John Konagel
English
Ms. Lunz
19 April 2018
1990’s Basketball
In the 1990’s, the NBA, also known as the National Basketball Association, was very popular and was the most exciting sport to exist. It was the most viewed sport on television and many people attended each game to watch the excitement. The most talented player ever, Michael Jordan, played for the Chicago Bulls at this time. He carried the Bulls to many championships and he’s known not only for his talents, but for his courtesy of others. He has donated much money to charity in the past. Watching Michael Jordan play basketball is very entertaining because he does so many amazing tricks and plays that you would never even expect someone to do. The 1990’s seasons for basketball was the best basketball seasons ever because they had the most talented players, who were more physical, played very clean with no intention to hurt another player, and there were some of the best rivalries ever at the time.
In the 1990’s seasons, there were many talented basketball players. Michael Jordan, John Stockton, and Scottie Pippen are just some of the better players. These players made a huge impact on the NBA. Michael Jordan showed pride for his team. Michael would show up six hours early to shoot around and get ready for his games. As the article says,” Michael made the NBA much more exciting, averaging 26 points every game”NBAFacts). Also, Michael Jordan cared for the community. “Michael Jordan is going public with his largest philanthropic gift, donating $7 million to establish two medical clinics in troubled Charlotte communities”(The Washington Post).Scottie Pippen, also a member of the Chicago Bulls, tagged along with Michael and also showed up early. John Stockton, a member of the Utah Jazz, donated money to charity all the time. He spent most of his time on the basketball court, or thinking of ideas for new charities. The NBA has changed in so many ways since then.
In the 1990’s basketball got much more physical. For example, your were able to push the opponent without being called a foul. Today’s basketball you would be called a foul right away, unless the referee did not see the contact. Basketball is known to be a physical sport, but in the 1990’s, it was way more physical than it should’ve been, making it more exciting. As another article says, “The NBA fan base grew rapidly as the games got more physical and they were always close” (NBAFranchise). One of the more physical players was Magic Johnson, a 6’9” center. He was known for catching much attention for the NBA, acting in many commercials. He was one main reason for the physical aspect becoming so popular.
Today, in 2018, basketball can be a very dirty sport. Many people get seriously injured while playing basketball. Of course, you can get hurt by playing any sport, but basketballs rate of injuries is growing over the years. In the 1990´s, there were not nearly as many injuries as there were today. As a news reporter gathered information on this topic, he said ¨Over the past 10 years, the injury rate has grown by 10 percent, which 5 percent is intentional.¨ The NBA players should be specifically picked to be on these teams for their sportsmanship, attitude, and skill. Also, people need to take action on keeping these players safe and helping the injuries.
In the 1990’s, there were so many rivalries at the time. The Chicago Bulls outplayed mostly every team they would face, but the one team they had trouble with was the Detroit Pistons. The Detroit Pistons had many good players, such as Isaiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman. These players made the Pistons a very good team and the Chicago Bulls had trouble while facing them, losing 3 games to them on the season. In 1996, the Bulls finished the regular season with a 72-10 record, a record-breaking team that went down in history. The Chicago Bulls could not wait for the next season so they can get revenge on their rivals. “The NBA in the 1990’s was not only the best basketball decade ever, but it was the most entertaining also. The NBA is completely different nowadays, and many people wish it could be like it used to be. The fans back then showed prosperity and gratitude for the sport. Many of them attended many games because it was fun to watBulls finish season with all-time best 72-10 record”(ChicagoTribune). Another rival in the NBA at the time was the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. The Bulls and the Knicks met six times in the postseason between 1989 and 1995, and the Bulls were victorious in five of those series. The Knicks' only victory in the series came in the 1994 playoffs, one of the two seasons that Jordan left the Bulls in his attempt to play baseball. Michael Jordan went to the MLB and played for the Chicago White Sox, but then decided to go back to basketball. Also, one more rival is the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met in the NBA Finals 12 times, and many of the battles have been classics. These are the only two teams that have ever met more often to decide their league championship in any professional sport. The Celtics won the first eight times the two teams met for the title, but the Lakers have won three of the last four championship matchups. Nowadays, these two teams collide all of the time in the NBA, but the games are always close.