26
May
I was going to transcribe this entire interview between Pat Riley and Michael Jordan, but it would eat up the first part of this long weekend. The clip was shown at halftime of a Lakers Western Conference playoff game against Portland in 1991. This was BEFORE MJ won his first title.
In the interview he discusses:
-Overcoming the Pistons and their physical play.
-The only thing that could ever humble him.
-Winning the MVP and how much it meant to him to get the award that season from his teammates (he had won an MVP already in his seminal ‘88 season when he took home the MVP, DPOY and all-star game MVP).
-Being a role model (and the fact Sir Chuck doesn’t want to be a role model). He also elaborates on celebrity.
-Participation in the 1992 Olympics, which he hadn’t signed on for yet.
-Playing Portland or Los Angeles in the Finals.
-If there’s anybody he fears on the court (you can probably answer that one).
-And when asked what it would mean if he didn’t win a title?
“I’m not gonna look back on my career and say it was tarnished because I never won a championship.”
Don’t worry Mike, you don’t have to. You won that first title just a couple weeks later.
With no games tonight, this is a must watch. Provides some very good perspective.
via nbaoffseason
via upnorthtrips