11/05/24
February 26, 2002
Michael Jordan's getting knee surgury,: and his season could be over. Does this sink the Wizards? His career? Does this change what you think of his comeback?
posted by kirkaracha to basketball at 07:29 PM - 4 comments
This surprised me. I knew he was hurting, but this caught me off guard.That being said, he needs the rest. Badly. If the surgery is good, he should be back in 3 weeks, at most, and become reinvigorated. I don't see any teams struggling that aren't already, but let's run down the list. NJ---Milwaukee---Detroit---Boston---Orlando---Toronto---Indiana---Washington---Philadelphia---Charlotte---Miami NJ, Bucks, Philadelphia, and Boston are sealed. They're in the playoffs, no matter what seed. Detroit may falter, which is has done in the past (i.e. last month). McGrady's out for a bit and they've been inconsistent all season. Toronto's a fan favorite, and even more inconsistent that the Magic. That leaves Charlotte, who have been injured all season and are on the bubble, Miami, who have been surging as of late, the Pacers with their newly aquired personnel, and DC. If the Wiz can win 5 of their next 15, get MJ back fresh in late March, they'll make the eighth seed and play the Nets. They can't beat the Nets now; but we all now how good MJ is in the playoffs. Think Knicks in '99. They'll beat NJ in 5, play Toronto in the Semis, take it in 6, and then play either Milwaukee or Philly in the Conference finals. My prediction: a repeat of last year's NBA Finals. I love MJ, but he can't beat the Bucks or the Sixers.
posted by BlueTrain at 10:17 PM on February 26, 2002
I was fortunate enough to catch what just may have been Jordan's last great NBA performance Saturday at the sold-out game against the Heat. 37 points. It makes me feel both sad and honored to think about how things may turn out.
posted by NortonDC at 08:48 AM on February 27, 2002
Yeah, of course it sinks Le Boulez. Prediction: he's out for the rest of the year, Le Boulez is lucky to win 5 games. Did I ever mention I hate Le Boulez?
posted by PeteyStock at 01:45 PM on February 27, 2002
It's all a set-up. Debris gets cleaned out. He rests for 3-4 weeks, comes back fresh, leads them to the playoffs as a low seed. I just looked at the standings. Four weeks without Jordan won't put them out of the race. If they end up the 7 seed, they could conceivably play Detroit in the first round. Do you think a rested Michael Jordan could bet Detroit in the playoffs with minimal help from his team? Me too.