wanted to win and he was going to do everything he could to make sure it happened.

That is why MOST consider him the greatest and always will.

The guy, much like our own Patrick Mahomes, is all about winning more than anything else. Numbers are great, but their meaningless if you don’t finish on top. That’s who Jordan was through and through.

It’s why we’re so lucky to have a guy like Mahomes and should be thankful every day that he landed in KC!

[staylor26]

The only reason that team is remotely comparable to KD’s Warriors is because MJ was so ****ing good/dominant. That team doesn’t win 1 championship without him, more or less 6.

How many HOFers has Lebron played with throughout his career?

[ChiefsCountry]

NBA players were trying in the 90s to create super teams. Barkley wanted to go the Bulls in 1996. Krause wouldn't give up Kukoc for him. We all know its bullshit when they say they wouldn't do it because you know they would if they had the opportunities like now.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Even if this were true, which I have never read anything confirming this (Barkley to Bulls), Sir Charles was near the end of his career and not by any means in his prime. Lots of guys had been doing this in the NBA for years (signing with better teams at the end of their career to try and win a ring before they retired). It wasn’t about forming a ‘super team’. It was ring shopping for an aging veteran, nothing more. Barkley MAY have wanted to go to the Bulls (who just won their first title in the second 3 peat) in 96, I don’t know, but not sure the interest was mutual. You noticed Barkley ended up signing with the Houston Rockets. The team that had won 2 of the past 3 NBA Titles.

Barkley was ring chasing at the end of his career. Nothing more. Had nothing to do with the Bulls or Jordan.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

It's at the point where Ken pom connection simply can't be in a thread even remotely connected to Bron

[ChiefsFanatic]

Originally Posted by BossChief

1) he didn’t have the flu. He was hungover snd possibly had food poisoning.

2) he’s the best athlete/competitor I’ve seen. That includes Mahomes, but Pat has time to catch/pass him.

Jordan bent other teams to his will, and defeated them in their hearts and minds before beating them on the court.

And when he did beat them on the court, he left absolutely no doubt who was the best player.

Kobe is the closest thing to MJ that we will probably ever see, and people forget that Jordan became a mentor to Kobe almost immediately when he entered the NBA.

LeBron is good, but regardless of athletic skill, it's the lack of intangibles that will always put James on the losing side of any argument over who is the GOAT.

Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

NBA players were trying in the 90s to create super teams. Barkley wanted to go the Bulls in 1996. Krause wouldn't give up Kukoc for him. We all know its bullshit when they say they wouldn't do it because you know they would if they had the opportunities like now.

Of course, but MJ didn't need to create a "super team" when he already had 3 HOFers on that team (Pippen, Rodman, Kukoc). That's a bit of a different situation than having Mo Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas be your wing men for half a decade.

[smithandrew051]

Originally Posted by Coogs

And yet if Draymond Green had played game 5, Golden State probably wins that championship.

I’m no Lebron dick rider, but you could also ask what would’ve happened the previous year if Kyrie and Love stayed healthy.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

That’s great that Toni is getting inducted, but let’s be real: he was nothing more than a role player on Jordan’s Bulls. His induction is based on his international career and just happening to be a part of Jordan’s team. But mostly the international success. It’s why you have guys like Vlade Divac and Dino Radja in the NBA Hall of Fame. Those guys ‘changed the game’ by making the decision to come to the NBA and bring their style to the NBA game. It’s not like any of them ever dominated in the NBA or even sniffed an MVP trophy, etc.

And even if you wanna use that lame comparison for the second 3 peat, how do you explain the first one? Jordan literally had nothing but role players outside of Pippen. And again, it’s not like Pippen was anything before he landed with the Bulls. He became the player he was because of being on Michael Jordan’s Bulls. I love Pip, but Michael helped make Pip who he was and once Pippen became that guy, he was finally able to help Jordan get over the hump (beating the Bad Boys and ultimately, winning a title).

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by TomBarndtsTwin

That’s great that Toni is getting inducted, but let’s be real: he was nothing more than a role player on Jordan’s Bulls. His induction is based on his international career and just happening to be a part of Jordan’s team. But mostly the international success. It’s why you have guys like Vlade Divac and Dino Radja in the NBA Hall of Fame. Those guys ‘changed the game’ by making the decision to come to the NBA and bring their style to the NBA game. It’s not like any of them ever dominated in the NBA or even sniffed an MVP trophy, etc.

And even if you wanna use that lame comparison for the second 3 peat, how do you explain the first one? Jordan literally had nothing but role players outside of Pippen. And again, it’s not like Pippen was anything before he landed with the Bulls. He became the player he was because of being on Michael Jordan’s Bulls. I love Pip, but Michael helped make Pip who he was and once Pippen became that guy, he was finally able to help Jordan get over the hump (beating the Bad Boys and ultimately, winning a title).

Throwing Kukoc in there just goes to show how disingenuous KCC really is.

Because if we were to mention Kevin Love he’d act like it’s a joke.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by staylor26

Throwing Kukoc in there just goes to show how disingenuous KCC really is.

Because if we were to mention Kevin Love he’d act like it’s a joke.

Yeah, super disingenuous, for multiple reasons.

One being that we all know why Toni made the NBA Hall of Fame. It wasn’t for his on the court NBA success. Two: Jordan (and Pippen, for that matter) never wanted Toni there. He was Krause’s boy. There was a big rift over that at one point.

Player whose name I won’t mention anymore in this thread openly lobbied for the Cavs GM to go and get Love and bring him there. Love was already an established borderline NBA star (was NBA All-Second Team in 2014 with Timberwolves) and was a known commodity, unlike Kukoc who had never played an NBA game when he joined the Bulls. And, again, wasn’t even wanted on the team by Jordan.


But he knows all this and is just trolling at this point. I suppose I should stop taking the bait.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by lcarus

Lebron has 1 impressive championship. It's a damn impressive championship. Coming back to beat that Golden State team and giving the Cavaliers a title was one of the best championships in NBA history.

Lebron should've stayed with Cleveland. If he stayed there and won a fist full of rings, his legacy would look so much better to me.

Except no prime stars wanted to join him in Cleveland, which is why he left the first time.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Except no prime stars wanted to join him in Cleveland, which is why he left the first time.

And the only reason he went back was because they drafted Kyrie Irving and had a nice asset for a trade in Wiggins to go get a guy like Love.

[Spott]

Originally Posted by TomBarndtsTwin

Yeah, super disingenuous, for multiple reasons.

One being that we all know why Toni made the NBA Hall of Fame. It wasn’t for his on the court NBA success. Two: Jordan (and Pippen, for that matter) never wanted Toni there. He was Krause’s boy. There was a big rift over that at one point.

Player whose name I won’t mention anymore in this thread openly lobbied for the Cavs GM to go and get Love and bring him there. Love was already an established borderline NBA star (was NBA All-Second Team in 2014 with Timberwolves) and was a known commodity, unlike Kukoc who had never played an NBA game when he joined the Bulls. And, again, wasn’t even wanted on the team by Jordan.

I had no idea that they put Kukoc in the HOF. He wasn’t even a starter for the Bulls when they won their last three championships. He was a good scorer at times but generally a liability on defense, and most definitely not HOF worthy.

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by Holladay

I don't know. I had the flu once. I thought as I walked up the stairs, this is what it is going to feel like when I am 80 yro.

If, indeed, he did have the flu, it must have been VERY minor or as others have suggested, food poisoning (if that was the case, why not just come out and say that) or extreme hung over (wouldn't want to say THAT).

There was probably good acting for any of the above.

Just not the flu.

I remember watching the game live and I vaguely thought he blamed his problem on a bad slice of pizza from a sidewalk vendor. Were they really calling it a flu at the time.

Too lazy to search, but would someone as competitive as MJ really be that hungover for such an important playoff game?