How good was Jordan's finals competition?

 

We hear it time and time again...the claim tends to be that Michael Jordan played weak finals competition or what some people refer to as "plumbers" and ''mailmen". Although of the criticisms in the world this one falls far from reality...

1991: In the 1991 NBA season everyone shaped Michael Jordan  to be the best in league. However Magic Johnson didn't trail to far behind. Some might perceive Johnson as washed by 1991 but he was still good for a near 20 point double double as well as 7 rebounds. This production from Johnson led him to make the all NBA 1st team while almost winning his 4th MVP award. 

The Trail Blazers were expected to win the NBA title in this season. They would lead all teams in wins with 63. Although they were sent home by the Lakers in a short 6 game series. Further showing the dominance of Magics Lakers. Magic stood by hall of famer James Worthy who was an all star and who got on to an all NBA team. Overall the lakers were a 58 win team and were top 5 in both offense and defense.

1992: The 1992 Blazers were coached by Rick Adelman. A great coached who always found himself in COTY talk. He coached teams to being an elite defensive club. And to prove the reality of this statement the Blazers were the 3rd best defense in the league. The Blazers walked out of the season with a very impressive 57 wins. Which was 1st in their respective conference. 

Drexler was one of the best in the NBA at the time. So much so that some fans even considered him to being in Jordans tier among players. Drexler made all nba 1st team due to him notching numbers that consisted of 25.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. Clyde's co star was the point guard in Terry Porter who averaged nearly 20 points per game and orchestrated the teams offense. He did all this while being one of the most deadly 3 point shooters at the time which was valuable since it helped spread the floor for the other guys in the roster. Buck Williams was the staring Power forward and he was one of the best defenders at his position and was selected to an All defensive team. 

The Blazers also had a lot of experienced veterans in Danny Ainge, Clifford Robinson, and Kevin Duckworth overall making them a very difficult roster.

1993: The Phenix Suns in 1993 hosted the best record in the league with a 62-20 record. Despite the best record and the best rated offense the also had the league MVP in Charles Barkley who averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds that season. But surrounding Barkely, Kevin Johnson was the starting point guard averaging 20 points and 11 assists while being named to an all NBA team. Dan Majerle was on the all defensive team and was one of the best wing defenders in the NBA as well as being one of the leagues finest shooters. He chipped in 17 ppg a night and was named to an all star spot. 

1996: In 1996 the Seattle Supersonics had a record of 64-18 the best in their Conference. Let's also not forget that this same Seattle team swept the defending champion Houston Rockets who had Hakeem and Clyde on the roster while also beating the Karl Malone and John Stockton Jazz team in the conference finals. All together they were being coached by George Karl who would eventually would win Coach of the year. Aside from the Bulls they were the best defensive team in the NBA. They had an all time great perimeter defender in Gary Payton who won DPOY that year but was also a great offensive player putting up 19 points and 8 assists per contest. Payton is often recognized as the best defensive point guard in league history. His season was so impressive he finished at 6th in MVP voting. They also had a very talented Shawn Kemp on the roster, a 20 point per game scorer while grabbing 11 rebounds as well. Kemps play gave him a spot on the All NBA 2nd team. 

Detlef Schrempf was an all star caliber player, a 17 point per game scorer, and a 6 man of the year winner. Guys like Schrempf are the people that fans wont remember but can be the difference in the outcome of a playoff game. 

1997 and 1998: Fans typically remember how good the Jazz were with one of the best Duos in the history of basketball in Karl Malone and John Stockton. They had one of the best Power Forwards and one the the greatest Point Guards ever in their starting 5. Not only were Stockton and Malone members of the all NBA team but they also made all defensive teams. Malone also won his very first MVP in the 1997 season when they went toe to toe vs Jordan. With the teams offensive talent they were the 2nd best offense in the league that season while also being top 10 in defense. They had plenty of depth in Hornacek who was a good 3rd option averaging 15 points per game and being of of the best 3 point shooters in the NBA. 

The Jazz team were capable of beating the Houston Rockets who had Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, And Hakeem Olajuwon on the roster. Utah was basically the same team in 1998 but only this time they had a 62-20 record and were 1st in offense. 

Think of players like Andre Iguodala, Luo Williams, and Eric gordon. These players were often they difference between a playoff win and a playoff loss. They are all talented but in a few decades nobody will remember them the same way the don't remember talent like Terry Porter and Detlef Schrempf. Because at a certain point fans don't remember the overall talent of a team and their focus becomes just about the stars.