‘I’m not going to lose here’: 1988, Jordan and the best All-Stars in history

It’s always cold in Chicago in February. But February 7, 1988, was frigid even by Lake Michigan shore standards. a lot of: “I remember it being the coldest day in the history of the city,” Dr. Rivers said years later.who is now the coach of the Bucks and who was the coach then All-Star Representing the Eagles…and his hometown of Chicago. Like Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre and Maurice Cheeks.Huge and ancient stadium, demolished for broadcast in 1995 CNN Bulls and Blackhawks (NHL) fans were in tears as the game was in bad shape due to bad weather. Yes, it’s in Chicago, but it was built in 1929 after all. Costing $9.5 million, it was once the largest indoor sports venue in the world and the first indoor sports venue with similar facilities. So crude that some games ended with growing fog on the court. It also has a pipe organ with 3,663 pipes and six keyboards, as well as parquet floors, and its centerpiece is located in Michael Jordan’s Carolina mansion. It was, or rather it boasted to be, the loudest place in American sports, as a plaque next to the United Center (now the Pavilion) still reminds us: “1929-1994: Remembering the Roar“. Remember the roar.

At the stadium, the Bulls only closed the first ring 3 Peat (1991-93), the one against the Trail Blazers in 1992, just before Michael Jordan and others dream team They will plan the final base for the NBA’s global expansion in Barcelona. They won the 1991 championship in Los Angeles and the 1993 championship in Phoenix.Then there’s Jordan’s retirement and return, the transfer, the United Center and the second 3 Peat (1996-98). The stadium was and is a part of Chicago sports history. And the weather is very, very cold, Over the weekend of February 7th and 8th, Michael Jordan asked the world to ask themselves a question:

Can people fly?

Within a few days (this was before the Internet, mobile phones, social networks, viruses…) Photo of Michael Jordan flying around stadium goes viral around the world It was destined to be like this, and it was fixed in the collective memory of an era, symbolizing the NBA’s great leap forward into the future. Bulls photographer Bill Smith captured a side angle that suggested Jordan may have landed unintentionally.Front and below, perspective view of the stadium scoreboard and ads for Gatorade, Coca-Cola and Winston, photographed by Walter Loos, via Sports Illustrated. He used a trick: Not satisfied with the photo from the 1987 game, he agreed with Jordan that it He’ll touch one knee or the other depending on where he’s attacking the rim from, so he’s always in the best position. To Los’ surprise, Jordan followed suit to the letter.

Jordan won the Legends Dunk Contest on Saturday night, kicking off his yet-to-be All-Star Game Rising Starskills competition, competition celebrity…the NBA focuses all its stars on dunk and three-point contests all star game, East and West, There is still enough competitive muscle left, which is the X factor that cannot be recovered afterwards., is not complete, no matter how many formats continue to be tested.But in Chicago in 1988, the narrative that captivated a generation was nearing maturity, with the battle between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and Jordan’s (literal) bad boy From Detroit.The stars are already shining brightly, but the distance is still far away: 92 years away from Barcelona and several years away from the internationalization of the NBA, let alone league pass and social networks.this all star weekend At the time, they were like the passing of comets, not to be missed if only because they were unusual. To be extraordinary. None compare to the 1988 one.

When Larry Bird was unbeatable

Until 1989 in Houston, there was no 3-Point Contest champion other than Larry Bird, who won the first three editions before leaving the throne to Chicago finalist Dale Ellis. At that time (1987-88: still in prehistoric form due to his playing style) Bird only attempted 3.1 three-pointers per game and made 1.3. But the image of him next to a car, wearing a Celtics jacket, ended up becoming a metaphor for surgical precision. murderess: Bird was unmatched. Michael Cooper always remembers walking into the locker room in Chicago and asking the other participants if they already knew “who was going to finish second.”. As soon as the ball left his hand on his final, game-winning shot, he raised his index finger to the sky.

Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas are two of them bosses As the NBA continues to grow, it’s become a tradition for other stars to squeeze into the front row during games. Especially when it comes to matte time, The NBA introduced the concept in Denver in 1984 and it was an unquestionable successLarry Nance scored two goals to derail a seemingly triumphant victory for the legendary Julius Erving, who switched between the two leagues as the game shifted. The collision in Chicago of Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, two of the NBA’s top scorers at the time, had all the ingredients to go down in history before the Finals. A perfect storm: Wilkins won in 1985 jordan and then rookie He even had to ask his agent what he had to wear to the game.. Then Jordan was injured and missed the ’86 game (Spud Webber won), and Wilkins missed the ’87 game (Jordan won). This great rivalry was thought about for three years, a clash in the skies of Chicago involving players who were actually great killers: Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey , Spud Webb, Greg Anderson and his Otis Smith Jordan after the overwhelming drink of the first round. Mission impossible.

In the finals, Wilkins and Jordan traded impossible dunks, the first one being his. tomahawkthe explosion always seemed an inch away from shattering the dashboard; the second had a feline perspective effect and apparently illogical leaps. Dominic himself remembers the atmosphere as “mysterious”The result was a controversial final dunk in which the Hawks forward (who many jurors paid tribute to Chicago and Jordan) dunked hard with both hands, leaped with both feet and caught the ball from low, scoring just 45 points.Very few…remaining fractions Everything is waiting for Michael Jordan to score 50 points, a perfect score, and become the champion.

And, after his first failed attempt, Jordan almost flew out of the line of personnel, after pushing past photographers on the other side of the track for more runs. Air Jordan, the king of the air, didn’t have much practice in his dunks, which were almost instantaneous choices.Admittedly, he was nervous for the first time in the game at that moment, and his mind was made up when he saw Irving, who had been taken off the roster during the game, gesturing to him from the stands. With that unforgettable dunk, he not only won the 1988 game, but also etched himself in the collective memory.for many people It’s Jordan. When he scored 63 points against the Celtics in the 1986 playoffs, Larry Bird said: God dressed as a basketball player. Later, his first ring didn’t arrive until 1991.but On February 7, 1988, in this stadium, Jordan and the NBA finally took off.

A day later, Wilkins (who controversially won the dunk contest against Kenny Smith in 1990, this time working in his favor) and Jordan defeated an equally strong Eastern Conference team 138-133. Western Conference Team.on the one hand Big Three From the Celtics (Bird, McHale, Parish), Jordan, Wilkins, Isiah, Doc Rivers and Doherty; on the other side is the golden trio of the Lakers (Magic, Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Malone, Drexler, Aguirre, Fat Man, English… Sneak into the zodiac signs of every home in the world and change everything forever It’s irrefutable proof that the NBA has come a long way since its first All-Star Game in Chicago in 1973. At that time, Dave Cowens won the MVP with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Fifteen years later, Michael Jordan scored 16 points in the last 5 minutes and 51 seconds, finishing with 40 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 blocks.and fight during breaksdespite the East leading on the scoreboard, but for those who didn’t take this game seriously: ““I won’t lose in this building”. I won’t lose in this pavilion.

Karl Malone scores 22 points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar passes Oscar Robertson as All-Star leading scorer, this brand was maintained until 2003.and Magic Johnson had 19 assists for the West and Isiah Thomas had 15 assists for the East, eight of which were directed at Michael Jordan, who was crowned the new king in front of Chicago, the NBA and the world, the player who changed everything on and off the court. In 1988, for many it was the best all star weekend Always reminds us of a question we never thought to ask ourselves: Can people fly?