Comments on: Tuesday Flashback: May 8, 1997

By: Jason J

Jason J — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:20:09 +0000

That was an interesting Hawks team. It was built in the mold of the mid-late 90s. Very big and strong, defensively oriented, and lacking in creators (the game was so physical back then that your free wheeling point guards were getting stifled compared to years past or today). Mookie, Corbin, and Dikembe were all tremendous, highly phsical defenders at their positions.

They matched up pretty well with Chicago. They defended them well. They held their own on the boards. They just couldn't score when the Chicago switching and smothering perimeter defense kicked in. So they'd play pretty even in most games, and then the Bulls would lock down for a few minutes and build what amounted to an insurmountable 8 to 10 point lead.

By: Cort

Cort — Wed, 04 May 2011 07:00:05 +0000

thanks jon. it seems a lot of people dont like laettner at all. i wasnt a big fan of his but i appreciated his unique abilities, especially at 6-11. his senior year in college he shot 56% (54-97) on 3-pointers!
the hawks surprised me by winning game 1 so as you say it is looking like a long series. chicago was not real impressive vs. indiana in round one. i do think indiana is better than its record though, matched up well vs. chicago and has a deep roster. if they get a good 2 guard the pacers could win 48-50 games next year.

By: Jon marcus

Jon marcus — Wed, 04 May 2011 04:52:47 +0000

Cort-

I was never, ever a fan of Laettner. In fact, he may be on my short list of most disliked athletes, but you are spot on in your assessment of him. His greatness and his penchant for hitting huge shots on the biggest stages places him near the top of any NCAA list of best college gamers ever. Well written post, even if it pains me to admit it.

As far as these current Hawks and Bulls, this series has seven games written all over it. The Hawks are gaining momentum at the perfect time and meeting a Bulls team that is experiencing the reality of a long season. As the injuries mount, it is looking more and more like the team that played so well during the regular season, may be starting to crumble.

Of course, that will all change with a victory tomorrow night!

By: Cort

Cort — Wed, 04 May 2011 01:05:14 +0000

both the hawks and bulls were better in 1997 than they are now. but i would say there is a bigger gap between chicago of 97 and chicago of 2011 than there is between the two atlanta clubs.
the hawks of 97 werent much better than the current team, but the interior combo of mutombo and laettner is better than the hawk bigs today. smith and joe johnson are pretty comparable, as are hinrich and blaylock. people forget laettner was an all-star with atlanta until he ripped his achilles during the lockout.
looked this up a while ago for people who dont like him or think laettner didnt do much besides hit the 1992 shot to beat UK...in 4 NCAA elite 8 games he shot 31-34 from the field and 34-37 from the foul line. unreal efficiency - cant shoot much better than that, especially under high pressure. in the UK game he was 10-10 from the field and 10-10 from the foul line.
AND people forget he also hit a 15-foot double pumper from the left elbow at the buzzer to beat UConn in the 1990 regional finals. so not only did he hit 1 great shot at the horn to get his team to the final 4, he hit TWO.
think about that. that will probably never be duplicated.
also, he is the all-time NCAA tourney scoring leader. played in 3 straight finals and started in 4 final 4s.
now his NBA career wasnt as great as expected by many (SI compared to rick barry coming into the NBA for various reasons), but it was still a good career until the severe injury limited his mobility. he should be on the list of 15 greatest NCAA D1 men's hoop players. arguably the most accomplished college player of the last 25 years.

By: Ricardo

Ricardo — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:33:57 +0000

Chicago will probably still win this series, but given the form they've shown so far and the injuries to Rose and Boozer, this isn't the same team we saw dominate the last 4-6 weeks of the season.

By: Matt, Colombia

Matt, Colombia — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:18:11 +0000

Wow, 16 boards and 6 assists by Jordan. He only used 26 possessions to get his points when you count the offensive boards. He really was the greatest.

By: Jason J

Jason J — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:14:54 +0000

I love how Jordan was the one to make up for crummy games by Rodman. I remember when Dennis was suspended for the headbutt (or was it the kick?), MJ gobbled up boards then too.

Check out Mookie going 8 for 9 from 3 and Rodman fouling out in 26 minutes. Was Harper doubling down on... Laettner?

By: Neil Paine

Neil Paine — Tue, 03 May 2011 16:37:00 +0000

Is the 1997 game traumatic for Bulls fans? Chicago went on to win a title...

Likewise, I think this is a road bump for the current Bulls. Then again, I have been naysaying the Hawks all season long, yet they continue to stick around. They refuse to play like the -1.1 SRS team they really are!

By: harold

harold — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:47:04 +0000

Neil, you really know how to hurt a guy...

By: Robert August de Meijer

Robert August de Meijer — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:57:58 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGijjsC6Yv8 = video of game I found on the web.