Crossover Chronicles is a relatively new blog, so we decided it was a good idea to introduce you to the crew. We’re doing that in a new feature called “Writer-Palooza.” For the next few days, we will feature one writer, introducing him to you via an original piece, his favorite basketball video, and a wildcard post on any topic that he wants.
Today we feature Philip Rossman-Reich. You can find him on Twitter here.
I never understood the obsession with Michael Jordan. I never bowed down to his greatness.
Before dismissing me as blasphemous (that will come later), understand where I am coming from. I got to see Jordan in his prime, but never got to understand Jordan in his prime. Basketball was still about good and bad teams to me at that age. I had not learned the nuances of the game. The fierce determination Jordan had within him. The way he created space using his athleticism and smarts. The beauty of that fade-away shot.
All that had not registered for me yet.
The game was still simple.
And my lasting image of Jordan was not him kicking his leg out on that fadeaway, or flying from the free throw line or draining that jumper over the Utah Jazz. No, the lasting image of Michael Jordan for me, and probably a whole bunch of Magic fans too, is tied to the lasting image I have of Nick Anderson.
For Magic fans, Nick Anderson is not the guy who missed four free throws with a chance to win Game One of the 1995 NBA Finals. Nick Anderson is, and always will be, the man who showed us how mortal Michael Jordan was.
A lot of people believe that series is what spurred Michael on that offseason to get back to his pre-baseball level. Jordan obviously took things to another level.
But being a contender at that time, you grew to hate the player whom many believe is the greatest. The Magic’s franchise was likely changed forever by Jordan’s return. Would Orlando have started that dynasty and battled Utah in 1997 and 1998? Would the Magic have taken the 1996 crown over the Supersonics if Jordan had stayed out of basketball? Would Shaquille O’Neal have left the team?
These questions knaw at Magic fans. The whole complexion of the NBA would have changed in the last decade.
As they said in Lost, “What happened, happened.” There is no sense going back in time and trying to hash out the what-if scenarios. All we have left is our memories and perceptions of events.
Jordan was great. As I grew up, I wished I appreciated his play more and were not blinded by the what-ifs and fandom of my youth.
The moment Nick Anderson stole the ball still lives on though as the image I have of Jordan. A painful reminder that even the immortal make costly mistakes.
