Michael Jordan Kicking BAD BOYS’ ASSES on Christmas Day 34 Years Ago (1990.12.25)

Last week, at the Palace, Edward Strep in his first quarter. Marv Albert, Mike Fratello, Pat Riley. Again, the isolation. Four players on the opposite side of the floor from the players. Last night, his job has changed because he's double teamed and destroyed off the boards. Detroit's opponents usually shoot under 46%. Jordan off the stutter stick. There's Jordan. That's what you do when they try to trap you on the double team. You split it off the dribble. The last 2 and 12 of the last 15. Dumars, Strep, Twister. He has to stop his dribble penetration. Jordan. Yes, Dumars trying to play Grant. Or, in isolation, Jordan against Sally. Because Phil Jackson was yelling, calling for the illegal deep, and O'Donnell gave it to him, but took away a basket as a result. So the basket does not count. So the second's working down. Jordan gets to the circle and fires. Jordan, he sees Lambeer waiting for him, but he pulls up short of Lambeer's double team and knocks out the three. Remember last season, he got off to a great start shooting three-pointers. Everyone handles it differently. The key is the maturity level of the other players on the team if they want to make a big issue of it. Paxson and Jordan in the backcourt. Jordan lost it. Recovers. Get it up there and hope that it hits the rim. Instead, it hits nothing but net. With the shot clock running down, three right here.