Michael Jackson Was Victimized His Entire Life...And Beyond

CLEVELAND - Michael Jackson lay motionless in his bed around noon on June 25, 2009. In his bedroom, a frantic and nervous doctor noticed that the legendary entertainer wasn't breathing. Simultaneously, millions of people across the U.S., unaware of what was happening to MJ at that moment, perceived him as a once-amazing talent that had long ago become an embarrassing sideshow. Within a few hours, those same people reconfigured their perception of the man and began expressing sympathy and grief over his sudden and Earth shattering death.

All of those people need to go to hell.

Head shaking as it is, today marks the one year anniversary of Michael's departure from life. It was an unspeakably horrific day for me personally and for the tens of millions of his fans globally. I still have a difficult time accepting it as reality, even though Michael was such an emotionally fragile and sensitive person who was forced to deal with a pressure cooker of a life for 45 years. I look back on that dark Thursday with endless contempt and impossible bitterness.

I've thought about the man's life in great detail. His successes were of epic magnitude. His failures were tragic and colossal. And although Michael Jackson was perceived by many as the ultimate oddball and a raging weirdo, the truth is, he was very much like the common man. He only wanted to be loved and admired. He was blessed with a gigantic amount of talent, yet he was also prone to making bad choices and being irresponsible. He had several lapses in judgement just as we all do, but none of that should ever overshadow what he was truly about.

He wanted to make the world a better place.

Long ago, it became the "cool thing to do" for many people to not only criticize Michael, but to completely assassinate his character and spew some of the most vitriolic hate ever conceived towards him. In the years after Michaelmania dominated the U.S. and abroad in 1983 and 1984, Michael began being vilified and mocked for his constantly changing facial appearance, his reclusive and eccentric lifestyle and for the failings of his music to eclipse the impossibly high standards of his historic Thriller album. Years after those criticisms began, he was mutilated in the media and court of public opinion for what many considered to be his seemingly seedy relationship with pre-teen and teen boys.

It may seem as though the mid-1980's was the beginning of the sniping at MJ, but in reality, his entire life had been that way. Since he was a child, he was forced to support his family through intense dedication to his music career. True, his brothers were all a part of The Jackson 5, but with Michael being the lead singer and far and away the biggest talent, the pressures on him were greater, and he wasn't yet 10 years old. He had to endure heavy criticism because of his nose, which even family members mocked and took to calling him "big nose." For a kid who was already sensitive, that sort of attack was almost too much to take. It heavily shattered his spirit. Then as an adolescent, he endured the cruel effects of acne to his soon-to-be-adult face. Of course, he was made fun of for having "so many spots" on his face.

The level of pressure that was upon Michael Jackson during the late '60's and throughout the '70's was incredible. Not only did he have to excel musically for the sake of his family and others in the music industry with a vested interest in him, he had to do so with a face that was constantly frowned at and mocked. He didn't have the luxury of hiding. His face was public property.

He began to flex his muscles as an adult solo artist in 1978 when he turned 20 and co-starred in "The Wiz." Shortly thereafter, he crafted his masterpiece Off The Wall album which launched him into orbit on the path to megastar. Beneath it all, he was more ambitious than he'd ever been, yet very insecure. He had been tethered to his brothers for years and now, he was finally developing his own sound and legacy.

Of course, Off The Wall became a huge success in an unexpected way but the phenomenon that came with the late 1982 release of Thriller was beyond comprehension. That seminal era, early 1983 through late 1984 was owned by Michael. The entire U.S. was consumed by his music, style and artistic trademarks and his work sold in record numbers. The Thriller era was such a charmed, fairy-tale time for Michael that it felt almost too good to be true.

As it turns out, it was.

Michael had been a man who could do no wrong during the whirlwind dominance of Thriller and its accompanying music videos. When he and his brothers ended the Victory Tour in late 1984, it was as if the clock struck midnight for Cinderella. Beginning in early 1985, the immense love affair that the public had with Michael began to fade. I remember this time vividly, even though I wasn't yet eight years old. Over the next 2 and a half years, his character took major hits in the media for his various eccentricities and lack of a new album. By the time Bad, the highly anticipated follow-up to Thriller debuted in August 1987, he had been getting major criticisms for his much lighter skin tone as well as other modifications to his face. It occurred to me that the man did exactly what many people would do if they had been in his shoes and had the means. Remember, he had been ridiculed since childhood by people (including members of his own family) and thus, carried a complex about his nose in particular and his face in general. If I were subjected to that and I was a multi-millionaire, I would have made changes as well.

During the last 20 years of his life, the criticisms and insults grew harsher and more insidious every moment. There were complaints about his record sales which were still awesome but always fell short of the juggernaut that was Thriller. MJ was already a notorious perfectionist, so he naturally put tons of pressure on himself to please his public. As his skin appeared more and more pale white and his face changed shape often, endless jokes and repudiation of the man fell upon him. No one believed he suffered from the skin disease vitiligo as he stated. Instead, they poked fun at him, called him a liar and hurled insults at him.

No one bothered to care about what pushed him to remodel his face. No one cared that his skin lightening was essential to even out what the disease was doing to his color. Imagine having to deal with that from a few people. Michael had to deal with a nation of people ganging up on him.

Then, the child molestation charges that effectively turned him into a pariah. Sure, it is bad judgement for a grown person to surround themselves with underage kids. It is also puzzling as to why and how Michael ended up in the same situation a second time after the horror of the first time. What people ignore is that Michael isn't an average Joe. Yes, he was an adult. But he was an adult who surrendered his childhood in favor of an entertainment career. The significance of that is it explains why he took to creating a childhood as an adult that he never experienced as a child. He may have been an excellent businessman, but he certainly didn't see himself as an adult. From what I saw, he looked at himself as a 10-year old boy and thus, saw nothing wrong with being around young boys.

To him, they were his "peers."

His thinking was clearly unconventional, but when such epic success isolates a person, it becomes understandable. Remember, Michael's closest female friends were women who were sometimes decades older than he; Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda and Katherine Hepburn. He always tried to surround himself with people who best understood him or whom he could truly connect with and relate to.

People ignore the fact that Michael spent his adult life donating endless amounts of his time, energy, emotions and money to countless charities. Children were his inspiration and he loved them. No one gives as much as he did without genuinely caring for the cause they're supporting. Not only that, but it was disclosed several months ago that MJ had been under surveillance by the FBI for 13 years and nothing was found that showed him to be a molester. In sum, he was acquitted after a trial in 2005 and the FBI found nothing improper on him, but no one ever mentions those things. Instead, he gets castigated for what was actually just allegations against an easy target and the possible "appearance" of impropriety. People label him a pedophile as though it was ever proven.

Add another stress inducer to his life.

I'm not saying that Michael didn't bring any of this on himself. He certainly placed himself in compromising situations, but he never deserved such malicious treatment by people. It infuriates me that so many people say such nice things about him now that he's gone, but never would have done that while he was alive. Jay Leno was always delivering below-the-belt jokes about him, but now speaks of him like he's a beloved icon, which he is, but Leno never spoke that way before.

I read unbelievably cruel comments all the time from idiots who continue to disparage Michael, even in death. It just further underlines the hell that MJ had to deal with daily while millions sat back and judged him. Those same people are hypocrites who clearly know nothing about class and love.

I will forever love Michael and I will use this awful anniversary as another opportunity to appreciate the gift that God gave us.

Michael Jackson forever.

Eminem Masterful and Dominant On 'Recovery' LP

CLEVELAND - Eminem exploded onto the music scene in 1999 like a meteorite engulfed in flames. His skills were undeniable and his popularity was stunning. Then he lost his focus and as a result, it undermined his unmatched brilliance for years.

Folks, the brilliance has returned.

Eminem, the famous moniker of Marshall Mathers releases his 6th major-label album today a full two weeks after it leaked online. Recovery, as it's titled was originally due out tomorrow but instead was moved up a single day to whet the public's appetite for an album that has gotten mostly rave reviews. And it's not just for its content, it's also for Eminem's return to the searing dominance that won him endless praise and critical acclaim a decade ago.

Em opens the album with guns blazing, as he drops clever zingers at Elton John, Michael Vick and the Parkinson's Disease-stricken Michael J. Fox on "Cold Wind Blows." It is instantly apparent that his prodigious lyricism is reborn and he intends to be all business on this LP. His ammunition is in the form of metaphors and one-liners and his trademark smart-alecky wit is razor sharp.

"Talkin' 2 Myself" is an earnest confessional in which Eminem admits his own jealousy of the immense success of Lil' Wayne and Kanye West during the last few years. He also touches on his declining self-esteem (during his nearly five-year absence from the spotlight) as he cleans out his own psychological closet. Admissions of self-loathing, holding a false bravado and enduring writer's block are all stunning because of the sheer brutal honesty of the words, yet riveting because it delves into the psyche of an insecure genius.

He even disavows his previous two albums, both of which were considered lackluster by fans and critics yet they both still went multi-platinum.

"On Fire" once again puts Em's phenomenal skills on center stage. His lyrical dexterity is flawless as is his biting wit. Listening to this track reminded me that he's always been masterful at composing tongue-twisting, multi-syllabic rhymes about inane and preposterous things.

"Won't Back Down" is a surprising collaboration with pop-star Pink, ironic because Em made a career out of insulting pop stars. But if ever there was an appropriate pairing of him with a pop star, this is it. Both Em and Pink have cultivated defiant, fearless personas with non-conformist attitudes. They come off like two renegades declaring their toughness in the face of critics and anyone else turned off by them.

"W.T.P." harkens back to Em's early albums which usually featured a light-toned, party track. It's a silly song, but it's also more lyrical than its similarly themed predecessors.

"Going Through Changes" is another brutally honest confessional. Em discusses everything from his murdered friend Proof to drug dealers being at his beck and call during his heavy drug abuse period. He talks about how immense fame has isolated him and admits that he acts "high and mighty" while he's really "dyin'" on the inside. The powerful song also features Em saying that the "only thing [he] fears is [his daughter] Hailie."

"Not Afraid" is the album's lead single. Uplifting and potentially transformative, it's also an unusual first single for an Eminem album. In it, he disses his own 2009 album Relapse and acknowledges that he may have overused the strange accent with which he littered the LP (and also annoyed many fans with). He also apologizes to his fanbase for essentially putting out subpar material the last few years. One complaint I have about this song and various other points during the album; Em's unusual use of metaphors at times seem forced and unnatural. Still, they are very effective in some cases.

"Seduction" is an R&B-style track. Em is cast as a smooth playa' cum ladies man. He unleashes a torrent of rhymes while extolling his prowess as a chick magnet (mostly due to his rhyming skills).

"No Love" could be considered the album's centerpiece. It's a delicious collaboration with Lil' Wayne and is maybe the best Eminem collab since he teamed up with Jay-Z for 2001's "Renegade." Here, Wayne authors a pitch-perfect lyrical masterpiece delivered in his trademark methodical drawl. He certainly paints a dramatic picture: "Married to the game, but she broke her vows. That's why my bars, are full of broken bottles..and my night stands, are full of open bibles." Also: "been to hell and back, I can show you vouchers" and "I'm stickin' to the script, you niggas skippin' scenes." The hook, a re-working of a familiar, early '90's pop hit merges Wayne's verse with Em's rapid, machine gun delivery. Em drops such zingers as "get these wack cocksuckers off stage, where the fuck is Kanye when you need him?" Awesome track that just happens to join two of the most acclaimed and popular figures in the genre's history.

On "Cinderella Man," Eminem once again bad mouths Relapse, saying "fuck my last CD, that shit's in the trash." The song feels like a pep rally for him and his resiliency in the face of his much publicized, former drug addiction. Em is full of swagger on this track, but it's effective because he admits to artistic missteps, especially with lines like, "mediocrity can no longer fly."

"25 to Life" is a concept song in which Em portrays the hip-hop game as a metaphor for a committed relationship. He's dedicated more than "half [his] life" to that relationship and feels under-appreciated despite his tireless dedication to it.

"So Bad" is, from the very start an obvious Dr. Dre-produced track. It's also a reminder that the legendary producer is mostly absent from this album, uncharacteristic for an Eminem set. This song is a great example of how much Eminem vacillates between humble self-loathing and cocky braggadocio from song to song and even verse to verse.

"Almost Famous" is another punchline filled, lyrical roller coaster as Eminem name drops everyone from David Carradine to Verne Troyer and Sean Hannity.

"Love The Way You Lie" features another surprising pop star choice; Rihanna. Her feathery voice punctuates the catchy track with a silky and beautifully crooned hook. Em meanwhile, seems to wistfully recall his complicated relationship with his ex-wife Kim. Rihanna's voice is so good, so sugary to the ear that the sad surrender of her words are not immediately obvious. Em sounds remorseful throughout for bad decisions he made in his past relationship until the very end of his verse when his devious, sociopathic alter-ego Slim Shady emerges with a closing threat to set [Kim's] house on fire with her in it.

"You're Never Over" is a spirited tribute to Proof, celebrating him as his guardian angel.

A bonus track called, "Untitled" is actually one of the best on the album. It's three minutes of Eminem spitting an impossible series of rhymes, metaphors and punchlines with awesome precision.

All in all, I am highly impressed with this album. Eminem's first three albums are considered classics, yet beginning with 2004's Encore, he's been criticized as having "lost his greatness." Though I liked Relapse, this new album blows that one out of the water. Eminem hasn't sounded this fresh, crisp or driven since 2002's The Eminem Show. And dare I say it, but Recovery is not only an instant classic, but might be just as brilliant as his earlier strokes of genius. The fact that I specifically discussed all but one song says a lot.

The real Marshall Mathers has finally stood up!

Debating Kobe Bryant's Legacy

CLEVELAND - I am a Kobe Bryant fan. He is a truly amazing basketball player with an unbelievable will to succeed and his enormous cache of skills make him nearly impossible to defend on the court. Where he started at the beginning of his career and where he is now is one of the biggest phenomenons in sports history.

But his place in NBA history remains complicated.

Yes, even after Bryant led his L.A. Lakers to their second straight (16th overall) NBA championship Thursday night, discussing his legacy is far from simple. In fact, it's nearly impossible. The 14-year superstar is now a member of five NBA title teams of the past 11 seasons and his Lakers seem poised to challenge for more during the next year or two.

But, let's not get too far ahead.

Comparisons in sports are inevitable. The most difficult ones to make are the ones that compare players across different eras and with different circumstances. For years, Bryant has been compared very favorably to the great Michael Jordan (my all-time hoops hero). And now that Bryant is just one championship behind MJ, the comparisons are as heated as ever. Many have even placed Kobe above Earvin "Magic" Johnson as the greatest Laker in history. It's entirely possible that Bryant is Johnson's superior, but he is still miles behind Jordan.

Here's why:

To be fair to both men, I'm only going to consider Bryant's last 11 seasons, since his first three were spent learning the NBA after jumping straight from high school. His productivity was far below what it came to be. For Jordan, I won't consider his two year stint with Washington, when he was a very advanced-in-age 39 and 40 and it's also pointless to consider his 18-game second season and his 17-game comeback season in 1995. In other words, I'm comparing Kobe's best 11 years with Michael's best 11 years.

In Kobe's 11 seasons, the Lakers have won the title 5 times. In each of those seasons, he not only didn't win a league MVP award, but the consensus opinion was that he was no higher than the second best player in the NBA. Not the best. His role on the Lakers' 2000-02 title teams was as the killer wing player. Shaquille O'Neal was the best, most dominant player on the floor and the league and his ability to virtually guarantee a Lakers basket every time down the court was their strongest asset. He was more physically imposing than anyone and had a litany of post skills that made him the focal point of opposing defenses. Bryant, with his myriad skills was the beneficiary of Shaq's paint presence. Though Kobe seemed to resent having to share the ball with O'Neal at the time, he still prospered from being the best one-on-one player in the game who was hardly ever required to go one-on-one.

So even though Kobe played a very pivotal role in those first three titles, he played with a very unfair advantage. Let's also not forget about the rest of the talent that L.A. had during those years. When Kobe became the team's leading scorer for the first time in his career during the 2002-03 season (30.0 ppg), the Lakers lost in Round 2 of the playoffs. It was the first time Bryant's thirst for glory impeded the team's goal; he had a 13 game stretch at midseason where he averaged more than 42 points per game. That type of monopoly on the ball is inexcusable when a guy like O'Neal (just 31 at the time) is around.

In the 2004 season, the Lakers lost again, this time in the NBA Finals to upstart Detroit. By then, O'Neal and Bryant's rift was at an all-time high in the animosity category. It was the last time they played together as O'Neal wound up in Miami the following season. With Bryant as the team's Number 1 star for the 2004-05 season, the Lakers were a mess and stunningly missed the playoffs. In '06, Bryant unleashed the full capacity of his brilliant offense and averaged a career high 35.4 ppg. He even dropped 81 points in a game v.s. Toronto, but come playoff time, his Lakers got bounced by Phoenix, an occurrence that repeated itself in 2007. It was during that off-season that Kobe fumed in the media and disparaged his teammates while mentioning that he wanted a trade. Of course, the ensuing 2007-08 season saw the shocking trade (steal) for all-star Pau Gasol. This move, along with the great improvement of the Lakers' Andrew Bynum put L.A. in the NBA Finals for the first time in four seasons.

Even though Bryant won the 2008 MVP, his Lakers lost the title to Boston. The following season, L.A. steamrolled Orlando en route to capturing the 2009 NBA title, Bryant's 4th overall, but first as the team's best player. They repeated the feat two days ago when they won in a delayed rematch with the Celtics. Bryant won Finals MVP for the 2nd straight season, but he never had a standout game.

For Michael Jordan, his path was very different. After six seasons of awesome accolades, breathtaking highlights and endless praise, his Chicago Bulls still possessed no championships. When they finally broke through in 1991, Jordan loomed very large. He averaged 31.2 ppg, 11.4 apg and 6.6 rpg! He dominated in the '92 Finals as well as he outshone his supposed equal Clyde Drexler with a 35.8 scoring average. For the Finals in 1993, he set a record with a 41 ppg series average against Phoenix. He stunningly retired nearly four months later, then returned two years after that. He led Chicago to another trilogy of championships in 1996, '97 and '98 before riding off into the sunset. The major difference between Jordan's showings in the championship series v.s. Bryant's is simple. Jordan had games so great that they remain some of the most transcendent moments in league history.

Bryant, in seven different Finals, never had a masterpiece game like that.

In the regular season, MJ won 10 NBA scoring titles, 9 NBA 1st team all-defense, 6 Finals MVP's, 6 NBA titles, 5 league MVP's and a Defensive Player of the Year award. He was always the best player on his team and though he had an awesome sidekick in Scottie Pippen, he always played with one-dimensional role players and had lousy centers and point guards on his team. His regular season resume is filled with 60, 50 and 40 point games but his playoff resume is filled with series winning performances that impact basketball history greatly. In his final two Finals series alone, MJ authored two of the greatest single game performances the championship series has ever seen. He was always the focal point of his team's offense as well as the other team's defense.

Kobe meanwhile, has had awesome regular season games but almost no playoff games that jump out at you. Even when he went on a one-quarter scoring explosion in Game 4 of this year's Finals, the Celtics still won. He has one MVP, which he earned during the same season his team lost in the Finals. Jordan won 4 of his 5 in seasons that ended in championships.

I agree that Kobe has skills that are virtually equal to Michael's which is amazing in and of itself. But this nonsense about Bryant being a better shooter than MJ is ridiculous. Yes, Bryant became a good shooter earlier than Jordan did, but once Michael perfected his mid-range jumper, he was automatic. MJ, even by Phil Jackson's admission was a better finisher at the rim than Kobe (since Jackson coached both men, I give added weight to his evaluations of them) Michael was also a superior post-up player even though Kobe is excellent in that category. Kobe has been an outstanding defender, Jordan was better. On the ball, he was more ferocious. Off the ball, he played the passing lanes with better anticipation. Both players have shown reluctance to pass the ball, but they are very effective when they do. Michael saw the floor better mostly because he was trained in college by Dean Smith to play as a team before playing as the hero. Even though Jordan was known as a ball hog, he still displayed that fundamental skill to look for the open man.

Bryant shoots the 3-pointer better than MJ, but takes far too many shots from that distance. Jordan was an inconsistent 3-point shooter, but he was a very good "situational" 3-point shooter. He also had the sense and discipline to take higher percentage shots instead of "the home run ball" which has a tendency to take a team out of their game. Both men were brilliant in crunch time, Jordan made a habit out of drilling last second shots and breaking the hearts of many teams. Bryant nailed several game winners this season alone.

All in all, Kobe Bryant is awesome. Granted, I can't be as big a fan of his as I'd like to be because my allegiance to Jordan won't allow it. With that being said, I make these arguments in MJ's favor with complete objectivity. I presented facts and opinions based on facts and I gave each man the benefit of the doubt. Kobe is not as great as Michael, and that is just fine.

He's a legend already. That ain't too shabby.

The Self-Destruction Of O.J. Simpson

CLEVELAND - For a person that overcame so much adversity, it remains one of the great mysteries as to why O.J. Simpson chose to destroy his charmed life. He was once considered the American dream and a great role model, yet he willfully ruined the public's perception and will forever be loathed with passionate intensity.

What a waste.

Today marks the 16th anniversary of Simpson's transformation from hero to hellion. His ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman were both savagely murdered at her condo in Brentwood, CA on that evening over a decade and a half ago. O.J. didn't get formally charged with the crime until days later, but suspicions swirled about him almost immediately. Of course, Simpson famously went on trial for the murders that he denied committing and the televised courtroom proceedings dominated conversation and media for months.

That turned the trial into the biggest spectacle in history.

Eventually, O.J. was stunningly acquitted in the autumn of 1995, an occurrence that divided the nation along racial lines. It was obvious that he dodged a major bullet in the trial by being set free, but he lived his post-trial life with a stupefying arrogance and reckless behavior. After being ordered to pay over $33 million to the victims' parents in a 1997 civil trial, Simpson decided to stonewall the judgement and vowed never to pay it. Many years later, in 2006, he wrote a book which featured a controversial chapter detailing how he would have hypothetically murdered Nicole and Ron if he had been the "real killer." The unbelievable gall and insensitivity he showed in that endeavor outraged the public and a year later, Goldman's family successfully won the rights to publish the book themselves and profit from its sales.

If all that wasn't enough, O.J. masterminded an armed robbery and abduction caper in Las Vegas in 2007 and a year later, was found guilty on several criminal counts. He was sentenced to a prison sentence of at least nine and at most 33 years. Many observers contended that Simpson's harsh sentence was essentially "payback" for "getting away with murder" back in 1994.

O.J. Simpson was born into a poverty stricken family and was afflicted from birth with a leg disease called rickets. His impoverished neighborhood and absentee father only made matters worse, but he recovered and became a superstar football player. The pinnacle of his college football career at USC may have been when he won the Heisman trophy in 1968. Five years later, he set an NFL record for rushing yards and was fast becoming America's favorite son. He became a Hollywood figure as well as he starred or appeared in numerous minor films during the 1970's and '80's. Also, his career as a commercial pitchman for several companies flourished after he retired from the NFL in 1979. By the time his marriage to Nicole Brown grew contentious enough to warrant divorce in 1992, Simpson was also a successful television commentator on NBC.

The charmed life disappeared the night his blood ended up at a grisly crime scene and the victims' blood ended up on his vehicle and on his driveway. Apparently, O.J. lost his cool in a huge way and allowed his lack of control to force a very bad choice that destroyed his good name forever. Either way you look at it, the saga of O.J. Simpson is equal parts riveting and tragic.

Has it taught anyone else a valuable lesson?

20 Years Ago Today: Jordan Learns Hard Lesson From Pistons

CLEVELAND - In a seminal career of breathtaking excellence, Michael Jordan authored one historic moment after another. His genius was so expansive and his drive so tenacious, that he became the best basketball player in history by the time he reached age 30. But before he led the Chicago Bulls to a half-dozen NBA championships in less than a decade, he served a hard knocks apprenticeship that reinforced his ruthlessness.

Thank the Detroit Pistons.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Detroit Pistons' Game 7 trouncing of Jordan's Bulls in the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals. It was the third consecutive season that saw Detroit end Chicago's season. Jordan, then 27 years of age and in his 6th NBA season had been beyond brilliant all season and series. With the Pistons' ultra physical play and defensive focus on MJ, the Bulls as a team struggled mightily in spurts and went down 0-2 in the series. Then, ferocious as ever, Jordan responded with back to back 47 and 42 point games to tie the series at 2-2. The final game, played at The Palace of Auburn Hills, saw Chicago lose handily, 93-74. This was the infamous "Scottie Pippen migraine game" which rendered the 3rd year upstart ineffective and left Michael alone to fight against Detroit's suffocating defense. Jordan miraculously managed 31 points in the game, but no one else did anything of note.

It was with this Game 7 loss that Jordan broke down in tears at the reality of losing yet again. Each season, he  was the ultimate megastar standout, yet he was hearing growing criticisms that he would never lead his team to a championship. His career was so phenomenal up to that point, yet he would never be thought of as an all-time great without a league title. Naturally, he went into the summer with an even higher level of focus than normal. The result?

Chicago won three consecutive NBA titles twice during the remainder of the decade!

It may have been the sharpest, cruelest pain at the time. But that Game 7 loss was the exact fuel that Michael Jordan needed to power his space shuttle of excellence into the stratosphere.