When MVPs Promote Narratives

Introduction

The Most Valuable Player, is arguably the most prestigious title of professional basketball-along with the championship. Every top player wants to get it. It’s one of the immediate things that people point to when they speak about the accomplishments of all time great players. Being considered the most valuable player in the league is a confirmation of your dominance. When someone becomes the MVP of the league, they’re essentially on top of the world.
Unfortunately, there’s a side effect of the award. This award has historically been used as a “narrative builder”. The NBA doesn’t want one player to look like they’re head and shoulders above everyone else in the league. Whenever someone was dominating to insurmountable levels, the league would step in and come up with a narrative that someone else is a “threat” to their legacy. They would then start ranking them high in MVP voting-even awarding them the honor. Therefore planting the seeds of a feud and a “narrative” of equal talent between the opposing player.

Part 1: Wilt Chamberlain Out Narrated
Section 1: Wilt The Stilt Buckles To Russell

Wilt Chamberlain came in as a rookie, dominating the league in ways that had never been seen before. He led the league in scoring, rebounding, and minutes. The Philadelphia Warriors in 1958-59 had a losing record (32-40) and didn’t make the playoffs due to their lack of a big man. In 1960, with Wilt Chamberlain being the dominant big man (giving elite playmaker, Guy Rogers, much needed low post help), the Warriors posted a 49-26 record. They reached the playoffs as the 2nd seed in the Eastern Division. The NBA was so stunned with this scenario, that the NBA awarded him the regular season MVP.
As a rookie, Wilt put the league on notice. His freakish athleticism, rebounding abilities, shot blocking abilities, ability to carry the scoring load, and contribution for his team. All of it was too much to bare. No one in the NBA looked like they were on his level. This was great for entertainment purposes, but awful for the league. If he doesn’t have any competition, what’s the point of watching. The reason fans watch the sport is to see how players and teams compete. Yet, no one was able to compete on his level. The NBA had a cure for that. They found small holes in his game and used a player as a shield against him.
-Despite Wilt being a great regular season player, he constantly choked and underperformed in the playoffs-case in point, the usage of Jerry West. West was known as “Mr. Clutch” for his game winning and game tying shots.
-What’s more important? Dominating on both sides of the ball? Or having an all around game? It’s really your perspective. If you pick 2 way players, you’ll go with Wilt. If you want versatility, you would go with Oscar Robertson. Similar to Wilt, he had high scoring numbers, high rebounding numbers, and high minutes. However, unlike Wilt, Robertson had a great free throw percentage and high assist numbers.
-While Wilt played the role of “individual juggernaut”, Russell played the role of “team juggernaut”. Russell’s Celtics were winning more than anyone else in the entire league. Basketball, mind you, is a team game. So one could say that Russell is the best, considering he had the best success while being the captain of his team.
These perspectives led to Jerry West becoming the silhouette of the NBA logo. This led to Oscar Robertson becoming the MVP in 1964. But most importantly, Bill Russell was used as a shield against Wilt. Manufacturing a rivalry between the 2. Russell won the MVP 3 consecutive years from 1961-1963. After Robertson won his MVP in 64, Russell won another one in 1965. Russell won 4 MVPs in 5 years, forcing him into the conversation of best in the league and later on adding him into the “greatest of all time” conversation.

Section 2: A Resurgence For Wilt
Wilt Chamberlain was put through the ringer in order to win his MVPs. He had to improve his shooting-developing a mid range jumper and becoming a turnaround shooter. He became a facilitator in the middle of his career, running the team’s offense. He later turned his team into one of the top in the league (offensively, defensively, and record-wise) and even became a champion. This heavy change in game and approach made it impossible for the NBA to deny him any longer. From 1966-1968, Wilt won 3 consecutive titles, finally putting himself back on top.
Unfortunately, now fans and media critics have a reason to argue against Wilt as the GOAT. Whenever Wilt fans argue for his case as the GOAT, NBA fans have the ability to argue that Russell is better than Wilt. Not because of the rings, but because of the MVPs.

Part 2: Dr. Kareem
This one is arguably the craziest. As this one involves several different narratives. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is in 2 of them and so is Julius Erving. This also takes part in different leagues and eras.
Section 1: Kareem Gets Taken To The Doctor

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took the world by storm in the 1970s. Due to the retirement of Bill Russell-as well as the decline of Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor-the NBA was lacking in dominant talent. Rick Barry, Tiny Archibald, Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, and Wes Unseld are all incredible talents. But they don’t pack anywhere near the same level of domination that the superstars of the era that came before it. In fact, the NBA was in financial trouble due to this lack of competitive nature. Kareem was the only dominant force in the league at the time. He was owning the 1970s.
1970-1976: He was a crucial member of the Milwaukee Bucks turnaround season as a rookie. He also made the NBA-All Rookie First Team as well as being named Rookie Of The Year. But his dominance didn’t stop there. He won a championship in his 2nd year in the league. He won 4 MVPs in a 6 year stretch (71, 72, 74, & 76). He led the league in points per game (2x), rebounding (1x), and blocks (2x). He was a 3x NBA All-Defensive Team member (2x First Team and 1x 2nd Team member). With a record like that, he was nearly untouchable. Well, for the most part.
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a short-lived major professional basketball league. Looking for a way to capitalize on their talent, and grow financial success, the ABA chose to promote Julius Erving. Nicknamed “The Doctor” or “Dr. J” for his ball handling abilities, Erving quickly became the face of the league (and for good reason).
As a rookie, he led the entire league in offensive rebounds and became a member of the ABA All-Rookie First Team. He went on to lead the league in points per game (3x), minutes per game (1x), and total games played (1x). He became a 2x ABA champion (in 1974 and 1976), while also winning the ABA Playoff MVP for his performance. For his ABA career, he ended up in the top 10 of all 5 major statistical categories: 2nd in points per game, 10th in assists per game, 3rd in steals per game, 4th in blocks per game, and 6th in rebounds per game. What’s even more noteworthy about these accomplishments, is the fact that his ABA career only lasted 5 seasons.
For these accomplishments, he became the most decorated player in the ABA. He became a 4x All-ABA First Team Member (1973-1976). He was selected to the ABA All Defensive First Team (in 1976). He was a 5x ABA All Star. But most importantly, he followed in the footsteps of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. He was a 3x ABA MVP (1974-1976). This level of dominance had people questioning whether or not Kareem was the lone best player that he was being made out to be. Dr. J’s name came into the conversation. Even more so in the NBA. Once the ABA collapsed financially and Dr. J was drafted to the NBA, he slowly took over as the best player in the league. In 1980, he came 2nd to Kareem in MVP voting. And he was awarded the MVP in 1981 over Bird (2nd) and Kareem (3rd).
While I think that Dr. J dominated in the 1970s and doesn’t get enough recognition, I don’t necessarily agree with the narrative that the NBA and ABA were trying to push. I do believe that Kareem was the best player of the 1970s and I don’t think that there should have been close comparisons between the 2. But the 3 consecutive ABA MVPs-along with the 2nd place 1980 MVP voting and his 1981 NBA MVP-helped Dr. J gain that level of credibility. It also threw him into the GOAT conversation. A conversation that he’s no longer mentioned in by fans and analysts. It just goes to show that the MVP-and the narrative that comes with it-heavily affects a player’s legacy.

Section 2: Kareem vs Moses: Center Rival Reincarnated

Kareem just can’t catch a beak can he? In alliance with Dr. J taking over as the best player in the league, the NBA had to remove Kareem from the stats of “best center” as well. This would mean that the NBA would have to find a suitable rival for Kareem at the center position. They would also have to recreate a rivalry similar to the feud between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Thus, Moses Malone became the superstar on their radar.
Moses Malone, a very underrated superstar in his own right, was hoisted to superstardom when he arrived in the ABA. To be fair to his reputation, it’s not all that shocking. He was incredibly dominant at the center position. Even more so, considering the fact that he as considered “undersized” compared to other people at his position . He was given the nickname “Chairman Of The Boards” for his incredible rebounding prowess. He led the ABA and NBA in offensive rebounds (a combined 9x). He led the NBA in rebounds per game 6x. Also, he became a then-record 5x consecutive rebounding leader. Wilt Chamberlain had led the league in rebounds 4x and 2 occasions. To lead the league 5x, definitely gives you a peak of how dominant he was. He also won the championship and finals MVP in 1983.
To make matters worse, Kareem had a reputation for underperforming in the post season (especially against other centers). Kareem was known for being incredibly passive and only using aggression against perimeter players that he could tower over. When it came to big men-such as Nate Thurmond, Dave Cowens, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Walton-Kareem seemed to get cold feet and get outperformed regularly. Moses Malone was no exception. In the 1981, the year after Kareem won his 6th (and final) regular season MVP and won his 2nd ring, he faced Moses Malone in the playoffs (for the first time). Malone only had a team with a losing record (40-42), while Kareem was coming off a championship year. Yet, Moses Malone and the Rockets defeated Kareem 2-1 in the first round. Malone dominated Kareem in the low post. He averaged 31.3 points and 17.7 rebounds on 51.4% shooting to Kareem’s 26.7 points and 16.7 rebounds on 46.2% shooting-both outscoring and rebounding Kareem. This results would be similar in the 1983 NBA finals. Moses Malone averaged 25.8 points and 18 rebounds on 50.7% shooting against Kareem’s 23.5 points and 7.5 rebounds on 55.25 shooting-again outscoring and outrebounding Kareem. He won the 1983 Finals MVP for his flat out domination of Jabbar in that finals series.
Reasons like this, make it easy to understand why Malone was a shoe in for their narrative. Malone, in his first NBA season, came in 6th (just outside of the top 5) in MVP voting in 1977. 2 years later he won his first ever MVP award. In 1981, he finished in 4th place (right under Kareem, who finished in 3rd). In 1982 and 1983, he won 2 consecutive MVPs. Remember that this is the same league that had prime Bird, Magic, Dr. J, George Gervin, Sidney Moncrief, and Alex English. Not to mention that he won an MVP, rebounding title, championship, and finals MVP all in the same season. To accomplish such a feat, thrust him into the position of greatest center in the league from the late 70s-to the early 80s, successfully (in my opinion) unseating Kareem from his position.

Section 3: Birds Of A Feather Doc Together

The NBA clearly loves using Dr. J’s image for feuds, narratives, and promotion. Seen by his 2nd MVP narrative with Larry Bird. This MVP narrative is actually a lot more substantial, to be fair towards the league. Although this did put a delay in Bird’s legacy and status, it didn’t hurt his legacy overall in the eyes of the public.
Bird, as a rookie, was on fire. Bird led the best turnaround NBA season at the time. In 1979, the Celtics had a 29-53 regular season record (the 2nd worst in the Eastern Conference), missing the playoffs. In 1980, during Bird’s rookie season, his team had a 61-21 regular season record (the first seed in the Eastern Conference). Bird was selected to the NBA All Rookie First Team and won the Rookie Of The Year Award. He was one of the best shooters passers, and rebounders in the league. With a reputation like that, he would be a shoe in for an insurmountable amount of MVPs.
The league, however, wasn’t having any of it. They weren’t ready to crown Bird so early on in his career. There were holes in his game that they could use against him, to slow him down in his career. Shooting efficiency, defense, and….most importantly…..athleticism (something was out of his control). In comparison to the slow and calculated Bird, Dr. J was incredibly quick, had a high leaping ability, large hands, and a long hangtime. The 2 of them had the best teams in their respective conferences. They even had a short lived feud for conference superiority-from 1980-1983.
-In the 1980 Eastern Conference Finals, Dr. J and Larry Legend faced off. Dr. J’s Sixers easily defeated the Celtics in 5 games. This was heavily due to the fact that the Celtics didn’t have the man to man defensive abilities to contain Dr. J and the Sixers in the low post, allowing them to score at will.
-However, in the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals (with the inclusion of Kevin McHale and Robert Paris-2 low post big men), the Celtics had more control over the low post. Bird also used his outside game against The Doctor (who’s entire game was predicated in finishing around the rim). They overcame a 3-1 deficit, to narrowly escape with the victory-as they went on to win the championship.
-The following year, The Doctor heavily improved his mid range game and jump shooting abilities. In the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals, The Sixers used their athleticism to run circles around Bird’s Celtics. Constantly scoring fast break points. Also, Erving used his newfound jump shooting skills on the Celtics all series long. In another tough 7 game series, Dr. J came out on top.
-In 1983, the Celtics recruited the fast paced Danny Ainge to use his athleticism for fast break offense. On the other hand, The Sixers (who lost to the Lakers in the finals in 1980 and 1982) added Moses Malone to give them a dominant big man suitable to take on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Unfortunately, neither teams faced off. While The Sixers tore through the playoffs and dominated the Lakers in the finals (creating one of te greatest teams of all time), Bird got shockingly swept by the Milwaukee Bucks-4 games to 0. While Bird suffered an embarrassing 2nd round exit, Dr. J made it to the top of the Eastern ladder again and held an NBA championship in his hand.
In 1980, Dr. J came 2nd in MVP voting, while Bird came in 4th. In 1981, Dr. J won the MVP, with Bird coming in 2nd place. In 1982, Dr. J came in 3rd place behind Bird (who came in 2nd place). In 1983, Dr. J came in 5th place and his teammate (Moses Malone) won the MVP over Bird (who came in 2nd). Dr. J successfully became a kryptonite for Bird. He was a nuisance, preventing Larry from becoming the MVP of the league. As long as Bird had a Dr. J in the way, he would be prevented from being considered the lone best in the league.
Fortunately, this would prove to be very temporary. Larry heavily improved his defense. He was selected to the NBA All Defensive Second Team from 1982-1984. He heavily improved is shooting efficiency, despite his lower percentage shots. He led the league in free throw percentage (4x). He led the league in minutes per game (2x). His 3 point percentage, which was in the 20% range, had increased to the 30%-40% range. In 1984, he had one of the largest championship victories in the finals against the Lakers. In 1986, similar to Dr. J in 1983, he created one of the greatest teams of all time (1986 Celtics). Going 40-1 with home court advantage, having a 67-15 regular season record, and winning the title. This high caliber performance led to him winning the MVP 3 consecutive years in the row (from 1984-1986), the way Dr. J did when he was in the ABA.

Part 3: MVP Like Mike
Section 1: Scoring vs Passing-Magic In The Air

Michael Jordan had took the world by storm as a rookie. He had one of the greatest rookie seasons in NBA history. He was playing at a level that the league never seen before. He elevated that level in the playoffs, playing even better. He contributed way more to his team than anyone else in the league. The Bulls, which missed the playoffs 3 consecutive years had now been dragged to the playoffs by the rookie from North Carolina. His ability to play on both sides of the ball all game long. His finishing and jump shooting. Constantly performing in the clutch. He was above and beyond everyone else. He even came 6th in MVP voting that season-just outside of the top 5. It’s clear that he would be ready to cement himself as the greatest in the league.
Originally, the NBA wanted to put Bird and Jordan in a feud. A video game called “Jordan vs. Bird: One On One” was promoted (similar to the video game “One On One: Doctor J vs. Larry Bird”) for the rivalry. Unfortunately, the rivalry never really materialized. Sure, they had a lot of entertaining games against one another. But, the scenario never panned out. When MJ first got into the NBA, Bird was going into his 2nd MVP season. During Jordan’s 2nd season, he was injured through the majority of the season and Bird won his 3rd consecutive MVP.
Luckily, the league had it covered. Magic Johnson was then put in a feud with MJ for a MVP race. They used the perspective of Magic’s passing and team success as a comparison to Jordan’s scoring and defensive abilities.
>In 1987, Jordan led the league in scoring for the first time-reaching a career high 37 points per game. He came 2nd in steals per game. He became the first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocks. Despite this, he came 2nd to MVP voting to Magic who won his first MVP award. Magic had led the league in assists with 12 assists per game and came 10th in points per game-which the league found more impressive.
>Jordan fought back against this. In 1988, he led his team in 4 out of 5 categories (points, assists, steals, and blocks). He recorded 200 steals and 100 blocks again. He led the league in scoring again as well. He led his team to a 50 win season. He also won the Defensive Player Of The Year Award. The league was so shocked by this, that he was given his first ever MVP-with Magic coming in 3rd place.
>In 1989, Jordan started running the Bulls offense. He led the league in scoring for the 3rd consecutive year. Even with that, he still came 10th in assists per game. He also came 3rd in steals per game-coming in the top 3 of steals for a 3rd straight year. He even came 15th in total defensive rebounds. However, the league was more impressed with Magic leading his team to the finals, despite the noticeable decline of his right hand man (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Jordan came 2nd in MVP voting right behind Magic.
>In 1990, Jordan continued the same roles, the way he did the previous season. He carried the scoring load, ran the offense, dominated on defense, and contributed to rebounding. The noticeable difference was the form of ball movement. Instead of playing on the ball, like he has throughout the 1980s, he started playing off the ball. This is due to Tex Winters’ Triangle Offense enforced by his new head coach Phil Jackson. Off ball movement makes it harder to record stats and perform in the roles that you want. That makes this season from Jordan even more impressive. He led the league in scoring for a 4th straight time. He led the league in steals for a 2nd time in his career. He came 19th (in the top 20) for total assists. The fact that he was able to score so many points, steal the ball so much, and pass the ball despite playing off the ball is incredible. Unfortunately, his stats went down due to playing off the ball and that dropped him down to 3rd place. Magic won the MVP for managing to perform great in the regular season and pick up his share of scoring to make up for Kareem’s retirement.
>In 1991, Michael Jordan finally made it back to the top. His team became the first seed in the league-with 61 wins. He led his team to the top 5 in defense (4th), while still putting his team’s offense in the top 10 (7th). They Bulls ball movement, defense, rebounding, and scoring had gotten way better. This is due to the perfecting of the triangle offense. Due to this, Michael Jordan won his 2nd MVP award-leaving Magic at 2nd.
During the finals, MJ officially finished Magic off. The narrative of Magic’s “pass first” making him a better player and a winner in contrast to Jordan’s ball dominance, scoring, and losing was debunked. Jordan was at his most ball dominance that season. He led his team in 4 out of 5 categories: points, assists, steals, and blocks (while coming 3rd in rebounds), and he was defending Magic Johnson for the majority of the series (despite popular belief). Magic’s 18.6 points and 12.4 assists on 43.1% shooting was inferior in comparison to Jordan’s 31.2 points and 11.4 assists on 55.8% shooting. His victory just cemented the ending to this media driven rivalry that shouldn’t have existed to begin with.

Section 2: I Take Offense To MVPs

In an effort to recreate the Magic-Bird rivalry, the media was ready to promote Clyde Drexler as “neck and neck” with Jordan. To be fair, they had an angle to go with. Michael Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.1 assists, 2.3 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 6.4 rebounds-along with 83.2% from the free throw line and 51.9% from the field. Clyde Drexler averaged 25 points, 6.7 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 6.6 rebounds-along with 79.4% from the free throw line and 47% from the field. A lot of their stats were very close. Also they were pretty similar in some of their styles-especially their ability to finish around the rim.
What was noticeably different that year, however, was their 3 point percentages. Jordan was averaging 27% from 3, which was noticeably inferior to Clyde Drexler’s 33.7%. This 3 point percentage was used as a narrative against Jordan to push Clyde Drexler as his “near equal”. Even though the league conceded that Jordan was the best (after his victorious MVP feud against Magic), they tried to push the idea that Clyde Drexler was “closing the gap”. Purely off of 3 point shooting.
The mere comparison of the 2 players, literally offended Michael. He was so upset about this that he explicitly targeted Drexler in the 1992 NBA finals. He set a former NBA finals record: 5 3 pointers in a half. He also outperformed him. He averaged 35.8 points, 6.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 4.8 rebounds-along with 89.1% from the free throw line and 52.6% from the field. Compared to Clyde’s 24.8 points, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 1 block, and 7.8 rebounds-along with 89.3% from the free throw line and 40.7% from the field. What was most eye opening was the gap from the 3 point line. Jordan averaged 42.9% from 3, while Clyde averaged 15% from 3. Jordan destroyed the narrative of Clyde, making the separation between the 2 incredibly clear.

Jordan-The Center Of Attention

Superstar center, David Robinson, won his MVP for his incredibly dominant season in 1995. He averaged 27.6 points and 10.8 rebounds. He made himself undoubtedly the greatest center in the league that year. Well…at least in the playoffs. Hakeem (who came 5th in MVP voting) schooled him in the playoffs in historic fashion-and went on to win his 2nd consecutive championship. Jordan, who only played 17 games, didn’t make the top 10. Due to his retirement and his return (in which he was no longer in his prime), people were questioning whether or not Jordan was the greatest in the league anymore. The league starting other players-like Shaquille O’Neal. With Hakeem now winning 2 back to back championships, Jordan was no longer had the top team in the league. Jordan was determined to change this.
In the 1995-96 NBA regular season, Jordan averaged 30.4 points, 4.3 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 6.6 rebounds. He was shooting 49.5% from the field, 42.7% from the 3 point line, and 83.4% from the free throw line. He averaged 37.7 minutes as well. This was in contrast to David Robinson. David averaged 25 points, 3 assists, 1.4 steals, 3.3 blocks, and 12.2 rebounds. He was shooting 51.6% from the field, 33.3% from the 3 point line, and 76.1% from the free throw line. He was playing 36.8 minutes per game. Jordan defeated David in points, assists, steals, 3 point percentage, free throw percentage, and minutes-6 categories. David defeated Jordan in blocks, rebounds, and field goal percentage-only 3 categories.
Under Jordan’s leadership, the Chicago Bulls set a former record 72 regular season wins. They had an 18 game win streak. They started 37-0 at home. They had a former NBA record (continuing from the 1994-95 regular season) of 44 straight wins. They also had the best 3 loss start in NBA history at 41-3 (.932). They still have the best “regular season+ post season” record in NBA history, with 87-13 (.870).
In the first round, they swept the Miami Heat in 3 straight games, 3-0. They defeated the New York Knicks easily in 5 games, 4-1. They then had a rematch against the Orlando Magic, who defeated them in 6 games in the 1995 playoffs. This time they swept them in 4 straight games, 4-0 in dominant fashion. This was even more crazy when you take into account that the Magic had a 60-22 record, swept the Detroit Pistons (3-0), and defeated the Hawks in 5 games (4-1). They finally made it to the finals and won against the Seattle Supersonics in 6 games (4-2), a team that had a 64-18 record, winning the championship.
For this incredible performance, Jordan was awarded his 4th MVP award, while David Robinson came 2nd in MVP voting. Proving to David, that he may be at the center position. But the entire league CENTERS around Jordan.

MJ Got His MVP Delivered By The Mailman

Looking for another suitable competitor for Jordan, Karl Malone sprung into the mix. The year before he finished in 7th place for MVP voting. In the 1996-97 season, Malone led the Utah Jazz to a 64-18 record (the best record in the Western Conference). They had a 15 game win streak. After the All-Star break, they went 31-4 record and posted another 15 game winning streak. They had the 2nd best home record with a 38-3 record. That season he made the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team. He led his team in points and rebounds. He finished 2nd in the league in points per game. He also came 11th in rebounds. His teammate, John Stockton, came 2nd in assists per game and 8th in steals per game. The 2 of them were dominating together.
Jordan, on the other hand, was going through a decline in performance. Despite leading the league in scoring, his scoring prowess dropped. His 3 point percentage dropped from 42.7% to 37.4%. The Bulls dropped down to 69 wins (great but a decline nonetheless). Unlike last year, Jordan only led his team in one category (points), while Pippen led the team in assists and steals. Several Bulls players suffered injuries that season-mostly Rodman, Longley, and Kukoc. Longley played only 59 games. Kukoc only played 57 games. Rodman only played 55 games. Despite this, the Bulls were about to win 70 games, like they did the previous year (which would have made them the first team to win 70 games twice). But, Pippen missed the game winning 3 in their final game.
Karl Malone and Jordan both came close in stats that season. This led Karl Malone to win the MVP over him. People pushed the narrative that Karl Malone was on the rise, while Jordan was on the decline-partially true but a heavy exaggeration. This narrative would have been capped off in the 1997 NBA playoffs. Karl was expected to lead his team in multiple categories-while Jordan was expected to rely on his injured teammates. Instead, the opposite happened.
Jordan channeled his inner Hakeem Olajuwon. Hakeem led his team in all 5 major statistical categories (points, assists, steals, blocks, and rebounds) in all 4 rounds of the playoffs. Jordan, similarly led his team in all 5 statistical categories in the last 3 rounds of the playoffs (2nd round, conference finals, and finals). Overall, he led his team in 3 categories (points, assists, and steals) while coming 2nd in blocks and rebounds. Karl Malone only led his team in points and steals in the playoffs. Jordan also won the championship-being the first player to lead his team to a title with only one teammate averaging double figures (Pippen was averaging 19 points on 42% from the field. His other teammates were averaging less than 10 points).
In 1998, Jordan would find his way back at the top of the ladder. Pippen, who was used as an argument against Jordan, got injured and was out for nearly half the seasons. He played 44 games. In addition, Steve Kerr was also injured and only played 50 games. Luc Longley only played 58 games. Rodman was starting less games due to durability issues. Despite all that, Jordan still led the Bulls to a 62-20 record (the best in the Eastern Conference and tied with the Utah Jazz as the best in the league). This earned Jordan his 5th and final MVP victory, with Malone coming 2nd.