They’re all back.
MJ, sure, but also not-so-li’l Penny, Grant and ‘Zo, all trying to regain All-NBA status after injuries and illness. There’s Kobe and Shaq, on the quest for a three-peat and true understanding. C-Webb is back in Sacramento, which surprised many, but J-Wil isn’t, which surprised few. Shareef left Vancouver, and so did the Grizzlies in the NBA’s first franchise shift in 16 years.
Stephon and Jason traded addresses. And winter garb. Mase went into witness protection, also known as Milwaukee in winter, to work on his arrest-to-assist ratio. Hakeem and Patrick are still around, though not moving very swiftly, and also with new laundry. There’s talk that Donald Sterling may make the playoffs and Pat Riley may not. There are new rules and old guys, Stockton and Malone, who have played more games with one team than anyone in NBA history.
“There’s an enormous amount of interest in the league in general and in Michael in particular. But it can’t be just a Michael Jordan story,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said in assessing the 2001-02 campaign, which tips off Tuesday night at 12 sites, including a marquee matchup between Jordan’s Washington Wizards and the Knicks in Madison Square Garden.
“The bigger question will be whether the Lakers can repeat, whether Vince Carter and Hakeem Olajuwon will be able to continue their success, whether Philadelphia, with Allen Iverson and Dikembe Mutombo, will challenge more, whether Indiana with its youngsters is ready to step up big.”
Stern anticipates the beginnings of a changing of the guard.
“The Clippers have a very interesting young roster,” he said. “Dallas started last year with low expectations, and this year they’re going to have to step up. It may be a lot about Michael, or it may not be.”
Thus far most of the attention has been directed toward Jordan’s return. His performance at the Garden is expected to attract the biggest opening night media turnout and highest TV ratings in NBA history. League officials say the demand for tickets is the highest for an NBA event in New York.
The Garden is the site of some of Jordan’s most memorable performances, including his 55-point “double nickel” on March 28, 1995, his fifth game back after his first retirement. This one will be combined with a memorial for the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks, and though more than 500 reporters from around the world will be in New York to cover it, the basketball highlight of opening night may be in Orlando, where the Magic plays host to Toronto.
The game features two of the most exciting young players in the conference, former teammates Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter, who do things on the court that made Jordan famous. Whether they can match his penchant for winning remains to be seen, but their teams are expected to battle it out for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
It is the pairing of McGrady with a former “next Jordan,” Grant Hill, who is returning from ankle surgery, that prompts talk of a Jordan and Scottie Pippen-like combination for the Magic. If veterans Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant can effectively complement them, they could eventually challenge the Lakers.
Olajuwon, a future Hall of Fame center, signed with the Raptors, who also retained their top free agents, and the Bucks added Anthony Mason to add muscle to what should be the league’s highest-scoring team.
“Whether there’s something special going on in Toronto, or whether Philadelphia is going to be able to do it, or with Grant Hill coming back, we don’t hear this year about `Send the championship over to the West’–that the East is so weak and the winner is clearly going to come out of the West,” Stern said. “We’ve got much more balance.”
Not that many are picking against the Lakers with their dynamic duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
“I don’t know who is going to stop the Lakers,” Seattle coach Nate McMillan said.
San Antonio, Sacramento, Dallas and Portland figure to have some chance, though not much barring injury to one of the two Laker mainstays. The Kings believe they’re better with guard Mike Bibby. Dallas has Juwan Howard for a full season and Tim Hardaway back with Don Nelson. Portland says it has a serious Shawn Kemp, though Pippen is limping from back problems, and Utah has Karl Malone and John Stockton, about to set a record with an 18th season on the same team.
“They don’t even need me,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said.
There are new coaches in Washington (Doug Collins), Detroit (Rick Carlisle), Cleveland (John Lucas) and Portland (Mo Cheeks). McMillan and Boston’s Jim O’Brien begin their first full seasons, and Denver coach Dan Issel has relinquished his general manager’s job to Kiki Vandeweghe.
Vancouver becomes Memphis with a new roster after trading Bibby and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The biggest trade involved All-Star guards, Jason Kidd for Stephon Marbury, and it will be watched closely. Marbury, already known as a selfish player, was benched in preseason for breaking team rules. Marbury is to team with returning Penny Hardaway in a super backcourt that Phoenix never developed with Kidd and Hardaway because of Hardaway’s injuries.
By trading for Elton Brand, the Clippers are laying claim to one of the last Western Conference playoff spots. They’ll battle the Suns and Minnesota.
The defending Eastern champ 76ers come in off surgeries and injuries and with problem child Derrick Coleman added, which gives Eastern rivals some hope. Perennial contenders New York and Miami are slipping, and rules changes allowing all defenses and eight seconds to get into the frontcourt could affect both teams’ slowdown offenses.
It all starts Tuesday with Jordan in New York, and who knows exactly where it goes from there.
Jordan’s best
Michael Jordan’s top 10 Madison Square Garden games:
DATE PTS SCORE
March 28, 1995 55 Bulls 113-111
Nov. 1, 1986 50 Bulls 108-103
April 19, 1988 47 Bulls 121-118
May 11, 1996 46 Knicks 102-99*
Jan. 9, 1998 44 Bulls 90-89
Jan. 5, 1985 42 Knicks 119-113
March 8, 1998 42 Bulls 102-89
March 7, 1988 38 Knicks 110-98
May 16, 1989 38 Knicks 121-114
March 31, 1992 36 Bulls 96-90
*–overtime
Jordan’s top arenas for scoring (points per game average):
ARENA CITY PPG
The Spectrum Philadelphia 35.9
Bradley Center Milwaukee 33.9
Boston Garden Boston 33.6
Milwaukee Arena Milwaukee 33.4
Miami Arena Miami 33.3
Madison Sq. Gdn New York 32.5
Richfield Coliseum Cleveland 32.0
ARCO Arena Sacramento 31.8
Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte 31.7
Continental Airlines E.Rutherford 31.3
Source: NBA.
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