Twenty years ago this past Thursday -- on April 20, 1986 -- Michael Jordan did something unimaginable. In only his second year of professional basketball, he dropped 63 points on the untouchable Celtics at the most sacred of sports arenas: the Boston Garden ... during a playoff game.
That record still holds. Jordan's 63 will forever be one of the greatest moments in pro sports history, yet it's merely the prologue to the story of Jordan's 14-year supremacy over the NBA.
MJ made key shots, key assists and key decisions. The Bulls surrounded Jordan with niche players that complemented Jordan's unique abilities and made Chicago untouchable.
Their '95-96-season record of 72-10 is the most dominant full-season performance in pro basketball history, especially considering how saturated the NBA was with talent. His teammates were integral to every one of the 72 victories, but each peg ultimately hinged on MJ.
Still trying to emerge from Jordan's shadow, we find ourselves in the opening stages of the 2006 NBA Playoffs. You could make the case for any number of dominant players to win the MVP, from Dirk Nowitski to Gilbert Arenas to Ron Artest.
But all official accolades aside, there's something else that I, and many others, are always hoping to see on the court: another MJ. Can anyone even come close?
Last week, I suggested that a dominant figure in marathon running could help increase interest in the sport. This was clearly the formula David Stern rode in the '90s. Jordan was the face of the NBA, and more generally, the face of American competition.
Today, we have no cross-cultural equivalent. Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire are disgraces. The NFL relies on too many variables to credit just one player. And hockey, unfortunately, has become a backwater sport.
With its enormous domestic and global exposure, the NBA might be the last hope for putting a face on American athletics in the same way Jordan defined the competitive aspirations of an entire American generation.
Whittling down the group of successors to MJ's throne cautiously and selectively, I consider three active players on a trajectory to merit discussion in the same breath as His Airness.
While none of the three is -- or ever will be -- as great as Jordan, each of these guys is helping to redefine and give an identity to the NBA of a younger generation -- a generation that would only know the glory of an MJ baseline-jumper if they saw the '97 Playoffs rebroadcast on digital cable.
The "Three Active NBA Players with the Potential to Dominate Basketball like MJ" are Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. If you're upset I just put 'Melo on that list, let me quickly explain my decision.
'Melo is stubborn and distractible, but when the time for clutch play arrives, no one in the league delivers quite like he does. According to the statistics website 82games.com, 'Melo is 11-for-17 on game-winning shots in his career. To supply that with some context, compare that same stat with "clutch" Kobe's career 7-for-32.
LeBron, while focused and determined, still has some skills to fine tune. The numbers he put up this season have him on a path into the Pantheon of NBA legends, but it's going to take more than an opening playoff game triple-double to rival MJ.
LeBron has the talent to thrive, but only time will tell if he has the necessary determination to go from good to great. After all, Jordan didn't stick out his tongue to please the audiences behind the TV cameras.
While it hurts to say it, that leaves the much-hated Kobe Bryant as the most likely heir to MJ's throne. What Kobe did with Shaq and the Lakers over the past few years was admirable, but this year has redefined his career.
Surrounded by three throwaway players and Lamar Odom, Kobe has taken his team from a probable 20-win franchise disaster into a sleeper playoff contender. He scored 81 points by himself, practically mocking anyone on the court who thought he was slowing him down.If the Lakers manage to defeat the Suns, there will likely be no stopping Kobe Bryant.
The downside to his marketability is Kobe's seemingly irretrievable public image. Much of America still reviles him for the rape allegations, even if they don't necessarily think he did it.
But Jordan too had his share of skeletons in the closet. People still conspire that Jordan's father died as a result of his son's gambling debts.
But just as Jordan is still modeling for Hanes, so too have sponsors returned to showcasing Kobe. He seems to have given up on much of his old prima donna attitude.
Hopefully someday he'll fully repair his image and maximize his individual talents and team skills. Maybe then we will have a new ambassador for American basketball, and perhaps the American Dream in general.
