Why Was Jordan the Best in NBA History?

At a time when LeBron James has started to match some of Michael Jordan's records people have started to wonder if the Cleveland Cavaliers star is actually better than Jordan. After all he has matched and surpassed some of Jordan's records and he is still in his prime, which means that other records will go down as well. That's why it's always useful to remind ourselves of just how good Michael was when he was playing whenever we can.

Jordan was the epitome of the complete player and he could play both in defense and in offense and if teams these days had him in their roster they would be safe betting pick every game. Basketball Betting will have to be redefined as Jordan will most certainly lead his team to as many victories as he could, just like did in the mid-nineties when the Chicago Bulls went through a 82 game season with only 10 defeats.

In this article we will look at three things which made Michael the greatest player ever and why players such as LeBron James and the like will have to work their socks off if they want to ever reach his level.

An All Round Player

Michael Jordan was not just a great offensive player as many people these days think when they compare him to players such as Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. Even though he averaged 30 points per game he was one of the best defenders in the league when in his prime. In fact he was voted as the Defensive Player of the Year in 1988 and he was part of the All Defensive Team 9 times.

These are staggering defensive achievements for one of the best offensive players the league has ever seen and are backed by the fact that he had 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block per game, which is a trademark of a top quality defensive player.

Had a Mean Streak

There are many basketball players who have all the talent in the world, but when the going gets tough they turn into meek players which wobble under pressure. Michael Jordan was lucky enough to not be this type of player mainly because of the period he played in.

Before Jordan won his first Championship he had to learn to find a way to battle the extremely nasty, tough and dirty team of Detroit Pistons. They were famous for provoking opposition players rather than trying to play them and if ever Jose Mourinho managed a basketball team, that Pistons team would be it. However, once Jordan learned how to overcome their controversial style of play he became a better player and enriched his playing style with a mean streak which served him a lot in crucial games where talent went out the door.

Perfect Decision Making

Jordan was the master of game deciding clutch shots and whenever he had the ball and time was running out you just knew that he would make the perfect shot or assist to decide the game.